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The iPhone 7 is the walled-off computer Apple has always wanted
So Apple killed the headphone jack with the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus. But what does that really mean? Think back to Apple's origin story and the tale of the two young Steves, Jobs and Wozniak, building their first computer in a garage. From the start, Jobs pushed for simpler technology, with fewer ports and expandable options than other PCs had at the time. And then there was the original Mac, which was criticized for requiring special tools to open up.
The Engadget Podcast, Ep 5: Applesauce
Editor in Chief Michael Gorman, executive editor Christopher Trout and managing editor Dana Wollman join host Terrence O'Brien for a special all Apple edition of the podcast from San Francisco. On the show they'll search for the definition of courage, tell you what it's really like on the floor of a major press event and give a state of the Apple union.
Relive Apple's iPhone 7 event right here
If you were busy at work yesterday and couldn't watch Apple's iPhone 7 stream unfold live, you can fix that. As is tradition, the Cupertino company has uploaded the whole shebang to YouTube so you can relive seeing Shigeru Miyamoto introduce Super Mario Run, VP of worldwide marketing Phil Schiller saying that removing the headphone jack from the iPhone 7 took "courage" and Sia's end-of-show performance depressing the hell out of (almost) everyone. Don't have two hours? Well, you could always watch our 15 minute version.
Two years later, Apple has figured out what its watch is good for
It's been exactly two years since Apple took the wraps off the Apple Watch, the first entirely new product for the company under the direction of CEO Tim Cook. But unlike Steve Jobs' legendary introduction of the first iPhone, which focused on three feature categories, the watch was all over the place. It's a precise timepiece, with high-end fashion bonafides! It can track your activity and workouts! It has apps, notifications and glances! You can send your friends your heartbeat or a ridiculous emoji or inappropriate sketches! But you need your iPhone to do basically all of this! It was a dizzying introduction. When the watch launched in April 2015, most reviewers agreed there were a lot of interesting features, but they didn't all come together in a coherent fashion. And the slapdash combo didn't justify the relatively high price. But now, with the introduction of the Watch Series 2, Apple has made it clear: If you're not interested in health tracking, don't buy an Apple Watch.
The iPhone 7's best new feature is water resistance
Once again, Apple has dropped a new phone with a whole array of improvements that make it a must-buy. But the iPhone maker buried the lead with its launch by barely touching on the next-gen phones' actual best feature: water-resistance.
What happened at the iPhone event
If you're still reeling from the loss of the headphone jack and need to catch up with all of today's Apple news, Engadget's own Michael Gorman breaks down the new iPhone 7 and Apple Watch Series 2 introduced at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium this morning.
Watch Apple's iPhone 7 event in 15 minutes
Today's Apple event was jam packed with new gear, new features and more. If you missed any of the details on the new iPhone 7 and 7s, including all of the info on the new camera tech, we've got a quick recap for you. Catch up on all of today's announcements from the stage in just 15 minutes. We've done all of the hard work, so if you don't have time to re-watch the two-hour event, you can still get the low down on Apple Watch Series 2, AirPods and more. Click here to catch all the latest news from the Apple's "See You" event.
Caption contest: Tim Cook shows Maddie Ziegler the iPhone 7
Apple unveiled its newest iPhone in San Francisco today and, despite some backlash over its "courageous" stand in removing the handset's conventional headphone jack, the iPhone 7 seemed well-received by the crowd. Among those in attendance: Maddie Ziegler, Sia's dancer/mini-doppelganger. After the keynote, Apple CEO Tim Cook showed off some of the phone's new features, but what was on the screen that has Ziegler so entranced?
Nintendo loses a little piece of its identity with 'Super Mario Run'
Today, Nintendo announced Super Mario is going mobile -- Super Mario Run will launch on iOS and Android before the end of the year. We knew the company was making more content for smartphones, but for long-time Nintendo fans, this announcement still feels like a shock. For years, Satoru Iwata rallied hard against bringing Nintendo characters to the small screen. "If we did this," he said in 2011, "Nintendo would cease to be Nintendo." The company's leader was adamant: Putting Mario on mobile would make good short-term profits but would ultimately devalue the property. Now that it's here, we have to wonder -- is Nintendo still Nintendo?
Apple's AirPods toe the line between usefulness and gimmickry
Apple's embracing this whole "no headphone jack" thing in a big way, and there's no better indicator than the company's new $159 AirPods. They're not quite ready for public consumption -- the launch is scheduled for next month -- but Apple had plenty of pairs to play with here at its iPhone launch event in San Francisco. As far as first impressions go, the AirPods certainly seem neat enough. Still, do they have the chops to become a must-have for iPhone owners? I really, really doubt it.
The After Math: iPhone 7 edition
The newest iPhone is out -- well, all of it except for the headphone jack. But that's not all Apple announced during its press conference in San Francisco this morning. The company also showed off its new Apple Watch, boasted about its wildly popular App Store and Music service, explained the 7's dual-camera system and debuted some fancy new wireless earbuds. We broke out the numbers, because how else will you know how much it'll cost to replace those AirBuds you've already lost?
Apple drops iPad prices while bumping up the storage
While Tim Cook and Co. didn't make any iPad announcements on stage earlier, Apple's tablet range did get a few changes today. Like the iPhone line, Apple is bumping the minimum storage to 32GB across the board and keeping the same price as the previous 16GB models. The iPad Pros now top out at 256GB of storage, but you'll actually be paying less per gigabyte than in the past.
The new Apple Watch mostly looks like the old one
There are two ways to let the world know you have the next-gen Apple Watch, the Series 2, and not the original, which came out last year. You could buy the new Nike-branded one, but well, that probably won't go with your work outfit. Or you could take it for a swim: The new version is fully waterproof up to 50 meters, whereas the original was merely splashproof. Otherwise, the new version looks a lot like the old one, complete with the same two screen sizes and support for the same wristbands. The screen is brighter, sure, and the most premium version of the watch is now made from a durable white ceramic that doesn't look quite like the aluminum and stainless-steel versions that came before it. With these few exceptions, though, it's the performance that makes this a different watch.
The iPhone 7 and 7 Plus are all about subtle, powerful changes
The iPhone 7 and 7 Plus are here, and -- wouldn't you know it? -- just about all those leaks were right. It goes without saying that we're not looking at a massive redesign here, either. There are the new black and jet-black finishes, the camera humps have changed, the antenna bands have been moved, and they're more subtly worked into the body. The list goes on, but ultimately we're working with iPhones that look and feel quite a bit like last year's models.
The Apple Watch Nike+ is a running watch I might actually use
I've been wearing the original Apple Watch every day for the past eight months, but never as a running watch. As much as I enjoy the device for its notifications, slick Activity app and stylish design, I would never, ever trust it on a training run. My hangup, and many runners' hangup, has been the lack of a GPS radio. Without that crucial bit of technology, the distance tracking is off -- and no, running with your iPhone on your person to triangulate your location isn't the same. Needless to say, if your distance tracking is inaccurate, your average pace will be inaccurate, and to a runner, even a casual one, that is bad news indeed. So until now, I've been sticking with my trusty Garmin Forerunner watch, even as I continue to use the Apple Watch for everyday step-tracking. With the newest-gen Apple Watch, though, I might be willing to reconsider.
The iPhone 7 Plus vs. the competition: How even is the field?
The iPhone 7 Plus finally brings a dual camera to the iPhone line. But there are plenty of other big handsets out there with their own stellar features, including the LG's newly unveiled V20 and its Hi-Fi Quad DAC. Check out the table below to see how these two compare to phones like the Moto Z, which, like Apple's new lineup, ditched the headphone jack in favor of USB-C. We've even thrown in the Galaxy Note 7: Sure, it's been recalled but, before it started randomly exploding, the Note was one of our favorite devices this year.
Apple killed off its super expensive gold Edition watches
With today's launch of the Apple Watch Series 2, Tim Cook and company added the sleek new Ceramic Edition, but quietly did away with the more ostentatious, solid-18-karat-gold version. While that ceramic Series 2 model doesn't exactly come cheap at $1,249, it's still a fraction of the price of Apple's previous top shelf, $10,000-plus Gold Edition.
Courage is not how you sell iPhones
Today, during the annual iPhone event, Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing Phil Schiller said Apple was ditching the headphone jack found in pretty much every audio device ever made because of "courage." Yeah, not so much.
The iPhone 7 vs. the competition: Win some, lose some
The new 4.7-inch iPhone is here and, just like the rumors predicted, the headphone jack is no more. If you're not thrilled with having to shop for a new pair of earbuds, it might be worth looking to see how the new water-resistant handset stacks up against its Android competition. We've taken a few recent flagships and laid out their specs for your perusal, including Sony's new Xperia XZ. With most top-tier Android devices running Snapdragon 820, these phones end up having a lot in common. However, there's a few key differences to keep things interesting.
Apple Watch Series 2 UK release date and pricing
Apple's iPhone 7 event may be over, but now is the time to unpack everything we've seen. One of the biggest announcements of the evening was the Apple Watch Series 2. At first glance, the second-generation Apple Watch is almost indistinguishable from the first. The companion device is still a familiar square shape, but it's beneath the improved OLED display that the major improvements are to be found. Tucked away inside the water-resistant wearable is a dual-core processor that is 50 percent faster and offers double the graphics capabilities of the original. There's a brighter display, coming in at 1,000 nits, which will make it a lot more usable in direct sunlight. But how much will it cost? You can find pricing for all of the different Series 2 variations and the reduced pricing for Series 1 smartwatches below.
