Latest iPhone on sale this month

Apple unveiled new versions of the iPhone and Apple TV, as well a larger tablet, the iPad Pro, at a special media event on Wednesday at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium.

The iPhones will arrive in Singapore very soon, but local Apple fans will have to wait a little longer before getting their hands on the new iPad Pro and Apple TV.

Singapore will be one of the first 12 markets, which includes China, Hong Kong, Canada and the United States, where the new iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus will go on sale on Sept 25.

The biggest feature of the new devices is the screen's pressure- sensitive "3D Touch" capabilities. Similar to the Force Touch used on Apple Watch's display, users can press on the screen to bring up a menu or options.

Both the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus will use an improved 12-megapixel (MP) rear camera (up from 8MP previously) that can shoot ultra high definition 4K (3,840 x 2,160 pixels) videos. The front-facing camera also uses an improved 5-megapixel camera for selfie lovers.

Prices start from $1,048 for the iPhone 6s 16GB model, while the entry-level 16GB iPhone 6s Plus model goes for $1,218. Pre-orders of the iPhones starts tomorrow.

The Cupertino tech giant's new TV setup box - Apple TV- will be available in the US at the end of next month, starting from US$149 (S$211) for a 32GB model. There are no details so far on prices or availability in Singapore.

An Apple representative said it will be coming to Singapore soon, but did not give a date. The updated Apple TV runs a new tvOS operating system, which is based on Apple's iOS mobile operating system.

"I am pretty excited by the new Apple TV," said Mr Hedirman Supian, 34, who works in media operation at Facebook. He felt the Apple TV's new interface looks intuitive.

The new, larger iPad Pro, offers a 12.9-inch touchscreen display and is slated to be available here in November. It will come with optional keyboard and stylus accessories.

There is no local pricing yet but prices in the US start from US$799 for the basic 32GB Wi-Fi model.

Sales engineer Neo Wei Ren, 30, said he loves the bigger screen of the iPad Pro, which makes it useful for work presentations.

"It has been a hassle to flip through a notebook to look for my notes. Now, with the iPad Pro and Apple Pencil, I can finally digitise all my notes for easy search and reference," he said.

According to Apple, the Apple Pencil is a precision stylus that makes drawing and sketching feel fluid and natural.

trevtan@sph.com.sg

LATEST FEATURES

Processor: Both iPhone models use the new A9 processor, which increases processing speed by 70 per cent and graphics performance by 90 per cent, compared to the previous A8 chip.

3D Touch: The new iPhones' screens have pressure-sensitive "3D Touch" capabilities. Users can press the screen sto bring up a menu or options.

Camera: Both iPhones offer an improved 12-megapixel (MP) rear camera that is able to shoot 4K videos, and an improved 5MP front-facing camera.

Colour: The new iPhones come in a new rose-gold colour, to add to the current collection of gold, silver and space grey options.

This article was first published on Sept 11, 2015.
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