Apple’s “Hey Siri” special event was so completely jammed with major announcements that a lot of little details fell through the cracks — performance differences between the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, battery surprises in the iPad Pro and iPad mini 4, and connectivity omissions in the Apple TV 4, just to name a few.
Every year, once the event’s dust has settled, I dig through all of the information out there to bring you a clearer picture of what to expect from Apple’s latest devices. Here are the things you’ll want to know about the iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, iPad Pro, iPad mini 4, and Apple TV 4…
1) Bluetooth 4.2 Is Everywhere! (Except The New Apple TV. Which Is Weird Because, Well, HomeKit.) As new versions of Bluetooth go, Bluetooth 4.2 sounds like a no-brainer for Apple to support. It’s even more power-efficient than before, offers privacy and security improvements, and promises 2.5X speed increases alongside 10X data capacity increases. The Bluetooth SIG calls it “ideal for the Internet of Things,” such as wirelessly connected home appliances. So it was natural to see Bluetooth 4.2 pop up in the new iPhones and iPads, following its stealthy rollout in the sixth-generation iPod touch this summer. But it’s surprisingly absent from the new Apple TV, which Apple has (until yesterday) publicly touted as a hub for HomeKit accessories; the box only supports Bluetooth 4.0. Perhaps the new 802.11ac support will be enough for HomeKit?
2) The iPhone 6s + 6s Plus May Barely Look Different, But They’ll Feel Heavier. As expected, the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus are slightly larger in each dimension than before — just enough to make trim-fitting cases bulge — but they’ll be noticeably heavier. While the size changes are each in the 0.1 to 0.2mm range, weight has jumped by nearly 0.5 ounces on the 6s, and 0.7 ounces on the 6s Plus. This could be attributable to the 7000 Series aluminum frame, or to additional 3D Touch components such as the new Taptic Engine.
3) Those Beautiful Fish On The iPhone 6s Packaging (And Backgrounds) Have Been Identified. For the first time since the introduction of the iPhone, Apple is using wallpaper-like photography on the iPhones’ packages — colorful fish to complement the varied colors of the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus. It turns out that they’re selectively-bred betta splendens, aka the Siamese Fighting Fish, with dramatic tails such as halfmoon bettas or double tail bettas. According to a reader tip, Apple’s team may have come to Thailand to film the bettas earlier this year.
4) About Those iPhone 6s Camera Tweaks. Apple obviously mentioned that the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus sport improved cameras, but it didn’t go into a lot of detail on stage beyond to say that they preserve the prior level of image quality at a 50% higher (12-Megapixel) resolution. Pixel size has notably decreased from 1.5µ to 1.22µ, a non-trivial change that is apparently compensated for with “improved noise reduction.” Consequently, we’ll have to see whether photos look smeared or blurry on a pixel-peeping level to achieve the higher pixel count. But more megapixels will probably be good across the board; Panorama mode now supports up to 63MP, up from 43MP in earlier iPhones. And the front camera’s jump to a 5MP sensor from 1.2MP before is a big deal, as it’s better than expected, and will radically improve the look of selfies. None of the iPads (or earlier iPhones) come close — they’re all stuck at 1.2MP, at best.
A few other things weren’t mentioned on stage. Optical Image Stabilization was a weird and under-described addition to the iPhone 6 Plus over the stock iPhone 6; photographers eventually determined it was primarily assisting the iPhone in taking sharper still images in low light. For the iPhone 6s, it remains a Plus-only feature, but this time, Apple is actively noting that OIS works for video, as well, presumably to reduce shake — as people would have expected in last year’s model. Another interesting detail: 4K videos are being recorded in H.264, and Apple is no longer making reference to H.265 support for any purpose, FaceTime or otherwise. Finally, an iOS 9 feature called “Playback Zoom,” which lets you zoom in on parts of your video after recording, is supposedly supported for the 6s and 6s Plus but not earlier iPhones. I stumbled across the feature when testing iOS 9 on my prior 6 Plus, so I’m not sure why Apple’s limiting it here.
5) One “Worldphone” iPhone? Not Yet: There Are Still American LTE Differences. The good news is that each version of the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus supports most of the world’s wireless bands, including fast LTE bands. But there are still at least two separate hardware models for the 6s and 6s Plus, one with CDMA EV-DO Rev. A support (for CDMA carriers such as Verizon), the other with LTE Band 30 support (for AT&T’s newest chunk of wireless spectrum), so you’ll want to choose the version that suits your U.S. carrier. Note that the cellular versions of the iPad mini 4 and iPad Pro come with CDMA Rev. A and B hardware, but don’t offer Band 30 support.
6) On The Body + Screen Of The iPad mini 4. No surprise here: this version of the iPad mini will be the first to completely break compatibility with prior cases. The fourth-generation model is thinner (6.1mm versus 7.4mm) and lighter (0.65 pounds versus 0.73 pounds), but also taller (203.2mm versus 200mm). Apple has switched the screen to a fully-laminated display with antireflective coating, like the iPad Air 2’s, promising “even more lifelike colors, greater contrast, and sharper, more vivid images.” It’s unclear whether the screen now rivals the iPad Air or iPad Air 2 in color gamut — the last two minis did not — but it’s definitely getting better.
Also worth noting: contrary to expectations, the iPad mini 4 isn’t a full iPad Air 2 replacement. It has an A8 processor instead of an A8X, which means that you get less of a graphics bump (1.6x rather than 2.5x) and CPU bump (1.3x rather than 1.4x) over the A7. Battery life is also going to be a question mark, as it has dropped to a 19.1WHr battery, around 20% below the 23.8WHr battery found in the prior model. On a more positive note, the mini 4’s cameras should be equivalent to the Air 2’s, which will be a welcome improvement.
7) Charging The iPad Pro. Apple spent a nice chunk of time discussing the iPad Pro’s features and design, but didn’t talk much about the battery and charging — will the Pro work with all of the Made for iPad chargers companies have been selling? Surprisingly, the answer is “yes.” The iPad Pro has a 38.5WHr battery, which is actually around 10% smaller than the iPad 3 and iPad 4’s 42.5Whr battery. It comes with Apple’s 12W USB Power Adapter, which given the iPad Pro’s size might lead one to worry about lengthy recharging times. But since the iPad 4 took around 5 hours to recharge with the 12W adapter, expect just under 5-hour recharge time for the iPad Pro — plus compatibility with all of the major iPad charging accessories released over the last 3 years.
8) iPad Pro Smart Keyboard, Smart Connector + Logitech. Although Apple was pretty aggressive in applying its branding to the new Smart Keyboard for iPad Pro (didn’t they call it “Apple Fabric” at one point?), the keyboard case looks a lot like something Logitech would make: it was releasing fabric-surfaced keyboard cases like the Fabric Skin Keyboard Folio years ago. Even if Logitech gets no credit for inspiring or co-developing the keyboard, it’s being allowed to release the first third-party keyboard with Smart Connector compatibility — the three-dot power and data connector on the iPad Pro’s edge. Logitech’s version looks more professional than Apple’s (above), which has an awkwardly asymmetrical folding design.
As Bluetooth keyboards have recently been getting 1-year battery life off of single charges, my gut feeling is that the Smart Connector wasn’t designed for this particular accessory, but rather for future recharging of the iPad Pro in a more natural landscape orientation. It doesn’t make a lot of sense to me to keep such a large screen in portrait orientation for charging.
9) A Few Notes On The New Apple TV. It’s the fourth-generation model, but Apple’s calling it “the new Apple TV.” (An eagle-eyed reader noted that meta code on Apple’s web site showed it under the alternate name “Apple TV 2” — would that have been more or less confusing?) In any case, it will come in a black box, unlike the prior generation’s white boxes.
Apple’s official dimensions show the Apple TV as being around 50% taller than before (35mm versus 23mm), but the same footprint (98mm by 98mm). My personal guess is that the extra size may have been needed for its added 802.11ac with MIMO support, demanding bigger antennas, but it’s also over 50% heavier (425g versus 272g), which is surprising given Apple’s feats of thinning and lightening over the years since the prior Apple TV was released.
Little was made of several interesting hardware changes: it will now support Dolby Digital 7.1 (up from 5.1), HDMI 1.4 for faster data/better color/3D, and USB-C — the latter replacing micro-USB, but still for “service only.” Developers found out that it will have 2GB of RAM, which should be plenty for running iPhone 6 Plus-caliber games, but a challenge for modern console-caliber titles. Less positively, Apple has dropped the optical audio port, which is already stirring up angst with some users, and as noted above, the Apple TV won’t have Bluetooth 4.2 — only Bluetooth 4.0. Somewhat worryingly on the software side, Apple doesn’t say that the new Apple TV will support traditional iTunes Music streaming without Apple Music. Let’s hope that’s a temporary oversight. It’s also highly unclear how the 32GB/64GB hardware will handle apps and games, but initial suspicions are that a lot of streaming will be taking place in the background.
10) Apple TV: Don’t Forget The Siri Remote or MFi Controllers. We knew before the event that it was going to be black and larger than the prior Apple Remote, now with a touch surface at the top. It’s actually two-toned, with a black top and silver bottom, measuring 1.5″ by 4.88″ by 0.25″. Interestingly, Apple will include a Lightning to USB cable for charging the Siri Remote, which is sort of odd since a (new) USB-C to Lightning cable would have seemed like a good match for the new rear USB-C port.
Apple will be selling a wrist strap called the Remote Loop for the Siri Remote akin to the one Nintendo released for its Wii Remote years ago, designed to keep frenetic gamers from pitching their controllers at their TV screens. It will plug into the Lightning port on the bottom of the Siri Remote, and resemble the iPod touch Loop recently discontinued along with the fifth-generation iPod touch. Additionally, while the new Apple TV supports “MFi-based controllers,” the first official game controller for Apple TV has been announced, Steelseries’ Nimbus, thankfully at a reasonable $50 price. It looks like there’s only one button difference — “menu” swapped for “pause” — between this and earlier MFi Bluetooth controllers, but there may be other differences under the hood. In any case, you won’t be limited to the Siri Remote for gaming, and that’s great news.
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Fantastic article! I wonder if the added weight to the Apple TV is intentional.I know the HDMI cable I use at home is stronger than the puck its plugged into, and tends to twerk my 3rd gen AppleTV unit so that it doesn’t lay down flat on the shelf. It’s too light!
True statement. This has happened with every ATV Apple has released for years. I doubt they just put a heavy weight inside, but when it’s dissected we’ll know for sure.
Not quite. I still use the original AppleTV, the silver one, and it’s much heavier than the black ones. I hacked it of course, to get 1080p, but I actually ended up using the 720p version of shows and movies more often. Anyhow, i have these really thick HDMI cable as well for a good shielding, and that heavy device won’t tilt. I can see this happening on the black AppleTV, but not ALL of them as the 1st gen is not one of them being affected. I may consider this new model for my main home, I still prefer the 1st gen for the cottage with it’s built in storage (upgraded to 2TB so I don’t have to choose what to sync, it’s just all there).
Nice article, Jeremy! You mentioned: “Somewhat worryingly on the software side, Apple doesn’t say that the new Apple TV will support traditional iTunes Music streaming without Apple Music.”
The good news is that, at least according to the Settings app in the new Apple TV simulator used for development, iTunes Home Sharing is still an option:
http://d.pr/i/1jyWJ
Thanks for this… I was worried that they had dropped home sharing. It would be nice if Apple would allow the Siri search feature to query metadata in the Home Sharing Library, but all evidence points to this feature being missing from the initial release.
Does the iPhone yet have the UFS 2.0 standards or flash storage? And can u confirm the 6s has LPDDR4 RAM?
I think the most interesting thing about the Apple TV is that this version paves the way for annual updates. By including games in the TV app store (and giving it an A8 processor) they basically are giving it easy- compatibility for anything the current iPhone 6’s can run. Doing any annual processor update makes a lot of sense now. Also, other key omissions like 4k, bluetooth 4.2, maybe even an HDMI passthrough, etc make it look like this version is more of a short-term solution and they’ll want to do updates more frequently.
I agree 100%. This seems like it’s going to get annual or biannual upgrades based on the specs. 4K is a no-brainer for the next one, as is BT4.2.
I doubt that they will be releasing a new AppleTV each year.
I think they will release a new one every 24 months or so. And if this new model is going to be a success the next one might have an A10X SoC, higher clock speed, higher TDP, more RAM and bigger SSD.
Anyone able to confirm rumors about Siri capabilities being limited to 8 countries? Personally, as a Dane, I just want to use the UK version for Siri anyways.
Does anyone know if the new Apple TV will support user accounts? I’d be nice if my wife could switch to her iCloud account and see her own photos or listen to her Apple Music playlist.
Well, the current one does, so I’d assume this one will too. Just switch between iTunes accounts and voila – even home page icons remember their position and visibility per user. :)
I don’t see an equivalent of the videos app, just an iTunes Store app. How will we access purchased videos and TV shows? The video app on iOS makes that easy, so there’ll surely be a version on the new Apple TV.
I imagine just like the current model – you see your purchased/renting/subsection content within the relevant app.
Still no edit on this site! Should read purchased/rented/subscribed content.
They mention in the keynote that the Siri Remote will be able to control your TV/receiver as well, changing volume and inputs…any idea/word on how this is accomplished? Connect the remote to your computer to program it ala Logitech Harmony? Settings in the Apple TV itself?
It does this with HDMI-CEC. They briefly mentioned the word without describing how it works. Not all TVs and receivers are compatible with this. Most have the feature turned off by default, and many call the feature by some other name (usually something with “link” or “sync” in the name).
Essentially it works by sending a signal to the TV/receiver that says, “Hey, the user said they want to watch me”, and then the TV/receiver can turn on and switch the input to that device. In some cases, the TV/receiver may just switch input and needs to be turned on in advance.
Is there actually the taptic engine with feedback in the new displays? I hadn’t read that anywhere.
Yep, its kind of hard to find, but if you go to compare iPhones on Apple’s website you can see it under Display.
Apple doesn’t say that the new Apple TV will support traditional iTunes Music streaming without Apple Music:
Did we not watch the same keynote? He clearly showed it streaming music under the “my music” header, and said.. “and of course your own music from your iTunes library”
From Apple’s “compare” page:
New Apple TV: “iTunes movies; iTunes TV shows; Apple Music; podcasts”
Apple TV 3G: “iTunes movies; iTunes TV shows; iTunes music; iTunes Radio; podcasts”
http://www.apple.com/tv/compare/
If you download the Podcast version of the Keynote and watch it using QuickTime, you can go frame by frame and view all the app icons on the new AppleTV during that initial video demonstration. It is at timestamp 55:25. It shows an orange icon, the same color as the current Computer icon in AppleTV3, and it is an icon of a MacBook with a ‘Play’ symbol on the screen. I would assume this is the Computer icon so you can access any computer on your network to stream local content. At the same timestamp, further down in the icon list, there is a grey icon with a big magnifying glass on it for the Universal search. You can do a search without using Siri. Apple has done stupid things before, but they said they are restoring the Home Sharing of music in iOS 9, so hopefully the new AppleTV can still stream local content from your own computers. Removing that feature would be a deal breaker for the masses. I will keep my AppleTV 3 boxes if Apple removed the ability to stream your own digital content from your Mac.
3rd party apps will allow for features not included by Apple. Just like on iPhone and iPad unless Apple would but some new restrictions to not allow a version of those apps for the new AppleTV.
Are the lockscreen backgrounds automatically animated? Or you need to force click to start the animation?
I’m wondering how Siri and the new Apple TV will do with your own iTunes content library via Home Sharing. Can Siri search that, too? What improvements are there in Home Sharing performance and interface? There are bound to be some gems there that they haven’t announced.
great to read some more details. Having said this, I’ve haven’t heard so far what the ATV4 offers regarding streaming pics, films and audio from a NAS to tv and if it is capable of showing iPad/iPhone content on tv. I understood that were the main features of previous ATV’s. Correct me if I’m wrong.
It is all about the App Store. If Apple doesn’t put any new restriction on accepted apps for developers there is no reason why many of the iOS apps on iPad and iPhone allowing to read video and audio files not officially supported by Apple thru SAMBA, DLNA and so on couldn’t be released by developers for the new AppleTV.
5 hour recharge time for the iPad Pro? Wow…That’s awful.
Will the new Siri Remote work with the older ATVs? How about software updates for older ATVs?
I have a bit of an issue with the latest Apple TV coming with Bluetooth 4.0 instead of 4.2, HDMI 1.4 instead of 2.0, ethernet 10/100 instead of 10/100/1000, service only USB-C and the deletion of the very useful optical connector…the thing’s not future proofed for 4K, HomeKit etc…at all! Because of this I’m going to wait until these protocols are added via firmware updates (if possible?) and if not then for ATV5…hopefully in a year. It also indicates, I think, that the ATV4 hardware has been sitting on the shelves of Apple’s R&D labs for a while now…not very cutting edge.
100Mbps is enough from reading any video and audio file off of the ‘net anyway. It is not a Mac and few apps would need huge files transfers on the LAN anyway.
While that may be true for now, it’s always better to have a higher transfer speed for future proofing. Also, one could be watching a locally stored file on an App like Plex (maybe 4k home video 60fps), or sending a bunch of HD RDP screens over an app like Screens, and it would be a LOT better to have the reliability of a theoretical Gigabit connection rather than one hard limited at 1/10th of that.
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I can honestly say, that as an apple fan, i was greatly disappointed by what they revealed…
The ipad pro is nothing special and very outdated and overly priced… essentially it is still flawed like the other ipads in that it will forever remain a tablet limited by a mobile OS… the ipad is now a huge device that relies on beefed up apps – and just like when the first ipad came out, there will be very few ipad pro specific apps…the stylus, sorry pencil, is nothing new and many tech has been able to do this for years… i also found it very funny that the microsoft guys were trying not to laugh as they demonstrated a cut down mobile version of their software — it’s strange how their device can run a full microsoft office in both touch and desktop mode…
For this to be a pro device it needed to be able to switch between iOS and OS X… i think they have really mislead people – it should be ipad plus
More annoying is the price…once you add on the keyboard and pencil you are talking the same price as many top end laptops – yet although this is supposedly faster that 80% of them, it still can’t run a desk top and relies on a mobile OS…
The Apple TV was most intriguing and is something i may buy…although, i would much prefer a hdmi device option (like amazon fire stick)…after all, i can access games, videos, music, all from my phone – i just need away to stream it to my TV… having a big block thing just for streaming is a waste of space…
I am also shocked at how huge this device is…lol…wow…
Needless to say, i do like the new remote, and the fact it has an app store, and i can use a controller — there are certain games that are still awkward to play on the phone with virtual controls, so i will look forward to playing them (hopefully) on the apple tv.
The new iphone i really like – the 3D touch and moving photos are the most innovating for me… i would however had liked them to make the phone a little thicker so that the camera doesnt stick out — i guess i will have to hope they change that on the iphone 7.
Given that the sales of watches has slowed down – i would have liked to have seen a slight reduction in price… also i think the product red should also be in the sports selection as well.
I dont like the pink gold, or whatever it’s called… but then i guess it is aimed at women, probably…
overall i was expecting more — i guess my expectations were higher… i think it was the ipad pro that let me down the most because i was just like “it’s literally a big slab limited by its OS”
AppleTV .. apps and games.. what streaming are you taking about? Apps and games must be installed on the device SSD just like on any other iOS iPhone or iPad. There is no streaming going on. Streaming what from where otherwise?
Streaming games services do exist, Gaikai for example (now known as PlayStation Now). They’re early and pretty poor, but they will improve someday.
I suspect what Apple intend to happen is for games to essentially buffer in the next chunk of the game while you play. This may work for very linear games, but a lot of games are open world now, and so need access to almost any piece of data at short notice. That said, I can’t see the Apple TV getting anything more than ultra low end mobile games anyway, brain dead stuff like Candy Crush. Don’t expect to see Metal Gear Solid V on it, ever.
Any word if I can pair bluetooth headphones to the new Apple TV? That’s such a obvious feature if you want to watch the big screen but not bother people around you.
Two questions
Does BT 4.2 mean the phones now support SIP (SIM access protocol) ? To allow your car etc to use the SIM
What happens on a 6 with iOS 9 when you say tap an hold on the phone icon ? Do you get the popup nenu like on the 6s ?
Tapping and holding (long press) is different to the types of force touch and deep presses on the 6s. If you tapped and held on an icon in iOS9 on an iPhone 6 after a second it would jiggle around so you can move it around just as before. You would not get those additional menu options. 3DTouch requires special hardware only available on the iPhone 6S and 6S+
Thanks Matt. Just trying to justify the upgrade as im more than happy with my current 6+ might wait untill the announce their rolling monthly upgrade plans in yhe UK
I think it’s called SAP (https://developer.bluetooth.org/TechnologyOverview/Pages/SAP.aspx)
Why would anyone want that? Who stores info on a SIM nowadays? Certainly no iPhone users.
Its not for accessing ancient contacts ! The latest cars are now coming with 3g/4g chips and require a sim card to work and access google maps and other internet services. SAP allows the car to use the SIM in your phone and thefore its data plan so you dont need yet another contract. Android handsets have supported thus for quite some time
I would like to know more about Pencil… like, can it be turned over and the other end used as an eraser? This wasn’t mentioned, but would be annoying to not include on a “pencil”
The other end is for charging. Shake iPad to undo.
But there’s a cap on the charging end, the Pencil (by 53) chages and has an eraser on one end… why can’t Pencil? Also, shake to undo? Um… I don’t always want to undo my most recent mistake, I want to be able to erase any lines at any time…
One of the best features I think is, the “charging feature” of the pencil. Maybe you will think that’s nothing special, but if my knowledge about the lightning is correct, that’s a new charging Feature? There was no possibility to charge an external device with your iPhone or iPad…
1) Note: I’ve also read that Bluetooth 4.2 (& 4.1) have less interference with the other radios (over BT4.0).
5) AND: (for T-Mobile) both 6s’s have LTE Band 12, which was missing from last year’s model.
1 & 5 may give me reason to try T-mo’s new upgrade plan, Band 12 gives more possibilities for better inside reception and BT4.2 may lessen what I think are interference issues I’ve had w/iPhone 6.
(For those of us with home theater setups)
9) FYI: There is a typo on Apple’s website about the audio formats in the comparo screen between the two ATV models. If you go to the new ATV4 and click on Tech Specs you’ll find it correctly stated that it supports the, slightly better than DD5.1, Dolby Digital Plus 7.1, which not only offers more channels but a slightly higher quality, (AC3/Dolby Digital only supports up to 5.1 channels), other streaming services (including VUDU) have already supported this now streaming audio standard. Question for me is, what about Atmos? I know VUDU supports DD+ Atmos, but does ATV4?
9) What happened to HomeKit? I was expecting that to be part of the event, as, something, I recall from several months ago, was supposed to be coming for HomeKit in September, whether it was more support or more devices from 3rd parties. I thought we’d see a SmartHome demo, but, not a peep on this. ?