Photo: Apple.com.
Setting up the atmosphere for its loyal customers, the Apple Live Stream was available only on Safari, the company’s Internet browser, Apple TV, or Apple devices. This ambience of exclusivity that feels like a private club membership is part of the appeal that characterizes Apple. That, and the constant updating that makes people line up outside an Apple store for days waiting for the new product. Tim Cook began the presentation with Apple TV. The CEO for HBO was present at the session and quickly unveiled the exciting news: a new streaming service called HBO Now, Game of Thrones exclusive trailer included, that is only available with Apple TV exclusively. You get access to all the movies and shows, past and present, on any apple device. This is coming in April for $14.99/month, with a months free subscription uncluded. And for today only Apple TV is $69 dollars.
The presentation then moved to the iPhone. With 700 million iPhone 6s sold, it’s indisputably the titan to beat in the smartphone game –it’s currently the #1 selling smartphone in the world. Also, with 99% customer satisfaction its clear iPhones aren’t going anywhere. Now with Apple Pay and 2,500 banks and 700 million establishments supporting the system –now including vending machines- you can pay almost anywhere with your phone. As for the apps, Apple unveiled Research Kit. This new app to help medical investigators get a broader and better spectrum of patients to treat incurable diseases like Parkinson’s disease with anyone participating via the App collaborating with research facilities. As for privacy, Apple will not see your medical data, it is strictly confidential between you and the research facility, and it is open source so you don’t need an iPhone to use the App.
When it comes to Apple Mac computers, it’s clear their notebooks dominate the industry. The innovation continues with its thinnest product yet, weighing only 2 pounds and measuring 13.1 mm at its thickest point. It has a new keyboard mechanism that is more precise and back-light LED for each individual key to write in the dark. It has a 13″ screen with retina display and a new force pressure track pad that is more precise than ever before, making this Mac superior to any of its predecessors. It is the first fanless Mac as well, so it runs silently and is 60% smaller than the previous logic board. It has a speed that at turbo can be 2.9 Gigahertz and only consumes 5 watts so it’s the most energy efficient computer yet. And with a new terraced battery you can have 35% more battery life (that is a full day of battery life). The Mac is wireless except for the battery port which also serves as a USB port which might be its only drawback since you can’t plug in headphones or speakers, and you would have to update those to wireless. It starts at $1299 and is available for purchase on April 10th.
The presentation finally turned to the Apple Watch. First and foremost, it is 50 milliseconds accurate to the definitive global standard time so it’s a fully functional watch and an incredibly accurate one at that. Every Apple Watch has many different interfaces to pick form when it comes to telling time including a dancing Mickey Mouse. You can add the date, universal time, or personalize it however you wish. Via Glances you can control your music, see your schedule, check the weather, and use all the other common apps, and even make payments via Apple Pay. You can connect to social media and receive your notifications. You can read and respond to messages with your watch, receive calls, and check your mail. Perhaps the most exciting feature is you can communicate from Apple Watch to Apple Watch. You can tap your watch and get your friend’s attention, send them drawings, and even share heart rates.
It also has a health app that measures your daily activity and reminds you if you haven’t had enough exercise in that day, counts how many calories you’ve burned, and measures the different work-outs you do. It has 18-hour battery life and you can charge it through the magnets in the back of the interface. It connects to your iPhone both through Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. As for the kind of watch, there’s the Sport version, which is made out of aluminum and starts at 349 dollars. The Apple Collection, which includes more bands and is set in stainless steel and starts at $549 and goes up depending on your band choice and the Apple Watch Edition, made from 10K solid gold starts at $10,000. On April 10th, you can go to the Apple store and try it out for yourself, and it is available for purchase on April 24th. Apple wants you to know, “the watch is coming,” and we’ll be waiting at the edge of our seats to get it first.
– by Camila Abisambra
