As anyone who follows tech knows, today Apple released the new iPhone 7, the new Apple Watch Series 2 and some new Apple and Beats headphones.
Coming into today’s announcement, most of the iPhone details were known – no headphone jack, new colors, two cameras on the plus model, etc. Apple did manage to pull a few surprises – hello Mario and iOS exclusivity for Nintendo (for how long?) – but generally everything was as expected. As an Apple fan, I’m certain to upgrade my phone and watch, and who knows what else I’ll end up buying. Conveniently my Beats Wireless just went through the wash the other day and snapped, so I imagine at least one new pair of headphones is in my future.
Here are some of my thoughts / reactions to what I saw today:
- The new jet black looks awesome, but Apple posted an uncommon warning about scratches, so I’m not sure how I’ll feel about that. If it’s anything like the black finish on the iPhone 3GS, I will likely stay clear.
- I’m surprised that the new Beats Solo Wireless headphones still contain a 3.5mm headphone jack and a USB charger vs. going all in on Lightning. The new Beats X are lightning, so it seems like Apple really didn’t want to invest too much on the update. Strange.
- I am really tempted – and likely to buy – the new Apple Watch, because of the GPS for running, but will probably still end up taking my phone with me when I run – a possible waste of $529 CDN.
- I will most likely also be upgrading to the 7 plus as I want to really take advantage of the camera, but hope that I don’t regret the size. I have a 6 Plus and used it for a time as my main phone, but it’s pretty damn big. The new cameras are likely going to make me postpone or even cancel the purchase of a Sony Mirrorless camera that I had my eye on. Time will tell on that.
- No new Mac announcements, but that was expected. With Mac OS Sierra coming in a couple weeks, it appears the new rumored MacBook Pros that are built for Sierra will come after. The release timing on all that seems strange.
- I’m pleasantly surprised that the Apple Air Pods are ‘only’ $159, but doubt that they would stay in my ears, so I’ll most likely pass on those.
- The lack of headphone jack doesn’t bother me at all, but I am glad (and surprised) that Apple is throwing an adaptor in the box in case I need it.
- The Nike+ Apple Watch seems interesting – mostly for the bands (as someone who sweats a lot, my original sport band gets pretty smelly). But I can’t figure out if it’s worth waiting until late October for a new watch. I also don’t want to be tied into the Nike + Running App all the time. It’s not clear to me from what I’ve seen if you HAVE to use the Nike + App, or it’s just pre-installed, or what.
That’s it for now, if I come across anything new, I’ll add to my list.