What I noticed from the iPhone 13 event
Mac Address
·Mac Address
·2022-05-05
·
1,574 words · ~7 min read
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- Summer is over, and you know what that means new iPhones.
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Today, Apple announced a smattering of new updates to all the Products you can hold with one hand.
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But what I'm most interested in is what they added to the iPhone 13 Pro,
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which to me, makes it earn its Pro moniker a little bit better.
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Let's look at everything that was announced, and I can explain what I mean.
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Oh, darn it. (upbeat music)
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For the first time ever in Apple's history, the new iPhones flagship Processor comes in two variations.
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There's a new 6-core A15 chip with four GBU cores
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that's in the iPhone 13 model, while the Pro gets five GPU cores.
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Another interesting thing about the A15 was when they compared its improvements,
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it was against their competitors, instead of last year's chip.
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- [Narrator] Up to 50% faster than the leading competition.
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- Hmm, nonetheless, there is more that all the new iPhones are getting.
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There's improved battery life, providing a claimed one and a half
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to two and a half hours of extra juice. There's brighter screens with up to 1200 nits on the Pro.
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Oh yeah, and the notch is 20% narrower.
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There are a couple of new colors here and there. And then, of course,
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improvements to both the camera hardware and software.
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Great stuff, but with a largely unchanged industrial design,
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this feels more like an S update. I guess those are over now, aren't there?
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What do you think? Comment below. iPhones are the best smartphones for recording video.
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And Andy, our camera operator here, is itching to shoot a video entirely on an iPhone.
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- [Andy] Yeah. (laughs) - So, I wonder what he'll think about the iPhone's new cinematic mode.
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Basically, what it does is provide a more robust rack focus
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when recording video. So you can shift the viewer's attention
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from one subject to another behind or in front.
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Rack focusing is a fun thing to do with a real lens, but on the iPhone,
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it's done automatically, predicting what the subject is going to be doing
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based on the shot motion. You can also control it manually.
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It sounds neat, but getting a smooth focus electronically on these small lenses is hard.
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And even the cutesy short film Apple featured to demonstrate it shows that it's not gonna be the same
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as using one of these big lenses. Woohoo.
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For still photographers, Apple's photographic styles filter
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lets you adjust the look of a photo before you take it.
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Well, I don't know much about it yet. I am curious whether seeing what the style
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of the finished photo is going to look like might influence how I take that photo in the first place.
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The iPhone 13 Pro, trying to live up to its name, has the more robust cameras of the two models
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with much bigger cameras this year. Just look at how much space that camera module takes up.
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The ultra wide camera supports crazy-looking macro photography,
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but what's most interesting to both me and perhaps our editor Hoffman
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is the inclusion of ProRes video recording, a true must-have for the Pro line to have any legitimacy.
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I mentioned ProRes in my iPad Pro review. But basically, it's a super high bit rate video codec
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that professionals use. And what that means for Hoffman is that he'll be better able to make the most of the video
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that comes from cameras as small as these. Maybe Andy's wish will come true,
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and we'll get to shoot our iPhone 13 Pro review on it. Get subscribed to find out.
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Oh, don't forget to mention promotion. Oh yes, all the Pros get it,
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and it varies the refresh rate up to 120 Hertz.
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The 13 Pro will be able to shoot at up to 4K, 30 frames per second.
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And since ProRes will take up so much space, they've added a 1TB model,
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which, if you go for a 13 Max, will set you back $1,600.
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But take note, base 128GB models
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are restricted to 1080P ProRes recording.
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Otherwise, prices for all iPhone 13 models are unchanged from last year,
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though the mini and 13 models start with 128GB storage now.
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Finally, pre-orders start Friday.
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- [Cook] And now let's talk about iPad mini. - The iPad mini is one of those models
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that can feel neglected, sitting at the back of the class, small, and quiet.
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But I'm pleased to report it's got the update we all know it deserved.
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Taking cues from last year's iPad Air, it comes in pink, purple, space gray, and starlight.
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The screen is slightly bigger, while the device is slightly smaller, making it even more pocketable.
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Wait, what pockets can hold an iPad mini?
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It's gonna fit, right?
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- [Andy] Good luck sitting on that. (laughs)
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- What's good is that this new mini gets the latest A15 chip from the iPhone 13 Pro.
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It now supports the second generation Apple Pencil, which I should note move the volume buttons to the top now.
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Which way is up depends on the iPads orientation, right?
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If you want your iPad on the go, it's available with 5G, which adds $150 to the $500 base price for a 64GB model,
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which is $100 more than the outgoing mini. (sighs)
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If it is cost you're concerned about, and as a GP, I am,
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the basic $330 iPad actually got cheaper in a way.
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Based storage is doubled from the poultry 32 gigabytes we got in the last model.
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The other changes are minor but significant. The Processor has been updated to the same A13
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that's in the iPhone 11, and the front facing camera is a 12 megapixel job
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that features the same center stage feature found in this year's iPad Pro,
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the mini gets it too. All right, what time is it now?
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Watch time, okay, yes, there is a new one.
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Rumors about the series seven predicted a slab sided design,
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a la iPad and iPhone. But what we will get later in the fall
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is a bigger screen that stretches into the watches softer curves.
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This bigger screen refracts light at the edge of the case
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with a neat effect, and the larger size has allowed Apple
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to make the interface elements bigger and more tappable as well as adequate to keyboard to the watch.
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Apple is also saying that the screen is behind a figure front crystal,
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do limited models get the crystal screen now? Which should be more resistant to cracks.
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Let me tell you, after using this watch for a bunch of months, I'm amazed at how many things I bump into like walls even.
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Other than faster charging, which should be able to give you
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a night's worth of sleep tracking after only eight minutes plugged in
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there's no new health sensors or et cetera this time around.
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Prices are the same as last year's series six at $400,
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but annoyingly lower end models prices are unchanged as well.
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The SE still costs 280, and the series three is still priced at $200.
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So that means we're going into a third year at that price.
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I'm a little annoyed that the price of entry to the Apple watch has remained this stubbornly high.
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Hardware released from Apple is the most fun, but Apple is now a content creation company.
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Not unlike us it seems. Health oriented subscribers to Apple Fitness+
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can give Pilates and guided meditation a try, but I think the most compelling addition
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is group workouts through SharePlay. Working at alone can be isolating
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and burn more motivation than calories, but being able to virtually exercise
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with someone anywhere in the world seems great actually.
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Right at the top of the event saw a promo for the new star studded fall lineup of shows on Apple TV+,
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John Stewart, Tom Hanks, Jennifer, what's her name from friends, Anniston, Will Ferrell.
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There's a lot of content to cozy up to as the temps get colder.
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California is a nice place. Video streaming is a cool distribution method,
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but this event was really about the devices, and it looks like anyone who is holding off
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for updates can finally exhale. Especially you iPad mini users,
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you know who you are. Thanks for British Columbia streaming this Mac Address.
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If you like any of the devices or shows announced today, give us a like,
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and if you're hoping to buy one, why not subscribe? Then you can let me buy it first
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and see if all is good. And if you are an iPad mini user,
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I am curious why you chose the smaller device so comment below.