Apple Watch: New model finally brings screen that will never turn off and other features
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Your support makes all the difference.Apple has revealed a new Watch, which includes a display that will never turn off.
Until now, users had to dramatically whip their hand up, or tap the display, to make the screen turn on. That meant that the Watch did not show the time, most of the time.
Now it will be always-on, letting people see the time whenever they want.
The Watch will still have a battery that will last all day, Apple said. Using new screen technology, it will be able to last just as long as the existing model.
As well as the new display, it will have a compass and new features that will allow it to call the emergency services wherever it is, Apple said.
The GPS model of the Watch will cost $399, Apple said, and the cellular version will cost $499. Orders open today and will be available in shops from 20 September.
Apple will also keep the older Watch around, selling it for $199.
Apple also introduced new looks for the Watch, including a titanium model.
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With the soaring costs of flagship smartphones, some people have been thinking about what they could buy instead of a $1,099 iPhone 11 Pro Max.
Suggestions include 8 years of Netflix, 200 Big Macs or 200 Whopper burgers.
A quick online search shows you could also get a round-trip from London to Sydney, with enough spare change to pick up a new Nokia 3310 feature phone.
The cleaning crews are out in full force at the Steve Jobs Theater.
Another suggestion for the rear camera arrangement, this one from Vipul Mittal (@vipulmittal09)
Having pioneered the smartphone industry more than a decade ago, Apple has opted for a more cautious approach in recent years when it comes to new innovations.
As rivals like Samsung and Huawei have tried (and failed, and tried again) to launch folding phones, Apple has been happy to sit back and let others take all the risks.
A new camera lens will probably be an exciting development, but it's hardly breaking the pattern of incremental updates.
But beyond folding phones, what major innovations are left to make in a saturated market? 5G is the obvious one, but there's another trends quietly happening among some of the world's biggest phone makers.
Last week, Samsung unveiled a cryptocurrency version of its Note 10 smartphone, integrating decentralised apps and allowing customers to store and spend bitcoin on their phones.
It follows on from the HTC Exodus 1, described by its maker as the "world's first blockchain smartphone".
Speaking ahead of the iPhone 11 launch, the phone's lead developer, Phil Chen, explains to The Independent why such phones may be the future.
Smartphones as a business segment has peaked and now plateaued. We’ve already seen the best camera, the best screen and the best audio – which is why we’re seeing smartphone sales slow down. Top brands are struggling to find the next gimmick that would push an upgrade. However, what we need are not gimmicks, but real productivity gains to jump to the next curve of innovation. For example, the inclusion of the rest of the world that currently don’t have access to basic financial tools. Initially considered a gimmick by some, crypto technology is the next frontier of smartphone innovation.
Just 30 minutes to go now until things get going at the Steve Jobs Theater in California.
Apple CEO Tim Cook has already been there for hours.
David Phelan, The Independent's roving tech correspondent, has snuck into the Steve Jobs Theater to give us our fist look inside.
We have another entry for what that rear camera setup looks like on the iPhone 11.
Some Apple royalty in attendance today, with co-founder Steve Wozniak posing for selfies with YouTube star Marques Brownlee and other attendees.
I wonder what the red Apple logo means on Wozniak's lanyard? Come to think of it, why does The Woz even need to wear a lanyard?
(Photo courtesy of Safwan AhmedMia, @SuperSaf)
Speaking of The Woz, a friend of mine who interviewed him a few years ago showed me his business card. It's made of metal and photochemically etched with his details.
Unique - but not as unique as his Nixie tube watch.
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