2019 is just around the corner, and in this post we are going to discuss everything that Apple released in 2018. It was a seemingly busy year for Apple, given that they had three events and announced over 10 + new products. Of those products, three were new iPhones. If you are a regular reader of Saintel Daily, then you will know that some of these products received rave reviews, while others struggled to make the grade. Without further adieu, let’s dive right in.
HomePod
The HomePod was first announced at WWDC in June 2017, and it didn’t exactly get off to a great start. The HomePod was originally scheduled to be released in the fall of 2017, and then it was pushed to late 2017, but Christmas came and went without a HomePod on the market. And then, a mere 8 months after it was announced, the HomePod was released in February of 2018. It seems so long ago, doesn’t it? It feels like we’ve been hard on Apple for their failed attempt with a smart speaker for years. But, in reality, it’s only been 10 months. Can you believe it?
That said, the HomePod really does crush its competition when it comes to sound quality. The HomePod is also priced a bit high, in comparison to Amazon’s smart speakers, which are a far better option. Apple has been updating the HomePod operating system throughout the year, in order to add new features, but the smart speaker still lags in terms of it being a competitor.
9.7-inch iPad
The 9.7-inch iPad was unveiled in March of this year, and it’s the sixth generation of iPad. This time, Apple developed this iPad to help students with their school work. Essentially, it’s a newer version of the 5th generation iPad, but it comes with a faster processor and Apple Pencil support. It has the same design language, and comes with the same 9.7-inch IPS display, Touch ID, and a 10 hour battery life.
MacBook Pro
This year, Apple insisted that its MacBook Pro would finally live up to its “pro” name. It has a faster Intel “Coffee Lake” chip, and Apple bumped the 13-inch Pro models to a quad-core chip, with the 15-inch models getting bumped to a 6-core processor. Initially, the new MacBook Pros were plagued with serious overheating issues, though Apple managed to fix it to a great extent with a firmware update. While the models still do throttle, the situation is not as bad as it originally was.
iPhones
Every September, Apple releases a batch (or at least one) new iPhone. In 2018, Apple launched three new iPhones – the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max and the “budget” iPhone XR. The iPhone XS is the successor to the iPhone X from last year while the iPhone XS Max is the same as the iPhone XS just stretched out to fit a bigger 6.5-inch display and battery. The iPhone XS and XS Max are modest upgrades over the iPhone X featuring a faster 7nm A12 Bionic chip, slightly faster Face ID, improved OLED display and rear camera with Smart HDR.
Apple Watch Series 4
The highlight of Apple’s September event, and arguably of the entire year, was the Apple Watch Series 4. The new Watch features an edge-to-edge display, a faster dual-core chipset, and upgraded sensors. This might be the most revolutionary technology product released this year, thanks to new sensors and other technological enhancements like fall detection and an ECG monitor.
iPad Pro, Mac Mini, MacBook Air
To round out the year Apple hosted a media event to unveil their remaining products, which included a new iPad Pro, Mac Mini and, MacBook Air. Many were surprised that the Mac Mini received a refresh, given how long the product has been around. But it does pack enough horsepower that advanced users will be happy with the upgrades. The refreshed MacBook Air now takes design cues from the MacBook Pro lineup and comes with a Retina display with slimmer bezels. It is now also lighter and smaller than before despite offering 10-hours of battery life on a single charge. Despite the upgrade to Intel’s 8th gen Core i5 processor though, the new MacBook Air is only marginally faster than the outgoing model.