It has become an annual event since 2007 ufffd the Apple CEO holds the tech world spellbound with a new device that he claims will change the world. The competition sniggers and tries its best to come out with something that matches it. The same pattern is likely to be repeated this year, with Apple showing off a new iPhone and a range of iPods, and a great new range of earphones called EarPods. Nimesh Dubey tells us what stood tall at the end of the show
iPod touch The rockstar
For many, it has been “the iPhone without a phone” and the latest version of the iPod touch puts it bang into PDA territory. It packs in the same display as the iPhone 5, a dual core A5 processor, excellent graphics and lots of storage (it starts from 32 GB) into an impossibly thin 6mm frame that tips the scale at less than 90 gm. And in a very pleasant surprise, it comes with a super 5.0-megapixel iSight camera capable of shooting full HD video. It will be able to run almost every app that the iPhone can, and is likely to cost about half as much (we do not have an official price tag yet). We think this was the real star of the iPhone 5 show, as it delivers a lot of its functionality at a very affordable price. And we are going to be seeing it next month too.
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We love: The camera, the display, the anorexic build
We wish it had: A price tag on par with the previous iPod touch
Indian release: October 2012
Price: $299 onwardsu00a0(Rupee price expected to be in vicinity of Rs 21,000)u00a0
iPod nano changed again!
At some level, it’s hard not to feel a little sorry for the iPod nano, which has changed in every generation. We have had a thin version with a video camera, a square-shaped one, and now we have something that looks like a shrunk version of the iPod touch. It comes with a 2.5 inch touchscreen, support for pictures and videos and in an answer to many people’s prayers, support for Bluetooth. And it comes in many colours, which have elicited a host of responses. All of which makes it a device that falls between the iPod shuffle and the iPod touch. We would rather not speculate on its prospects but our gut feeling is that it will be changed. Again.
We love: The new display, Bluetooth support
We wish it had: The portability of its predecessor
Indian release: October 2012
Price: Rs 12,500 onwardsu00a0
The iPad Mini?
One product whose absence was keenly felt at the Apple event was the iPad Mini. People had been speculating that Apple would release a smaller version of its iconic tablet, at the regular “and more thing” moment, but as of now, the iPad Mini (as it has been christened) has returned to tech myth terrain. However, if whispers in tech corners are to be believed, the iPad Mini will ultimately be released this year — in fact it might happen as early as October — and the reason it was not unveiled at the iPhone 5 event was to ensure that the two products did not rob each other of their thunder. We are still hearing rumours of a $299 price tag and a seven-inch retina display.u00a0
u00a0iPhone 5 still Godly?
It gets a bigger (4.0-inch) 1136 x 640 resolution retina display, an incredibly thin (7.6mm) form factor, a tweaked design, comes with support for super fast LTE networks, has three microphones for better voice clarity, an A6 processor that Apple claims is twice as fast as its predecessor, and its anodised aluminum body is drop-dead gorgeous. And yet, many tech pundits felt let down, perhaps because there was no distinctive feature that defined the device, in the way the retina display marked the iPhone 4 or the Siri marked the iPhone 4S. But the iPhone has always been about the experience, and it is there that Apple could be scoring heavily. No, it’s not likely to come cheap and the fact that it runs on a nano SIM means that you will have to change your SIM card yet again, but it looks good and promises killer performance — not too many people will ask for more.u00a0
We love: The new display, the amazing build
We wish it had: More camera tweaks, a normal SIM card/micro SIM card
International release date: September 21
Price: $699 (unlocked)
Indian release: Not known (some say November 2012, others January 2012)
Price in India: (expected) Rs 45,000
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