Top Stories: Apple Event Recap, Apple Watch Series 6, Redesigned iPad Air, and More

This week's news was obviously dominated by Apple's media event and the launch of iOS 14, but there was a lot to digest, so check out our summary below for the high-level view of the past week.

Top Stories 28 Feature
With the exception of the massively redesigned iPad Air, all of the new hardware introduced this week is starting to appear on store shelves and on customers' doorsteps, while all of the new software updates bring some changes and new features to existing devices, so there's lots to explore!

Everything Apple Announced at This Week's iPad and Apple Watch Event in Just Seven Minutes

Apple hosted its virtual "Time Flies" event this week, where it introduced four new products, including the Apple Watch Series 6, lower-cost Apple Watch SE, a 10.9-inch iPad Air with an all-screen design, and an updated 10.2-inch iPad with a faster A12 Bionic chip. As expected, there were no new iPhones, which are believed to be coming in October instead.

cook sept 2020 event
Apple also announced that it will be offering its various services in a bundle called Apple One starting later this year, including an all-new Fitness+ service that will offer "studio-style workouts delivered by inspiring world-class trainers" on iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV.

Apple's event ran just over an hour, but we've condensed all of the major announcements into a seven-minute video. For more details about all of the new products and services unveiled, read our event transcript and the individual stories in our newsletter below.

Apple Watch Series 6 Unveiled With Blood Oxygen Measuring, New Color Options, and More

Apple this week unveiled the Apple Watch Series 6, its latest high-end smartwatch.

Key new features of the Series 6 include blood oxygen measuring, up to 20 percent faster performance than the Series 5, a brighter always-on display, a next-generation always-on altimeter, and new casing options like blue aluminum and graphite stainless steel.

f1600190370
A handful of media outlets and YouTubers have shared first impressions and unboxing videos of the Series 6, providing a closer look at the device's new color options, including the vibrant (PRODUCT)RED model. We've also had a short time to spend with our own Series 6, and we agree with most of the impression pieces that describe the Series 6 as an incremental update.

Apple Watch Series 6 is available to order now on Apple.com and through the Apple Store app, and has just begun arriving in customers' hands. Pricing starts at $399 in the United States.

Lower-Cost Apple Watch SE Unveiled Without Features Like ECG App and Blood Oxygen Measuring

Apple also unveiled a lower-cost Apple Watch SE that features the same external design as the Apple Watch Series 6, but with some features missing, including an always-on display, blood oxygen measuring, and the ECG app for detecting atrial fibrillation. Apple Watch SE is also powered by the previous-generation S5 chip used in last year's Apple Watch Series 5.

apple watch se
Apple Watch SE shares a handful of features with the Series 6, including fall detection, a compass, an always-on altimeter, Emergency SOS with international emergency calling, high and low heart rate notifications, irregular heart rhythm notifications, water resistance up to 50 meters, the Noise app, and compatibility with the watchOS 7 update released this week.

Priced from $279, the Apple Watch SE is available to order now on Apple.com and through the Apple Store app, and it is starting to make its way into customers' hands now.

Apple Introduces 10.9-Inch iPad Air With A14 Chip, All-Screen Design, Touch ID in Power Button, and USB-C

Shifting attention to the tablet side of things, Apple introduced a redesigned iPad Air with slimmer bezels, paving the way for an all-screen design similar to recent iPad Pro models. In addition, the new iPad Air is the first Apple device with Touch ID built into the power button.

2020 ipad air
The new iPad Air features a larger 10.9-inch Liquid Retina display with True Tone support, a USB-C port, and an improved 12-megapixel rear camera. The device is powered by a new six-core A14 Bionic chip for up to 40 percent faster performance and up to 30 percent faster graphics than the previous-generation iPad Air.

The new iPad Air will be available starting in October on Apple.com and through the Apple Store app in 30 countries and regions. Wi-Fi models will start at $599, while cellular models will start at $729, with 64GB and 256GB storage capacities available. There will be five colors to choose from, including silver, space gray, rose gold, and all-new green and sky blue finishes.

Apple also upgraded its entry-level 10.2-inch iPad with a faster A12 Bionic chip. Pricing continues to start at $329.

iOS 14 Released With Home Screen Widgets and More

Following several months of beta testing, Apple on Wednesday released iOS 14 and iPadOS 14, plus watchOS 7 and tvOS 14. We've shared a list of compatible devices for each software update here.

iOS 14 Feature
iOS 14 is packed with new features, including a redesigned Home Screen that supports widgets, the ability to set third-party web browser and email apps like Chrome and Outlook as default, picture-in-picture video support, compact interfaces for both Siri and phone calls, and much more.

With iOS 14 and associated other updates barely out the door, Apple has already moved on to a fresh round of beta updates, jumping straight to iOS 14.2, which adds new Shazam music recognition integration to Control Center and a delivers few other tweaks. iOS 14.1 will presumably be shipping with the new iPhones next month, with iOS 14.2's public release to follow.

Apple has yet to announce a release date for macOS Big Sur, which is still listed as "coming this fall," but the new Safari 14 update is now available for macOS Catalina and macOS Mojave users.

'Apple One' Bundles Introduced With Apple Music, Apple TV+ and More, Pricing Starts at $14.95/Month

Apple this week introduced new "Apple One" bundles for its services, which will allow customers to subscribe to Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, and more for one set monthly price, with the total cost being cheaper than subscribing to the services individually.

appleonebundle169
There will be three tiers of Apple One available starting later this year, including Individual, Family, and Premier. All three will include Apple Music, Apple TV+, and Apple Arcade, with varying amounts of iCloud storage, while the Premier tier will add Apple News+ and Apple Fitness+.

Fitness+ is a new service that will sync with the Apple Watch to help you stay fit. Priced at $9.99 per month on a standalone basis, the service will offer "studio-style workouts delivered by inspiring world-class trainers" on iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV. Apple says the service will launch before the end of 2020.

MacRumors Newsletter

Each week, we publish an email newsletter like this highlighting the top Apple stories, making it a great way to get a bite-sized recap of the week hitting all of the major topics we've covered and tying together related stories for a big-picture view.

So if you want to have top stories like the above recap delivered to your email inbox each week, subscribe to our newsletter!

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro Launching in Three Months With These 12 New Features

Saturday June 21, 2025 2:45 pm PDT by
The iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are around three months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices from credible sources. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of June 2025:Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone X...
iPhone 16 Battery Life Feature

iOS 26's New Battery Life Mode Available Only on These iPhone Models

Saturday June 21, 2025 9:02 am PDT by
Last week, we reported that iOS 26 introduces an opt-in Adaptive Power Mode on the iPhone, alongside the existing Low Power Mode. Apple says that Adaptive Power Mode can make "small performance adjustments" when necessary to extend an iPhone's battery life, including slightly lowering the display brightness or allowing some activities to "take a little longer." The full description of...
All Screen iPhone 2027 Feature 1

iPhone Reportedly Moving to All-Screen Design in Two Stages

Sunday June 22, 2025 3:58 pm PDT by
Apple has long been working towards an iPhone with an all-screen design, and it might finally achieve the feat in a few more years from now. In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that Apple will shrink the size of the Dynamic Island on new iPhone models released next year. A year after that, he expects Apple to release a redesigned 20th-anniversary iPhone model....
ios 26 control center b2

Everything New in iOS 26 Beta 2

Monday June 23, 2025 2:57 pm PDT by
Apple provided developers with the second beta of iOS 26, introducing the first changes and refinements to the new operating system since it debuted after the WWDC keynote. Because we're early in the beta testing process, there are quite a few tweaks to iOS 26, which we've rounded up below. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Control Center The background behind the...
ios 26 control center b2

iOS 26 Beta 2 Fixes Control Center Design

Monday June 23, 2025 10:58 am PDT by
With the second beta of iOS 26 that Apple provided to developers today, Apple addressed one of the major complaints that people have had with Liquid Glass. iOS 26 beta 1 on left, iOS 26 beta 2 on right The Control Center buttons are now slightly more opaque, making it easier to see the different control options even on a multicolored background. The new, more opaque look is apparent with the ...
iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro's Alleged Vapor Chamber Cooling System Partly Revealed

Sunday June 22, 2025 6:37 am PDT by
Apple's upcoming iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max models are rumored to be equipped with a vapor chamber cooling system, and a leaker known as Majin Bu today shared a photo of an alleged copper thermal plate for the system. Many high-end Android smartphones like Samsung's Galaxy S25 Ultra are equipped with a vapor chamber cooling system, which can manage heat dissipation inside the...
apple watch ultra 2 new black

Apple Watch Ultra 3 Finally Coming After Two-Year Hiatus

Tuesday June 24, 2025 3:40 am PDT by
Apple will finally deliver the Apple Watch Ultra 3 sometime this year, according to analyst Jeff Pu of GF Securities Hong Kong (via @jukanlosreve). The analyst expects both the Apple Watch Series 11 and Apple Watch Ultra 3 to arrive this year (likely alongside the new iPhone 17 lineup, if previous launches are anything to go by), according to his latest product roadmap shared with...
Apple Watch Ultra 2 Complications

watchOS 26 Adding a Smaller Yet Useful New Watch Face Setting

Monday June 23, 2025 9:39 am PDT by
watchOS 26 is adding a new "Show Data When Locked" setting to the Apple Watch. MacRumors contributor Steve Moser discovered the new setting within the code for the first watchOS 26 beta, and a Reddit user has seemingly found it in action, but we have yet to figure out where it is exactly. Leave a comment if you know. The new privacy setting allows you to toggle on or off the ability to...
Wi Fi WiFi General Feature

iOS 26 Adding Two New Wi-Fi Features, Allows AirDrop and AirPlay Alternatives

Saturday June 21, 2025 7:02 am PDT by
iOS 26 is gaining two new Wi-Fi features, including Captive Assist and Wi-Fi Aware. MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris discovered a reference to Captive Assist within the code for the first iOS 26 developer beta, but Apple has yet to enable the feature. It should be available by the time the software update is released later this year. In his Power On newsletter last month, Bloomberg's...

Top Rated Comments

Kulfon Avatar
62 months ago
Extremely low key event and updates
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
routine_analyst Avatar
62 months ago

I experienced this crash for years on my old iPad mini 2 (only 1GB RAM) and on my old iPad 6 (only 2GB RAM), but since I upgraded to a 2020 iPad Pro (6GB RAM) I don't have this issue anymore. What iPhone or iPad model are you using?
LOL! "I WENT FROM CIVIC TO FERARRI. I HAVE NO PROBLEM NO MORE. BUY FERARRI."
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
vmistery Avatar
62 months ago

I'm interested in learning Air4 RAM too. Is this typical for Apple, to withhold this info until pre-order day?
I don’t believe they ever officially state the amount of RAM in any of their devices with the exception of the Mac line up. Usually we have to wait for someone to find out.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
fbr$ Avatar
62 months ago

iPad 6. Interesting the issue stopped for you - I'm hopeful! Thx!
I remember the page below, with several YouTube videos, making my iPad 6 crash a lot, it was when I decided to buy a 2020 iPad Pro.

I'm trying the page below on my iPhone 8 Plus (3GB) right now, zooming in and zooming out very quickly, and I'm having no issues!

(Latest iOS/iPadOS 14 public betas here)

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/first-magic-keyboard-for-ipad-pro-hands-on-videos-appear-online.2231530/
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
iMi Avatar
62 months ago
I think the $29.99 Apple One bundle is a great deal. I’ll moving to that when it becomes available.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
fbr$ Avatar
62 months ago

LOL! "I WENT FROM CIVIC TO FERARRI. I HAVE NO PROBLEM NO MORE. BUY FERARRI."
I'm not experiencing Safari crashes on my iPhone 8 Plus (3GB RAM), so I guess a 3GB RAM iPad would be enough...
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)