Today, Apple announced the iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Mini, iPhone 12 Pro, and iPhone 12 Pro Max, all with 5G wireless capability. Each of the phones is a metal and glass sandwich with flat sides that are very reminiscent of the iPhone 4. The iPhone 12 and 12 Mini are aluminum, while the Pro line is stainless steel.
The iPhone 12 has a 6.1-inch display—the same size as the iPhone 11—but the body is 15 percent smaller, 11 percent thinner, and 16 percent lighter than last year's iPhone 11. The iPhone 12 mini is 5.4 inches, the 12 Pro is 6.1 inches, and the 12 Pro Max is 6.7 inches. The screen are all 60Hz OLED displays, and Apple has teamed up with Corning to make a new display cover material called a "Ceramic Shield." Apple claims it is tougher than any other smartphone glass.
The iPhone 12 Pro Max's camera updates especially, both in hardware and software, have already got me buzzing about going shooting with this thing. Here's why I'm so excited.
Apple has just announced its iPhone 12 lineup, and as part of today’s announcements, the company introduced a dizzying amount of camera tech scattered amongst the new iPhones. If you’re coming from an iPhone that currently has a single camera, or even a pair, you may find some serious upgrades here.
With a raw photo, you can completely change the photo's white balance, exposure, tones and color after the fact, and without degrading the image quality. In this sense, they're the opposite of JPEG and HEIF files, which are the ready-processed, microwave meals of photo formats. They're fast and convenient, but also discard important photographic goodness that you can no longer recover after you've hit the shutter.
So where does Apple ProRaw fit into all of this? In short, it's here to offer people who've previously been put off by raw a simpler, halfway house between the two options – or, as Apple naturally put it, "the best of both worlds". And the reason why Apple needs a new format is because until now cameras simply haven't taken photos in the same way as phones like the iPhone 12 Pro.
What’s the difference between the iPhone 12 mini and the iPhone 12? About three square inches of display. That’s it. Everything else is the same. Which makes this the first time in years that you’ve been able to buy a smaller phone that wasn’t also a worse phone—not just from Apple, but pretty much anywhere.
Is the iPhone 12 mini right for you? A certain percentage of people considering an upgrade from an iPhone X, XS, 11 Pro will love the new size. For everyone else, the good news is that the iPhone 12 Pro doesn’t seem to have enlarged enough for it to become more of a problem. The water only got a tiny bit warmer this year.
As for me, I am going to be sorely tempted by the iPhone 12 mini. I can’t wait to hold one in my hand and see if I’m ready to leap out of the pot and onto a cooler, smaller lily pad.
Apple is looking to create a whole new accessory ecosystem with MagSafe in the iPhone 12 line. Their initial first-party accessory offerings already look great, and it will be fun to see what more ideas third-party companies can come up with.
Beyond the convenience of a wireless charging system that seamlessly locks into perfect alignment via magnets, the MagSafe chargers Apple is making offer 15W charging speeds, twice that of the Qi speed for all compatible iPhones (including iPhone 12). Presumably, third-party approved MagSafe chargers that are on the way will be able to tap into the same 15W.
Apple’s new iPhone 12 lineup will be the first to feature 5G. However, it’ll only use the faster networking speeds some of the time, thanks to a new “Smart Data Mode,” which will toggle between 4G and 5G based on when apps are making big bandwidth demands.
Apple will not include a power charger or earbuds with the iPhone 12, citing environmental reasons. Apple said it will be able to significantly reduce carbon emissions by not having to make the accessories in the first place, in addition to reducing the shipping box size of each iPhone sold.
Sara Behdad, a sustainability researcher at the University of Florida, agrees. "Apple's analysis is based on this impression that some users really don't need chargers and EarPods, because they already have them. Some users don't. Then they have to purchase them, and that requires packaging and extra transportation."
The relationship between a charger and an iPhone isn't necessarily one-to-one, either. Behdad says she's used more chargers than the number of phones she's owned. While this is anecdotal, and Behdad says there need to be surveys and more research to make any conclusive statements, it's quite possible people will buy more than one charger from Apple or other accessory makers.
Apple’s website encourages customers to use their existing Apple power adapter and headphones or buy these accessories separately, and to help offset the cost, Apple has now lowered the price of its EarPods with a Lightning connector from $29 to $19. Apple’s new 20W power adapter for iPhones also retails for $19, down from $29 for its now-discontinued 18W power adapter that was included with the iPhone 11 lineup until now.
Here’s what’s actually happening, at least in the U.S.: Apple has cut deals with AT&T and Verizon that give existing customers of those carriers $30 off their purchases. The actual prices of the two models are $729 and $829, and that’s what you’ll pay if you’re a U.S. subscriber to Sprint, T-Mobile, any smaller pay-as-you-go carriers, or if you want to buy a SIM-free model with no carrier connection at all. (The 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max are the same price on all carriers.)
Anyone who buys a new iPhone, iPad, Mac, iPod touch, or Apple TV after October 22nd gets free three-month trial of Apple Arcade, Apple has announced. Apple’s games subscription service normally costs $4.99 a month, and gives you access to over 100 downloadable games with no ads or in-game purchases.
It took a couple of years, but Apple has finally announced HomePod Mini, a smart speaker that's priced to compete with affordable offerings from competitors Google, Amazon, and Sonos. The revised HomePod is a cheaper, less powerful cousin to the steeply priced HomePod that Apple released in 2018, arriving on November 16 at $99.
Apple today introduced a new feature designed for use with its HomePod speakers, including its just-introduced HomePod Mini: Intercom. Similar to Alexa’s “announce” feature, Intercom will allow HomePod owners to leverage their smart speakers — and other Apple devices — to communicate with all family members at once.
The feature will make the most sense for households that have already bought into the Apple ecosystem, as you’ll be able to use Intercom across iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Mac and even AirPods and CarPlay.
You can’t make a stereo pair of a HomePod and a HomePod mini. You can make a stereo pair of two HomePods or two HomePod minis, but you can’t mix and match the two products.
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There is an update coming for HomePod that will add features announced today as part of the HomePod mini launch. Those new features include Intercom from one HomePod to another, personal update, Maps continuity, multiuser support for Podcasts, support for third-party music services as they become available.
The Beats Flex are the successor to the BeatsX, which the manufacturer released in 2017. Like that pair, the Flex are neckband-style wireless earphones.
Imagine if there was an application that crossed Tinder with OfferUp ... for plant people. Well, Ocean Beach residents Brian Feretic and Nick Mitchell decided to make one.
Feretic and Mitchell recently launched Blossm, a plant swap application. It aims to connect folks obsessed with horticulture and facilitate meetups for plant trades.
I would have thought Apple has filmed multiple clips of camera zooming past Craig Federighi that they can be inserted into years of keynotes and special events videos.
Maybe I am not in a good mood today or something, but it seems to me that the infomercial this time round seems to be less fun than the previous two videos?
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No, HomePod mini is not available in Singapore. Neither is the HomePod, so I am not surprised.
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Thanks for reading.