Monday night witnessed the latest Apple Event and we were treated to the iPhone SE, cheaper Apple Watches, upgraded Apple TV a new addition to the iPad Pro range.
It was noticeable that this event had a different feel to it. It was incredibly short, at just over an hour long, and there seemed to be as much focus on Apple’s approach as there was on products.
We were introduced to LIAM, Apple’s robot that specialises in dismantling the iPhone so that its components parts can be recycled. One of the criticisms that has been levelled at Apple is that their products are so compact that it makes the recycling of them incredibly hard. LIAM is Apple’s response and it clearly put sustainability up front and centre.
We were also introduced to CareKit. It’s like a personal version of ResearchKit, which Apple launched last year, and will be available next month. The aim of CareKit is to provide a platform for apps that can be used to monitor your health. What is interesting about it is that it will essentially allow your iPhone to hold incredibly personal levels of data about your individual health.
Now put that into the context that Apple were due to attend a hearing this week with the American Justice Department over the FBI gaining access to a gunman’s iPhone (The Justice Department filed a motion to postpone shortly after the Apple Event). With that context in mind we were left with the opinion that Apple chose to focus on values, such as sustainability and privacy. It felt like they were presenting their company values rather than products.
So was the inner geek disappointed that there were no real new products? Definitely. If we are honest was the event ever so slightly boring? Yes. Would we have loved to have seen a new Mac Pro, a 4K Thunderbolt Display, new MacBook/MacBook Pros or heard the famous line of “just one more thing…”? Most definitely.
Let’s just hope that by the WWDC in the summer, all of the politics will have been resolved and Apple can get back to introducing us to some great new toys.
