Holy moly, Apple fans, that was quite an event indeed. You’ve endured months of leaks and rumors, each one building more and more anticipation for Apple’s next-generation iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. Now, Apple’s brand new iPhones are finally here and they’re huge upgrades compared to last year’s iPhone models — just like we said they would be.
Of course, Apple had plenty to cover beyond just the new iPhones themselves, so let’s take a look at all of the company’s biggest announcements from Wednesday’s big event.
DON’T MISS: The 12 best new features of Apple’s iPhone 7
App Store
Over 140 billion apps have now been downloaded from Apple’s App Store. In the last two months alone, Apple has seen growth rates for 106% year-over-year. The App Store generated twice the global revenue as Google’s Play Store, according to Tim Cook.
MARIOOOOOOOO!
We really never thought this day would actually arrive, but Mario is FINALLY coming to iOS. This is huge news for Nintendo, which is making iOS the first dedicated mobile platform for Nintendo’s most popular character of all time. The first Mario game coming to the iPhone and iPad is Super Mario Run, which has Mario running on is own as the user makes him jump and dodge in an effort to collect coins.
Additionally, there’s a battle mode called “Toad Rally,” which allows users to compete against each other to get the highest score.
The new game will be out ahead of the holidays this year and it’ll be available at a set price with no in-app purchases. Read more about Super Mario Run right here.
iWork update
Apple is bringing real-time collaboration to all iWork apps, including Keynote. In fact, Apple executives collaborated on a Keynote presentation live on stage during today’s event. Collaboration works pretty much just as it does in Google Docs and other productivity solutions, but it’ll be a welcome addition for iWork users.
Apple Watch Series 2
Apple started shipping the Apple Watch 18 months ago, and now we finally get the update we’ve been waiting for.
The next-generation Apple Watch, which Apple is calling Apple Watch series 2, is water-resistance up to 50 meters. That’s right, you can finally shower with it and even swim with it. The only opening on the watch is the speaker, but the enclosure is now water-resistant and once the watch emerges from a dip, the speaker itself will eject any water that might be in the speaker cavity.
The next-gen Watch has a brand new “S2” SiP with a dual-core processor that’s 50% faster, and a new GPU that’s twice as powerful and even supports 60fps animation. There’s also a new display on the Watch that’s two times brighter than the first-gen model at 1,000 nits.
Apple Watch Series 2 adds built-in GPS as well, so you can go running with the watch and leave your phone at home.
The new Apple Watch will come in aluminum and stainless steel, like the last model, but it’ll also be available in white ceramic that’s even stronger than stainless steel. Apple is also partnering with Nike to introduce a new Apple Watch Nike+ model.
Apple Watch Series 2 starts at $369, and the original Apple Watch with an updated processor (now called Apple Watch Series 1) will start at a new lower price of $269. The ceramic model will start at $1,249 and preorders for all models will begin on September 9th.
Learn more about Apple Watch Series 2 in this post.
Pokemon Go on Apple Watch
This is huge news of Pokemon Go fans, who will be able to play Pokemon Go without killing their iPhone batteries in the process. We don’t have a release date yet unfortunately, but Niantic confirmed that the Watch update will be released by the end of 2016.
iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus
These are the stars of the show, ladies and gentlemen, and they’re just as exciting as we told you they would be.
Read everything you could possibly want to know about Apple’s new iPhones in this post.
AirPods
These are the truly wireless earbuds we’ve heard so much about.
Infrared sensors detect when the AirPods are in your ear, and they have sensors that allow you to control them with taps.
The battery lasts up to 5 hours of playback and a wireless charging case holds another 24 hours of charge. Learn more in this post.
