[Capella]

iPhone 15 / Plus

• Dynamic Island
• Super Retina XDR display using OLED, 2000 nits brightness (when sunny)
• "color infused glass"
• new camera: 48MP main camera, 26mm focal length, quad pixel sensor, f/16 aperture, something about Focus Pixels, sensor shift optical image stabilization (OIS) new 2x Telephoto option
• 24MP photos via computational photography
• it will figure out portraits via ML to capture the depth to set it to portrait - also works on pets! and you can swap focus to different people after the pic was taken
• smart HDR will look brighter in Photos app
• a16 Bionic chip (same as iPhone 14 Pro) ; 2 high-performance cores, 4 high-efficiency, 5 core GPU
• longer battery life
• ultra-wideband has 3x greater range ; easier to find things like "lost keys", or if people share locations with you, it can give you how close they are and a direction (good for being in crowded areas)
• emergency SOS via satellite now in 14 countries ; includes Roadside Assistance (partnered with AAA in the US) ; free for 2 years
• new audio enhancement for calls, ML prioritizes your voice + you can trigger a voice isolation mode
• USB-C ; now on earPods, they talk about charging Apple Watch or AirPods via the iPhone
• magsafe support for accessories
• new accessories (cases, airtag holders) that are FineWoven and leather phased-out
• $799 for iPhone 15, $899 for iPhone 15 Plus
• sizes: 6.1" and 6.7 and new colors are: black, pink, soft yellow, pale blue, pale green
  

iPhone 15 Pro / Max

• the basics of the above, plus:
• new titanium case, stronger and more durable but lighter ; thinnest borders ever ; ceramicshield glass ; new aluminium substructure joined in a new process
• colors: black, white, blue, natural ; new brushed texture
• 6.1" display size for Pro and 6.7" for Pro Max
• new internal architecture is more repairable, allows easier replacement
• the Ring Silent switch is being reinvented to be Action Button ; pre-set ability to choose choices like start a voice recording, open camera ; or use Shortcuts to do more customization
• new nightstand mode shows customizable options like time, weather,
• A17 Pro chip - 2 high-performance (10$ faster), 4 efficiency cores ; Neural Engine at 16 cores / 2x faster ; AV1 decoder
• GPU supports ray tracing that's HW accelerated, 6 core design 20% faster, MetalFX upscaling support
• camera improvements (says larger sensor than 15): 48MP, 24mm focal length, 2.44 quad pixel, f/1.78 aperture, sensor-shift OIS ; coating to reduce lens flare and better low-light performance
• 24MP photos and focal lengths of 24, 28, 35mm ; .5, 2x, 3x telephoto zooms
• for the 15 Pro Max: 5x optical zoom! at 120mm focal length with an f/2.8 aperture thanks to bigger size and lens prism design ; 10x optical zoom ranges from 13 to 120mm in macro
• the Pro supports spatial video with ultra-wide and main cameras, make 3d video relieve on Apple Vision Pro
• $999 for Pro (128GB), $1199 for Pro Max (256GB)

Misc

• swap to serious use of recycled aluminium (75%), recycled cobalt and copper at 100%
• launch dates: pre-order Sep 15 and Sep 22 in store
• new iCloud+ with 6TB and 12TB storage
• SE, 13 and 14 remain on sale ($429, $599, $699)

iOS 17

• (pending more announce)

[psmith2.0]

Woah...the times they are a-changin'.

I completely forgot about this today, didn't watch one second of it (a first). I got up, did some stuff around the house, then ran and picked my Mom up so she and I could go to lunch for Taco Tuesday.

This whole thing completely skipped my mind!

I do like those pink models, and the green too.

[chucker]

The non-Pro colors seem a fair bit better than rumored.

The Pro, as rumored, is available in Dark Gray, Gray, Darker Gray, and also Gray.

(I wonder how much that factors into the perception that iPhone events are boring?)

Some nerdy stuff:

* calling it the A17 Pro suggests iPhone 16 will get a lesser version
* curious to see benchmarks on this GPU redesign
* OTOH, CPU only 10% faster?
* Thunderbolt rumor was nonsense, which I’d suspected all along. It’s 3.1 Gen 2. You’ll probably net about 1 GiB/s.
* Slow included cable rumor was right, though. There’s a “thinner, more flexible cable” argument to be made, though. More people benefit from that than from fast data.

[psmith2.0]

Originally Posted by chucker The non-Pro colors seem a fair bit better than rumored. The Pro, as rumored, is available in Dark Gray, Gray, Darker Gray, and also Gray. (I wonder how much that factors into the perception that iPhone events are boring?)

I'd say the events being boring factors in much more. I'm not sure anyone's watching this through the prism of "color choices for this year". Maybe a few.

These things are on scripted auto-pilot, and have been for some time. Year to year, there's simply not that much of a change/improvement or a genuine sense of "what's next?!" as there was back in the earlier days, where an upcoming iPhone 4 or 5 represented some new stuff (designs, materials, colors, sizes, features, etc.). I think all that "low-hanging fruit" has been picked some time ago, and these yearly, September flagship iPhone events are just "maintenance releases", slow, minor improvements over what we already have (great cameras, battery life, durability, display quality, etc.) We all know what the name/design is going to be, we usually know the colors, even the major, marquee features/capabilities are often leaded weeks ahead of time.

I know, in my gut, I didn't miss a damn thing today, not seeing this presentation. *shrug*

Mind you, that's not a complaint or anything against Apple. "Slow and steady" always wins, and I'd rather Apple be this way vs. new, crazy, silly-ass, tail/competition-chasing designs, destined to fail within six months just to appease "kinda over it all" idiots like me with pointless "new and shiny". I don't need folding, holographic phones with built-in (organic, vegan) bubble gum dispensing and real-time Zoomer slang translation or whatever else Samsung is probably working on.

These things are certainly well-made, dialed-in products/designs at this point, better than last year's offerings, not quite as good as next year's. If/when Apple gives the flagships a top-down redesign, everyone will be singing the "Revision A Blues" for the following year anyway.

[chucker]

I have yet to watch this, and might not (I never watched the 5G 5G 5G 5G 5G iPhone 12 event either, even though that finally changed the iPhone design), but… I kind of do fault Apple.

For one, they could just… do biannual releases instead. Do a tick-tock? One year for consumer products, one for prosumer stuff? I dunno. You figure it out, Tim.

And second… Stevenotes weren’t this formulaic. So Timnotes don’t have to be either!

There’s things he can’t do much about: the supply chain will leak hardware stuff like crazy, and a version 14 to 15 won’t be a huge deal. But those two he could work on.

Maybe he needs to kick out Joz before things change.

[Yontsey]

I was surprised there wasn't an AirPods Pro update.

I'll probably upgrade my 13 Pro to the 15 Pro because of the nice trade-in deal they offer.

[chucker]

Originally Posted by Yontsey I was surprised there wasn't an AirPods Pro update.

The hardware got upgraded last year, and the software is getting updated as part of iOS 17, e.g. with Adaptive Audio.

[turtle]

It looks like I'm going to end up getting Mrs T and myself a Pro Max. I never thought I would want something so big, especially coming from a 13 mini, but the camera system is really calling me. I'm actually loving the "Natural Titanium" color. Mrs T wants the blue.

Yes I could just buy a camera instead, but I'm going to have my phone on me all the time and not a dedicated camera.

The thing I'm trying to work out is the trading in of devices. Is it even worth it? My family saves old phones like my uncle old cars. We get the veteran's discount pricing on the phones so I get 10% off right off the bat anyway.

I'm also trying to decide if I want to get a case for the phone or trust this ceramic glass protection thing. I'm guessing my 13 mini doesn't have the because there is a noticeable scratch in the screen I got shortly after buying it.

The processor improvements and such mean it should last a very long time. I mean, it is a "Pro" processor right? My kids and I mercilessly mocked the presentation about how "pro" the 15 Pro is. It was actually about the most cringeworthy portion of the presentation, aside from the attempts to elicit emotional responses or the "Mother Nature" skit.

[709]

I'm surprisingly drawn to the natural metal as well – I thought I'd like the blue, but it doesn't look as dark (to me) as I wanted. I'll have to see them all in the titanium flesh before making a final decision.

I'm much less drawn to the new woven case colors. The Apple leather cases are just so nicely made and feel great in the hand, I hope the woven ones are up to that standard.

[Matsu]

I'm trying to decide if I really like a 120mm equivalent lens on a phone. I quite like the focal length (equivalents) on my wife's old iPhone 12Pro - 13-26-58. This seems to work up-close and in tight the way the phone is used most of the time. 26 and 58 are almost perfect for environments and isolate subjects respectively. 13 is fun for interiors.

With the larger main sensor in the latest Pro you get 24-28-35-48 equivalents that are probably never worse than the full read-out from physically smaller sensors behind the 12Pro's main (26mm) or tele (58) lenses, even if they're essentially just crops and some computational stuff involving the quad-bayer binning/demosaic trickery. That's fine. 77mm with the depth map probably makes it easy to have just a little breathing room when taking a headshot or two or three people in a tight group. At 120, it might be a little too far for the way I tend to use a phone... hmmm... need to see some tests...

[709]

Also upgrading from a 12Pro(Max), so the camera jumps are going to be a whole new world. I'm probably most excited about the macro, even if its been around since the 13 – we go to botanical gardens around 2-3 times a month and I can't wait to get some close ups – the 5x and whatever else is new and fresh in the 15 is just gravy.

[Yontsey]

Originally Posted by chucker The hardware got upgraded last year, and the software is getting updated as part of iOS 17, e.g. with Adaptive Audio.

Fully expected a USB-C case.

[Yontsey]

Originally Posted by Yontsey Fully expected a USB-C case.

Edit: I didn't realize they updated the case to USB-C. A totally under the radar update. More interesting, it says the AirPods Pro 2 w/ Lightning connection will NOT have Lossless Audio with Apple Vision Pro.

[turtle]

Originally Posted by Yontsey Edit: I didn't realize they updated the case to USB-C. A totally under the radar update. More interesting, it says the AirPods Pro 2 w/ Lightning connection will NOT have Lossless Audio with Apple Vision Pro.

It was slipped into the keynote almost as a footnote during the phone portion.

[ThunderPoit]

I just signed up for an Apple Card and did the pre-pre-order for new iPhones for me and my wife

[psmith2.0]

Recognizing you have a problem is always the first step in seeking help.

"I can buy new Apple shit, and stop anytime I want. I ain't got a problem! Uh, oh...here come the guys with the nets and tranq gun...".

[psmith2.0]

So, with this September iPhone thing out of the way, is the smart money on an October, Mac-centric event (M3 iMac, M3 Air, etc.)? That seemed to be where some of the talk/rumors were going a while back. I guess the M3 is what many consider the true successor to the M2, for reasons I don't fully grasp?

I was at Best Buy Monday and got my second real-life look at the 24" M1 iMac (they had a blue and a green unit on display, fully functional...loaded with third-party software, wifi on/connected, etc.). The screen was so big. I've only really had a 20" and 21.5" iMac display for any real reference/comparison the past decade or so, but that would be a nice display to work on every day. I got to see a Midnight M2 MacBook Air and it was awesome as well. Even without the taper/wedge, it was so thin and light. And that's a great color in real life. Pics/YouTube footage doesn't do it justice. They had no Starlight gear on display, so I still don't know what that looks like in real life. But Midnight is very snazzy and stylish! Just the slightest hint of dark slate blue/grey, is how it looked to me. Black/super-dark great at a casual glance, but there's a smidge of blue in there, for sure. I stood over it, closing the lid and angling it to try and really get a good idea.

My dad just got a refurb Intel-based (last generation before the M1) Air to use for presentations and a bit of travel. It should arrive by Monday. It was from Best Buy's website, for $419. But my stepmom had a voucher/credit for $150 that he was able to apply to it, so, tax/delivery and all, it came in at just under $300. M1 or not, to get any kind of fairly recent (2-3 years?) Mac for $300 is quite a thing. No heavy-lifting, just PowerPoint, writing and Safari. 8GB RAM and 128GB SSD. He's not putting any pics or music on, so it should be roomy enough. He's got an M1-based Mac mini that he loves, so I'll betting he'll notice a difference in overall snappiness and responsiveness. You wait for NOTHING on his M1 Mac mini.

Then again, I wait for nothing on this Early-2013 13" MacBook Pro. It's weird to enjoy such stability/performance from a 10-year-old computer!

[Matsu]

The iMacs are kinda nice. I thought of getting them for the kids when they reach high school age, but they may want laptops...

[psmith2.0]

I'd always only considered a silver one, but, after Monday afternoon, I'd be happy with a green or blue. You really don't see the full, dark color as you're using it (they put the lighter shade on the face/chin and all. But that display is so thin, it's hard to believe all the guts and "computer-y" stuff are actually crammed in there. Yeah, I'd be totally okay with one of those on my desk, 24GB RAM and 512GB SSD. I'd have it for 10-12 years, looking back at my other Mac usage/keep around times.

[ThunderPoit]

Originally Posted by psmith2.0 Recognizing you have a problem is always the first step in seeking help. "I can buy new Apple shit, and stop anytime I want. I ain't got a problem! Uh, oh...here come the guys with the nets and tranq gun...".

Being fair, my current iPhone is an 8+ from before my son was born

[PB PM]

This generation might be worth the upgrade, just due to time passing. The XS just passed the muster for iOS17, which likely means the experience might not be great. Maybe next September when the 15 moves down price wise I’ll get one. The $13xx price Cdn tag all in with taxes for a base 15 isn’t in the budget this year.

[Bryson]

To be honest, I usually love this stuff, but nothing really grabbed me this time. I think I might do another year on my 13 and Watch SE.

[Mac+]

I’m due for a new iPhone. I’m still using my X and it is not eligible for the iOS update.

Very expensive, but it is literally my main computing device and I hold onto them for ages, so that cost is well and truly amortised. The only thing I did was replace the battery last year.

I’m looking forward to the camera improvements and I think I’ll move back to a big screen model.

In terms of colour, I like the natural Titanium, or possibly blue… but I’m still suffering PTSD from the original G4 TiPB fiasco.

[PB PM]

Originally Posted by Mac+ In terms of colour, I like the natural Titanium, or possibly blue… but I’m still suffering PTSD from the original G4 TiPB fiasco.

Were those the ones that had all the pant flake off the hand rest positions from peoples sweat?

[ThunderPoit]

Mine flaked paint on the hinges and around the edge of the lid

[Mac+]

Originally Posted by PB PM Were those the ones that had all the pant flake off the hand rest positions from peoples sweat?

Yep!
Side note - hinge mechanism was also prone to breaking.

But, my goodness, I did love that machine and noticed the recent models took some design cues from that era.

[PB PM]

Originally Posted by Mac+ Yep! Side note - hinge mechanism was also prone to breaking. But, my goodness, I did love that machine and noticed the recent models took some design cues from that era.

Yeah, I really loved the the design of that G4 Powerbook. I wanted one, but didn't have the cash and got an iBook. My favorite is still the late G3 (Pismo) Powerbook, which I did own.

[psmith2.0]

I barely remember anymore (because it's been 20+ years), but I owned the first-gen 15" PowerBook G4 (aluminum). I remember it had every port in existence on it. Or it certainly felt like it. FireWire, FireWire 800(!), Ethernet, USB, video stuff, etc. The whole thing was just a place to put ports. It was quite slim and sleek, and I used the crap out of it for three-plus years. Took it with me everywhere, because I told myself "if you're gonna fork over the extra for a notebook, then treat it like one! If it's just gonna sit on your desk 24/7, get another iMac, idiot...".

So I had a little padded sleeve and a cool little backpack and I took that thing wherever I went, for a while.

Yeah, I should've just gotten a white plastic 17" G5 iMac, looking back.

[Yontsey]

Man, that 15" PowerBook G4 was my first Mac laptop as well. Aside from the LCII or whatever I had as a kid. That PB G4 was a beast. I was tot say maybe Tiger was the OS on it? I loved that machine.

[ThunderPoit]

Anyone else struggle with a pre-order today? Took me 20 minutes of refreshing and dismissing errors to get through, but my delivery date is still sept 22nd!