Essential Apple User Magazine April 2022

James Gale Managing Editor As a movie fan, I’m thrilled that Apple has received its first Best Picture Oscar nomination for CODA, a first for a streaming service [it won too – Ed]. Martin Smith Group Senior Designer I’ll confess, I didn’t watch the keynote, I only know what was unveiled thanks to AppleUser. That said the Mac Studio and display float my boat. Alan Hulme Staff Writer I’m a big fan of American sports, so I’ll enjoy watching Friday Night Baseball on Apple TV. How about some collage football next, Mr Cook? Mark Ayshford Art Director There was a lot to love in the spring keynote, but as a designer, I have to go for the Mac Studio. The power it brings to the Mac makes all sorts of things possible. Ian Osborne Editor I already have an iPhone 11 Pro, an M1…

Is anyone else still missing the crowd at recent Apple keynotes? Before the pandemic, every new product or exciting feature was followed by wooos and claps from the invited audience. The products and features in the March keynote were as good as ever, but with the Steve Jobs theatre empty, the immediate celebrations were absent. Oh well. At least they didn’t use a stock applause track, which would’ve been awful. The March keynote gave us two new mobile devices; a new iPhone SE and a new iPad Air, both of which bring features developed for their high-end – and more expensive – stable mates to the lower-cost range. But arguably the most exciting new release was the Mac Studio, a completely new model that sits between the iMac and the Mac…

During Apple’s March keynote, Apple lifted the lid on the third release of the iPhone SE, its entry-level smartphone. The new model makes significant improvements on its predecessor, including a great new processor, new camera features, 5G connectivity and a better battery life. So what’s the story behind the iPhone SE 3, and should you buy one? Read on… “iPhone SE has been an incredibly popular choice with our existing users and for new iPhone customers, thanks to its iconic design, exceptional performance and affordable price. This year we’ve built the most powerful and durable iPhone SE yet. Delivering the latest generation of technology and performance at this price is something only Apple can do.”Kaiann Drance, Apple’s vice president of Worldwide iPhone Product Marketing.…

Strength in Beauty According to Apple, the iPhone SE third generation is ‘as durable as it is beautiful,’ and we totally agree. It features an aerospace-grade aluminium chassis and a glass front and back - using the same glass as is found on the flagship iPhone 13 and 13 Pro models. This is the toughest glass of any smartphone, Apple’s or otherwise. Rated IP67 for water and dust resistance, the iPhone SE is designed to protect against spills, so it’s as durable as it is tough. A Colourful Collection The new iPhone SE comes in three exciting colours; Midnight, Starlight and (PRODUCT)RED. In nonmarketing parlance, that’s black, white and red. Once again, the (PRODUCT)RED design helps raise money for the fight against AIDS, as a portion of the proceeds going to the Global Fund’s support…

The Apple Silicon A15 Bionic Processor Despite its comparatively low cost, the third-generation iPhone SE boasts an A15 Bionic CPU; the same processor as the iPhone 13. That means it has a six-core CPU with two highperformance and four high-efficiency cores, a four-core GPU and a 16-core Neural Engine. The advantages of such a powerful processor are evident whatever you’re doing on your phone. Apps open faster, scrolling is smoother and intensive activities such as photo processing are far snappier. The iPhone SE’s processor is 1.8 times faster than the iPhone 8, and outstrips older models by an even greater degree. Graphical performance enjoys an even greater improvement, being 2.2 times faster than that of the iPhone 8. During the presentation, Francesca Sweet showed us the forthcoming Apple Arcade racing game, Gear.…

The New Camera The third-generation iPhone SE has a single-lens camera, but that one lens and its software support boasts some of Apple’s most advanced photography features yet. It has a 12MP sensor, and a ƒ/1.8 aperture. Combined with the A15 Bionic processor, it offers amazing computational photography benefits including Smart HDR 4, Photographic Styles, Deep Fusion and Portrait Mode. Deep Fusion Deep Fusion optimises your snaps for texture and detail. Take a look at the parrot picture; every line in every feather is wonderfully reproduced, as are the wear marks on his beak where he’s sharpened it. Such a wonderfully detailed picture as this is impossible without Deep Fusion, at least on a smartphone’s camera. Deep Fusion uses advanced machine learning to do pixel-by-pixel processing, optimising for texture, details and noise in…