Summary of Apple's "Hi, Speed" Event

I'm thinking about purchasing the HomePod mini. simple and easy to use.

I thought, certainly, we would see the return of Touch ID this year. I have the iPhone 11, so I think I'll wait.

My 10 s is having issues with podcasts and there's nothing I can do, so I'll be geting a new phone and hoping it's fixed. I'll be paying off both at the same time. It'll be a bit tight but I really like the sound of the mini.

Classic Apple. The environmental excuse for removing the charger is almost offensive when they're shipping a cable that won't fit into most peoples' existing chargers, and the unlocked iphone models have a $30US upcharge. The base storage on the non-pro models is also a tough pill to swallow. Even high end NVME storage has been well under 50 cents a gig for some time now, but this is Apple world, not normal-tech world. Complaints aside, it seems like a nice phone. I'll probably be buying the 12. My Galaxy is perfectly healthy, but I want in on actual, real, proper community and developer support for my non-visual needs, and Google and Android just can't support that. There is no purple color this year, and that makes me a sad lady. I really, really, really hope the x60 modem made it into these phones. I'm worried about battery life. I think low and mid band 5G will be nice improvements, especially since I live in a city that gets swamped with tourists in the summer (working at an office without wifi is a bummer). If the lidar senser proves to be useful between now and when I click the buy button, I might upgrade to the pro model.

The Homepod is disappointing for me. I've got speakers that eat the regular homepod for breakfast, so I was hoping for something like the Echo Dot that can plug into a sound system. I am not a fan of DSP unless the speakers are exceptionally small, like a phone, and this thing has DSP for days. I think I'll build my own Airplay receiver with a Raspberry Pi.

There were no AirTags, and rumors say they're delayed until March. Ouch. The magsafe chargers seem nice. 40 bucks for a first-party accessory isn't quite as ludicrous as I was expecting. I might pick one up. Can the duo charger power an Apple Watch?

Call this post whining, if you like. I'm one of those weirdos that obsesses over tech specs and is perpetually disappointed with the tech industry. I'm sure the 4 models are all perfectly adequate and likely more powerful than anyone will need for at least several years. Either way, I'm gonna go and buy one of these in a few weeks. I want Braille that actually works and a community that actually exists.

Hi friend. Make sure you do your research first. The reason why your podcasts don't work right, isn't really because of the iPhone XS or which ever 1 you have. Its because iOS 13 made accessibility not work properly. I have an iPhone 8 with either iOS 11 or 12 , and it is working fine. I can't commment on the new iOS 14 though.

Hi all,
Do you really think the reason for not putting a pair of head phones/ear buds, or a power brick is a way for them to be more environmentally friendly? I certainly do not. They just want to save money, and are forcing you to buy these items from a third party, or even something more expensive like bluetooth "Air Pods", or wireless chargers. I mean, the new cable doesn't have a regular USB plug like the old ones. Instead, it has a USBC plug, which not many people have yet. Unless, you are , buying a lot of technology in these recent times.
In my opinion, if Apple really wanted to save the environment, they should offer a deal where they give you money back for old products, even if they don't work anymore.

The thing is, the guy I spoke to had the exact same phone with the exact same IOS build on it, IOS 14. He's worked as I expected and mine didn't.

Plus getting the mini will be nice, I like small phones.

The duo, as far as I can tell, is specifically for iPhone 12 and Apple Watch.

As for the HomePod Mini, I'm wondering if I can pair it with my Sonos setup for full Siri integration through airplay.

Yeah, pi's are all well and good but you're not going to get voice control. I understand it to be a 'low cost' (In quotation marks) means of having Siri in every room rather than hifi. It's the equiviliant of the echo dot but I also have a suspicion that apple is going to create a home theatre set up with two rear minis and two full size HomePods using the spacial audio they've been developing for AirPods Pro. Who knows though.

I was disappointed not to see the return of touch ID to the iPhone. as for the other features they all look very nice but I not sufficient to part with the SE2020 I only just bought. I'm open to persuasion from other contributors but as things stand the 'buy now' button will not be seeing any action this year.

Greetings all. Honestly I watched one of the least exciting -- and rather disappointing -- Apple launches yesterday. Of course, I had heard about the removal of the charger and the earphones, but I was hoping to observe the return of the Touch ID in this day and age of mask-wearing against all odds. After all, it's both ridiculous and time-wasting to enter a 6-digit number on my iPhone 11 Pro Max while wearing a mask -- as if it were a Nokia 6600! As such, I won't be getting the 12 Pro Max this year. In fact, this passkey-typing has been so frustrating that I might even let go of my iPhone, despite its huge accessibility benefits, to use another platform -- at least for a while.

These announcements look pretty good, however the new phones are not for me just yet. My iPhone xR is working great for now, even with iOS 14, so I'll happily stick with that.

I must admit I'm surprised to see no Touch ID. With many of us needing to wear face coverings due to Covid-19, and of course Face ID being impossible to use while wearing one of these, the re-introduction of Touch ID on these new phones could have been a smart move for Apple even if it was Touch ID alongside Face ID, so the user could use either option depending on what was easier and more convenient for them.

With the HomePod, however, that's a different story... I have always hated the idea of the HomePod, 1 because Siri cannot compete with the likes of Google Assistant and Alexa, and 2 because the price is just ridiculous. However, the lower price of the HomePod Mini does have me tempted to try it out, even though I know deep down that Siri will probably leave me more frustrated than impressed, and also that I simply don't need another smart speaker. Someone help me be sensible here before that buy now button gets "accidentally" clicked! :)

It looks like another over priced apple iPhone. The minni $730 for 64gb? No Thank you. I'm sure the battery is crap like in most iPhones. Its pretty bad in a pixel4a when I get over a day. The pixel4A is not a flag ship. It is the competition to the new SE and blows it out of the water as far as battery life.

Hi Mehgcap, Excellent recap of the event. Thanks for providing this information to us!

The Mini sounds good to me. But I am still considering the SE as my next phone. Right now, I have the iPhone 8.

The latest phones are nice, but I'll stick with my 11. that's the current phone for me. I also have a wireless charging pad from samsung. also, as far as the HomePod mini goes, it sounds amazing. I replayed it's presentation from apple, and the sound quality sounds great. I will especially enjoy the sound handoff feature, whenever it becomes available. We'll see once it fully launches to the public. I'm considering purchasing one of my own. besides, $99 isn't that bad.

I suppose the lidar features and the new cameras may eventually come to something for the blind, but I'm not going to buy a new piece of expensive gear until that happens. I really doubt those really nice camera features are going to help me scan a bar code or text. There was supposed to be a more accurate gps chip coming out eventually, a couple of years ago it was mentioned; I'd jump at that. Otherwise, I'll stick with my 8, the touch id is much better for me, and I'll trade battery life for speed and smile while doing it.

I generally use my technology for several years before moving on to something newer. Most years, I don't pay much attention to the new iPhones simply because I know I won't be getting one. I am currently using a iPhone 6S, which is meeting my needs just fine. However, it is a bit sluggish on IOS 14, and this has me eyeing the new phones.

I am considering getting a 2020 iPhone SE at some point. I like the home button and the familiar form factor. The low price point is pretty attractive too, as compared to the other choices. There is one thing slowing me down. I am wondering how much of a difference in performance I would actually get over my 6S, given the VO sluggishness bug in IOS 14. One would think that the performance difference between the A9 and A13 would be significant but, if much of the sluggishness I am experiencing is due to the bug, then perhaps not.

I would be curious to hear from someone who has a device with a A9 processor (same as my 6S) and also has a newer device and is running IOS 14 on both. What kind of performance difference do you see between the two devices?

I replaced the battery on my 6S in January of 2020, so I am good there. Really my only concern is the sluggishness and even that isn't a big enough deal to be really problematic. I will probably hold on to the 6S at least until they fix the sluggishness bug. I will probably make the move to the SE before IOS 15, simply because I'm sure my 6S won't support it. Even then, I will keep the 6S as a back-up device. The longevity of Apple's phones is quite remarkable.

That duo sounds like a great accessory then. Stick that on a nighstand or a desk, and it'd be a perfect wire-free solution. I've lost count of how many cables and ports I've mangled in bed at this point. I bet the main reason the price isn't extortionate is because they have to compete with Qi pucks that cost 5 bucks on amazon.

What I really wanted out of the Homepod mini was literally a chromecast audio, but airplay. I get the feeling I won't be able to replace google assistant with Siri any time soon, which is unfortunate. Maybe I can find something like that on AliExpress. Just a box with optical out that I can swap out, unless anyone knows about a good Airplay preamp.

You can change the six numbers to 4 I'm sure of it, or you can have no passcode, that's what I do. I know a lot of peple have a passcode and I get that but for me; it's not needed.

What do you mean by taski typing?

Typing will be the same on IOS and Android these days, they're both touch screen unless you can find an android with a keyboard but that's rare in the UK/Europe from what I understand. IF you live in the states though, I think they're still selling them.

I listened to the Apple event yesterday, and am trying to decide if I want a new phone or not. I love my 8 plus, and would happily keep using it, but with the recognition features in iOS 14, I wonder if a device that could actually take advantage of them properly would be a worthwhile investment. If the recognition settings were available for VO on my current device and I could turn off all the completely useless overly verbose descriptions of things that don't even need describing, then I truly would hold out until the return of touch ID, but unless Apple fixes things in iOS 14 to make things less annoying on my 8 plus, then I definitely see a new phone in my future. I will either get the 12 mini or the smaller version of the 12 pro. I know this is a little silly, but I will more likely than not base my decision, at least in part, on which shade of blue I like better. I have color perception, and blue is my favorite color. I'm hoping that I will be able to discern the colors of the new phones from pictures on the apple store web site, or maybe by the time my tax refund arrives next year, I will be able to get to my local Apple Store and check out the two shades of blue in person. In the mean-time, if anyone on here has enough vision to try and describe the colors, that information would be extremely appreciated.

I just found out the 11 starts at $600. If I get that, I could throw in some airpods into my purchase. Yeah yeah, 5G is nice and all, but I don't care. Low band isn't much faster than LTE, and I can deal with some slow down in crowded places. OLED is nice and all, but I'm blind. I don't care. Maybe it uses slightly less power with screen curtain on. Big woop. I'm not too attracted to the 12 pro, so it came down to the 12 vs the 11, and it's hard to say no to a $230 price drop. I could get a watch series 6 instead of an SE, or some airpods.

Screw it, and the 11 even comes in purple! I figure if the Intel modem still gets me good signal at my house, then I'm good for another 3 or 4 or more years. Bonus, buying the charger (which is no longer included with the 11) won't hurt quite as much.

Hi again,

To the previous poster, I already have the 11 and it's awesome!! you are going to enjoy using it as much as I do. I also have the second gen AirPods and they work absolutely well on the 11. also, be sure you get a case with a built-in screen protector.

The problem with typing 4 or 6 digits is that compared with using Touch ID or Face ID, it takes time especially if you first have to force your iPhone, via a couple of tricks and touches, to enter the passkey-typing mode and forget about face recognition. As for not using a passkey, the only thing I can say is to each their own. I'll never ever do it as it poses huge security risks. Even using 4-digit passkeys isn't safe as Apple tends to discourage it. Finally, I suggest reading the following for more details and a better analysis of the whole issue: https://www.cnet.com/news/apple-doesnt-seem-to-care-that-were-all-stuck…

I am kind of tempted by the 12 mini, but after you factor in a possible case, maybe upgrading to higher storage and maybe Apple care, I don't know if it would be worth it. Even though I don't like how big my XR is, that does mean it has longer battery life, and it is running great and doing everything I need it to, so I might skip the upgrade for a while longer. I like the idea of the magsafe wallet, but I don't care about the charger though. I've got a mophie dual qi charger that I love.

I also like that they no longer include a charger and ear pods in the box. I've gone through every pair of ear pods I've gotten since they don't last me more than 6 months at most. Even though BT ear buds have batteries that eventually degrade, they've lasted me longer than any wired pair of ear pods every has, so I haven't looked back. I've got 4 5w charging bricks, and 2 of them are still in the box because I don't need them. It's the lightning cables that wear out over time though. I think I've used all the ones I've had. Maybe for now Apple should include both a USB C and a USB A cable since that's most likely what people will be using which don't have a USB C or wireless charger. Then again, Apple likes to make people jump right into the future.

I started watching the event about halfway through, so I missed the stuff about the homepod mini. But a question kept running through my mind the whole time: why does visual stuff take so much dang power? Every year they talk on and on about the detail in whatever thing in this shot. As a totally blind person, I admittedly have no concept of this, even though I had a tiny bit of sight as a child. Yeah I know it will never happen, but I wish they would do a separate presentation, and show me how all that power of the new chip will impact me as a blind, or otherwise disabled person.

I bought an iPhone 11 with 128 gigs, and I used the money I saved to get Airpods pro with the sale amazon had... and a charger because literally none of my current bricks are USB C. Removing the charger is a money grab, plain and simple. I'll pick up the watch SE later and plug it into my USB type A power brick since Apple didn't use the same port everywhere for some reason. You can keep your 5G. I'll wait a few years for it to roll out. I'm missing out on the extra load capacity that 5G towers can handle, but I also saved enough cash to get an extra shiny toy that'll be infinitely more useful to me than slightly faster internet. Hey, maybe carriers might actually use fiber all over this time instead of T3 and microwave backhaul on lTE. Oh, and I can't forget the mandatory headphone dongle. At least it's reasonably priced.

Oof, I was way more excited a few days ago, but I suppose that's the power of marketing. Still, I just cannot say no to a $650 iPhone 11 when the 12 is only slightly better and improves on components that simply aren't that important to me.

Sardonic as I may be, I am excited to make the switch. I was going to buy the watch at the same time, but I figured it would be better to only have one new gadget to get used to at once. After all, Apple only has a 15 day return policy. Also, I got me my purple phone!

Hi: If you go in to the TV app, you can watch the event with audio description.

Well tomorrow I will call Verizon and get 12 pro. My 11 pro max is going to a sweet lady for Christmas. She has iPhone 6 and is not working well.Beside whenever we go out and she uses it, is not nice because them I use my 11 pro max. She needs a great phone so she can look great.

quote, Even using 4-digit passkeys isn't safe as Apple tends to discourage it. unquote

obviously, the longer the passcode, the safer it becomes, but one should use at least 7 digits. when you use 6 digits, people can get lucky if they happen to enter it correctly, the phone will unlock itself automatically. some people are very lucky, you know, some of them won the lottery twice.

if you use 7 digit, the attacker first need to know how many digit you use, and then tap ok. it's not easy, and i haven't met anyone who is that lucky.

Thing is; I don't go out that much so it's not really needed. As for swiping and tapping, I've done it before when out, all you've got to do is make sure you're out of the way of others and just press the unlock key, swipe to the place that doesn't actually have a name as far as I know, tap on that and then put in the pin, it's quite simple once you've done it a couple times.

I find it kind of amusing that someone might want my phone, cause they won't be able to use it with voiceover on and even if they manage to turn it off, what are they going to do, take money from my account, they'd need my pin. These peple would be a lot better off just stealing my card and using my pin for that.

Just pre-order from Verizon. It will not be send until Oct 30. I thought I would get it on Oct 25 but I will wait.