Apple held its latest event online on Tuesday, during which it unveiled the new Series 6 Watch, new versions of the iPad, Apple One subscription bundles, a fitness class service, and the release of iOS 14

The release of a new model phone has been delayed by several weeks, which has caused some disappointment for those waiting for the iPhone 12.

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Apple Watch 6
The new key feature of Apple’s Series 6 watch is a blood oxygen monitor that uses a series of sensors to measure light reflected off a wearer’s blood. Blood oxygen levels can be used to measure fitness and heart health. The Series 6 watches start from £379 with GPS and £479 with GPS plus mobile service capability. The price in the UK is once again higher than that in the US, which starts from $399 (equivalent circa £309).

Fitness+
Fitness+ is a new service, which will connect to an Apple Watch to monitor heart rate and calories. This will also play workouts on a screen, as a response to the closures of gyms around the world.

Watch SE
Alongside the Series 6 Watch, Apple has launched a lower-cost smartwatch – the Watch SE. The cost of the Watch SE is £269 compared to the price of £379 for the Series 6 watches. The Watch SE has been released with younger users in mind, and has the ability for parents to monitor its locations and control with whom they are able to communicate (without needing an iPhone).

iPad and iPad Air
Another of the key announcements was the new iPad and iPad Air 4. The new (‘standard’) iPad has received a few enhancements inside its 10.2-inch housing, and now starts at £329. The iPad Air 4 now includes key elements of the iPad Pro such as the same 12MP rear camera but at a lower price. It also uses the new A14 Bionic chipset, which is expected to be used in the new iPhone 12 and next-generation Touch ID. The iPad Air 4 starts at £579.

Apple One
Apple unveiled an all-in-one monthly subscription, Apple One, combining their services into one bundle. Apple One subscriptions start from £14.95 per month for a combination of Apple TV+, Apple Music, Apple Arcade games, and iCloud cloud storage. The most expensive Apple One bundle is £29.95 a month, which includes higher storage capacity, Apple News newspaper and magazine subscriptions, as well as the above-mentioned new virtual fitness classes.

Cables cables cables
Apple announced it will no longer bundle a USB adapter cable with the Apple Watch. The decision is claimed to have come about as a desire to help against climate change by reducing production/consumption of this cable, but it is not unlike Apple to change its chargers thereby forcing users to buy specific products to solve this.

iOS 14
Lastly, Apple announced it will release iOS 14 – the latest version of its mobile operating system for phones, tablets, etc. Typically, major iOS updates have come out on the same day as the company’s latest iPhones, but not so this year. Some of the more notable additions are new home screen widgets and a new way to organise apps with the App Library. The new version is available on the iPhone 6s and above from 16 September.

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The event has brought some interesting announcements, such as the lower-cost Apple Watch SE and iPad Air 4. Apple seems to be responding to current events, such as wellness and gym closures, with more focus on health and fitness. Lower cost models and customer needs, such as child protection, have also been addressed.

One confusing aspect is the new iPad Air 4 specification, which has moved close to that of the iPad Pro. Previously the iPad ranges were clearly delineated, with iPad as the standard, iPad Air as the mid range, and iPad Pro as the top end. This is no longer the case. We have seen Apple cause similar confusion before, for example with the release of the iPhone X at the same time as the iPhone 8 in 2017.

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