Apple, one of the most valuable and popular tech companies in the world, launched the iPhone 13 series and other products at an online event on Tuesday.
In addition to the iPhone 13, iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max, the tech giant revealed the new Apple Watch Series 7, a restyled regular iPad and an all-new iPad mini.
Here are six takeaways from 'California Streaming' (a play on the Mamas & the Papas song "California Dreamin'").
Doubling down on 5G efforts
Apple, which introduced its first 5G-enabled iPhone 12 series last October, aims to double 5G support to 200 carriers in 60 countries by the end of the year.
The customised hardware design in the latest iPhone 13 line-up features more 5G bands, allowing it to work in more places on 5G for greater coverage and performance, Apple announced.
The new phones also come equipped with a smart data mode that Apple says will save battery life by automatically shifting the iPhone to 4G when 5G speeds are not needed.
A 5G network promises internet speeds of up to 1.2 gigabits per second, which will gradually reach 10 gigabits per second — more than 100 times faster than 4G.
With a wider global installation of 5G networks expected this year, most smartphone companies are preparing to provide economical 5G-enabled devices to attract more customers.
Green apples
Apple’s new phones include antenna lines that use material made from recycled plastic water bottles. The waste bottles are chemically transformed into a stronger, high-performance material.
Apple has committed to completely removing all plastic from its packaging in the next four years. The iPhones’ latest redesigned packaging eliminates the outer plastic wrap, avoiding 600 metric tonnes of plastic waste, the company claimed.
iPads becoming more intuitive
The new operating system iPadOS15 adds new capabilities to iPads, including "Translate" features that better facilitate conversations, such as "Auto Translate" and face-to-face view, which allow users to make FaceTime videos and calls to those not on iPhones and capture photos while talking -- or listening.
The “live text” feature enables on-device intelligence to recognise text in a photo so that users can respond appropriately. For example, a snapshot of a storefront may reveal a phone number giving you the option to place a call to that establishment.
Another feature, “Focus”, allows users to filter notifications based on what they are doing, such as working, reading, exercising or playing games.
Apple Fitness+ expanding
Apple Fitness+ will come to 15 new countries by the end of this year, the Cupertino-based company has announced.
Built entirely around Apple Watch, Fitness+ will introduce guided meditation and Pilates in late September.
It is also introducing a new programme for workouts to help users prepare for winter sports featuring American athlete Ted Ligety, a two-time Olympic gold medallist and five-time world champion skier.
Later this year, Fitness+ will introduce group workouts with the SharePlay app, in which users can exercise with up to 32 people at once, just in case you want to sweat to the oldies with mates in other parts.
New OS on the way
Apple's new operating system for iPhones, iOS 15, will be available for download by Monday.
The new operating system brings a new, three-dimensional city-driving experience to Apple Maps, along with walking directions featuring augmented reality. Weather forecasts have been redesigned with full-screen maps and more graphical displays of data, Apple said.
Show me the money
For budget users, the iPhone 13 mini and iPhone 13 models start from $699 and $799, respectively. The iPhone 13 Pro costs $999 while the iPhone 13 Pro Max starts at $1,099. All the aforementioned price tags are in US dollars.
Prices will vary, however, in other countries, including the UAE.
In the Emirates, customers can buy the iPhone 13 for $926 (Dh3,399) and the iPhone 13 mini for $817 (Dh2,999). The iPhone 13 Pro will start at $1,144 (Dh4,199) and the iPhone 13 Pro Max will be priced from $1,280 (Dh4,699).
Customers in Australia, Canada, China, Germany, India, Japan, the UK, the US and more than 30 other countries and regions will be able to pre-order the new phones on Friday.
The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
Top tips
Create and maintain a strong bond between yourself and your child, through sensitivity, responsiveness, touch, talk and play. “The bond you have with your kids is the blueprint for the relationships they will have later on in life,” says Dr Sarah Rasmi, a psychologist.
Set a good example. Practise what you preach, so if you want to raise kind children, they need to see you being kind and hear you explaining to them what kindness is. So, “narrate your behaviour”.
Praise the positive rather than focusing on the negative. Catch them when they’re being good and acknowledge it.
Show empathy towards your child’s needs as well as your own. Take care of yourself so that you can be calm, loving and respectful, rather than angry and frustrated.
Be open to communication, goal-setting and problem-solving, says Dr Thoraiya Kanafani. “It is important to recognise that there is a fine line between positive parenting and becoming parents who overanalyse their children and provide more emotional context than what is in the child’s emotional development to understand.”
Various Artists
Habibi Funk: An Eclectic Selection Of Music From The Arab World (Habibi Funk)
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
PROFILE OF HALAN
Started: November 2017
Founders: Mounir Nakhla, Ahmed Mohsen and Mohamed Aboulnaga
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport and logistics
Size: 150 employees
Investment: approximately $8 million
Investors include: Singapore’s Battery Road Digital Holdings, Egypt’s Algebra Ventures, Uber co-founder and former CTO Oscar Salazar
Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
The specs
Engine: 3-litre twin-turbo V6
Power: 400hp
Torque: 475Nm
Transmission: 9-speed automatic
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Skoda Superb Specs
Engine: 2-litre TSI petrol
Power: 190hp
Torque: 320Nm
Price: From Dh147,000
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Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
Wicked
Director: Jon M Chu
Stars: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey
Profile
Company: Justmop.com
Date started: December 2015
Founders: Kerem Kuyucu and Cagatay Ozcan
Sector: Technology and home services
Based: Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai
Size: 55 employees and 100,000 cleaning requests a month
Funding: The company’s investors include Collective Spark, Faith Capital Holding, Oak Capital, VentureFriends, and 500 Startups.
