News

Apple will hold a second fall event on October 13, where we'll finally find out if the rumors are true about new, much delayed iPhone 12 line, as well as other devices such as Air Tags, a new HomePod, and more. Our editorial team will be watching the Apple event live stream, and we'll host a conversation in our private Facebook group as the event happens; you're invited to join in, ask questions, and share your opinions. We'll tape a special podcast episode after the announcement, where we’ll discuss everything just announced. Read on to learn more about how to be a part of our event coverage. 

The official Apple announcement has arrived! The second fall 2020 Apple event will take place on Tuesday, October 13. We can confidently assume that Apple will finally announce their new iPhones, the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro. We'll find out if talk of four different new iPhone models (one 5.4-inch, two 6.1-inch, and one 6.7-inch model) is accurate, if Apple will offer a more affordable version of the HomePod, and Tile-like Bluetooth trackers, called AirTags. We'll be offering commentary during the event in our Facebook group, and in the special podcast episode we'll be recording right after. Here’s how you can watch Apple's iPhone reveal too.

During Apple's September event, Apple announced its new fitness subscription service: Fitness+. Apple says Fitness+ will create comprehensive, personalized workouts that include music, metrics, and instructors for all lifestyles and fitness levels. This is a logical offering in a time when many gyms are closed and many people are looking for safe and solitary ways to stay fit, but with so many free fitness programs out there, how will Fitness+ differentiate itself and justify the monthly price tag? One unique feature is that this is the first digital fitness program to synchronize with the Apple Watch, so tracking your activity, heart rate, calories, and more will be easier and more in-depth than if you were using a different program, and workout suggestions promise new levels of personalization. Users will play a workout on their iPhone, iPad, or Apple TV while their Apple Watch tracks and records their activity. And even though the Apple Watch will be collecting and analyzing more data than ever before, Apple promises that all the information, from instructors to calories, will be kept private.

When I wrote my iPad rumor roundup last month, I included the idea that Apple had a 10.8-inch edge-to-edge display iPad or iPad Air ready to reveal. That rumor proves to have been a little right and a little wrong! Today Apple unveiled the fourth-generation iPad Air, and it includes a 10.9-inch, Liquid Retina edge-to-edge display, a first for the iPad Air family. Besides this all-screen display, what's new about the fourth-gen iPad Air? In a word, lots. Let's go over all the improvements Apple has made to the iPad Air, including its A14 Bionic Chip with Neural Engine, removal of the Home button, new display upgrades, camera and audio upgrades, and more.   

In a significant break from routine, Apple's 2020 September Special Event did not include an announcement of the 2020 iPhones. Instead, the event focused on the new Apple Watch and iPad models. While the Apple Watch and iPad announcement times vary year by year, this is the first time since 2011 and only the second time ever that the new iPhones were not announced in the September event. The first time was in 2011 when the 4S was announced October 4 and released ten days later. This year's delay is linked to the COVID-19 pandemic, and while we're still waiting on all the most important information regarding the 2020 iPhone announcement and release, let's take a look at what we do know.

At Apple’s fall announcement event, the company revealed that in late 2020 it will be releasing the Apple Fitness+ service, which combines the health-tracking features of the Apple Watch with custom workout lessons that are viewable on an iPhone, iPad, or Apple TV. This new subscription will cost $9.99 per month or $79.99 per year. Joining the ranks of iCloud storage, Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, and Apple News+, Apple Fitness+ is the sixth of Apple’s active services. With this critical mass of services, it only made sense for Apple to bundle them into one monthly service bundle, which the tech giant is calling Apple One.

Apple’s fall 2020 event brought several surprises, and one I was personally quite excited about was the Apple Watch SE. With comparable performance, massive watchOS 7 improvements, and Family Setup, users will find plenty of reasons to love this affordable version of the newest Apple Watch. In this article we'll take a look at the many benefits of the Watch SE, along with what you may be giving up for the lower price tag.

Today's Apple event was as notable for what it didn't announce (no new iPhones) as much as for what it did (two new Apple Watches and two new iPads along with two new subscription services). At times the brief, virtual announcement seemed to drag on endlessly as if Tim Cook and team were trying to fill time with videos recapping what they had just announced and an overview of the company's environmental initiatives. However, even with a shorter, iPhone-free event, there was plenty to get excited about. Here's a roundup of everything Apple unveiled, including the Apple Watch Series 6, Apple Watch SE, iPad (8th generation), iPad Air, and the Fitness+ and Apple One subscriptions.

The Apple Watch Series 6 is on the way, with the fall Apple event confirmed for September 15, with insiders and fans speculating its announcement at Apple’s September event. Rumors are circulating online of improvements expected and hoped for in the Series 6, like blood oxygen level monitoring, yoga improvements, and a better wireless antenna. Read on for our roundup of rumors, ordered from most to least likely.

The annual fall Apple event is on the way, and we're looking forward to the announcement of a new iPad or two, maybe even three or four! This year leaves us with more questions than an Apple announcement would usually generate, since there's Covid-19 to consider. We've gotten used to Apple announcing its new iPhone and iPad lineup in the second week of September, and they're sticking to this trend; this year's announcement is scheduled for September 15, and will be live, but most likely another all-virtual event. Now, let's get to the hardware. It's a given that Apple will release at least one new iPad, but we've heard that it could be an iPad, an iPad Pro, an iPad Air, an iPad mini, or even all four! Let's go over the iPad rumors we've collected about the upcoming Apple announcement, and what we can expect from the iPad(s) that will make their debut. Also, be sure to catch our fall announcement coverage, we'll be commenting live in our Facebook group, and record a special podcast episode right afterward!

Adding to the list of firsts we've experienced in 2020, while Apple announced the 2020 Apple Watches and iPads at its September 16 event, the 2020 iPhones were nowhere to be found. There's been hardly a peep from Apple about what to expect from the 2020 iPhones and when we might see them; but we've been following all the iPhone 12 leaks and rumors out there, and have put together a picture of when Apple will announce the new iPhones and what the specs might be. The first thing to know is we're expecting four versions: a 5.7-inch iPhone (dubbed the iPhone Mini), two 6.1-inch iPhones (believed to be called the iPhone 12 and the iPhone 12 Pro), and one 6.7-inch iPhone (or iPhone Pro Max). We'll see the first year of 5G support, as well as rumors of all OLED displays, a triple-lens 3D camera, a brand-new physical design.

Members of the iPhone Life team download and test the Apple beta software every year, to get a preview of the new software features. There's plenty to be excited about in the latest iOS update, and we'll fill you in on our favorites in this roundup. New iOS 14 features we've enjoyed so far include the Home screen organizing App Library, quickly finding just the right emoji with emoji search, watching videos and continuing FaceTime calls while using another app with Picture in Picture, improvements to group messaging, and more. Let's go over the best features we've found in the iOS 14 Public Beta so far. 

The announcements at Apple’s WWDC 2020 had plenty of hype for iPhones, iPads, Mac, and Apple Watch, but not every reveal that day came with a song and dance. A few key features of the new suite of operating systems were slipped into documentation released online without fanfare: on-device Siri processing; deeper support for third-party mail, web browsing, and music apps; and more. Maybe Apple thought we wouldn’t be as excited about these features, but for at least a few of these, we definitely are!

Opinion

During the WWDC 2020 keynote event, Apple announced that it will be transitioning to its own ARM-based silicon processors in future builds of Mac computers. If you aren’t a developer, this announcement might not have had much gravity. The thirty minutes Apple dedicated to this part of the announcement did little to explain why users should care about the transition, but this historic shift will change the way Mac software will work for the foreseeable future. While the shift will be gradual, Apple said it will release its first silicon-powered Macs by the end of the year. So why should we, as Mac users, care about this change? What will it mean for us moving forward? 

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