The Apple Special Event was hosted at the infamous Steve Jobs Theater in the hub of technological innovation at the new Apple Headquarter in Cupertino and live streamed on all streaming platforms from YouTube to Apples own website on Sept. 10 to broadcast what they have been working on in complete secrecy for the past year. With all of the exciting stuff that was announced in the two hour keynote,  into all of the innovative things that Apple has created this year. 

Changes can be seen first in the new App Store. Apple has created a subscription based service integrated into the App Store called Apple Arcade, the first mobile subscription based game service that any app store has attempted. It is also a revolutionary way to enjoy games on Apple products across the board, allowing the user to pay a simple monthly fee and be able to experience the newest Apple Arcade games updated and added every month. 

The second new service Apple announced in their exciting keynote is Apple TV+. Apple TV+ is also a subscription based service like no other for television and film. Apple has created original stories with their own twist, employing only the greatest minds in the field of entertainment. Such stories include but are not limited to For All Mankind, a re-imagination of the space race; Dickinson, a coming of age story of Emily Dickinson told in a completely modern way; The Morning Show starring Reese Witherspoon, Steve Carell, and Jennifer Aniston; and See starring Jason Mamoa, taking place years into the dystopian future. The service will be launching on Nov. 1 for the price of $4.99 per month easily beating the prices of multiple other streaming services exponentially. Moreover, if anyone buys a new apple product from Sept. 10 onward, they will also get a free one year trial of Apple TV+ from the day it launches.

In addition to Apple’s new subscription programs, a roll of all-new devices have come into the picture. For example, the iPad was designed as a product that you could take with you anywhere and anytime and still have the functionality, power, productivity, and practicality of a laptop or even a desktop computer. The iPad can now be pushed even further in every aspect due to the introduction of the new iPadOS; “iPadOS is an advanced operating system with a new name to recognize the distinctive experience of iPad” says Tim Cook, CEO of Apple. iPadOS is not too different from the original iOS but is optimized for the larger canvas and processing power of the tablet for better productivity. The new 10.2 inch Retina display, Retina meaning a fancy version of any iteration of screen types whether it be IPS LCD or OLED, with 3.5 million pixels, which compared to the “top selling computer for the first half of this year” (which for the record is not an Apple product) has more than “3 times the number of pixels, 2 times the brightness and much wider viewing angle” says Tim Cook. Though that is great, the iPad has even more to offer in terms of processing power with Apple’s most efficient computer chip yet, the A10 Fusion, using the least amount of power while still maintaining up to twice as much computing speed than the aforementioned computer. Included in this long list of interesting specifications of this iPad, it also has the Smart Connector which is compatible with any Apple approved accessories whether it be a keyboard, charger, or even a charging case. The home button has returned on the most recent iteration of the iPad, the gestures required to navigate the older generation iPad has stayed to boost productivity and the speed at which one is able to work providing multiple different, unique ways to navigate all around the newly redesigned iPad. The new iPad is also made up of 100% recycled materials thus saving our environment and allowing Apple to re-purpose old technology. Lastly, with all the new technology and innovations in this new generation of iPad, it may come as a surprise that the starting price tag for this machine is a mere $329 dollars and $299 for education purposes compared to the gargantuan price tag of the older generation of iPad at $799, this new iPad is a steal.

The redesigned Apple Watch is next on the list of tech that Apple released on Tuesday. The Apple Watch Series 5. Some of the new features of the Apple watch is the inclusion of a decibel meter to protect the hearing of users and alert them if they are in an environment with loud noises, that with prolonged exposure, will cause hearing loss. There is also a new cycle tracking feature for women’s health to help track and detect their menstrual cycles. Of the new features this next one is paramount in importance. The updated EKG/ECG sensors are able to detect abnormalities in heart rate and predict whether it requires medical attention. Such abornamilites may be increased heart rate signaling a female going into labor, a preemptive sign of a heart attack (something which the Apple Watch Series 4 unknowingly had detected with several people in the past, Apple has just decided to improve the algorithm and make it a dedicated program). With this new detection feature, if needed the Apple Watch will even be able to contact EMS to get the help the user may need. It is also used to improve overall user health by suggesting workouts and being active during prolonged periods of inactivity. Of course all of this heightened intake of data from users, they are able to decide whether to participate in the programs in which the data is kept private. In addition to all of these innovative software upgrades and features, there are several hardware upgrades in the Apple Watch as well. The screen is now always on and will not turn off after any period of inactivity or when the user is not paying attention to it; meaning that the user can always observe the time and any other important information on the watch face whilst being more power efficient and lasting a longer time. Safety is also an updated feature that Apple has spent extra time to ensure that the user is safe at all times and can request EMS whenever they need; with the Series 5, there is an integrated international emergency calling with 150 countries participating in this service. The new Apple Watch is also Swimproof, allowing it to be submerged in water for extended periods of time.The Series 5 is also next in the line of Apple products which are constructed using 100% recycled aluminum. In addition to aluminum cases, the two newest cases are made out of  titanium or ceramic ensuring a strong watch that will last. 

Last but not least, the three new iPhones. The first of the iPhones, and also the budget one, per say is called the iPhone 11. It comes in multiple different colors as did the iPhone XR, but with a different palette and upgraded hardware and software on the inside. Glossing over the new features, there is an upgraded camera and now the budget iPhone comes with two, the normal lens and a two times zoom telephoto lens, allowing you to take pictures of things further away while still maintaining clarity and definition. Furthermore, it has the same screen as the iPhone XR which is not considered a full 1080p High Definition screen, it is almost the same resolution and pixel density (326 ppi) as the iPhone 4 from 2010. There are upgraded dual speakers which also support Dolby Atmos which is Dolby’s premium audio codec which Dolby uses only in premium movie theaters and locations which are powerful enough to handle the 3D sound format of this codec, the only other company that creates audio formats for 3D applications (hearing a helicopter fly above your head, a bee buzzing on your right, a little below you) is DTS. Nevertheless, Dolby or DTS both require several speakers and a powerful enough receiver to handle this exponential increase in sound data and information, but Dolby was able to integrate such sophisticated technology into a phone with two speakers. There is also a new glass material used which claims to be more durable and a longer battery life (1 hour longer than the iPhone XR, which was the industry’s leading name in battery life until the iPhone 11). There is also an upgraded water resistance which is labeled as IP68 (as opposed to the previous iPhone’s IP67) which means that the phone can be submerged up to 2 meters in water for 30 minutes without failure. The new colors for the iPhone 11 are white, black, green, yellow, purple, and PRODUCT RED, which donates a fraction of the earnings from this color phone to AIDs research. The newer non-budget iPhones are called the iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max. The smaller has a screen size of 5.8” diagonal and the bigger phone has a screen size of 6.5” diagonal. The screen is different than the iPhone 11, this is a full HD OLED screen with a 458 ppi pixel density and resolution of 2436×1125 for the iPhone 11 Pro and 2688×1242 for the Pro Max. There is a also a third camera which has a super wide angle lens allowing for 0.5x zoom out from the original to get more of the scene into one picture. There is also a bigger battery than even the iPhone 11 with up to 5 hours more usage than the iPhone XR. The new colors for this model phone is midnight green, space gray, silver, and gold. The back glass is no longer glossed as well, it is a matte finish allowing for a new finish on the several previous iPhone’s glossy finishes. There is also a higher resolution front facing camera (4K) and there is now even slow motion shooting on the front facing camera. The new iPhone 11 Pros also come with the new Apple Fast charger to power the beast of a battery every single day.  Last but not least, there is the new A13 bionic chip which really gives the new iPhone 11 Pro the name, Pro. This new processor is able to do approximately 1 trillion computations per second and it is the most efficient processor ever made. This beast is able to keep a low running voltage while still being a powerhouse for day to day activities without any sign of slowing down or lag. 

Thus, with all of the new innovations Apple has worked up in the past year, it will be interesting to see how many of these new features actually make it on the final production models of the devices and see what new features they added not mentioned in the keynote. Senior Shreenandan Pendharkar says that “the Apple TV+ service could be something interesting, but we will have to see when it releases. But it is kind of like the Apple Arcade where they actually need appealing content. The new iPad is not that exciting or interesting to say the least, but the new Apple Watch and its features seem fascinating. Lastly, the new iPhone is not too exciting as changing the look and adding a camera is not innovation in any way.” It will be exciting to see how these new updates will fare in the real world and how often each application/software will be used on a daily basis. Though many people will have their own opinions on whether or not they like the new features and released products, it is always great to see technology improving and revolutionizing the future.