The “Magic Keyboard with Numeric Keypad features an extended layout, with document navigation controls for quick scrolling and full-size arrow keys for gaming. A scissor mechanism beneath each key allows for increased stability, while optimized key travel and a low profile provide a comfortable and precise typing experience. The numeric keypad is also great for spreadsheets and finance applications. And the built-in, rechargeable battery is incredibly long-lasting, powering your keyboard for about a month or more between charges.”
The keyboard used a Bluetooth connection and shipped with a Lightning cable for charging. It was 0.16–0.43 inches high, 16.48 inches wide, 4.52 inches deep, and weighed 0.86 pound.
This Space Gray color was discontinued some time in Summer 2021.
The Apple Watch Series 5 looked similar to the Series 4, but had an “Always-On” Retina display “that never sleeps,” a faster processor, and more storage. The GPS model required an iPhone tether to use the phone features (higher-end models had built-in wireless cellular). This watch added international emergency calling that allowed calling “emergency services directly from Apple Watch in over 150 countries, even without iPhone nearby.”
Like all previous Apple Watch models, the Apple Watch Series 5 uses a Digital Crown and a touch display. The screen is OLED at 368×448 with haptic feedback and a Force Touch display. New health and fitness features with Series 5 included Cycle Tracking, the Noise app and Activity Trends.
Previous Apple Watch models used screens that went black to conserve power. The Always-On screen in the Series 5 was made possible by the OLED display and other hardware and software. According to Apple:
“Each watch face has been carefully optimized for the new display and to preserve battery life, the screen intelligently dims when a user’s wrist is down and returns to full brightness with a raise or a tap. Several advanced technologies work together to deliver this new feature, including the industry’s only low-temperature polysilicon and oxide display (LTPO), ultra-low power display driver, efficient power management integrated circuit and new ambient light sensor.”
Three different aluminum options were available: Space Gray with Black Sport Band (this model), Silver with White Sport Band, and Gold with Pink Sand Sport Band. Many other combinations were available by customizing the watch online. The Series 5 introduced the “Apple Watch Studio,” both on the Apple website and on the Apple Store app. The Apple Watch Studio allowed the opportunity for buyers to select a “preferred case and band combination to create a look that is uniquely their own.”
New materials were also offered with the Series 5, including natural titanium and space black titanium. Aluminum cases in silver, gold, and space gray were offered in “100 percent recycled 7000 series aluminum.” Stainless steel cases were unchanged and were offered in gold, silver, and space black.
The original iPhone SE (Special Edition) was released along with the larger iPhone 6s and 6s Plus. Many users preferred the smaller size of this phone and its flat sides that used the same design as the iPhone 5s.
The original iPhone SE’s exterior differed from the iPhone 5s in its finishes, including four colors, and matte (instead of shiny) edges. Colors for the iPhone SE included Silver (white glass front and a silver aluminum sides and back with a white top and bottom detail); Space Gray (black glass front and a gunmetal gray aluminum sides and back with a black top and bottom detail); Gold (white glass front and a gold aluminum sides and back with a white top and bottom detail); and Rose Gold (white glass front and a pink-tinted gold aluminum sides and back with a white top and bottom detail).
The original iPhone SE used a 4-inch Retina display (1136×640 at 326 ppi). Its two cameras included a rear 12-megapixel iSight camera with a True Tone flash and a front 1.2-megapixel 720p FaceTime camera.
A Touch ID fingerprint sensor was embedded in the Home button of the iPhone SE. It used Apple’s A9 processor and was available with 16, 32, 64, or 128 GB storage. Wireless connections included 4G/LTE, 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.2, and NFC (Apple Pay). Wired connections included a headphone jack and a Lightning connector.
The iPhone SE would become the first iPhone name to be later reused (in April 2020) in a completely different design.
The iPhone Lightning Dock was a minimalist charging dock with a heavy base, protruding angled Lightning connector, and two ports on the back, including a Lightning port for charging and an audio jack to allow music to be played on a speaker or headphones while the iPhone charged.
The iPhone Lightning Dock was available in several colors, including white, black, silver, space gray, rose gold, gold, and “new” gold (to match an updated gold iPhone color). This example is space gray.
Apple described the Dock:
“You can use it to charge and sync any iPhone that has a Lightning connector. Your iPhone sits upright in the dock as it syncs or charges, so it’s ideal for a desk or countertop. Even when your iPhone is in an Apple-designed case, it’s easy to dock. And you can unlock iPhone or use Touch ID without having to remove it from the dock.”
Although this Dock will also charge an iPad, its size and weight make it too unstable for everyday use. However, I sometimes use this Dock to photograph iPad devices in my collection since its minimal design and slight angle works well as a temporary display base.
The iPhone 8 was announced September 12, 2017, at the same time as the iPhone X (iPhone ten). Except for a glass back (replacing a metal back), the iPhone 8 (and the iPhone 8 Plus) were similar in design to the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus models that preceded them. The iPhone 8 was arguably eclipsed by the iPhone X with Apple’s first edge-to-edge screen with no Home button and a design that hinted at future designs of iPhone and iPad devices.
The iPhone 8 had a 4.7-inch Retina HD touchscreen (1334×750 at 326 ppi). Its solid-state Home button used Apple’s Taptic engine and a Touch ID fingerprint sensor. Its front camera was a 7-megapixel FaceTime HD camera, and its back camera was a 12-megapixel 4K camera with a six-element lens system with augmented reality (AR) support.
The iPhone 8 was first offered in gold (white front with gold glass back), silver (white front with silver glass back), and space gray (black front with dark gray glass back), and Apple later added a (PRODUCT)RED Special Edition model (black front with a red glass back).
Internally, the iPhone 8 used an A11 Bionic processor with six cores, 2 GB RAM, and was offered in storage options of 64, 128, and 256 GB. Wireless connections included 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0, LTE (4G), and NFC (Apple Pay). Its only wired connection was the Lightning port (the headphone jack had been removed from the previous iPhone 7 models).
Qi wireless charging was also introduced with the iPhone 8—and also the iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X, introduced at the same time.
The Generation 7 iPad differs from previous base iPad models with its larger 10.2-inch screen at 2160×1620 (264 ppi) (the Generation 6 iPad had a 9.7-inch screen) and the addition of the Smart Connector. The Smart Connector allows this iPad to use an Apple Smart Keyboard. This iPad was available in three colors: white front with a gold back, white front with silver back, and black front with a Space Gray back. This example is Space Gray.
The Generation 7 iPad uses the Apple A10 Fusion processor with 3 GB of RAM, and has 32 GB or 128 GB of internal storage. It also has an 8 Megapixel iSight camera on the back (1080p) and a 1.2 Megapixel FaceTime camera (720p) on the front. Wireless connectivity includes 802.11ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.2,. Its two wired ports are the Lightning port and a 3.5mm audio port. Internal sensors include accelerometer, gyroscope, ambient light sensor, compass, and barometer.
Aside from this Wi-Fi model, three Wi-Fi/Cellular models are available (US/CA, Global, and China).
The 12.9-inch iPad Pro was powered by an Apple A9X processor and had 4 GB of RAM; 32, 128, or 256 GB of storage; a rear-mounted 8 megapixel iSight camera (1080p); a front-mounted 1.2 megapixel FaceTime HD camera (720p); 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi; Bluetooth 4.2; dual microphones; two sets of stereo speakers; and a Lightning port. The screen was a 12.9-inch TFT touch-sensitive Retina display with 5.6 million pixels (2732×2048 at 264 ppi) and included an antireflective coating. A cellular-equipped model was also available.
The 12.9-inch iPad Pro was available in silver with a white front, gold with a white front, and space gray with a black front. This model is space gray.
This iPad Pro included a new Smart Connector that provided connectivity and power for the Apple Smart Keyboard.
The Apple Pencil was announced with this first-generation iPad Pro on September 9, 2015. The Pencil could be used with the first and second generation iPad Pro models. It connected wirelessly using Bluetooth and had a removable cap that concealed a Lightning connector for charging. It used pressure sensitivity and angle detection and had very low latency, making it function like a real pencil with no delay.
The Apple Watch Series 2 models were called “the ultimate device for a healthy life” and added “incredible fitness and health capabilities including a water resistance 50 meter rating for swimming, and built-in GPS so users can now run without an iPhone.” The announcement for the Apple Watch Series 2 was made on September 7, 2016, approximately one year after the announcement of the original Apple Watch.
Apple Watch Series 2 models included a dual core processor, water resistance to 50 meters, and built-in GPS. This Apple Watch Series 2 model is a the Nike+ version in the 42 mm size and featured a 312×390 display with an anodized aluminum case.
The Apple Watch Series 2 Nike+ configurations had a custom Nike+ fluroelastomer band with compression-molded perforations—also known as holes—that reduced weight and improved ventilation. The Nike+ models included custom Nike-branded watch faces. There originally were four Apple Watch Nike+ configurations:
silver aluminum case with silver/volt (neon yellow) Nike sport band
silver aluminum case with silver/white Nike sport band
space gray aluminum case with black/volt (neon yellow) Nike sport band
space gray aluminum case with black/cool gray Nike sport band
This Apple Watch was purchased with the silver/volt band. In this photo, the band has been replaced with a midnight blue leather loop.
The original iPad mini featured a 7.9-inch screen at 1024×768 (163 ppi). Internally, it had a dual core 1 GHz Apple A5 processor; 512 MB of RAM; and 16, 32, or 64 GB of storage. It had two cameras: a rear-mounted 5 megapixel iSight camera (1080p) and a front-mounted 1.2 megapixel FaceTime HD camera (720p). The original iPad mini used a Lightning port.
I found the iPad mini perfect for travel due to its small size, reduced weight, high-quality display, and 10-hour battery.
This particular iPhone 6 model was used an AT&T network (and functioned throughout North America). All iPhone 6 models had a 4.7-inch multi-touch screen at 1334×750 (326 ppi, Retina HD display). It had two cameras: a rear 8 megapixel iSight camera (1080p) and a front 1.2 megapixel FaceTime camera (720p).
The iPhone 6 was originally available in three color options: silver (white glass front and a silver aluminum back), gold (white glass front and a gold aluminum back), and space gray (black glass front and a medium-gray aluminum back). The iPhone used a unibody design with rounded sides (similar to the iPod touch Generation 5). The glass screen curved slightly at the edges. It also included a Touch ID fingerprint sensor.
The iPhone 6 used a 1.4 GHz 64-bit Apple A8 processor with 1 GB of RAM and 16, 32, 64, or 128 GB of storage. In addition to 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0/4.2, and LTE (4G), it included NFC for Apple Pay transactions. It had both a bottom-mounted headphone jack and a Lightning port.
