Last Updated on February 9, 2022
The annual September Apple event brought us news of the next generation of iPhone, a new bigger-than-ever iPad and more.
Steve Jobs hated the idea of a stylus on a tablet. In fact, in 2010, he reportedly said, “If you see a stylus, they blew it.”
Chances are, if he were looking down on this year’s Apple event, he might have been grinding his teeth during the talk about the new larger, faster iPad Pro.
That’s because it comes with a stylus, which Apple calls “the Pencil.” The Pro version of the tablet, however, does not require the Pencil for its function. It works without it, but the accessory will allow additional functionality.
This isn’t something I’d fool with, because honestly I’ve never yet seen a tablet — from anyone — who could adequately incorporate handwriting into its software.
At almost 13 inches in screen size, the iPad Pro looks impressive, but the version I’d need if I were to get one, the one that has cellular service attached to it, is the top-of-the-line model at just past $1,000. So it’ll be a long time, I think, before I ever bring one of those home. (If at all.)
Another product that seems to have a great deal of attention focused on it was the one, honestly, I was least interested in: Apple TV. The new version revolves around apps and voice controls. At $150, it’s more expensive than its competitors, the Associated Press points out, but then again, it’s Apple, so how much of a surprise could that be?
I have Netflix already, and I access it through a smart Blu-Ray player, since my television set is apparently, by the same standard, “dumb.” Unfortunately, the Blu-Ray player was a piece of garbage and the door broke, so I have to replace it. That means I must buy either a lower-priced Blu-Ray player and Apple TV, or must simply pay slightly more for a better smart Blu-Ray player and get everything in one again.
I think I’ll go with the cheaper, simpler option.
What I was most interested in — the new iPhones — happened to be placed at the very end of the presentation, as if they were toying with me.
“No product is more about innovation than the iPhone,” Cook said. “From the very start, the iPhone has been about bringing innovations that are really important in people’s lives and as a result, iPhone has changed the world.”
The new version of the iPhone, maintaining the every-other-year “S” naming convention, will be the iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus. The first time I saw an iPhone 6 Plus, my immediate reaction was to laugh at how ridiculously large it was. But the more I try to do on my smaller iPhone 5S (thank God for bifocals), the less I laugh. After actually looking at the 6 Plus in person a few times and seeing what its camera and image stabilization system can do for video, I was more and more impressed.
The iPhone 6 Plus ups the camera from an 8-megapixel to a 12-megapixel, bringing it right on par with my DSLR that I purchased a couple of years ago when 12-megapixels was a pretty impressive level.
There’s also “3D Touch,” which takes tapping the screen to a new level. The new technology allows users to press deeper to access additional components of various apps for added functionality. I think this will take a lot of getting used to, but honestly, the more I think about it, it hasn’t been that difficult to get used to on an Apple Watch.
The new processor, of course, makes it faster than the previous version, but then what would anyone expect, a phone that’s slower than its predecessor?!?
I’m looking forward to seeing one of the new phones in person; I’m not the kind who’ll order before actually holding one and testing it out. It’s nice to have new tech, but I can at least wait until I see it in action personally before ordering.
Meanwhile, Apple is catching flak for a new iPhone subscription service. For a monthly fee — starting somewhere around $32 — you lease the new phone, which means that you can upgrade to the next generation of phones whenever you wish. The criticism I saw Wednesday afternoon somewhere was that this is just a way for Apple to get more money out of you.
I see this as a much more attractive option than what most of the cell phone companies are trying to push everyone into: their idea, which also allows someone to purchase a new phone ahead of the old-fashioned “new every two year” option, has that monthly fee commitment running for two years, and at the end of the two years, you’ve paid full retail price for the phone. You’re not locked down on a contract, but you are locked into to buying the phone outright.
At least with Apple’s plan, if you’re the kind who must have the latest greatest tech every year — and I’m not that kind of guy — by the time you’ve had that phone for the full year (when it’s time to upgrade), you’ve paid only about half the price of the phone. Under the new cell phone plans being rolled out under somewhat misleading sales pitches, you pay full price.
If the aim in both cases is to have the ability to upgrade whenever you wish rather than being locked in to the same device for two years, why would you possibly agree to pay full price when you can get away with paying nearly half of that?
