Apple thinks different, but only a little

Evolution rather than revolution is perhaps a good way to describe Apple’s new bouquet of smartphones and watches, launched at an event at the Bill Graham Auditorium on Wednesday.

The iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus came with everything that had been predicted, including, true to rumour and the swarm of leaks that typically precede an Apple launch, no 3.5mm headphone jack.

Many of the refinements made to the iPhones and the new Apple Watch Series 2, are innovative and a testament to the company’s design excellence. But there are little or no groundbreaking features.

Those are, it is further rumoured, being reserved for the iPhone 8, which will launch next year on the 10th anniversary of the iPhone. Perhaps the most talked-about feature on the iPhone 7, discussed threadbare for the past many months, was the banishing of the 3.5mm headphone socket. Apple’s senior Vice-President of marketing Phil Schiller said that Apple had one good reason for removing the ubiquitous socket — courage.

Audio products will now connect via Apple’s proprietary Lightning port that is currently used only for charging. Schiller pointed out that this port had been designed to carry music right from the start and would lead to no deterioration in quality. An adaptor will be provided in the box when customers buy the new iPhone 7, but fans on social media immediately lamented the fact that this could be easily lost.

The industry of audio products will have to adapt to the use of the Lightning port for any devices intended to work with the new and subsequent iPhones.

Apple also debuted Air Pods, completely wireless earphones based on the company’s W1 Bluetooth chip. Carrying more circuitry than usual, these optionally purchased earphones will cost ₹15,400 and will add to the starting price of ₹60,000 of the new iPhones, the prices for which will vary depending on the version and variant.

Although Phil Schiller described the new iPhones as coming with a complete redesign, the devices sport the familiar much-imitated but unvarying look. Two black variants join the colour options available. The antenna lines are less visible and the home button is no longer clickable but uses Apple’s 3D Touch technology for more information and menu options — much like a right-click with a mouse.

All specs are bumped up on the iPhone 7 and Plus, but it’s the camera that is likely to be the biggest draw, specially on the iPhone 7 Plus, which has two rear 12MP shooters with one adding a 10x software zoom and depth of field or bokeh to images. Although the aperture on the iPhone’s camera is f1.8 while Samsung’s flagships currently are at f1.7, the iPhone’s camera used optics and image processing in a way that has made it the benchmark for all other smartphone cameras. With the new releases, this will only increase.

The new iPhone 7s are also dust and water resistant with an IP67 rating, playing catch-up with a number of smartphones that already have that feature. The iPhones will be available in India in early October.

Apple also launched the next version of the Apple Watch or Series 2. This product, too, sees refinements, specially on the software front, with a focus on health and fitness and on messaging.

This is the first time the iPhone has been launched against a backdrop of slowing sales in Apple’s key markets and immense challenges in the two the company needs to focus on: China and India.

It’s widely felt if Apple needed to reinvent its flagship product, this is the time. But for now, clearly Apple is only thinking different a little bit at a time.

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