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iPhone 7 has arrived: Here's what you need to know

It's been a long time coming, but Apple has finally unveiled their latest flagship devices; iPhon...
Newstalk
Newstalk

18.50 7 Sep 2016


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iPhone 7 has arrived: Here&...

iPhone 7 has arrived: Here's what you need to know

Newstalk
Newstalk

18.50 7 Sep 2016


Share this article


It's been a long time coming, but Apple has finally unveiled their latest flagship devices; iPhone 7 and 7 Plus. The rumour mill has been spiralling out of control for some time now, but we now know the full spec and design of the two new devices. This was one of the most impressive Apple events in some years.

As with most of the company's big launches, the event took place at the Bill Graham Auditorium in San Fransisco. Thousands packed into the room, whilst others watched the live stream around the world, to get a glimpse of the device we've all heard so much about. 

The event kicked off with a sweet, but slightly cheesy, bit of carpool karaoke. James Corden brought Tim Cook to the event, with Pharrell in the back of the car. The three had a wee sing-song, all to remind us that 16 episodes of Corden's Carpool Karaoke will be hosted on Apple Music in the near future. 

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Things moved quickly onto the App Store. Cook explained there's been more than 140 billion apps downloaded from their store, before brining a very special guest on stage; Shigeru Miyamoto, the man behind Super Mario. Speaking through a translator, he confirmed that Mario is coming to the App Store. 

A new game called "Super Mario Runs" will allow users to play one-handed. This announcement received a warm welcome in the room and from those following the event online. 

Apple Watch and Pokemon Go:

We were given some stats and a rundown on key features of the Apple Watch and Watch OS 3. After a bit of chat, they got to the good / gimmicky bit; Pokemon Go is coming to Apple Watch. I'm not sure how I feel about it, but there you go. They demonstrated how it will work. As with many of their demos, it was slightly cringy. The man behind Pokemon Go on the Apple Watch, surprised at catching a Pikachu. 

They moved on to unveil Apple Watch Series 2. The new watch is now swim-proof, which is a key feature for sports fanatics. 

They also announced the addition of GPS tracking on Apple Watch Series 2. This means you no longer need to bring your phone out with you on a walk or a run. There's also a new Hike Finder feature too for those who are into that sort of thing. 

They also unveiled their partnership with sports brand Nike. This is the Apple Watch Nike Plus; designed with runners in mind. 

iPhone 7 and 7 Plus

This is the one we've all been waiting for. In what an only be described as a bit of a snafu, Amazon unveiled key details of the new iPhones some 20 minutes before the official launch began. Business Insider pointed out the following page:

This let us know early on that there would, indeed, be an iPhone 7 and an iPhone 7 plus. It also let us know that there'd be a dual-lens camera for the iPhone 7 Plus, a single but larger camera for iPhone 7 and no headphone jack.

Once the official event got underway, we were given the official line. 

The iPhone 7 has that classic iPhone look that we have come to expect and love. It doesn't look too dissimilar to the iPhone 6S. What is new, however, is the fact that the phone is water resistant. Many of the rumours were proven true: there's a dual camera, stereo speakers and no headphone jack. 

The removal of the headphone jack, in favour of a lightening connection, is a bit of a pain, but it does make sense. Using the lightening connection port means there's more space on the body for other features and makes the phone neater too. Those who buy a new iPhone 7 will be delighted to learn that the new device will come with an adaptor to make traditional headphones compatible with the new port. 

While the adaptor is handy, there's a new kid on the headphone-block. Meet the Air Pods. These are wireless headphones that pair to the iPhone. The sensors within the buds know when they are in the ear and will only play when in position. They have an in-built mic, which will cancel out external noise whilst on a call. 

One rumour that was busted, however, was the abolition of the home-button. The home-button, which is a staple of the iPhone design, is not going anywhere. They have added a few new features making it a solid-state, force-responsive button.

The device comes in jet black or just black. There's also gold, silver and rose gold colour options too. 

A lot of work has gone into the cameras on the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus. They spent quite a bit of time outlining the various features and new additions. Bottom line is, you'll be able to take incredible images with little effort. 

The new iPhone 7 and 7 Plus will be available to pre-order from this Friday, September 9th and will begin shipping later in the month.


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