Mobile Device Management – Recap of Apple Event & New Products October 2020

The first announcement of the day was the exciting HomePod Mini, extending Apple’s smart speaker from last year, Apple HomePod.  HomePod Mini is meant to bring Apple’s smart speaker to more people while more of us are at home. HomePod Mini boasts a smaller package with better sound, more integration with SIRI, as well as protecting your home with security and privacy. You have the choice to choose if your audio recordings will be saved or deleted, a major win for privacy and security.

Products like HomePod offer new potential device introductions within the business IT ecosystem, and it’s important your business address these devices early. Either choose to develop for them or choose to leave them outside of your approved device market and encourage your users to leverage caution when using them for personal use. While there are limited security tools for these units, businesses should encourage employees to take business-related calls away from the device and not allow the synchronization of business applications with Siri enabled or HomePod enabled applications within the OS, unless otherwise authorized by your security team.   

5G Just Got Real

One of the most exciting announcements of the event was the introduction of 5G being offered in the entire iPhone 12 lineup.  5G will bring new levels of performance, high-quality video, and realized support for business use of Augmented Reality (AR) to iPhone. Apple has partnered with Verizon, America’s fastest 5G network what vows to continue to expand 5G nationwide.

The new iPhone 12 is designed to be lighter, stronger, and faster with many components being designed around the new 5G technology. Here are a few of the most exciting, new features available on the iPhone 12.

• 5G capabilities
• A ceramic shield that boasts 4 times better drop performance than previous versions
• The Apple A14 chip that’s currently in the iPhone12 pro
• 6.1’’ Super Retina XDR OLED display
• Dual camera system with Wide and Ultra–Wide camera lenses that drastically improve photos in low light.
• MagSafe technology makes wireless charging easier and enables magnetic accessories like covers and a wallet

iPhone 12 Mini

The newly announced iPhone 12 Mini is the smallest, thinnest, lightest smartphone in the world with 5G capability.The iPhone 12 Mini’s size doesn’t sacrifice any capabilities of the regular iPhone 12, including all the same functionalities and features. 

• 5G capabilities
• A ceramic shield that boasts 4 times better drop performance than previous versions
• The Apple A14 Chip that’s currently in the iPhone12 pro
• 5.4’’ Super Retina XDR OLED display
• Dual camera system with Wide and Ultra-Wide camera lenses that drastically improve photos in low light.
• MagSafe technology makes wireless charging easier and enables magnetic accessories like covers and a wallet

iPhone 12 Pro

iPhone’s Pro line is designed for users that want the absolute most from the iPhone boasting premium materials and fascinating, new capabilities.

• 5G capabilities
• A ceramic shield that boasts 4 times better drop performance than previous versions
• The Apple A14 Bionic Chip that’s currently in the iPhone12 pro
• 6.1’’ Super Retina XDR OLED display
• Dual camera system with Wide and Ultra-Wide camera lenses that drastically improve photos in low light.
• MagSafe technology makes wireless charging easier and enables magnetic accessories like covers and a wallet 
• Capture, edit, watch and share photos and videos with Dolby Vision.
• Sophisticated camera enhancements such as a new Ultra-Wide lens and Apple Pro Raw
• Industry-leading Smart HDR 3 and 4K HDR video recording with Dolby Vision
• LiDAR Scanner

iPhone 12 Pro Max

The iPhone 12 Pro Max is Apple’s largest and most expensive smartphone in the lineup.  It boasts all the same features as the iPhone 12 Pro but with a massive 6.7” display. 

• 5G capabilities
• A ceramic shield that boasts 4 times better drop performance than previous versions
• The Apple A14 Chip that’s currently in the iPhone12 pro
• 6.7’’ Super Retina XDR OLED display
• Dual camera system with Wide and Ultra-Wide camera lenses that drastically improve photos in low light.
• MagSafe technology makes wireless charging easier and enables magnetic accessories like covers and a wallet 
• Capture, edit, watch and share photos and videos with Dolby Vision.
• Sophisticated camera enhancements such as a new Ultra-Wide lens and Apple Pro Raw
• Industry-leading Smart HDR 3 and 4K HDR video recording with Dolby Vision
• LiDAR Scanner

iPhone 12 Lineup Pricing

Apple’s price point release for this updated line of iPhones should entice the business world to upgrade their fleets and move forward into the world of new technology capabilities for their mobile power users. While the last several months have seen enterprises conserve inventory of legacy devices, the distinction in functionality and support for the next generation of business applications is clear: 5G will be the foundation of those rumored realizations. For the 80%+ of enterprise users with Apple units today, that means a new device is in their near future.