Those who have been conscious today know that Apple announced a bunch of new and updated products this morning. Updated iPhones, a bigger iPad, an updated iPad Mini, some new Apple watch bands, and a new Apple TV. You can get all the details elsewhere, so here are my thoughts on the new stuff.
New iPhones
I like the better camera, and I think 3D Touch (think of it as a right-click for an iOS device) will be useful at some point. I’m not sure Live Photos is more than a gimmick, but it might be. Faster chips and graphics would be nice, but I don’t use my iPhone for much that taxes it.
I know I always say this and then change my mind, but I don’t feel a compelling need to upgrade from my 6+ to the new model.
iPad Pro
I am all about bigger screens. I have a 27″ iMac and a 15″ MacBook Pro. I think a larger iPad makes a lot of sense, but the whole time I kept thinking I was watching Apple invent the Microsoft Surface, a tablet I once stupidly bought on impulse and sold a few weeks later. Adding to the confusion was the fact that the best part of the demo, and one of the coolest things overall, was the Microsoft Office apps. The new iPad has an optional stylus (something I never thought I’d see) and a magnetic keyboard/cover combination. Crazy.
I use my iPad every day, but much more for consumption than creation. If I did a lot of work on an iPad, I would almost certainly buy an iPad Pro.
iPad Mini
The updated specs for the littlest iPad seemed like a tossed-in afterthought. I have an older iPad Mini that I rarely use, so I don’t need another one.
Apple Watch Accessories
I don’t know anything about Hermes, and I buy my clothes at sports and farm supply stores. So I literally couldn’t care less about designer watch bands and exclusive watch faces. Apple seems to be marketing the high-end Apple Watches as a way for insecure rich people to show the rest of us how awesome they think they are. In sum, zzzzzzzz.
I am interested in the updated watchOS, however, because without native apps, my Apple Watch continues to be more about potential features than actual working features. I am sold on the Apple Watch, but it is very much a work in progress.
New Apple TV
Now, the best part. I had high hopes for the new Apple TV, and Apple mostly satisfied me. I’m not a big gamer, so the gaming angle is lost on me. I like the idea of other apps on the Apple TV. I was happy to see a new unified search, but it badly needs to search more than just iTunes, Hulu, Netflix, HBO and Showtime. Hopefully it will as other content providers create apps, but I’m a little concerned there aren’t more sources out of the box (do those sources have new Apple TV apps already?). For the Apple TV to work as my only streaming device, it needs Amazon Prime, and the major broadcast and cable networks. I’m still hoping Apple can pull the rabbit out of the hat with a cord-cutting content package before I’m too old to care.
I’ll definitely buy one- and probably two- Apple TVs on launch day.
Macs
They talked about Macs (my very favorite Apple product) for exactly zero seconds today. Bummer.
Stay tuned for more as I dive into these new products and updates.
Newsome.Org 