So the news is out, iPhone X, iPhone 8, Apple Watch Series 3 & Apple TV 4K. The Apple Event is something I’ve had in my calendar since they announced it earlier this month and everyone has been speculating over this for quite some time now including the features of their recent keynote.
As a summary there were four main topics of the keynote today. These were Apple Watch Series 3, Apple TV 4K, iPhone 8 / 8 Plus and iPhone X. In this blog post I’m going to talk through my thoughts and opinions of the new devices from Apple as well as the ones I am planning on getting.
Apple Watch Series 3
As a quick summary, the Apple Watch Series 3 is quicker and has GPS as well as cellular (with limited networks at launch). The biggest selling point of this new device is being able to use it without having your iPhone on you. It uses a new electronic SIM card to connect to a network / cellular provider for calls and messages etc. on the go. The watch is water resistant like previous versions as well as being updated in terms of battery life and speed / processors.
Apple TV 4K
Apple have announced that the new line of Apple TV devices will be 4K enabled. They were previously 1080p for the 4th generation devices. Any content purchased on iTunes will be upgraded to 4K if you have already purchased HD versions free of charge. They will also keep the 4K prices of content the same as those of HD within the store. The screensaver videos have been optimised for 4K HDR and Apple were really pushing how stunning the picture looks on large flat-screen televisions.
iPhone 8 / 8 Plus
The iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus devices are the same size as the previous models (7 and 7 Plus respectively) however have been updated to support wireless charging, have faster processors, better cameras and a longer battery life. The back of the devices are now glass which is how they have integrated support for wireless charging. This will work with many wireless charging stations that already exist and will allow widespread integration and progression of this technology.
iPhone X
Apple’s flagship iPhone for 2017 is the iPhone X. This was a big deal for Apple, having revolutionised the mobile phone market ten years ago with the first model. There were high expectations for this and I am really looking forward to getting mine later this year! The main feature of the new iPhone X is Face ID, replacing Touch ID. I found the statistics about these quite interesting where on Touch ID there is a 1 in 50,000 chance of someone accessing your iPhone compared with Face ID have a 1 in 1,000,000 chance. Both of these scenarios are highly unlikely as you’re not going to have thousands of people try to gain access to your iPhone but really interesting how Face ID improves security by so much. I’m looking forward to seeing how this works as I was a little hesitant towards Touch ID when that was launched on the iPhone 5S but I love it now! Another feature is the glass back of the iPhone X supporting wireless charging also. They have improved the cameras (front and back) and are launching studio lighting effects on both cameras which is starting off as a beta like portrait mode did when it was launched. They have also improved the speed of the iPhone with the new processors and increased battery life in comparison to the iPhone 7. The screen is an OLED edge-to-edge display which is the largest screen Apple have ever sold on an iPhone. The screen itself is also higher resolution than any iPhone ever released which is an improvement on the already-amazing Retina display. The device itself is however smaller than the current iPhone 7 Plus and bigger than the iPhone 7. I’m hoping that the increased screen size will help me transition to a smaller device after getting used to the iPhone 7 Plus this past year. That’s just a quick summary of the iPhone X and some key features.
My iPhone Purchases
Since purchasing my first Apple phone (the iPhone 4) in December 2010, I have always bought the phone outright directly from the manufacturer. This meant I could choose the specification I wanted and upgrade whenever I wanted as well. I have had a sim-only contract with a couple of different providers since then (Vodafone December 2010 to December 2013 and Three December 2013 to present). I’ve listed my iPhones below and the months I purchased them:
iPhone 4 – December 2010
iPhone 5 – September 2012
iPhone 6 – September 2014
iPhone 7 Plus – September 2016
I’m planning on switching the way I get my hands on the newest iPhones from now on. Instead of purchasing them outright I am going to join the iPhone Upgrade Program where you can pay a monthly fee and you can upgrade after 11 monthly payments. This means you can hand back the device when the new one is available and not have to worry about selling it on or getting the best amount of money you can for the device. So I’ll pre-order on 27th October and hopefully get my hands on it a week later upon release.
I’m also considering an Apple Watch upgrade. I could use my iPhone 7 Plus trade-in value towards the new device and I would get a Series 3 edition. I’m not sure yet about the cellular model and whether I would like another space grey aluminium watch or to opt for the higher-end stainless still space grey option but I have plenty of time to decide as I won’t be doing so until trading in my current iPhone in November. I currently have the 42mm Apple Watch Sport in space grey aluminium with a few different watch bands. These are the space grey milanese loop, the black sports strap that came with the device as well as a nylon one. I’m thinking of getting the Nike+ edition to get the cool watch strap!
One thing I’m not going to be upgrading to is Apple TV 4K. I have purchased a couple of 4th Generation Apple TVs (1080p versions) in the past eighteen months or so for my 4K televisions and have no plans to update these as I don’t see it as being enough of an update to justify. My 55″ Samsung 4K televisions upscale any content that isn’t already 4K and I’m going to hold off on these until they’re updated again or when I can afford it in the future.
That’s a quick summary and my opinions on the Apple Event – what do you think of the new devices and updates? Please let me know and get in touch with me in the comments below or @glenconbeer on all social media! Have a great day and thanks for reading!
Glen Conbeer 