At the first Apple event since WWDC in June, Apple has announced four new products – the Watch Series 6, Watch SE, 8th-Generation iPad and iPad Air.
Here is everything you need to know about these new launches.
The newest Apple Watch Series 6 now comes with Blood Oxygen Monitors. The back of the Apple Watch features four clusters of green, red, and infrared LEDs, along with the four photodiodes that measure light reflected back from blood to determine oxygen saturation.
The upgraded S6 chip in the Watch Series 6 boasts 20 percent faster processing power, while maintaining its 18-hour battery life, even with its always-on display.
The Apple Watch Series 6 comes in new colours – blue and Product(Red) for its aluminum options, and graphite and an updated classic yellow gold colour for its stainless steel offerings.
There are also new Watch straps that come with the new release – the Solo Loop, a continuous stretchable band in silicone, and braided yarn, as well as the Leather Link which loops around the wrist and fastens with magnets.
The Apple Watch Series 6 starts at $599 for the aluminum version and $999 for the stainless steel, and will be available from 18 September onwards.
The Apple Watch SE features the same accelerometer, gyroscope, and always-on altimeter as Apple Watch Series 6; sans the Blood Oxygen Monitors. The S5 System in Package (SiP) and dual-core processor make it two times faster than the Series 3. It’s not going to compare to the newest Series 6 in terms of performance and battery life, but the Watch SE combines the most essential features of Apple Watch, at an affordable price.
The Apple Watch SE (GPS) starts at $419 and Apple Watch SE (GPS + Cellular) starts at $499, available from 18 September onwards.
Apple has completely redesigned the iPad Air, and it resembles the design of the iPad Pro lineup. In terms of hardware, the new iPad Air features a 10.9-inch Liquid Retina display (up from the previous 10.5-inch), a new integrated Touch ID sensor in the top button, an improved camera and speakers as well as the A14 chip.
Related article: Apple iPad Pro 2020: The iPad That Steve Jobs Envisioned
The iPad Air comes in five finishes: silver, space grey, rose gold, green, and sky blue. In terms of accessories, the new iPad Air is compatible with Magic Keyboard and its floating design, built-in trackpad, Smart Keyboard Folio, and new Smart Folio covers, as well as Apple Pencil, which will attach magnetically to the side, just like the iPad Pro.
iPad OS14 will also be rolled out from Thursday, September 17, and this update will bring new features and designs including Widgets and Scribble.
The iPad Air will be available in October at $879 for the Wi-FI model, and Wi-Fi + Cellular models start at $1,079. The new iPad Air is available in 64GB and 256GB configurations.
The eighth-generation iPad features the A12 Bionic chip and features a 10.2-inch Retina display, improved cameras and battery life. It still has a Home button, which means you can still use Touch ID to unlock the iPad, an old feature that actually makes things easier since Face ID isn’t as useful when we’re all donning masks.
It’s available in three colours – silver, space grey, and gold — but accessories compatibility is limited, supporting only the Apple Pencil (1st generation).
However, the pricing is a huge draw, especially if you don’t need an iPad with insane processing power. The iPad’s starting price is $499 for the Wi-Fi model and $699 for the Wi-Fi + Cellular model, and comes in 32GB and 128GB configurations. It will be available from 18 September 2020.