Coolest Things Apple Showed off at their Gather Round Event

Apple is a big name for a good reason: their products are as much a fashion statement as they are excellent technology. As such, it makes sense that people get excited whenever they announce new products. The Gather Round event, held on Wednesday, was no exception! Apple announced a ton of awesome new things and we’re excited to show you. Today, we’re looking at the coolest things Apple showed off at their Gather Round Event!

Coolest Things Apple Showed off at their Gather Round Event

Products

Apple Watch Series 4

Photo Credit: Business Insider

The Apple Watch Series 4 has been rumored for some time, but now it’s a reality. This newest iteration features a larger screen, thinner body and better haptic feedback. It sports a gorgeous display and a ton of health monitoring features. We’re definitely excited for this one!

iPhone XS

Photo Credit: Apple

The next big announcement was the next entry in the iPhone X family, the iPhone XS. This one is touted as having IP68 water ingress rating, making it more waterproof than the X. It also is said to have stronger glass and better wireless charging capabilities.

iPhone XS Max

Photo Credit: Digital Trends

Another announcement followed, the iPhone XS Max. This model is significantly larger than the X and XS. It has a 6.5 inch display with a great resolution and tons of pixels per inch. Both the iPhone XS and XS Max are sporting A12 Bionic processors, a step up from the A11 found in the iPhone X.

The two phones will be available on September 21^st, and they retail for $999 and $1099 respectively.

iPhone XR

Photo Credit: Apple

The iPhone XR is the other big thing from Apple this year. The XR is the “affordable” iPhone X model, coming in at $749. It also boasts six colors, making it a flashier phone than its big siblings. To cut costs, the phone has a few slightly less impressive specs than the iPhone X. For one, it sports an LCD screen that isn’t as striking as the X’s OLED. Also, it doesn’t offer 3D Touch, instead using long-touch haptic feedback.

Hardware Improvements

A12 Bionic Processor

Photo Credit: The Verge

The A12 Bionic processor that’s shipping in the iPhone XS models is a thing of beauty. It sports a six-core CPU, a four-core GPU and special AI processing power. Heralded as “the smartest chip ever put in a smartphone,” it’s hard to argue with specs like that. This is a chip that is truly futureproofed and ready for AI functionality.

XS and XS Max Camera

Photo Credit: Phone Arena

Another hardware overhaul in the XS line comes via the cameras. The sensor has been made larger in the rear-facing, 12MP camera. The 7MP front-facing camera has received a faster sensor, to boot. The cameras are now supported by Apple’s True Tone flash, making pictures look less washed out. Additional improvements include blur adjustment. Now you can even add Portrait Mode to pictures you’ve already taken! That’s pretty neat.

Faster Face ID, Computational Photography

Photo Credit: OSXDaily

These two updates go hand-in-hand. Apple’s proprietary Face ID is awesome, but it could stand to be a little faster. Apple aims to use the new tech we discussed in their cameras to make Face ID faster and better at recognizing users. Computational photography, aided by the A12 chip, will likely make Face ID even better than before. That’s not to mention how excellent it looks when applied to photographs! The iPhone XS line is shaping up to be one of the smartest smartphones ever.

Other Announcements

iPhone Upgrade Program

Photo Credit: Apple Insider

For those who love to be bleeding edge but don’t want to spend a ton, there’s the iPhone Upgrade Program. Apple announced that there will be a pre-approval process for those looking to upgrade to iPhone XS phones. You can also trade-in your old iPhone or Apple products to get a credit towards the new phone! Every year, you can opt to upgrade by paying off what remains on your old phone. It’s a great program for those who love to stay up-to-date!

iOS 12

Photo Credit: Tech Radar

After being announced in June, iOS 12 entered a very long beta period. However, it’s finally ready for a full release! It hits live servers on September 17^th. If you’re curious, it boasts a ton of performance improvements and Siri updates. It’s a very modern OS, and we’re excited for it to go live. Now we can even use our iPhones as a tape measure! Hooray!

MacOS Mojave

Photo Credit: Mashable

The other big announcement from Apple was that MacOS Mojave will finally go live September 24^th. This new OS includes tons of great updates, including a system-wide Dark Mode and Dynamic Wallpaper. It also will sport more apps from iOS!