Well, guys. It’s the most wonderful time of the year. This is a whole different kind of Christmas.
On Sept. 12, Apple announced their new line of iPhones, as well as the Apple Watch Series 4. While some of the features announced with these new products are predictably incremental, some announcements were large steps in customer service and health.
One of the products announced at Wednesday’s event were the iPhone XS, a “premium model with a 5.8-inch screen,” and the iPhone XS Max, which, at its 6.5-inch screen size, is slated to be the largest handset to be released by the company.
We also have the new Apple Watch Series 4, with updates to its functionality including the new FDA-approved electrocardiogram to track the heartrate of its user. However, its showstealer of a function is its ability to detect harmful falls, tracking whether or not the user regains movement. If there is no movement detected after the fall, Apple Watch 4 contacts family members as well as emergency services.
However, Apple has finally realized that you are a not made of money, so they’ve introduced the iPhone XR, the economically-sensitive option that will only cost you a paltry $749. While this may sound expensive, this will be the cheapest option of this year’s models, sacrificing the superior phones’ dual lenses and organic OLED displays to account for the cost. The phone will also dispense with 3-D touch, which may or may not make much of a difference with most iPhone users.
Despite many of the criticisms Apple’s annual September events tend to include, it is a notable feat Apple has accomplished. Their iPhones, although enlarging over time, are essentially tiny computers that place all of the opportunities and knowledge in the world in the palm of your hand. You can be just shy of a professional photographer. You can be a one-man band. You can even be a pretty decent stock trader from these phones.
One such person who understands the impact and technical prowess of the Apple brand is junior television arts major Sam Kuhlmeyer. Kuhlmeyer champions the YouTube channel “iupdate,” making his living off of reviewing Apple’s products. For him, the Apple Watch Series 4 and its accompanying health features elevated the Wednesday event to historic status.
“The number one takeaway for me wasn’t even that they’re still on top of the game for phones – which I think they are – but they do some really cool stuff with health that no other companies do,” Kuhlmeyer said. “For the first time ever, Apple is really bringing health features that used to be restricted to the health and medical industry to consumers … until now, we’ve never had that in a consumer device.”
Apple’s hardware events, which take place every September just after its software-based June conferences, have become a staple within the technology landscape. With groundbreaking technology annually announced at the event, the venue has become somewhat of a Mecca for those searching for the latest in revolutionary devices.
For people like Kuhlmeyer, Apple serves as a consummate technological producer. Their products definitely enrich our quality of life, however premium the pricing appears.
Apple’s new iPhone XR will begin preorders on Oct. 19, and are slated for release on Oct. 26. The iPhone XS and the Apple Watch 4 will begin their preorders on Sept. 14th, sharing their ultimate release date with the iPhone XS Max on Sept. 21.
Take that, Android.
