The wristwatch that can detect heart problems among new tech from Apple
APPLE believes our faces will become our “passports” as it unveiled three new iPhones at its annual showcase in California.
The three new models all double down on Apple’s Face ID as a way of unlocking devices, downloading apps and buying things in shops.
“Your face becomes your passport,” said chief executive Tim Cook. “iPhone X has changed the industry.”
As wifely rumoured, the new flagship iPhone is called the iPhone XS Max and has a giant 6.5in screen. It sets a new high price for an iPhone, starting at €1,279 in Ireland.
The new high-end iPhone gets camera improvements in both the physical lenses and in what the new chip will allow in terms of processing the photo.
The new device comes with up to 512GB of storage memory for those who don’t want to rely on cloud storage.
Apple says its battery life lasts 90 minutes longer than on the current iPhone X.
A new ‘cheaper’ iPhone X device was also launched, called the iPhone XR. However, in Ireland it will cost €879, despite costing $750 plus tax in the US.
Despite looking identical to the iPhone X and iPhone XS models in appearance, the handset only has one rear camera and uses a slightly lower-grade screen.
However, it features the same power and costs €300 less than the flagship iPhone XS Max.
Its battery life is claimed to be 90 minutes better than the iPhone 8 Plus.
Apple also unveiled a new, bigger Series 4 Watch, that is designed to detect heart problems and call carers or doctors when its wearer falls.
One of the new watch’s big features is an ability to take an ECG reading from the wrist using a new ECG app, which uses electrodes built into the watch’s digital crown and a new electrical heart rate sensor in the back crystal.
With the app, users touch the digital crown and, after 30 seconds, get a heart rhythm classification.
It also has more power, a
30pc larger screen and has been redesigned to improve cellular connection.
Ireland will have a key role in the iPhone’s roll-out, with the Cork base co-ordinating the roll-out of the phones from the factories in China to large chunks of the globe.