Apple's 'California Streaming' event (re-watch it above) featured a new iPhone that runs to $2799 with its most fully-tricked out model, which doubles onboard storage to 1 terabyte, plus a new Watch, the ninth-generation iPad and the fifth-generation iPad Mini.
Apple chief exectutive Tim Cook began the livestreamed event at 5am NZT by confirming a new iPad - retaining the same design, including a home button (unlike the iPad Air or Pro), but with a bump in processing speed.
NZ pricing for the new iPad starts at $569, with Wi-Fi + Cellular models from $789. Orders open today with availability from September 24.
Then came the completely-redesigned iPad Mini, with slimmer bezels and no home button (although it does have a Touch ID sensor in the sleep/wake button). The new model has an 8.3-inch display, can shoot 4K video, and swaps previous' models' Lightning connector for a USB-C jack.
The iPad Mini costs from $849, with Wi-Fi + Cellular models (now including 5G) starting from $1099. Orders are from today, with availability from September 24.
Next up was the Apple Watch Series 7, featuring a more rugged and 20 per cent larger display than the Series 6 while "barely affecting" the overall size due to smaller bezels, and 33 per cent faster charging.
The Series 7 will be released later this year. NZ pricing has yet to be announced.
Then came the main event, the iPhone 13, featuring a smaller notch on the top of its front display.
As with the iPhone 12, the entry-level iPhone 13 will come in two versions: the 6.1-inch "regular" model and the smaller 5.4-inch iPhone 13 Mini. The screen is still an OLED panel, the sides still aluminum sandwiched between two slabs of glass.
But unlike the iPhone 12, which saw a substantial redesign, the iPhone 13 has the same broad look as last year's model, just with a slimmed-down Face ID notch that's 20 percent smaller, meaning it'll take up less space at the top of your phone. It's not quite the minimal look that hole-punch displays offer on Android, but it's a nice-looking improvement.
Apple says the iPhone 13 battery: lasts two and a half hours longer than iPhone 12, while the iPhone 13 Mini will last one and half hours longer than its predecessor.
There's also a more powerful processor: the A15 Bionic, which Apple says is faster and more power-efficient than last year's A14 Bionic chip. It's still a 5nm chip and still a 6-core CPU (with two high-performance and four high-efficiency cores) — but Apple says it's the "fastest CPU in a smartphone," up to 50 percent faster than the competition.
The iPhone 13 is priced from $1429 and the iPhone 13 Mini from $1249. Orders open September 18 with availability from September 24.
The iPhone 13 Pro (6.1in display) and iPhone 13 Pro Max (6.7in) have new macro photography features and come in a new "Sierra Blue" option.
And where previous Pro models have topped out at 512 gigabytes (GB) of onboard storage, the new models double that to 1 terabyte (TB).
Apple says the iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max feature the "biggest camera enhancement ever" with photography features including:
• 77mm telephoto camera with 3x optical camera
• Night mode available across all three lenses
• iPhone 13 Pro features Cinematic Mode - or Portrait Mode but for video.
• Focus tracking and the ability to adjust the focus after recording
• Macro slow mo video recording on ultra wide camera
Like the Pro models of the iPhone 12, the iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max have a stainless steel finish.
NZ pricing for the Pro models ranges from $1799 to $2799 for the Pro Max with the full 1TB.
Orders open September 18 with availability from September 24.
