Apple got back in the game today – kind of – with the release of a new iPad and a new red iPhone 7 and 7 plus.
The latest colourful addition to the iPhone family is the product of a collaboration between Apple and (Red), an AIDS awareness campaign started by U2 frontman Bono and extended-Kennedy-family member Bobby Shriver. Apple has pledged to donate a portion of the profits from the sale of the iPhone 7 PRODUCT(RED) to the organisation, but is yet to specify how much. The new red iPhone 7 is virtually identical to the standard iPhone 7 in a technical sense, and at $1399 the decision to buy will be entirely cosmetic.
“Since we began working with (RED) 10 years ago, our customers have made a significant impact in fighting the spread of AIDS through the purchase of our products, from the original iPod nano (PRODUCT)RED Special Edition all the way to today’s lineup of Beats products and accessories for iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO.
The new iPad is cheaper, but not necessarily better – it still runs using the same processor as the iPhone 6, which means that it will be slightly slower than the current iPhone 7.
Apple unveiled these new products through press releases, rather than their typical extravagant product launches.
The new products are expected to be on sale by the end of the month, with advance orders available for New Zealand from Friday.
