iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro will be available for pre-order this Friday, 15 Sep 23

iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus

Apple today announced iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus, featuring an industry-first colour-infused back glass with a stunning, textured matte finish, and a new contoured edge on the aluminium enclosure. Both models feature the Dynamic Island, and an advanced camera system designed to help users take fantastic photos of everyday moments in their lives. A powerful 48MP Main camera enables super-high-resolution photos and a new 2x Telephoto option to give users a total of three optical zoom levels — like having a third camera. The iPhone 15 lineup also introduces the next generation of portraits, making it easier to capture portraits with great detail and low-light performance. Building on Apple’s innovative satellite infrastructure, Roadside Assistance via satellite can connect users to AAA if they have car trouble while off the grid. With A16 Bionic for powerful, proven performance; a USB‑C connector; Precision Finding for Find My friends; and industry-leading durability features, iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus represent a huge leap forward.

iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus will be available in five stunning new colours: pink, yellow, green, blue, and black. Pre-orders begin Friday, September 15, with availability beginning Friday, September 23.

iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max

Apple today debuted iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, designed with aerospace-grade titanium that’s strong yet lightweight to deliver Apple’s lightest Pro models ever. The new design also features contoured edges and a customisable Action button, allowing users to personalise their iPhone experience. Powerful camera upgrades enable the equivalent of seven pro lenses with incredible image quality, including a more advanced 48MP Main camera system that now supports the new super-high-resolution 24MP default, the next generation of portraits with Focus and Depth Control, improvements to Night mode and Smart HDR, and an all-new 5x Telephoto camera exclusively on iPhone 15 Pro Max. A17 Pro unlocks next-level gaming experiences and pro performance. The new USB‑C connector is supercharged with USB 3 speeds — up to 20x faster than USB 2 — and together with new video formats, enables powerful pro workflows that were not possible before.

iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max will be available in four stunning new finishes, including black titanium, white titanium, blue titanium, and natural titanium. Pre-orders begin Friday, September 15, with availability beginning Friday, September 23.

COMPARISON & PRICING

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Apple iPhone 14 to be announced on 7 September 2022

American technology company Apple is set to reveal its highly-anticipated flagship smartphone on 7 September at 10am Pacific Time. The Apple ‘Far Out’ event, will take place at the Steve Jobs Theater on the Apple Park campus in Cupertino, California.

The event will be streamed live on Apple’s website and on the Apple TV app. In Singapore, viewers can tune in to the event page at Thursday, 8 September 1am SGT.

Apple is expected to launch a 6.1-inch ‌iPhone 14‌, a 6.7-inch iPhone Max, a 6.1-inch iPhone 14 Pro, and a 6.7-inch ‌iPhone 14 Pro‌ Max. Alongside the launch, Apple will also announce new versions of the Apple Watch.

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A Touching Farewell for iPod

Highlights

  • Apple is discontinuing the production of the iPod touch.
  • Apple first kicked off the portable music device in 2001.
  • The iPod touch will be available while supplies last.

The iPod’s introduction last 2001 took the market by storm. Since then, iPod has undergone several versions such as featuring a scroll wheel, increasing its capacity to 1,000 songs, and a 10-hour battery life. The version that has been selling until now is the iPod Touch, which was launched in 2007. 2007 is a special year for Apple as it was the same year iPhone was launched.

By 2011, Apple held a 70% global market share in MP3 players. About 400 million iPods have been sold to date. The power of music players was eclipsed by smartphones such as the rise of the iPhone.

Apple has announced that it is discontinuing the iPod, 21 years after the device became the face of portable music and kickstarted its company’s evolution. The announcement ends an era of digital music, which previously boasted up to “1,000 CD-quality songs into an ultra-portable, 6.5-ounce design that fits in your pocket.”

The iPod Touch is the only version still being sold and will be available until supplies last. Apple stopped selling the Nano and Shuffle in 2017. Experts predicted that the Touch would follow soon because of the prevalence of iPhones and other smartphones.

Interestingly, the later versions of iPod Touch resembled smartphones by including features such as taking photos, sending emails, and making video calls.

Image Credits: pixabay.com

Greg Joswiak, Apple’s senior vice-president of worldwide marketing said in a statement that the “spirit of iPod lives on”.

He added:

“Music has always been part of our core at Apple and bringing it to hundreds of millions of users in the way iPod did impact more than just the music industry – it also redefined how music is discovered, listened to and shared.”

Sources: 1 & 2

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Apple Nears the US$3 Trillion Market Cap

Apple, the American tech giant, is inches away from reaching a market capitalization of US$3 trillion dollars just over a year after it surpassed the two-trillion mark. This incredible milestone is as big as the equity markets of the United Kingdom or Germany.

After a decades-long run as one of the world’s best performing stocks, shares of Apple were up at 1.6% at US$174. The company needs to trade at US$182.85 to hit the goal. Nonetheless, the stock risen to about 30% this year on top of an 80% jump in 2020.

Oanda’s Senior Market Analyst Craig Erlam said: “There’s so much still to come from Apple, which makes you wonder what milestone they’ll pass next and how big they can become.”

Back in 2018, Apple reached the US$1 trillion in market capitalization and it took the company two years to double that valuation. Reaching the three-trillion mark will establish a strong rally that has been fueled by investors betting on its brand. Moreover, its peers in the trillion-dollar club include Microsoft, Amazon, and Tesla.

“Apple does seem to be more immune to the ebb and flow of economic forces just because of this really strong brand. Its new product pipeline is pretty strong too,” according to Hargreaves Lansdown’s Senior Investment and Market Analyst Susannah Streeter.

QUICK TRIP DOWN MEMORY LANE

Image Credits: pixabay.com

Owing it to the steady stream of products that attracted a loyal following, Apple became the world’s most valuable business. In late 2000, the company had a market value of merely US$4.5 billion and the investors were fleeing the stock. Nowadays, investors cannot get enough of the stock. The stock has breached Wall Street’s median price target by US$4, with most experts and analysts covering the stock rating it buy or higher.

Despite the wobbling status of markets because of higher interest rates and the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, investors view Apple as a relatively safe place to keep their money due to its consistent sales growth.

You see, Apple is “kind of in that sweet spot of not being too expensive, having a nice mix of products and services, and being a great innovator across its entire product line,” said Ingalls & Snyder’s Senior Portfolio Strategist Tim Ghriskey.

Sources: 1 & 2

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4 Significant Improvements In The iPhone 13 Series

For the Apple enthusiasts, the long wait is over! Apple announced the new iPhone models in its annual conference, which is ahead of the holiday shopping season. This year’s virtual conference included the iPhone 13, iPhone 13 mini, and two Pro models with premium features that you will not find in the regular iPhone 13.

The iPhone 13 will retail from S$1,299 and the iPhone 13 Pro starts from S$1,649. As always, the Pro models are more expensive. These phones will be available in Singapore from September 24.

1. LONGER BATTERY LIFE

In a 2019 poll by SurveyMonkey, 76% of iPhone owners said longer battery life would get them excited about a phone upgrade. Let us see how that pans out because the iPhone 13 series comes with major batter life improvements.

The longer battery life is made possible by A15 Bionic, larger battery, more efficient components, and power optimizations from a deep integration of both hardware and software. In fact, iPhone 13 offers up to two and a half more hours in a day than iPhone 12. iPhone 13 mini, on the other hand, provides up to an hour and a half more power in a day than the iPhone 12 mini.

2. ELEVATED PRO LINEUP

Mr. Greg Joswiak, Apple’s Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing, said:

“iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max make up our most Pro iPhone lineup ever with the biggest advancement for our camera system, the best battery life ever in an iPhone, and the fastest performance of any smartphone. (It is) setting a new standard for iPhone and enabling incredible experiences never before possible…”

The new Pro models were redesigned inside and out. Both models introduce an all-new Super Retina XDR display with ProMotion featuring an adaptive refresh rate up to 120Hz. Your touch experience will be faster and more responsive. What’s more? The Pro camera systems has the new Ultra-Wide, Wide, and Telephoto cameras to help you capture stunning photos and video. All these are powered by the A15 Bionic.

3. IMPRESSIVE CINEMATIC MODE

Apple followed an extensive study of cinematography to create the Cinematic mode for its newly introduced iPhone series. You will be able to capture cinema-style moments without the training of a professional filmmaker. The focus can be changed during and after capturing pictures for creative control. Users can also adjust the level of bokeh in the Photos app and iMovie for iOS.

Cinematic mode records in Dolby Vision HDR and is enabled by A15 Bionic.

4. DIFFERENT CAMERA ARRAY

The iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini represent a leap in camera design with its advancements in hardware and computational photography to deliver stunning photos and videos. The camera array is arranged in a diagonal manner. You would be happy to know that the new Wide camera comes with the biggest sensor in the history of iPhone’s dual-camera system. Moreover, its camera system can gather 47% more light for less noise and brighter results!

We officially welcome you to the iPhone 13 series! Do you consider their longer battery life and cinematic camera mode as minor or major improvements? Write your thoughts on the comment section below.

Sources: 1 & 2

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