Apple moves toward a wireless future
Tech titan introduces AirPod earbuds and Beats headphones that connect to the latest iPhones without cords
SAN FRANCISCO — Apple on Wednesday did its best to persuade consumers to embrace its latest iPhone, one with a better camera, longer battery life and something different — no traditional headphone jack.
Anticipating a future that’s even more wireless, the Cupertino, Calif.-based company unveiled $159 earbuds called AirPods and Beats headphones that connect to the new iPhones without any cords. Although wireless earbuds are not new, Apple is the first major smartphone manufacturer to get rid of the jack, which some analysts believe could revolutionize the headphone industry. Wireless earbuds could make it easier for people to think of the devices not just as a way to listen to music, but also as a way to command Siri, Apple’s voice assistant, to switch on the lights in their home.
“It makes no sense to tether ourselves to these mobile devices,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of worldwide marketing, speaking at the San Francisco event that has become a fall ritual for those breathlessly awaiting a glimpse of new Apple products.
There is mounting pressure for innovation at Apple as the company faces declining sales in its most popular product — the iPhone — because more people own smartphones in developed countries, and customers with older iPhones are holding off on upgrading. The iPhone represented 66 percent of the company’s sales in its last fiscal year, and no new hardware products, includ-
ing the Apple Watch, have come close to matching its success.
On Wednesday, Apple also demonstrated improvements to its Apple Watch; updated its iWork apps to include real-time collaboration similar to Google Docs; and announced that Apple Pay will come to Japan.
Executives did not trot out the tired adjective “revolutionary” to describe Apple’s latest products, but they reiterated how much better the newest versions of the iPhone and Apple Watch are. The iPhone 7 has a faster processor, better graphics performance, stereo speakers and a battery life that is two hours longer than an iPhone 6S. The two phones are the same size, but the iPhone 7 will be slightly lighter. Improved cameras
The cameras have also improved, with a 7-megapixel FaceTime HD camera and a 12-megapixel rear camera that has a sixelement lens and optical stabilization. The larger version of Apple’s latest smartphone, the iPhone 7 Plus, will have a rear camera with dual lenses — one that takes photos normally and the other that has a telephoto lens. The combination of both lenses lets users take detailed portraits with a blurry background, a depth-sensing technique available in DSLR cameras.
Schiller called the camera a “huge advancement for photography on cellphones.”
Analysts said the new features will probably be enough to get Apple customers with iPhones older than two years to upgrade, but some believe that Apple’s emphasis on the water- and dust-resistant properties of the iPhone 7 are not particularly compelling.
Tuong Nguyen, a personal technologies analyst with Gartner, wondered whether the phone is the best that Apple could offer.
“I emphasize ‘best’ (because) it seems like that’s what everyone on stage was repeating over and over again,” Nguyen said. He also questioned the prices. Based on Nguyen’s calculations, an iPhone 7 Plus and AirPods could cost roughly $1,000.
Other analysts said Apple did do enough, improving almost every aspect of the phone. Schiller said one reason Apple decided to remove the headphone jack was because people want faster processors and longer battery life, and it’s hard to cram in all those features and still keep the phone reasonably sized.
“It’s all fighting for space,” he said.
To soften the blow of the missing headphone jack, Apple is providing corded earbuds that connect to the iPhone 7 through the charging port, plus an adapter for older headphones. AirPods are not included with the new phones, and will go on sale in October. AirPods on a full charge will provide five hours of active listening time and come with a portable recharging case. Staying put
The AirPods fit into each ear like regular corded earbuds. During a demonstration after the event, several reporters tried to shake the AirPods loose, but they stayed put. The wearer activates Siri by tapping one pod.
Apple also unveiled a faster Apple Watch, called Series 2. The water-resistant device features builtin GPS and a brighter display, can be used without the phone nearby, and it is water resistant to a depth of more than 50 yards, which potentially opens sales to swimmers and surfers. A little water can still enter through a speaker grille, but the speaker can vibrate enough to expel that.
Apple is going up against Fitbit, the overall smart wearables device leader. San Francisco’s Fitbit recently began selling trackers that are water resistant.
Introduced in March 2015, the Watch was Apple’s first all-new product since the 2010 release of the iPad. The device will soon tie into the “Pokemon Go” game. The mobile game’s developer, San Francisco’s Niantic Labs, will release a version for the Watch this month. The company also announced a partnership with Nike to sell a Watch version called Nike Plus designed for runners.
While the Watch has taken the lead on overall smartwatch sales, and Apple has claimed the No. 2 spot in the watch market behind Rolex, the device has not become the revolutionary product Cook wanted. A compromise?
“The initial hype around full-touch smartwatches has subsided,” CCS Insight wearables analyst George Jijiashvili said in a report last week. “Despite concerted efforts by numerous consumer electronics makers to break into the category, this type of smartwatch still feels like a compromise, a solution looking for a problem.”
Apple will start taking orders for the iPhone 7, 7 Plus and Apple Watch Series 2 on Friday. Shipping will start Sept. 16. The iPhone 7 starts at $649 and 7 Plus at $769. The Series 2 Watches will start at $369, but Apple is also keeping the first-generation version in the lineup, starting at $269. Nike Plus prices will be in line with the regular Series 2 Watch, but won’t be available until October.
Perhaps the loudest cheers at the Apple event came after an announcement that Nintendo will bring a Super Mario Bros. game to the iPhone, letting players control the video game character with just one hand.