House introduces bipartisan bill on AI in banking and housing
The bill would require a report on how these industries use AI to valuate homes and underwrite loans
Read more...Ok, Apple, we get it. You love to put on a lavish presentation but this was a bit much. Running over two hours, today's event went on a long, long time, despite encompassing only three new products. This thing could have been much, much shorter if you ask me.
Alright, so let's dive in.
Apple Watch
The event started out with some updates for the company's latest splash: the Apple Watch.
The device, which Tim Cook said has a 97% satisfaction rate, is getting a new operating system, called OS 2, which will be be available on September 16.
That means new watchbands and finishes for the Apple Watch. That includes a rose gold finish for the Sport model, as well as new colors.
The company also revealed a new partnership French luxury house Hermès for new leather watchbands.
In addition, Apple presented a cool new app for Watch called Airstrip, designed around healthcare. In a presentation from Dr. Cameron Powell, the co-founder of Airstrip, he demonstrated how the devices can actually differentiate heartbeats for a pregnant woman, isolating her heartbeats from her baby's.
iPad Pro
Tim Cook called the iPad the "clearest expression of our vision of the future of personal computing," and a "simple multi-touch piece of glass that transforms into anything you want it to be."
The introduction of the iPad Pro is the "biggest news in iPad since the iPad," he said.
Introduced by Phil Schiller, the device is the biggest iPad ever, with a 12.9 inch screen. The width of of the iPad Pro is the same as heigh as the iPad Air. The screen has 5.6 million pixels, whicn is more pixels than 15 inch Macbook pro with retina display.
Its new chip, A9X, is a 64 bit chip that makes the 1.8x times faster, giving it "desktop class performance." It will have 10 hours of battery life.
The company also introduced two new accessories for the iPad Pro: first, a physical keybpard, It attaches to the iPad using a "smart connector," which has three magnetic circles on the side of the device. It will sell for $169.
The second accessory is a new stylus called "Apple Pencil," which allows for drawing and illustration on the iPad Pro. It will sell for $79.
And, finally, the iPad Pro will have partnerships with Microsoft and Adobe, both of which also took the stage on Wednesday.
For Microsoft, that means integrating its productivity products, such as Excel and Word. For Adobe that means integrating Photoshop and allowing for features such as facial recognition.
There will be a 32GB version of the iPad Pro available for $799, a 128GB version for $949, and a 128GB version for $1,049. It will be available in November.
Apple TV
Next up was the totally revamped Apple TV.
"We are in the golden age of television, but the TV experience hasn't changed much in decades," said Cook. "It has been virtually standing still while innovation has been thriving in the mobile space."
Apple's vision for TV is "simple and provocative," that it will rely on apps, a transition that has already begun.
Eddie Cue presented the new Apple TV, which now has a 64-bit A8 processor, which allows it to both run apps and to better organize video content.
It has a new remote, with a glass touch panel across the top, which communicates via Bluetooth.
The Apple TV with 64GB of storage is selling for $149, and the larger model, which also had 64GB, will cost $199.
The coolest part of the new Apple TV is how it integrates with Siri, allowing users search based on actor, plot and type of movie. It will allow the user to easily skip ahead, or replay parts of a show they missed, all by voice command.
The new Apple TV has a new operating system called tvOS, which allowed developers to create new apps for the platform.
iPhone 6s and 6s Plus
And, finally, what everyone was waiting for the: the new iPhones.
The iPhone has been growing at 3.5 times the rest of the industry, and 75% vs the rest of the industry in China, said Cook.
Now come the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, which he called "the most advanced iPhone ever, and the most advanced smartphones in the world."
Schiller came back on stage to introduce the phones, which will keep the same sizes as the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, with 4.7 inch and 5.5 inch screens, respectively. What is changing is on whats inside.
The new phones have a new 64-bit A9 processor, which Schiller said can improve graphics, making them render up to 90 percent faster. Users will see this mostly in games and video.
They will also come with 3D Touch, which detect how the user is touching the screen. If the user presses down longer then normal, the screen will respond differently. It basically allows users to see inside things like their email or apps without having to open them first.
Where the the new iPhones really shine is when it comes to photos. The devices have a 12-megapixel camera, and it now comes with a feature called Live Photos, which animated still photos. Rather than taking a video, it simply extends the capture time, allowing the user to then play them back as if they were happening live.
The iPhone 6s will start at $199 with a two-year contract, while the iPhone 6s Plus starts at $299. Preorders start September 12, and the phone goes on sale two weeks later on September 25.
The bill would require a report on how these industries use AI to valuate homes and underwrite loans
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