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Apple revealed a slate of upgraded iPhones on Tuesday with substantial camera improvements, as well as new iPad models and an improved Apple Watch.
The new iPhones, revealed by CEO Tim Cook in a livestream event titled “California dreaming” on Tuesday, will arrive in time for the sales-heavy holiday season and cost the same as their predecessors.
The new iPhone 13, which will start at $699, features a stronger camera and processor but an exterior design that is virtually unchanged from its predecessor, save for a smaller “notch” at the top of the screen.
The iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max, meanwhile, will sell for $999 and $1,099, respectively. The phones are also mostly unchanged on the exterior but feature stronger cameras and processors. They also feature “Super Retina XDR Displays” that the company said are 25 percent brighter than previous models.
The most expensive iPhone pro models will also come with a 1 terabyte storage option — the most storage on any iPhone ever.
All the new iPhones will be released on Sept. 24.
Wedbush Securities managing director Dan Ives told The Post he expects Apple to see a surge of sales during the holiday season.
“I think it’s going to be a bonanza of growth that they’re going to see this holiday season,” said Ives, foreseeing a rush of sales due to “the pent up demand… combined with the enhanced battery technology, camera, features and new chip.”
“They kept price points unchanged — there were some fears they were going to have to increase prices,” Ives added.
Apple also revealed a slate of new iPads, including a redesigned iPad mini and an upgraded version of the standard iPad a bigger screen. Both devices also have boast improved cameras and faster processing power — and will be for available starting next week, according to the company.
The standard iPad will start at $329, while the iPad mini will go for $499 and up, the company said.
Apple’s new watch, called the Series 7, boasts a 20 percent larger screen than its predecessor and a sleeker, more rounded design. The watch is also less likely to crack and is more resistant to dust, the company said.
The series 7 will go for $399 and be available sometime this fall, the company said. Apple’s cheaper watch options, the Series 3 and SE, will retail for $199 and $279, respectively.
New software for all Apple’s company’s watches will respond to injuries while biking, displaying an option to call for an emergency SOS if it detects that a user has fallen.
Apple has rolled out a new iPhone in September every year since 2013 — except for 2020, when the launch was delayed until October due to pandemic-related production setbacks.
Analysts had not expected any dramatic iPhone overhauls this year, after Apple released its first ever 5G iPhones in 2020.
Tuesday’s reveal comes just days after a federal judge ordered Apple to loosen its payments rules and allow developers to route users toward non-Apple payments options, a move that could let developers avoid the company’s 30 percent cut it takes on many sales, putting billions of dollars in Apple revenue at risk.
But Fortnite maker Epic Games, which brought the suit that led to the order against Apple, plans to appeal the ruling because the judge overseeing the case rejected 9 out of 10 of its counts.
The new iPhone launch also comes as Apple is facing scrutiny from privacy and civil liberties activists over a plan to scan users’ devices for child pornography.
Apple revealed the “child safety” feature in August but said in September that it would delay and modify it after a backlash from critics, who said out that the tool could be misused by repressive governments to track and punish users for all kinds of content besides child pornography, including political content.
— Additional reporting by Will Feuer
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