iPad Pro
- Price: $800 (32GB); $950 (128GB); $1079 ($128GB with cellular)
- Larger screen at 12.9" (compared with iPad's 9.7") so laptop screen size with 2732 x 2048 pixel density
- 6.9mm thick (compared to iPad Air 2's 6.1mm) and weighs 1.54 pounds. Light by laptop comparisons, about equivalent to the very first iPad.
- Running the A9X chip, 1.8x faster than the A8X or "80% faster than other portable PCs". So really slow by a full size laptop but fast when compared to ultra books.
- 8 megapixel rear camera, HD front camera
- 4 speaker design so should have much better sound compared to iPads
- around 10 hours of battery life
- Accessories: Smart Keyboard ($170) and Apple Pencil ($100)
- Hands-on
- Release date: November 2015
Pad Mini 4
- Price: $399 (16GB); $499 (64GB); $599 (128GB); add $129 to each tier for cellular
- Essentially its the stats of the iPad Air 2 with a 7.9" screen (vs the 9.7" of the iPad)
- Only difference is the chip is the A8 vs iPad Air 2's A8X but that is a minor difference
- Release date: not announced
iPhone 6S
- Price (on subsidized contract): $199 (16GB); $299 (64GB); $399 (128GB)
- Real Price: $650 (16GB); $750 (64GB); $850 (128GB) (see iPhone Upgrade Program below)
- Ion-X glass that is stronger so hopefully less cracked screens
- Back camera is 12-megapixel with flash that can shoot in 4K video, front camera is 5MP also with flash
- Supports live photos which is really a fancy way of saying it makes high quality gifs
- A9 processor (vs previous A8), so faster across the board processing
- Hands-on
- Comparison
- Release date: preorders start September 12, out on September 25th
iPhone 6S Plus
- Price (on subsidized contract): $299 (16GB); $399 (64GB); $499 (128GB)
- Real Price: $750 (16GB); $850 (64GB); $950 (128GB) (see iPhone Upgrade Program below)
- Ion-X glass that is stronger so hopefully less cracked screens
- Back camera is 12-megapixel with flash that can shoot in 4K video, front camera is 5MP also with flash
- Supports live photos which is really a fancy way of saying it makes high quality gifs
- A9 processor (vs previous A8), so faster across the board processing
- Comparison
- Release date: preorders start September 12, out on September 25th
Apple TV 4th Gen
- Price: $150 ($32gb), $200 (64gb)
- Faster chip, slightly larger chassis
- New tvOS to power device so now will have Apple TV specific app store
- Now can be used to play video games, essentially mobile games on your TV
- New Bluetooth remote has glass touchpad for video game controls and button for Siri to perform searches.
- Will allow other game controllers includng using iPhones, iPods and iPads as controllers.
- Hands-on
- Release Date: October 2015
iPhone Upgrade Program
- Price: Real price of the phone + $99 AppleCare (not optional) + $28 (basically a service fee) divided by 24
- Buying phone directly from Apple, choosing carrier through Apple
- Can trade in phone after 12 months into payment plan but this resets the payment plan to 24 months
As with every year the question once again becomes "should I buy/upgrade my iDevice?". In the interest of full disclosure I currently plan on buying an iPad mini 4 (once find a sale price) and an iPhone 6S. The reason is my iPad mini 1 is struggling to keep up with current apps while my iPhone 5's charge barely lasts a day if I avoid using the phone for most things that isn't phone calls. You will notice that I am replacing those devices not because of "ooh new stuff" but because the old stuff simply is no longer up to performing for my needs so I might as well buy new since replacing them for hopefully another 3 or more years of use.
Really everything that Apple introduced is just an incremental improvement on already existing products. If what you already have is keeping you happy, I see little incentive to spend the money as "new" and slightly faster/better really isn't worth the money. As for the iPad Pro, unless you really are a professional artist or designer that can take full use of the stylus or have it paid for by your place of business, it seems you are better off spending the money on a good laptop or just save the money and get a regular iPad Air 2.
In regards to getting an iPhone or really any phone nowadays is knowing that all the carriers have or are about to eliminate their subsidized plan and going with payment plans based on the real price of the phone. By doing this they have made doing the math on the best deal a touch easier but choosing the plan best for your needs remains complicated. I advise a 12 and 24 month calculations that includes paying the phone up front or paying the phone in installments, These four numbers will give you a realistic idea of how much you will be spending to have that new phone while letting you compare plans from different carriers in an effective and fair manner. Apple's Upgrade Program might be worth considering if you usually get AppleCare or wish you had after an accident or two as that means you are really only paying an extra $28 service fee that lets you avoid the headache of shopping around while letting you upgrade a year from now without any hassle that the carriers are sure to try and create as it seems mission number 1 for them is making the buying experience as needlessly complicated and painful as possible. If normally avoid Applecare or yet to need it (like me, knock on wood) then that service fee becomes $128 and requires some additional research into Applecare to decide if worth it or not.
A final note. Do not buy the 16GB iPhone. Between the megapixel cameras, videos, and music that is not likely not enough space. It use to be but not any more. Its also a scam. The 16GB should not exist anymore and if Apple truly cared for their customers like they pretend they do they would just eliminate that storage size from all lines and switch to at least 32GB. Since that isn't an option, any phone purchase decisions should probably start at the 64GB size despite the extra $100 charge.
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