Adding new Apple products to the technology tree

by Evan Deane

                Just a few days ago, Apple held their Spring keynote, in which they announced their plans for the upcoming year. The majority of the presentation focused on hardware. Apple announced their newest model iPad as well as a new variant of the iPhone.

                The new iPad is simply called the iPad Pro 9.7’, not to be confused with the larger tablet the company announced this past year. This new iPad packs everything consumers loved about the iPad Pro from months back into a smaller body. Some of these key features include 4-outward facing speakers, as opposed to the single speaker found previously on the iPad Air 2.  Additionally, the new iPad features what Apple has dubbed the “Smart Connector” which will allow the device to connect to a range of new accessories such as the “Smart Keyboard Cover”. This new iPad also adds support for the company’s pressure sensitive stylus accessory, the Apple Pencil. There is even some tech in this model that didn’t find its way into the larger iPad Pro, called the “True tone display”. This uses the iPads external sensors and cameras to detect the light around you. The color of the screen then adjusts the color to match the warmth of the light in environment around you for a more natural looking display. The new iPad starts at $599 for 32 GB of space.

                The other piece of hardware Apple announced was named the iPhone SE. According to Apple, many consumers just love smaller phones, so this is the company’s attempt to attract that market. The iPhone SE is essentially the specs and power of the iPhone 6S packed into the body of the iPhone 5S. The phone houses new antennas, an improved camera, an NFC chip for use with Apple Pay, and retains the company’s popular Touch ID. It is important to note however that this model lacks the pressure sensitive display of it’s bigger brother, so 3D-Touch is not available. Even so, this may be a competitive option for customers who want a cheaper, smaller phone. The new phone starts at $399 for the 16 GB variant.

                Finally the company announced some new bands for the Apple Watch, as well as gave a preview of the newest watchOS. iOS 9.3 was announced as well, which is being called the biggest “dot” upgrade for the company in years. The update is available for current devices today.