For the first time without a new iPhone: Apple presented new products in 2020

Apple held its traditional autumn presentation of new products. For the first time in a long time, the American technology giant did not show a new iPhone, but said it would launch the next smartwatch model that can monitor blood oxygen levels. Writes about this with the BBC.

Photo: Shutterstock

For the past few years, Apple has announced the release of a new iPhone model - its most successful product - at a September presentation. However, this year the company, as experts expected, decided to wait to release the iPhone 12 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Another new Apple product is indirectly related to COVID-19 - a sensor for monitoring blood oxygen levels, which is equipped with the new Apple Watch Series 6.

The cause of a sharp deterioration in health in people infected with coronavirus is often precisely a sharp decrease in oxygen levels, which is associated with lung damage.

Apple says the feature could be a way to detect respiratory problems in the early stages of disease, but clarifies that the sensor is "not intended for medical use."

Can you believe the data

Smartwatches from several other companies, including Samsung, Huawei, and Fitbit, can already monitor blood oxygen levels.

However, medical experts warn that consumer electronics cannot replace professional tools - and urge that readings from such devices be treated with great caution.

In April, The Verge reported on a study examining the effectiveness of three smartphone apps designed to monitor blood oxygen levels. According to the authors of the work, scientists from the American University of Alabama, such applications can even pose a danger because they do not provide correct data in a critical situation. However, the research of these scientists concerned only applications for phones, and not sensors built into smart watches.

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Pulse oximeters scan a person's finger or hand, and hemoglobin (the protein that carries oxygen to organs) absorbs more infrared rays if it is saturated with oxygen - and more red rays if there is little oxygen.

Apple says the new watch's oxygen sensor "consists of four LED clusters and four photodiodes."

Apple also introduced a budget model of its Watch SE (in the US market its price starts at $279) - it does not have the function of monitoring blood oxygen levels and has a slower processor.

However, both the new Series XNUMX watch and its cheaper variant offer users a new function aimed at children. Parents will be able to receive automatic notifications when their children visit familiar places, such as school or a family's home.

The new watch also allows you to use your own phone number, rather than the same one that is assigned to the iPhone associated with the device.

What else will be in Apple Watch Series 6

• Continuously working altimeter. With its help, users will be able, for example, to track changes in altitude during flight in real time.
• Continuous heart rate tracking
• Constant sleep monitoring
• Brighter display
• New bracelet without clasps
• Fitness service

Apple also introduced a new paid fitness service called Fitness+. It can use the biometric information the iWatch receives - and show it on a large display or TV along with training videos.

The service will compete with a host of existing fitness apps, including Peloton, Les Mills and Fiit. Apple will also have to compete for customers in this market with Fitbit, which makes smart watches and bracelets and offers its own paid exercise classes.

In the first phase, Fitness + will start operating in six countries, including the UK and the USA.

New processor for iPad

The company also showed off the new iPad Air, which features the next generation A14 processor. Apple says it has more power and is more energy efficient.

Typically, Apple brings its new processors to market in the next iPhone model, even before the next iPad arrives. However, due to the pandemic, they decided to postpone the release of the phone this year.

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According to Apple, the new chip will simplify video editing in 4K resolution and will help the work of applications based on the principle of augmented reality.

In addition, this device has a Touch ID fingerprint sensor built into one of the buttons on the top edge of the iPad - this is designed to reduce the size of the black frame around the screen.

The device will also be equipped with a USB-C port, which was previously only available to owners of the more expensive iPad Pro.

People buy tablets

Amid the pandemic, demand for tablet computers around the world has increased sharply as users began to spend much more time at home - relaxing, working and studying.

Tablet shipments from April to July grew 19% year-on-year, according to a study by IDC. At the same time, manufacturers such as Samsung, Amazon and Huawei have increased sales even more.

According to IDC, iPads remain the leader in this market, but at the end of the year their sales grew only by 2%. “Apple maintained its volume, but competitors did better because they had a chance to sell cheaper devices,” said IDC spokeswoman Martha Pinto.

Apple also announced that a new version of the iOS 16 operating system will be released on Wednesday, September 14th. This came as a surprise to many app developers as they hoped to have more time to update their software with the new iOS.

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