Apple Event Today: iPhone 7 and Watch Series 2

Braydon_SFX

Hey everyone!

Creating this thread to talk about the new stuff announced today because we usually have a thread going on during any event Apple puts on, and I didn't see one yet.

What are your thoughts on the new iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus?
What about the new Apple Watch...Series 2...?

...and...I'm sorry. I had to..

Incase you missed the live-stream and new products, you can read a summary here.

NNterprises

All I know is that I have a droid but Apple is getting Mario Run or whatever and that is the only reason I'd switch haha

imjustmike

Underwhelmed to be honest.

Many of the new features are things android devices have had for a while.
Waterproof? Check.
Twin speakers? Check.
Dual cameras? Check.

The only thing that's new and unique is ditching the 3.5mm jack. Which as someone with a love of music and blocking the world out with headphones seems a bit sad. Sure it frees up extra space, but just feels like a way to grab money - either pay a huge amount for a dumb converter, or pay over the nose for the handful of headphones that are licensed (which apple charges the manufacturers a licence fee to make). Or buy the apple branded ones that last a grand total of 5 hours before needing a charge. Joy.

And this isn't just my normal apple bashing - I was actually hoping they'd give me a reason to buy a new iphone as I'm looking to replace my phone and I'm underwhelmed by HTC's offering as of later.

As for the watch? I don't own one and have no plans to for a while so don't really have an opinion

Socks

@imjustmike said:
. . . feels like a way to grab money - either pay a huge amount for a dumb converter . . .

The converter is included for free, replacement converters (if you loose the included free one) are only $9.

@imjustmike said:
or pay over the nose for the handful of headphones that are licensed (which apple charges the manufacturers a licence fee to make). Or buy the apple branded ones that last a grand total of 5 hours before needing a charge. Joy.

You can use any Bluetooth headphone you like, even that old pair you've had for the last 5 or 10 years, there are hundreds of models on the market, you can find pretty decent brands for as little as £10.

mhedges

I'll be looking forward to the iPhone 8 .

A pity about saving the good camera for the Plus, although next time around I'm splurging on the Plus because of the screen and bigger battery.

That said, I'm glad they have added some degree of water resistance to the phone and especially the watch. I have a Fitbit Charge HR, and the connector on the back is such a glaring dismissal of caution, essentially an invitation to sweat/water. An office buddy already drowned his third, and said he'll not spring for another one.

Also, their device interaction is nothing to sneeze at. Pretty good, I'd say.

PhilipCC

The big let down is that no new Macs were announced.

It's been well over a year since the MacBook Pros were updated and even longer since the current models' were released. These are the portable workhorses of many developers and creative professionals who were hanging out for this event.

What about the Mac Pro? Has Apple dumped it? It's never been updated. They also terminated the Thunderbolt Display without a replacement.

The focus on mobile devices such as watches, phones and pads make me fear for the future of my preferred choice, iMac.

Maybe another launch is in the wings including MacOS Sierra? Time will tell.

BigDave

i think they continue to throw money out for the apple watch to serve it to a niche market. " I don't like what they cook there"

Got only one friend in Switzerland that bought that watch (v.1) and he only did it because he is an apple fan boy, he said he never really uses it.

@PhilipCC
indeed it would be time for a new macbook here too still using an Macbook Air 2013.
Waiting for the newest generation to make another investment.

imjustmike

@Socks said:
The converter is included for free, replacement converters (if you loose the included free one) are only $9.

$9 is still too much for something that I don't need. And not being able to charge my phone when I'm listening to music? Not ideal.

@Socks said:
You can use any Bluetooth headphone you like, even that old pair you've had for the last 5 or 10 years, there are hundreds of models on the market, you can find pretty decent brands for as little as £10.

I also don't really want to use bluetooth headphones - there's only one pair I've ever tried (and I tried over a dozen) that came close to matching the quality of cabled headphones. The whole battery thing is a no-no for me. My phone can just about last a charge a day so I tend to have to bring a spare battery pack, bringing a second battery pack for my headphones as well? No thanks. When batteries and quality is improved then I might make the jump, but certainly not for this phone.

@PhilipCC said:
The big let down is that no new Macs were announced.

I think the rumour is an October announcement for macbook pros. Though I'm not holding my breath because last year the rumour was they'd be announcing in feb 2016...

Socks

@imjustmike said:
$9 is still too much for something that I don't need.

The converter is included for free.

The $9 is the price of a replacement converter in case you lose the one you own, the one you got for FREE.

@imjustmike said:
I also don't really want to use bluetooth headphones - there's only one pair I've ever tried (and I tried over a dozen) that came close to matching the quality of cabled headphones.

True, wired headphones will always be better, not so much for the quality of the headphones, but because of the bandwidth limitations of bluetooth, but I think 99% of people wouldn't really be able to tell the difference between a good set of bluetooth headphones and a pair of HD650s.

jamie_c

I'm waiting on new Mac to make an investment to, really hoping for an October release.

Armelline

I was underwhelmed by the event. Every day I listen to my phone using headphones while charging it, so for me the lack of a jack is a dealbreaker. The AirPods are pretty cool. I see a lot of people slating them because they'll be easily lost. Well, if you're the kind of person who will lose them... don't buy them. Doesn't stop them being a really impressive bit of kit. People react like Apple release products which are compulsory.

Two.E

I was hoping for some new MacBooks. Maybe next month and hopefully they will also be able to connect to lightning earphones. Would be inconvenient to have a pair for each device.

Was also hoping that the watch was going to be much thinner, as I don't like the brick look. Its a shame because they seem to be doing some great stuff with it, but its getting lost with their design and OS.

Beautiful phone design.

BigDave

maybe Im just hating but I think the whole ritual is a very bad thing.

Apple events were about presenting innovations. Something worth the whole dramatic presentation.

They kept the dramatic presentation but they present us super boring stuff.
I don't think there should be an iPhone 7. Not until its really worth it.

Armelline

Apple events were about presenting innovations. Something worth the whole dramatic presentation.

This isn't really true. There have been maybe 2 or 3 events where real innovations were presented, the rest have been Steve Job's reality distortion field hyping up non-innovations, and now it's Tim Cook trying to do the same thing.

iMac, iPod, iPhone. Those are the only really significant innovations they've presented (and the things that took Apple from near death to the juggernaut it is today). The rest of the events have been evolutions rather than innovations. That's the norm.

jamie_c

@Armelline said:

Apple events were about presenting innovations. Something worth the whole dramatic presentation.

This isn't really true. There have been maybe 2 or 3 events where real innovations were presented, the rest have been Steve Job's reality distortion field hyping up non-innovations, and now it's Tim Cook trying to do the same thing.

iMac, iPod, iPhone. Those are the only really significant innovations they've presented (and the things that took Apple from near death to the juggernaut it is today). The rest of the events have been evolutions rather than innovations. That's the norm.

The whole thing is pretty much tired and boring these days in my opinion. I still pay attention since I'm so closely involved in the industry but to hear a room full of people clapping and cheering over a Mario game and other silly things just comes off as silly and self serving to me.

imjustmike

@Socks said:
The converter is included for free.

The $9 is the price of a replacement converter in case you lose the one you own, the one you got for FREE.

Very true. Though I've already lost the adapter thing that came with my ipad pencil. I can't be trusted.

@imjustmike said:

True, wired headphones will always be better, not so much for the quality of the headphones, but because of the bandwidth limitations of bluetooth, but I think 99% of people wouldn't really be able to tell the difference between a good set of bluetooth headphones and a pair of HD650s.

Oh I'm sure for some people it'll be fine, just not for me. They're saying they're being courageous to drop the 3.5mm but, to me, it's not - it's just another opportunity make more money through peripherals. Which of course is their prerogative and a great way to make money. But more me, as a launch, it was very underwhelming.

Nothing in there that's not available on the market at the moment, and certainly nothing that makes me want to buy an iphone 7. And I was really hoping I would look at it and convert back - would make my life a little easier.

Retropix

It's easy to judge and form opinions if you are ignorant to the process and work it takes to create a phone. It's amazing what they can do in such a small enclosure I'm sure if you would have been the one to unveil the iPhone 7 you would be super proud of it.

BigDave

i like the mario game, nintendos offical step to mobile platforms (beside the niantic pokemon)
Also interesting that they go iOS only.

regarding iphone 7 lets see. The thing is they also have to keep it rolling like this else the shares could suffer.

Armelline

@imjustmike said:
Oh I'm sure for some people it'll be fine, just not for me. They're saying they're being courageous to drop the 3.5mm but, to me, it's not - it's just another opportunity make more money through peripherals.

If audio quality is that important to you, though, surely you use lightning headphones anyway? The 3.5mm jack isn't going to be the best audio output for those wanting the highest possible quality, surely?

And I say this as someone who will not be buying an iPhone without an audio jack.

Socks

@imjustmike said:
Nothing in there that's not available on the market at the moment, and certainly nothing that makes me want to buy an iphone7.

Agreed, like you and others have said, it was all a bit underwhelming, just a standard upgrade . . . they are apparently saving all the big stuff (total redesign, edge to edge OLED screen . . etc) for the iPhone8 in 2017 as it'll be the 10th anniversary of the iPhone and big things are planned.

imjustmike

@Armelline said:
If audio quality is that important to you, though, surely you use lightning headphones anyway? The 3.5mm jack isn't going to be the best audio output for those wanting the highest possible quality, surely?

And I say this as someone who will not be buying an iPhone without an audio jack.

The 3.5 is by far the best standard out there. There may be marginal gains by switching over to lightning but not sufficient to turn your back on the world's standard. Especially if it means you won't be able to charge or transfer data and listen to music at the same time.

They say they're doing it for space - so I can have taptic technology on the button. I wonder how many people want that over being able to plug and play the vast majority of headphones set on the planet. Not the mention the likes of all the other technologies that use 3.5, like square payment processing or light metres. Sure, they can redesign, but just seems like Apple being a dick and demanding the world use THEIR cable. And if space was such a premium, surely they could add 1mm thickness?

Apple's used to be "it just works". They're moving further and further away from that.

EDIT: wow. That sounded ranty. Bad day at work and clearly taking it out on something I'm not actually annoyed at. Just disappointed

Armelline

@imjustmike Fair enough! I agree, this seems like a dangerous direction for them to go with their phones. My 5S might well be my last iPhone.

Socks

@Armelline said:
If audio quality is that important to you, though, surely you use lightning headphones anyway? The 3.5mm jack isn't going to be the best audio output for those wanting the highest possible quality, surely?

The 3.5mm jack isn't really an issue when it comes to audio quality, ultimately sound has to move from digital to analogue at some stage, whether this happens on the way out of the iDevice (3.5mm analogue out) or just-a-little-bit-after-it's-left-the-iDevice (lightning headphones / lightning adaptor) doesn't really make any difference at all, even in a professional monitoring environment, a much more important factor is the quality of the DAC (digital to analogue converter), If audio quality is really important (mixing, monitoring - and so on) you'd bypass Apple's cheap DAC and pass your audio from the iDevice through a dedicated DAC to a decent pair of analogue headphones, I use an Apogee One going into a pair of Sennheiser HD650s, but like I say unless you are working with audio professionally I doubt you'd notice the difference between a good quality pair of bluetooth headphones and a dedicated DAC > Professional headphones.

Socks

@imjustmike said:
The 3.5 is by far the best standard out there. There may be marginal gains by switching over to lightning but not sufficient to turn your back on the world's standard.

I'd go further and say there would be no gains at all ! You are just moving the DAC further along the audio chain !

PhilipCC

I'm still pissed off that they left it out the 3.5mm audio-in socket on my Retina iMac. Now they are probably going to take the 3.5mm audio-out socket from all new Macs too.

jonmulcahy

I don't even care. Waiting on my 7+ to arrive next Monday . Can't wait to play with the camera. That's the biggest reason I upgraded.

I've been running Bluetooth for awhile now, works great.

PhilipCC

@jonmulcahy The camera sounds great. I'm a photographer so it's of particular interest from what I've read so far. But that's the only aspect of the 7+ that I'd utilize. Keen to hear what you think of it.

You see I have a 2007 Nokia clamshell dumb-phone that I hardly even use. In the last two weeks I made one call to report a whale sighting and received one call from my wife due to a flat car battery.

AU$1269 buys a very good stand alone camera which I'd prefer on an assignment . I've already got four cameras so I don't need an iPhone just to test games. An iPod does fine.