Apple Hi, Speed Event

2020-10-14 494 words 3 minutes

Contents

HomePod Mini

Amazing sound, but I can’t describe it with any technical depth.
S5 processor, the same one used in Watch Series 5 and SE, for “computation audio”; e.g., optimize loudness, adjust dynamic range, and control the movement of its own internals.
Multiple units can be placed throughout the house for synchronized output, or paired up when placed in the same room.
Includes the U1 processor, so it’ll know to handoff to your iPhone when it’s close; e.g., show the song playing onscreen – presumably Apple Music. [Ed: This feature comes “later this year”, and it’s October 14.]
“Play all your favourite content”; e.g., iHeartRadio, radio.com, and TuneIn.
And further down the road: Pandora, and Amazon (Music).
Siri: Voice control of your HomeKit accessories.
Intercom, to quickly send a (voice) message from one HomePod to another, or to multiple rooms. You know, like an intercom. [Ed: This will also work with iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, CarPlay, and AirPods.]
Comes in white or space grey for USD 99, start shipping mid-November.

5G cellular connectivity.
New design with flat sides, and in 5 colours (black, white, red, green, blue).
Same 6.1" display like iPhone 11, but 11+% thinner, smaller, and lighter. [Ed: The pixel density has doubled, too.]
“Super Retina XDR”: OLED, 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio, 460 ppi.
“Ceramic Shield”, 4x better drop performance.
“Smart Data Mode”: step up/down between LTE/5G.

A14 Bionic processor: 6-core CPU, 4-core GPU, 16-core “Neural Engine”.
Dual-camera system: ultra wide, and wide lenses.
“Night Mode”, available on all 3 cameras – including the front.
Video capture, it’s even better than earlier iterations, check out this video shot (and edited) on iPhone 12.
The return of “MagSafe”, this time for iPhone. [Ed: It uses magnets to snap the device to its charging accessory, and is supposed to work with existing Qi chargers.]
MagSafe Duo accessory, to charge iPhone and Apple Watch simultaneously. AirPower is dead, long live AirPower!
Apple will no longer ship wired Lightning headphones and adaptors, but will still include a Lightning-to-USB-C in the box.
Starts from USD 799.

6.7" display, 0.2" larger than its predecessor and taller too.
5x optical zoom range.
Shooting in “Apple ProRaw”, available later this year. [Ed: It’ll also be available for 12 Pro.]
“Apple ProRaw” API, so third-party apps can do so too.
Videography improved by leaps and bounds; e.g., capture/edit in Dolby Vision HDR at 4k resolution and 60 fps.
LiDAR scanner for AR, autofocus accuracy and reduced capture time. [Ed: It might even improve Portrait shots, too.]
Starting from USD 1099.