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Dedicated Companions
Ingenious Gadgets for Your iPhone 7
TEXT | Cheriy Li
EDIT | Henry Lau, Richard Kelley

Apple launched the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus at their September 7 keynote event. While the phones have numerous new features such as freshened colours, upgraded cameras and water resistance, our eyes focused on a host of other ingenious gadgets introduced at the event. Here are the highlights of the iPhone 7’s dedicated companions that we’ll be snatching up in coming months:

 

With the standard 3.5mm headphone jack removed and the EarPods now connected via a Lightning connection, many users have raised the concern of not being able to charge their phone and listen to music at the same time. Clearly, Apple has thought of the solution. Enter AirPods – Apple’s first wireless earbuds. They offer up to five hours of listening on a single charge, and their nice case also acts as a charger, providing up to 24 hours of playback.

AirPods are also supported with touch response, meaning an easy control of the phone by just tapping on the earbuds. The dual microphones allow crisp conversations as they filter out background noise, while the brand new, dedicated low-power W1 chip ensures optimal sound quality. What’s more, the new earphones connect to all Apple devices so switching the AirPods between devices is seamless. The AirPods will be available in late October.

 

Apple Watch Nike+ is probably the perfect partner for runners, pairing exclusive Nike Sport Bands with Apple Watch Series 2. It features GPS, a two-times-brighter display, water resistance to 50 meters, a dual-core processor and watchOS 3 with exclusive Siri commands. The Nike Sport Band now uses fluoroelastomer, the same material as the original Apple Watch Sport Band, now perforated for ventilation and sweat management.

The watch also integrates with the new Nike+ Run Club app that offers different coaching plans for both new and professional runners. Training data such as pace, distance and heart rate are handily displayed, and friends can share run summaries to build up morale. Pre-order of Apple Watch Nike+ starts on September 9 and will be available in late October.