Apple launched a host of new products, including smartwatches, iPads, and subscription services, during an online event at the company’s headquarters in Cupertino, California on Tuesday.
But the much-awaited iPhones were missing. That's not surprising given the disruptions to Apple's supply chain from the coronavirus pandemic.
It unveiled the Watch Series 6, which will run the latest operating system watchOS 7 with improved customisation tools and new health and fitness features. Prices start at Dh1,599.
The new smartwatch can measure users’ blood-oxygen levels in about 15 seconds and offers better parental control tools, sleep tracking and automatic hand-washing detection.
Apple said it was joining forces with researchers to conduct three health studies that include using Apple Watch to explore how blood-oxygen levels can be used in future health applications.
All data will be visible in the Health app, and the user will be able to track trends over time to see how their blood-oxygen level changes.
Apple says the watch can be fully charged in 90 minutes and has improved battery life.
It has collaborated with the government of Singapore on the health initiative LumiHealth, a personalised programme to encourage healthy activity and behaviour using Apple Watch.
This programme uses Apple Watch to encourage Singaporeans and residents to adopt healthy habits through personalised reminders, programmes, activity coaching and incentives.
For budget-conscious customers, the company also launched a lower-cost smartwatch Apple Watch SE, starting at Dh1,149.
It also introduced the eighth-generation iPad, featuring an A12 bionic chip that Apple says brings advanced machine learning and artificial intelligence.
Starting at Dh1,349, the iPad comes with a 26-centimetre display, advanced cameras and all-day battery life.
“The new iPad is an incredible value at a time when, more than ever, our customers need powerful and versatile ways to work, play, learn and connect with loved ones,” said Greg Joswiak, Apple’s senior vice president of worldwide marketing.
The A12 bionic chip delivers a 40 per cent faster processor and twice the graphics capability, Apple said.
“This makes the new iPad up to two times faster than the top-selling Windows laptop, up to three times faster than the top-selling Android tablet and up to six times faster than the top-selling Chromebook,” the company claimed.
Apple Watch Series 6, Apple Watch SE and iPad are available to order from the company’s site and in the Apple Store app.
Delivery of the products will start from Friday in the US and 28 other markets.
For premium customers, Apple also unveiled a new iPad Air that starts at Dh2,499.
It comes with 27.7cm screen, a new integrated touch ID sensor and the A14 bionic chip for a boost in performance.
This will be available starting next month, the company said.
For health enthusiasts, Apple launched Fitness+, the first fitness experience built for Apple Watch, arriving this year.
It incorporates metrics from Apple Watch for users to view on their iPhone, iPad or Apple TV.
Users can access studio-style workouts delivered by world-class trainers and underscored by music from renowned artists.
It also announced Apple One, the easiest way to get all of Apple’s subscription services in one simple plan, including Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, Apple News+, Apple Fitness+ and iCloud.
Apple was tight-lipped on the probable date for the launch of new iPhone 12 series.
But industry analysts expect the company to hold another online event in the last week of this month to unveil the phones.
It Was Just an Accident
Director: Jafar Panahi
Stars: Vahid Mobasseri, Mariam Afshari, Ebrahim Azizi, Hadis Pakbaten, Majid Panahi, Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr
Rating: 4/5
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8
Power: 503hp at 6,000rpm
Torque: 685Nm at 2,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Price: from Dh850,000
On sale: now
EA Sports FC 25
Developer: EA Vancouver, EA Romania
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4&5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5
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Landfill in numbers
• Landfill gas is composed of 50 per cent methane
• Methane is 28 times more harmful than Co2 in terms of global warming
• 11 million total tonnes of waste are being generated annually in Abu Dhabi
• 18,000 tonnes per year of hazardous and medical waste is produced in Abu Dhabi emirate per year
• 20,000 litres of cooking oil produced in Abu Dhabi’s cafeterias and restaurants every day is thrown away
• 50 per cent of Abu Dhabi’s waste is from construction and demolition
Building boom turning to bust as Turkey's economy slows
Deep in a provincial region of northwestern Turkey, it looks like a mirage - hundreds of luxury houses built in neat rows, their pointed towers somewhere between French chateau and Disney castle.
Meant to provide luxurious accommodations for foreign buyers, the houses are however standing empty in what is anything but a fairytale for their investors.
The ambitious development has been hit by regional turmoil as well as the slump in the Turkish construction industry - a key sector - as the country's economy heads towards what could be a hard landing in an intensifying downturn.
After a long period of solid growth, Turkey's economy contracted 1.1 per cent in the third quarter, and many economists expect it will enter into recession this year.
The country has been hit by high inflation and a currency crisis in August. The lira lost 28 per cent of its value against the dollar in 2018 and markets are still unconvinced by the readiness of the government under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to tackle underlying economic issues.
The villas close to the town centre of Mudurnu in the Bolu region are intended to resemble European architecture and are part of the Sarot Group's Burj Al Babas project.
But the development of 732 villas and a shopping centre - which began in 2014 - is now in limbo as Sarot Group has sought bankruptcy protection.
It is one of hundreds of Turkish companies that have done so as they seek cover from creditors and to restructure their debts.
Wicked: For Good
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
Rating: 4/5
Day 1, Abu Dhabi Test: At a glance
Moment of the day Dimuth Karunaratne had batted with plenty of pluck, and no little skill, in getting to within seven runs of a first-day century. Then, while he ran what he thought was a comfortable single to mid-on, his batting partner Dinesh Chandimal opted to stay at home. The opener was run out by the length of the pitch.
Stat of the day - 1 One six was hit on Day 1. The boundary was only breached 18 times in total over the course of the 90 overs. When it did arrive, the lone six was a thing of beauty, as Niroshan Dickwella effortlessly clipped Mohammed Amir over the square-leg boundary.
The verdict Three wickets down at lunch, on a featherbed wicket having won the toss, and Sri Lanka’s fragile confidence must have been waning. Then Karunaratne and Chandimal's alliance of precisely 100 gave them a foothold in the match. Dickwella’s free-spirited strokeplay meant the Sri Lankans were handily placed at 227 for four at the close.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Usain Bolt's time for the 100m at major championships
2008 Beijing Olympics 9.69 seconds
2009 Berlin World Championships 9.58
2011 Daegu World Championships Disqualified
2012 London Olympics 9.63
2013 Moscow World Championships 9.77
2015 Beijing World Championships 9.79
2016 Rio Olympics 9.81
2017 London World Championships 9.95
JAPAN SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Masaaki Higashiguchi, Shuichi Gonda, Daniel Schmidt
Defenders: Yuto Nagatomo, Tomoaki Makino, Maya Yoshida, Sho Sasaki, Hiroki Sakai, Sei Muroya, Genta Miura, Takehiro Tomiyasu
Midfielders: Toshihiro Aoyama, Genki Haraguchi, Gaku Shibasaki, Wataru Endo, Junya Ito, Shoya Nakajima, Takumi Minamino, Hidemasa Morita, Ritsu Doan
Forwards: Yuya Osako, Takuma Asano, Koya Kitagawa
