Apple quietly releases cheaper iPad, (RED) iPhone and new accessories

Apple took down its online store for a couple of hours of "scheduled maintenance" yesterday and then quietly put it back up with a whole slew of new products.

In the most low-key release of all time, Apple yesterday delivered a

• new (RED) iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus
• new lower-priced iPad
• iPhone SE with 32GB for price of 16GB
• new Clips video creation application
• six new iPhone 7 and 7 Plus case colours
• new Apple Watch bands

Products appear on website

The appearance of the new products on the online Apple Store, coincided with the distribution of three media releases.

• iPhone release
• iPad release
• Clips app release

1. (RED) iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus

Also known as the Special Edition iPhone, it is offered in a bright red aluminium finish. The colour is to  recognise more than 10 years of partnership between Apple and (RED) - a global fund for the eradication of HIV/Aids. In that time Apple has donated in excess of US$130 million to the fund through sales of Beats products and accessories for the iPhone, iPad and Apple watch. 

In Australia, a limited number of iPhones will be available to order online from 2.01am this Saturday 25 March, and will ship to customers by the end of March.

The (RED) iPhone 7 starts from A$1,229 and the iPhone 7 Plus from A$1,419. This is for a 128GB device. The (RED) products are not available in the less expensive 32GB model.

2. Lower cost iPad

Replacing the iPad Air which has been discontinued, Apple announced the release of a tablet simply labeled the "iPad". Starting at A$469, it sits between the iPad Pro and iPad mini 4 in size, and costs less than both. 

The iPad is a 9.7 inch display and is the same height and width as the iPad Air 2 but is a bit heavier and thicker. The two devices have the same camera performance, the same software iOS 10, but the new iPad comes with a 64-bit processor which should provide a noticeable improvement in speed.

iPad comes in silver, gold and space grey; and in 32GB or 128GB.

3. Upgraded iPhone SE

It's not very often we get something for nothing - but in this case we have! Apple have doubled the storage capacity from 16GB and 64GB, to 32GB and 128GB respectively, at no extra charge.

4. Clips Application for Video

Spruiked by Apple as "the fun new way to create expressive video on iOS", Clips is an app that allows you to combine video clips, photos and music into great-looking videos to share with friends through the Messages app, or on Instagram, Facebook and other popular social networks. 

According to Apple, Clips lets users create multi-clip videos on iPhone or iPad without timelines, tracks or complicated editing tools. Touch and hold a single button to shoot live video and photos, or add them from the Photo Library. Then add artistic filters, speech bubbles, shapes or emoji. Users can also add full-screen posters with animated backgrounds and customisable text. Clips has dozens of music soundtracks to choose from, and they automatically adjust to match the length of a video.

Clips will be available on the App Store at no cost, some time in April, and will be compatible with iPhone 5s and later, the new 9.7-inch iPad, all iPad Air and iPad Pro models, iPad mini 2 and later, as well as iPod touch 6th generation.

Devices must be running iOS 10.3 - which hasn't been launched yet but is expected before the end of this month.

5. New coloured cases for iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus

Apple announced six new coloured cases for the iPhone 7 series - 3 silicone and 3 leather - however on the Australian Apple site we only appear to be getting two of each type. The colours match in with the existing Apple Watch band colours. 

In silicone the colours are Azure and Camellia or pale blue and pinkish red!  Pebble  or light brown seems to be missing at this time. In leather the colours are Sapphire and Taupe, or deep blue and light brown, with Australia missing out on Berry (deep red).

Pricing seems to be all over the shop also, with Azure silicon at A$59 and Camellia silicon at A$55. The leather Sapphire is listed at A$69 and leather Taupe at A$75. Meanwhile a battery case for the (RED) product is also available at A$169.

6. New Apple Watch bands 

Apple Watch accessories got updates. There’s a new Woven Nylon band style, Classic Buckle gets new colors and its second redesign, and Sport Band now includes three new colors.

Apple also sells Nike Sport Bands separately for the first time, and there are new colors in the collection.

On the downside, Apple has reduced the options for which bands you can buy with new Apple Watches to only include Sport Band and Milanese Loop. All other bands including Classic Buckle and Link Bracelet are now sold separately.

Related Blogs