The Apple Special Event, March 21, 2016, was held in the Town Hall at the Cupertino Campus where Tim Cook announced that one year from now this event will probably move to the new theater on the new Apple Campus, so today's event is a historic one in Apple history. Apple has announced many of its innovations at the Town Hall such as the iPod and App Store in its 40 year history. A cool 40 Years in 40 Seconds video was presented. Another milestone is that today over 1 Billion Apple devices are being used worldwide.
Today's announcements are just as innovative. For example Tim Cook announced that it is not backing down in its commitment to its clients' privacy. Further it was announced that Apple's 100% goal of renewable energy for all its data centers, stores and offices has reached 93% worldwide. A recycle program for its devices is available to anyone simply by dropping a device at any Apple store or on the web by printing a label to mail your device. A cool video about Liam explains how Apple is committed to recycling.
Jeff Williams announced that the Apple Research Kit released last year with the goal of using technology to solve some of the biggest problems facing medical research making it easier for researchers and the public has had incredible results, for example, the largest Parkinson's study in history. This video explains in a nutshell what some have done with Research Kit:
Also announced is a new Care Kit for individuals to monitor their health data.
Accessaries and Updates
New Apple Watch bands in many colors and textures are available, such as the new woven nylon band and now the Apple Watch is available starting at $299.
AppleTV now has five thousand apps available worldwide and includes a new update starting today. Siri is now available in more apps, you can enter dictation including your password, and the ability to create folders for your apps.
iOS 9.3 is available today. It was announced that 80% of all iPhone users have updated to iOS9 vs only 2% of Android users who have updated to the latest version (Marshmallow). One of the new updates is Apple’s all-new Night Shift which feature works system-wide. Night Shift doesn’t change screens of black text on a white background to white text on a black background. Instead, it starts adjusting the colors shown on your iPhone or iPad screen “to the warmer end of the spectrum,” cutting down the bright blue light that supposedly messes with your internal clock, fooling you into thinking it’s daytime when it’s not. Apple says Night Shift will automatically turn on at sunset in your location, and revert to the regular display settings in the morning. Apple’s Notes app gets more secure in iOS 9.3, letting you set a password or use Touch ID to keep your notes under wraps. iOS 9.3 includes some new features for CarPlay and Education Apps for administrators, teachers and students.
iPhone SE
The iPhone SE was announced which is in a compact 4 inch with the same the same processor and camera as the 6s (shaped identically with the iPhone 5s) but has the same motion coprocessor, the NFC chip for Apple Pay, and better battery as the 6s and comes in four colors making it the most powerful 4 inch smart phone on the market. MacWorld has the details. Tech Times has an article on whether you should upgrade. appleinsider points out that the SE "is missing the 6s' barometer, which allows it to count the number of floors climbed with its step tracker, among other capabilities. That omission may prove frustrating for fitness and outdoor enthusiasts." The SE has the same 12-megapixel (MP) camera as the 6s but only has an older 1.2MP front-facing camera, while the 6s comes with a higher resolution (5MP) version. The SE utilizes the same first-generation Touch ID fingerprint sensor found in the 5s, while the 6s features a second-generation Touch ID sensor. Storage capabilities only come in two options: 16GB and 64GB. The SE doesn't support LTE Advanced technology as its big brother 6s does. appleinsider concludes, "if you're sticking to a budget, the SE is a great way to get into a iPhone without breaking the bank." Price starts at $399 for 16 Gigabytes.
iPad Pro 9.7 inch
The new iPad Pro 9.7 inch model has all the same features as the iPad Pro released last year and you can watch this video to learn more:
Apple continues to move forward with the innovations and sets the standard for others to imitate. We can look forward to even more.
New Apple Campus and Theater
If you haven't seen the Siri Cookie Monster video, it is worth the watch:
