Time flies was the tagline used by Apple for their event held yesterday. It was a virtual conference completely pre-recorded at Apple Park. Weirdly enough this was the event where the new iPhone was supposed to be announced. At least for the last 9 years.

Let’s be honest. It was not a surprise as Apple had mentioned to investors that the iPhone would be delayed this year and the closer we got to the event, the more rumours about the iPhone not being unveiled in the iconic September event.

Most likely, Apple will announce the new iPhone 12 in October. So, let’s get over and talk about what Apple revealed yesterday.

Watch Series 6

The highlight about the new series of the Apple Watch was the new blood oxygen sensor.  Measuring blood oxygen level right from your wrist is impressive. But what’s more important is that this might be actually helpful in the context of COVID-19.

LEDs shining light onto your blood vessels, photodiodes measuring how much light reflecting back and finally some pro algorithms to calculate the colour of your blood which will tell you how much oxygen is there. Smart.

Other than that, the design is the same but you have some new colours, bands and faces.

The last key introduction was Apple Fitness+, coming late 2020. According to Apple, this is a new fitness experience with some top-notch workouts by star trainers and there will be new workouts every week.

As this is the premium version of the flagship Watch, the price starts at $399.

Watch SE

As always, this is the economy version of the new Apple Watch. Obviously, it doesn’t have the new blood oxygen sensor and the ECG. Different processor but the positive is the price: starting at $279.

iPad 8th Generation

Apple marketed it as “The New iPad”. On other words, it’s the standard iPad with the usual Liquid Retina display. What’s key here is that it will have the A12 chip which is more powerful.

The price starts at $329 but unfortunately this is the 32GB version which nowadays is not enough. Most likely, you’ll need to jump to the next one which is 128GB and you’ll need to add an extra $100.

iPad Air

OK some good stuff here. Most important first. It will have the A14 chip which is really fast, larger display and they’ll get rid of the Home button. It was time!

The other feature is Touch ID. It’s now integrated into the top button. It makes more sense for the iPad than for the old iPhones. It’s just more natural and that’s why the Home button is now dead.

It’s also worth mentioning that the USB-C port will replace the Lightning port and in addition you’ll have plenty of colour finishes to choose. Only 2 colours away from the rainbow.

Good news if you sold your previous iPad but not your keyboard. This iPad Air is compatible with thee Smart Keyboard Folio and the Magic Keyboard.

The price starts at $599.

Apple One

We knew that some days ago Apple registered the domains and the marketing name was going to be Apple One. However, we didn’t know exactly what type of subscriptions they would offer.

Apple introduced a bundle subscription for all their services. It was the natural next step to capture more people and consolidate their services offering. It was way too complex and expensive to have these services individually.

There will be 3 types of monthly subscriptions: Individual, Family and Premier.

Individual at $14.95 and it gives you Music, TV+, Arcade and iCloud (50GB).

Family at $19.95 and it gives you the same but 200GB of iCloud instead and you can share with up to 5 other people.

Premier at $29.95 and it gives you the same as Family but 2TB of iCloud instead in addition to News+ and Fitness+.

Final Thoughts

This was not the event you probably hoped for but hey… it was not boring. What Apple is trying to do in the Health industry is remarkable and the new oxygen sensor in the Apple Watch is another example.

Apple made also a strong point on Sustainability in every product. This is definitely a must and no longer an option. There’s no Planet B. Yes, surely there’s still areas for improvement but we’re all part of the change, not just big firms or governments. I was glad to hear these points, especially after getting my Sustainability certificate from Harvard.

On the other hand, Apple One is going to increase Apple’s market share across the various segments because people don’t want to pay for multiple services but keep it simple for X price. It might sound like a lot of money for your buck but think about how much you get… and how much you’re already paying.

Ultimately, what Apple is trying to do is to bring simplicity with a steady business strategy to ensure growth for them and seamless user experience for buyers. They know that Services is now the core of the business and the future, so they use all their weapons not just for the upcoming battles but for the war.