Apple unveiled features of its new product line Tuesday in a well-produced, fast-paced reveal on Tuesday, a different look for the annual announcement that usually features the tech giant's top brass revealing exciting new features in front of a live audience -- a tradition obviously curbed by this year's need for social distancing.
iPads and Apple Watches are both getting upgrades, although notably absent from the lineup was any word on the iPhone 12. Announcements about the next generation of the flagship phone are expected next month.
Apple kicked off its annual product showcase with a look at the new Apple Watch Series 6 and the less expensive Apple Watch SE.
The Series 6 maintains the basic design of the Series 4 and 5 while adding new features such as a blood oxygen sensor and better sleep tracking features.
The blood oxygen sensor shines infrared light onto the wrist and returns a measurement in 15 seconds.
The new models will also automatically connect with a new app called Fitness+ that includes video workouts and other health metrics.
But how will it look? Apple is also offering several new Watch interfaces and bands.
Apple Watch SE (Photo: Business Wire)
The company is also expanding the number of people who can use the Apple Watch by allowing multiple people to connect their Apple Watches to a single iPhone through Family Setup. That means, for example, that kids who don't have smartphones or family members who aren't on iOS, can now use the Apple Watch if someone in the family has an iPhone.
Both new Watch models can be ordered today and will be available for purchase Friday.
Apple's presentations on the new iPad and iPad Air models were less focused on flashy superficial changes than the new and improved hardware inside them.
"This year marks the 10th year since we shipped our very first iPad, and in that time it has become one of the most successful consumer electronics products ever," said CEO Tim Cook.
Cook emphasized the product's growth potential, adding that more than half of iPad customers are buying their first iPad.
Both the iPad 8th Generation and the new iPad Air feature new, more powerful chips.
The iPad Air has a 10.9-inch display, a touch ID button on the side, and a new chip that increases CPU power by 40 percent — all of it set within a 100 percent aluminum enclosure.
"This is by far the most advanced chip we've ever made," said Tim Millet, vice president of platform architecture at Apple.
The 8th Generation will start at $329 and be available this Friday, and the new Air will start at $599 and be available next month.
Apple also announced the long-anticipated Apple One, an all-in-one subscription plan including Apple TV+, Apple Music, Apple Arcade, Apple News+, iCloud, and the new Fitness+. The individual subscription will run for $14.95 per month, while the family plan is $19.95 per month.
The Rev. Al Sharpton is set to lead a protest march on Wall Street to urge corporate America to resist the Trump administration’s campaign to roll back diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. The New York civil rights leader will join clergy, labor and community leaders Thursday in a demonstration through Manhattan’s Financial District that’s timed with the anniversary of the Civil Rights-era March on Washington in 1963. Sharpton called DEI the “civil rights fight of our generation." He and other Black leaders have called for boycotting American retailers that scaled backed policies and programs aimed at bolstering diversity and reducing discrimination in their ranks.
President Donald Trump's administration last month awarded a $1.2 billion contract to build and operate what's expected to become the nation’s largest immigration detention complex to a tiny Virginia firm with no experience running correction facilities.
Chipmaker Nvidia is poised to release a quarterly report that could provide a better sense of whether the stock market has been riding an overhyped artificial intelligence bubble or is being propelled by a technological boom that’s still gathering momentum.
Cracker Barrel said late Tuesday it’s returning to its old logo after critics — including President Donald Trump — protested the company’s plan to modernize.
Low-value imports are losing their duty-free status in the U.S. this week as part of President Donald Trump's agenda for making the nation less dependent on foreign goods. A widely used customs exemption for international shipments worth $800 or less is set to end starting on Friday. Trump already ended the “de minimis” rule for inexpensive items sent from China and Hong Kong, but having to pay import taxes on small parcels from everywhere else likely will be a big change for some small businesses and online shoppers. Purchases that previously entered the U.S. without needing to clear customs will be subject to the origin country’s tariff rate, which can range from 10% to 50%.
Southwest Airlines will soon require plus-size travelers to pay for an extra seat in advance if they can't fit within the armrests of one seat. This change is part of several updates the airline is making. The new rule starts on Jan. 27, the same day Southwest begins assigning seats. Currently, plus-size passengers can pay for an extra seat in advance and later get a refund, or request a free extra seat at the airport. Under the new policy, refunds are still possible but not guaranteed. Southwest said in a statement it is updating policies to prepare for assigned seating next year.
Cracker Barrel is sticking with its new logo. For now. But the chain is also apologizing to fans who were angered when the change was announced last week.
Elon Musk on Monday targeted Apple and OpenAI in an antitrust lawsuit alleging that the iPhone maker and the ChatGPT maker are teaming up to thwart competition in artificial intelligence.
