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Apple surprised everyone with an early Tuesday morning news drop of new devices, accessories, and apps. From a special edition iPhone 7 and fresh 9.7-inch iPad to new Apple Watch band colors and an iMovie-esque iOS app, Apple’s announcements covered the gamut of hardware and software. Here’s everything you missed if you overslept.
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Apple is adding a Product(RED) edition of the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus in a crimson aluminum finish to its lineup. Both will be available to order in-store and online beginning Friday, March 24 at 8:01 a.m. Pacific time.
The new iPhones will come in 128GB and 256GB storage variations, starting at $749 for the 128GB iPhone 7 and $869 for the base model iPhone 7 Plus. If you’re enrolled in the iPhone Upgrade Program, the cost of an unlocked red iPhone with AppleCare+ starts at $37 a month.
Apple will donate a portion of each Product(RED) iPhone to the Global Fund’s fight against AIDS and HIV, as it does with its other Product(RED) devices and accessories.
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Apple’s 4-inch phone is already pretty powerful, but now the iPhone SE is getting a storage boost. Apple is phasing out the 16GB and 64GB models and doubling your storage choices to 32GB and 128GB for the same price. You can pick up a new base model SE for $399 beginning Friday, March 24.
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Goodbye, iPad Air. Hello, new 9.7-inch Retina iPad.
Apple’s new tablet, simply called iPad, starts at $329, $70 less than the previous entry-level iPad. Apple is phasing out the iPad Air 2, the last of the Air line, to make the new iPad its lowest-priced, best-in-class computer. The iPad comes in 32GB and 128GB versions (the bigger one is $100 more) with TouchID, an A9 chip, 10-hour battery life, and the usual array of color options (silver, gold, space gray).
The new iPad, like the new iPhone 7, 7 Plus, and SE, will be available to order on Friday, March 24.
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Apple hasn’t killed off its 7.9-inch iPad mini line altogether, but there’s just one option left: the $399 128GB iPad mini 4. The $269 iPad mini 2 is gone, and the fourth-gen mini is still using the 2-year-old A8 chip, signaling that perhaps it’s on its last legs.
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Apple didn’t just launch new hardware on Tuesday. The company is rolling out a free iOS app in April called Clips, designed to help you capture, edit, and post short, shareable videos to your social networks. Think of it like iMovie meets Instagram—though it’s not a social network itself.
You can filter your videos, create animated captions called Live Titles, and add music and emoji.
Clips will only work with devices running iOS 10.3.
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Apple added three new colors to its line of iPhone 7 and 7 Plus cases. The silicone case will come in azure, camellia, and pebble and the leather is now available in taupe, sapphire, and berry. Essentially, a blue, pink, and neutral option are coming to both accessories. They’re available to order online now for $35 and $45 for the iPhone 7 silicone and leather cases, respectively, and $39 and $49 for the iPhone 7 Plus versions.
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You don’t have to shell out for a special-edition Nike+ version of the Apple Watch Series 2 to get your hands on the nifty perforated Nike Sport band. Apple is now selling the band as a stand-alone accessory for $49 starting today.
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If you have a few hundred bucks to spend on an Apple Watch accessory, Apple and French fashion house Hermès just added gorgeous new leather options to their collection. For the low, low price of $339, you can pick up a single tour leather band in chartreuse or teal (“lime epsom” or “colvert swift”) for your 42mm watch. If you splurge on a 38mm Apple Watch Series 2 with the “fauve barenia” (brown) double buckle cuff, Hermès will throw in an exclusive orange Sport band. So generous.
You can preorder those bands starting today.
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If your budget is more H&M than Hermès, Apple also added to its line of woven nylon and fleuroelastomer Sport bands.
The nylon band now comes in a wide-stripe version for a sporty look at just $49 a pop. The wide-stripe version comes in six colors: orange, berry, red, pollen, Tahoe blue, and midnight blue. Apple also added three new colors to its $49 Sport band collection, camellia, pebble, and azure match your new silicone iPhone case.
To upgrade to leather, it’ll cost you $149 for a classic buckle option, now in three additional colors: sapphire, berry, and taupe to match your new leather iPhone case.
The new Apple Watch bands are available online now.
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Apple introduced its iPad coding app Swift Playgrounds with iOS 10 last fall, but it was only available in English. Apple announced today that the app will support Latin American Spanish, French, German, Japanese, and Simplified Chinese. You can start learning Swift in the five additional languages starting today via an App Store update, or download it today or free.