There were a lot of announcements at today’s Apple event at San Francisco’s Bill Graham Civic Auditorium. The debut of the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, a bit of Nintendo synergy, a powerful new Apple Watch and more.
The five highlights, below.
The iPhone 7 Plus Will Have Two Cameras
The phone features two 12 megapixel cameras side by side on the back, offering 2x optical zoom (and up to 10x via software) and wide-angle capabilities. Meanwhile, the front camera will now be 7MP. Other fun facts: the 7 Plus comes in two new colors (“black” and “jet black”). It’s water- and dust-resistant. Stereo speakers. The home button is now force sensitive, not mechanical. And preorders start today; they deliver on Sept. 16.
Apple Watch Goes Ceramic
Unlike the original, the new Apple Watch Series 2 will not be available in gold, just aluminum, stainless steel or white ceramic (the latter for $1249 and up). It will also come with a swimproof shell and built-in GPS — so at least for mapping, no phone required. It’s 50 percent brighter and faster.
Mario’s Coming to Apple
Forget Pokemon Go for a moment (though it is coming to Apple Watch … hooray?). A new Nintendo game, Super Mario Run, is coming to Apple exclusively, as Super Mario Bros. creator Shigeru Miyamoto himself told the crowd. It’s the first Mario-related mobile game, and it can be played with one hand.
No Headphone Jack on the iPhone 7
We knew this. You can now use an included EarPods, which plug in through the Lightning Port. Or use your old headphones, which will need a headphone jack adapter (included). We have a guide for Bluetooth-enabled wireless headsets that could be helpful. OR … wait a bit. Apple’s debuting their own wireless AirPods (due in late October) and three new Beats wireless headphones, all of which utilize Apple’s new proprietary W1 chip.
Reminder: You Can Actually Use Apple For Work
All of the iWork apps, including Pages, Notes and Keynote, will now offer real-time, multiple-user collaboration. “It essentially welcomed Apple to 2006,” noted The Next Web.
Eh, not everything’s a home run.
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