Apple Announcements at a Glance: iPhone Xr, XS, and XS Max, and More!

Image Source: Apple, via Engadget: https://www.engadget.com/2018/09/12/apple-iphone-xs-xs-max-xr-compare/

You may have missed it. Apple announcement events aren’t quite as exciting or all over the news as they have been in the past. Nevertheless, they held an event today where they announced a number of interesting new products today, including new iPhones (spoiler alert: this includes a less expensive iPhone X-like device!), a new Apple Watch, and a new operating system.

So, whether you’re a gadget fanatic, or just interested in thinking through your next smartphone upgrade, here’s a brief rundown of what was announced.

Three New iPhones: Xr, XS, and XS Max

As expected, Apple announced a new line of iPhones, all of which include incremental improvements on the iPhone X. None of the new phones contain a home button or fingerprint reader; instead, they all have the edge-to-edge display and face-recognition technology first introduced with the iPhone X.

 Perhaps most significant is the iPhone Xr. While, with a base model priced at $749, it wouldn’t be correct to call this phone inexpensive, it is certainly less expensive than the iPhone X was, and than the XS and XS Max will be. In other words, the latest smartphone technology from Apple will now be available to more people. The Xr is available in a number of colors, and includes the A12 Bionic chip that is available in the other new iPhone models. The difference in cost comes mainly in a slightly downgraded screen and camera, as well as in the phone’s aluminum construction.

Of course, Apple also announced a couple premium devices to improve upon the iPhone X: the XS and the larger (6.2”) XS Max. Both phones boast the best cameras and screens that are available from Apple.

The Apple Watch Series 4

The Series 4 is an upgrade on Apple’s popular wearable device. Again, improvements are mostly incremental. The screen is a bit larger, stretching from edge to edge of the watch face. The processor is faster. Furthermore, it contains an FDA-approved ECG (electrocardiogram) sensor, which could be useful for those who wish to monitor for some heart conditions.

macOS Mojave

While the spotlight of today’s announcement was certainly the new line of iPhones, Apple did also announce the release of a new version of their macOS operating system for Mac desktops and laptops: macOS Mojave. Again, while there are no major changes over the last version of macOS (High Sierra), there are some incremental improvements, and a few new features. Those include more flexibility with light and dark modes, and some organizational features for the desktop.

Using iPhones and/or Macs in Your Business?

Did you know that Affinity is Mac friendly? We support a number of businesses with a Mac-based workforce. Contact us today if you’d like to hear about our Mac-friendly managed services in Greater Nashville.