Apple’s Fall 2021 Announcement

Like clockwork, Apple held its September event unveiling its newest mobile devices.  If you would like to watch it, here is the link.  It is about 1:15 long:

https://www.apple.com/apple-events/september-2021/

Here are the highlights and my thoughts:

iPads

Apple updated my favorite iPad, the one simply called “iPad”. It is the cheapest and simplest model, with a 10.2” screen, a home button and a traditional feel.  The new model has a new, faster processor, supports Apple Pencil (1st generation) and is the same price as the model it replaces, $329.

They also finally updated the iPad mini, to the 6th generation.  Apple increased the small iPad’s screen from 7.9” to 8.3” without making the device bigger.  They did this by shrinking the bezel around the screen.  Brilliant.

Other important changes in the new iPad mini include replacing the traditional Lighting charge/data port with a more modern USB-C port, adding 5G support for cellular models and improving the cameras.  It is priced at $499.

Apple Watch

The 3rd major redesign of the Apple Watch is here, or rather, it will be later this fall.  The first generation included Series 0 through 3.  The second included Series 4 through 6.  This, the first of the 3rd generation, is called the Series 7.

The Apple Watch Series 7 features a bigger screen with virtually the same size body, shrinking the bezel just like the new iPad mini.  You can now use the watch to track biking activities including a special mode that can be used with e-bikes.  Its fall detection, introduced several years ago, now includes detection of falls off of bicycles.

Other changes for the Series 7 include an on-screen keyboard, new colors (blue, red and green) and faster charging.  Prices start at $399.

If you are the owner of the first generation (Series 0-3), the Series 7 would be an excellent upgrade.  If you are the owner of the second generation (Series 4-6) I don’t think it would be worth it.  I will be keeping my Series 5 for a while longer.

iPhones

This is what everyone really wanted to find out about.  Yes, the new phones are called 13, unlike predictions that Apple would skip the unlucky number like many tall buildings’ floor numbering schemes do.

Like all iPhone series since 2018, the 13 series have two distinct classes of phones - cheaper & simpler and more expensive & feature-rich. 

Cheaper & simpler iPhones

iPhone 13 and 13 mini - these are follow-ons to the iPhone XR, 11 and 12.  I really don’t like them.  Here is why:

The iPhone 13 & 13 mini, like their predecessors, have two cameras, which is great, but they are the wrong two cameras.  They have a Wide (aka normal) camera and an Ultra Wide camera.  Instead of the Ultra Wide camera, they should have a telephoto, which would be way more useful.  This alone sours me on these models.

These new 13s sport tougher glass, a larger battery with longer battery life and image stabilization that stabilizes the camera sensors.  There is a new video mode in the Camera app called Cinematic Mode that allows active and automatic shifting of the scene focus - on people talking, on what they turn their head to look at and more.  Magical.

The 13, like the XR, 11 & 12 is a “regular” size phone, similar to the 6, 6s, 7, 8, X and XS models.  The 13 mini is small, similar to the iPhone 5 and original SE models.  They are priced at $799 for the 13 and $699 for the 13 mini.

More expensive & feature-rich iPhones

Meet the iPhone 13 Pro series - iPhone 13 Pro and 13 Pro Max.  These are continuations of the 11 Pro and 12 Pro series.  Yes, they have the proper 3-camera system (Wide, Ultra Wide and Telephoto).  The 13 Pro is a “regular” size phone and the Pro Max is, well, quite large.

The 13 Pros have a bigger battery with longer battery life.  In fact, they have the longest-lasting battery of any iPhone ever made.  The Telephoto camera has increased its “zoom” from 2X in all previous Telephoto cameras to 3X.  This is a really big deal.  I have a 2X Telephoto camera on my iPhone XS and it often is not “zoomed-in” enough for my liking.  They also have a new Macro mode that allows you to focus on objects less than an inch away from the subject. Perfect for those detailed shots previous iPhones could not pull off.

The Pros have the video Cinematic Mode like the 13s. They can also shoot video in ProRes format, which is a very detailed video format suitable for professional editing software.  Many Hollywood movies are shot in ProRes.  Of course, all of these fancy video formats are only available in the traditional horizontal shooting orientation.  They are not available in the immoral vertical video orientation.  Please, please, do not take vertical videos with your phone.  The results are much like watching life through a crack in a fence.

The Pros are available in a new Sierra Blue color.  They are priced at $999 for the 13 Pro and $1099 for the 13 Pro Max.  You can pre-order them starting September 17th for shipments arriving Friday, September 24th.

If you have an iPhone 11 or 12 series, the 13 series is not worth the upgrade price.  I will be trading in my iPhone XS (2018) for a 13 Pro.  If you own an iPhone 6, 6s, 7 or 8, it is probably time to upgrade.

If the prices of the new Pros are a bit spicy for your taste, I recommend you consider a refurbished iPhone 11 Pro (2019) instead of the standard 13s.  They are better phones and they have the proper 3-camera system and are priced lower than the standard 13s.  See them here:

https://www.apple.com/shop/refurbished/iphone/iphone-11-pro-iphone-11-pro-max

If you would like to compare any iPhone models with any others, Apple’s iPhone comparison tool is awesome:

https://www.apple.com/iphone/compare/

The major cellular carriers are offering some jaw-dropping deals if you trade in your old phone on one of the 13 series phones.  I won’t go into the complicated details of each deal, but I don’t remember such good deals since the early iPhones that were priced at $199 with a cellular contract.  As an example, I am trading in my XS for a 13 Pro.  Verizon will end up charging me $10/month for 30 months for the 13 Pro.  That is $300 for a $1,100 phone!  AT&T and others have similar deals.

There you have it, Apple’s traditional September announcement for 2021 with a bit of my personal spin.  There is another Apple announcement rumored for October to introduce new Mac laptops.  Stay tuned for my summary of that.