Apple fans are ecstatic. New iPhones were just announced with the entry-level version getting a surprising price cut. The plain iPhone 11 is now just $699 for the 64GB base model. The rest of the line-up, namely the iPhone 11 Pro and the 11 Pro Max, occupies a similar price point as their predecessors at $999 and $1099 respectively.
All of this means a lower barrier to entry into the current iOS ecosystem with a current-generation smartphone. The iPhone 8, which the Cupertino tech company would still be selling this year, has become even more inexpensive at $499 because of this. If you’re willing to get a pre-loved iPhone 6s, it’s going to be even cheaper. To put it simply, it hasn’t been this inexpensive to jump into the Apple ecosystem in years.
It’s truly an unusual move that makes one think if Apple has something up their sleeves other than just straight-up selling iPhones here. My best guess is that their service business such as Apple Music and iCloud are surpassing even Apple's expectations. They've even announced another one – the Apple TV Plus. It's a Netflix alternative that was heavily marketed during the iPhone 11 launch. It would make sense if they made the devices needed to access these services a bit more accessible to wider demographics. My best guess is that their service business, which includes Apple Music, iCloud, and the likes are surpassing even Apple’s expectations. It would make sense, then, if they made the devices needed to access these services a little bit more accessible to a wider demographic.
One unlikely indicator of this trend is the iPhone XR’s massive success. It’s especially pronounced during the first half of 2019. For that period, it outsold even Samsung’s $130 Galaxy A10. For a phone that costs almost 6 times as much at $750, this is a tremendous feat. This doesn’t even include the total number of units sold between the two phones where the iPhone XR had a staggering 26.9 million units shipped. The A10, on the other hand, shipped just 13.4 million units for the same period.
This means there are 26.9 million people already sporting a relatively new iPhone XR who can already upgrade to the newest OS upon release. There's also the solid yet subpar numbers of the iPhone XS and XS Max out in the wild. Since the iPhone 11, which is essentially an XR upgrade, is priced even more competitively than its predecessor, sales numbers shouldn't be too far off. All this means iOS 13 compatible devices will be readily available once the OS hits the cloud, more importantly, can upgrade to the newest OS upon release. The sales numbers of the iPhone 11, considering that it’s just an improved version of the XR priced even more competitively, should add a significant number to this new wave of iOS users.
You can expect, therefore, that iOS 13 will have a huge following when it releases on September 19. So, if you're planning buy into the Apple ecosystem this year, here's what you must know.
Compatibility
I mentioned the 6s earlier because, while Apple no longer sells or manufactures it, they’re still going make the iOS 13 update available to it. Every phone beyond was launched such as all the iPhone 7 models, therefore, should also be getting the update too. Surprisingly, the seemingly one-off iPhone SE is also compatible with the new OS.
As for non-phone devices, iPad Air 2, iPad Mini 4, and beyond are also going to be able to take advantage of iOS 13. The only iPod Touch that’s planned to be updated is the 7th generation.
Dark Mode
Apple’s rarely ever first to an innovative product or feature. Heck, it’s already so late in the USB Type C game in the smartphone world yet, as of the iPhone 11 releases, it seems that it hasn’t even arrived yet.
Thankfully, they’re not taking their precious time with the Dark Mode as it’s rumoured to come rolling in with the iOS 13 update. This makes use of the relatively fresh OLED on the highest-end iPhones. They’re the ones that will have the deepest blacks and brightest lights.
As for the base iPhone 11 and the rest of the iPhones that still come with LCDs, the Dark Mode is still coming - just not as great-looking.
Keyboard Revamp
Sure, Apple has long opened its keyboard to 3rd party keyboards. Swiftkey and Gboard are popular alternatives to the iPhone defaults.
However, there's something about Apple’s new QuickPath keyboard that tells you that Apple is finally listening to their consumers. The primary development here is that it’s got the same swipe-to-type ease that Swiftkey and Gboard are known for. Now, you no longer have to go beyond Apple to get this popular feature.
HomePod
iOS 13 is also going to show HomePod some love. You’ll be able to simply place your iPhone close to the HomePod and songs from your phone will automatically be made available to the smart speaker. It’s not a huge upgrade but it’s a step towards making Apple’s ecosystem more intuitive.
Sign in With Apple
The new Sign-In with Apple feature is one of the best indicators that Apple is trying to fully take over your computing needs. With the iOS 13 update, you'll be able to sign in to third-party apps with just your Apple ID.
This means you’re going to be able to sign-in to any app without having to give your email to the app or website developer. What's cool about it is that you technically don't even share your email Apple email address as well because Sign-in with Apple uses a disposable address to sign you into the third-party services. It just forwards to your own Apple email address.
So, whether you’re signing into your Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon accounts, you only need to remember your Sign-in with Apple In and you’ll be good to go.
More importantly, you’ll be safe to go.
Spam Call Management
Much to the chagrin of Apple, Google released one of the most impressive A.I. features on Google a few years ago – the Google Call Screening. It’s an innovative way of using A.I. that helps make the most out of your phone.
Apple is playing catch up with a fascinating twist. iOS 13 will silence calls from unknown numbers that you haven’t been in contact with yet. To do this, iOS will scan your phone, contacts, emails, and messages to make sure that you still get the calls that you want to take. If the number doesn’t appear on any of those sources, then they’ll go straight to voicemail.
All of this means a lower barrier to entry into the current iOS ecosystem with a current-generation smartphone. The iPhone 8, which the Cupertino tech company would still be selling this year, has become even more inexpensive at $499 because of this. If you’re willing to get a pre-loved iPhone 6s, it’s going to be even cheaper. To put it simply, it hasn’t been this inexpensive to jump into the Apple ecosystem in years.
It’s truly an unusual move that makes one think if Apple has something up their sleeves other than just straight-up selling iPhones here. My best guess is that their service business such as Apple Music and iCloud are surpassing even Apple's expectations. They've even announced another one – the Apple TV Plus. It's a Netflix alternative that was heavily marketed during the iPhone 11 launch. It would make sense if they made the devices needed to access these services a bit more accessible to wider demographics. My best guess is that their service business, which includes Apple Music, iCloud, and the likes are surpassing even Apple’s expectations. It would make sense, then, if they made the devices needed to access these services a little bit more accessible to a wider demographic.
One unlikely indicator of this trend is the iPhone XR’s massive success. It’s especially pronounced during the first half of 2019. For that period, it outsold even Samsung’s $130 Galaxy A10. For a phone that costs almost 6 times as much at $750, this is a tremendous feat. This doesn’t even include the total number of units sold between the two phones where the iPhone XR had a staggering 26.9 million units shipped. The A10, on the other hand, shipped just 13.4 million units for the same period.
This means there are 26.9 million people already sporting a relatively new iPhone XR who can already upgrade to the newest OS upon release. There's also the solid yet subpar numbers of the iPhone XS and XS Max out in the wild. Since the iPhone 11, which is essentially an XR upgrade, is priced even more competitively than its predecessor, sales numbers shouldn't be too far off. All this means iOS 13 compatible devices will be readily available once the OS hits the cloud, more importantly, can upgrade to the newest OS upon release. The sales numbers of the iPhone 11, considering that it’s just an improved version of the XR priced even more competitively, should add a significant number to this new wave of iOS users.
You can expect, therefore, that iOS 13 will have a huge following when it releases on September 19. So, if you're planning buy into the Apple ecosystem this year, here's what you must know.
Compatibility
I mentioned the 6s earlier because, while Apple no longer sells or manufactures it, they’re still going make the iOS 13 update available to it. Every phone beyond was launched such as all the iPhone 7 models, therefore, should also be getting the update too. Surprisingly, the seemingly one-off iPhone SE is also compatible with the new OS.
As for non-phone devices, iPad Air 2, iPad Mini 4, and beyond are also going to be able to take advantage of iOS 13. The only iPod Touch that’s planned to be updated is the 7th generation.
Dark Mode
Apple’s rarely ever first to an innovative product or feature. Heck, it’s already so late in the USB Type C game in the smartphone world yet, as of the iPhone 11 releases, it seems that it hasn’t even arrived yet.
Thankfully, they’re not taking their precious time with the Dark Mode as it’s rumoured to come rolling in with the iOS 13 update. This makes use of the relatively fresh OLED on the highest-end iPhones. They’re the ones that will have the deepest blacks and brightest lights.
As for the base iPhone 11 and the rest of the iPhones that still come with LCDs, the Dark Mode is still coming - just not as great-looking.
Keyboard Revamp
Sure, Apple has long opened its keyboard to 3rd party keyboards. Swiftkey and Gboard are popular alternatives to the iPhone defaults.
However, there's something about Apple’s new QuickPath keyboard that tells you that Apple is finally listening to their consumers. The primary development here is that it’s got the same swipe-to-type ease that Swiftkey and Gboard are known for. Now, you no longer have to go beyond Apple to get this popular feature.
HomePod
iOS 13 is also going to show HomePod some love. You’ll be able to simply place your iPhone close to the HomePod and songs from your phone will automatically be made available to the smart speaker. It’s not a huge upgrade but it’s a step towards making Apple’s ecosystem more intuitive.
Sign in With Apple
The new Sign-In with Apple feature is one of the best indicators that Apple is trying to fully take over your computing needs. With the iOS 13 update, you'll be able to sign in to third-party apps with just your Apple ID.
This means you’re going to be able to sign-in to any app without having to give your email to the app or website developer. What's cool about it is that you technically don't even share your email Apple email address as well because Sign-in with Apple uses a disposable address to sign you into the third-party services. It just forwards to your own Apple email address.
So, whether you’re signing into your Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon accounts, you only need to remember your Sign-in with Apple In and you’ll be good to go.
More importantly, you’ll be safe to go.
Spam Call Management
Much to the chagrin of Apple, Google released one of the most impressive A.I. features on Google a few years ago – the Google Call Screening. It’s an innovative way of using A.I. that helps make the most out of your phone.
Apple is playing catch up with a fascinating twist. iOS 13 will silence calls from unknown numbers that you haven’t been in contact with yet. To do this, iOS will scan your phone, contacts, emails, and messages to make sure that you still get the calls that you want to take. If the number doesn’t appear on any of those sources, then they’ll go straight to voicemail.