Apple introduces iPhone 7, Apple Watch Series 2, and AirPods | iGeneration

New iPhone, dual-sensor Plus model, wireless AirPods earphones, new Apple Watch… the program for this special event was widely rumored. But Apple had kept a little surprise in store…

Super Mario Run

Just as Sony announced its new PlayStation, Apple invited Shigeru Miyamoto on stage to announce Mario's entry into the App Store. While Sega was content to put its Sonic games in an emulator, Nintendo preferred to adapt Super Mario Bros. specific to the iPhone.

The result is a runner, logically titled Super Mario Run, and loosely inspired by Super Mario levels. Instead of taking up the full length of the screen, it's designed for one-handed use in the portrait orientation, for easier play in transport or a fork in hand.

It has become rare enough to be highlighted: Super Mario Run will be paid and will not contain in-app purchases. Its price is not yet announced, but Nintendo promises that it will be available before the holiday season. In the meantime, the Japanese firm will also offer a pack of Mario stickers in the App Store for Messages, as well as a version of Pokémon Go for the Apple Watch.

Apple Watch Series 2

The Cupertino company did not present an Apple Watch 2 — it presented the Apple Watch Series 2. It is that in appearance, the connected watch from Apple has not changed: it is inside that it has been "entirely reimagined". Thus, it is no longer only resistant to projections, but completely waterproof. The Exercise application logically supports swimming, but we will still not go diving with the Apple Watch, at least not more than 50 meters deep.

But we'll go running with it: all the models of the "second series" integrate a GPS chip, including the Nike model with the perforated bracelet and exclusive running applications. With 1,000 nits of brightness, the new display will be more readable in sunlight, and apps should load faster thanks to the new S2 chip.

This new model joins the myriad of versions built around the aluminum case and the steel case. Gold does not return for a second season, but the “Edition” model does not disappear: it now celebrates ceramics. With its deep colors and its resistance to scratches, this material is highly appreciated by Swiss watchmakers, but it is surprising to see it used for a complete case, as it fears shocks.

The “second series” of the Apple Watch will be available for pre-order on September 9 from 419 €, for sale on September 16. The one that is now "the old" Apple Watch does not completely disappear: renamed "Series 1", it incorporates the new dual-core processor (but not the GPS), while dropping to 319 €. The ceramic Apple Watch Edition will retail for €1,449.

iPhone 7

The content of this *special event* had been rumored: you won't be surprised to learn that Apple presented the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus tonight . If they look a lot like the iPhone 6, new industrial processes make it possible to minimize the visual impact of the antennas, and to melt the lens into the chassis.

Or lenses, in the case of the iPhone 7 Plus. The first retains the now traditional 28mm focal length but now opens at f/1.8, the second adopts a 56mm focal length and opens at f/2.8. The camera can therefore offer a real x2 optical zoom, as well as a "portrait" mode which separates the different fields to blend the background (or rather "separate": it is not yet finalized and will have to wait a future update).

The sensor does not have more than 12 Mpx, but is now stabilized not only on the large model, but also on the "small". Flanked by a new processing processor, it offers a greater dynamic and colorimetric range, and can (finally!) take photos in RAW DNG.

The screen is in tune: brighter, it supports the extended gamut of iPhone 7 shots. The speaker on top of it no longer just transmits calls, but can now work in concert with the bottom speaker to deliver stereo sound.

In passing, we will come across the home button surrounded by its Touch ID sensor, and we will notice that it no longer “clicks”. It is now a pressure-sensitive surface, which offers clear and precise haptic feedback thanks to a new Taptic Engine, which occupies the space freed up by the removal of the jack.

Apple claims that it took "courage" to make this decision, as if it had taken a political position in a bloody dictatorship. By providing Earpods with Lightning cable with the iPhone 7, it should in any case avoid a tsunami of complaints, even if the subsidiary jack-Lightning adapter should make the grumpy sail.

Imagine wireless Earpods, and you get AirPods. Their strange shape of miniature hair dryer is explained by the presence of a battery offering five hours of autonomy, an infrared sensor detecting the presence of the headphones in the ear, and an accelerometer allowing Siri to be summoned from the ear. a tap.

Like all wireless headphones of this type, they come with a transport box that acts as a charging station, its battery quadrupling the autonomy of the AirPods. Better: as soon as it opens, it communicates with the iPhone or Apple Watch to connect the headphones, iCloud transmitting the information to Macs and iPads connected to the same account.

Competitor headphones suffer from a sometimes erratic connection: Apple claims to have solved the problem with its new W1 chip. Even if she never said the word "Bluetooth", the compatibility with older models of iPhone and iPad is reassuring. Audiophiles will however go their way: AirPods do not support lossless streams, but compress in AAC.

Apple almost forgot to mention its new processor, the A10 Fusion. "Fusion", because it combines two processor cores dedicated to intensive tasks with the graphics cores, as well as two new cores entirely dedicated to background tasks. Let's save the best for last: the iPhone 7 is resistant to projections and dust (IP67 certification).

The iPhone 7 will be available from €769 for the 1632 GB model, available in four colors (black, silver, gold, rose gold). A fifth color, a deep and shiny jet black, is appearing, but only on the largest capacities (128 and 256 GB). The Plus model is worth an additional €140.

The iPhone 6s remains in the lineup, but the 16GB model is replaced by a 32GB model — the iPhone SE remains at 16GB. Pre-orders will open on September 9, for delivery on September 16. iOS 10 and watchOS 3 will be available on the 13th, a week before macOS Sierra. The AirPods, finally, will be marketed at the end of October at the relatively reasonable price of 179 €.