The wait is finally over! In a glitzy event, Apple CEO Tim Cook unveiled the much awaited iPhone 7 inside the packed Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco, California on September 7.
Apple launched two upgraded versions of its iconic iPhone, in a move aimed at capturing more consumers in an increasingly saturated global smartphone market. Talking the audience through the phone’s new features, senior vice president Phil Schiller said it was the best iPhone ‘ever made’.
In tune with the speculations, the new iPhone did kill the 3.5-mm audio jack. Though the rumours said this would happen, this new development is still going to come as a shock to millions of ordinary iPhone users.
Here are the other noteworthy features:
- The phone will be both water and dust resistant
- New camera has optical image stabilisation – 6 element lens with f/1.8 aperture. 60% faster than previous iPhones.
- The iPhone 7 has a single lens (12MP rear camera) while the 7 Plus has a dual lens camera (wide angle and telephoto) and a new ‘portrait’ effect on the camera to add depth of field to photos
- Apple says the 7’s battery will last two hours longer than the 6, and the 7 Plus battery lasts one hour more than the 6 Plus.
- There’s no headphone jack so the earphones will connect via the Lightning port. A free set comes with the phone, plus an adaptor for traditional 3.5mm jack headphones
- Apple released the new wireless earbuds: AirPods with infrared sensors that detect when they’re in your ear and only play then. A chip connects the AirPods to your other Apple devices. The batteries last for 5 hours and the AirPods come with a charging case that holds 24 hours of charge (and will cost Rs 15,400 in India)