Apple held a Media Event today in Cupertino.  Here are my live key notes of what was announced!

For full details, be sure to check Apple.com

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40 years in 40 seconds video plays. Apple turns 40 on April 1st 2016.

Tim Cook talks about privacy and encryption.

Lisa Jackson, head of environment on stage. Talks about Apple's goal to become 100% renewable. At the moment 93% of Apple offices run on renewable energy. Also talks about recycling and reusing iPhone's.

Health: Jeff Williams talks about ResearchKit.
Apple launching CareKit - available in April.

Apple Watch: Top selling smartwatch in the world. New Apple Watch bands! Woven Nylon. Apple Watch price drops to starting from $299.

Apple TV: Talk about apps. tvOS - update: folders, photo library & live photos,  dictation, Siri for App Store. tvOS 9.2 available today.

iPhone: New 4-inch. Called iPhone SE. Includes Rose Gold finish color option. Looks like iPhone 5s. A9 64-bit chip, M9 co-processor. Same CPU performance as iPhone 6s. 12-megapixel iSight Camera. Battery improvements. Includes features like Live Photos and Retina Flash. Capture 4K video. Touch ID. Price starts from $399 (16GB). Orders from March 24th - available March 31st.

iOS 9.3: new Night Shift color mode to make screen warmer looking which might make you sleep better at night. Notes: Passcode protect. Heath: app suggestions. Top stories in News. Apple Music in Car Play. iPad in the classroom improvements in iOS 9.3. iOS 9.3 available today!

iPad: Customers love the iPad Pro. New 9.7 inch iPad Pro! 40% less reflective. 25% brighter than iPad Air 2. 25% greater color saturation. True color tone display. 4-speakers. Twice volume of iPad Air 2. A9X 64-bit chip. M9 co-processor. Smart keyboard for 9.7 inch display. Pencil. Other accessories include: Lightning SD card reader, USB Camera reader. 12 megapixel iSight camera. 4K video recording. True tone flash on iPad! Live photos. Now also in Rose Gold. $599 for 32GB, $749 - 128GB, $899 - 256GB (New option) - Wi-Fi models. Order from March 24, ships on March 31.

Apple is holding a media event today (March 21st) at 10 a.m. PDT. 

It's been rumored that Apple will announce a new smaller size 4-inch-iPhone with the internals of an iPhone 6 or 6s. A new 9.7 inch iPad Pro. Possibly new Apple Watch bands, and possibly the release of iOS 9.3. 

Apple will live stream the event from their website and on Apple TV. Check Apple's Event page for more details. 

Australians, free television networks are making watching your favorite shows easier and more convenient for you. We now have more content online than ever before and if you have an iPhone, iPad, or computer, it's never been easier to catch up on TV in your own time. 

All major Australian television networks have iOS apps available. The Seven Network has Plus7, Channel 9 has 9jumpin, Network Ten has Tenplay, there is also SBS On Demand, ABC iview and ABC KIDS iview. 

But how do all these apps really perform? Are they worthy of even being on your iOS device? Will you have a great experience? And can I steam the video to my Apple TV? These are the main questions that I'll be answering in these reviews. 

Reviewing these apps, I'll be looking to for the following criteria: picture and sound quality. General features and user interface. The catalog of available shows to watch. How advertising effects the watch-ability and if the app supports AirPlay streaming to a Apple TV. 

Also note, these reviews are based on playback on a iPhone 6 and streaming to a 2014 Apple TV (not the newest one). These networks also have websites available where you can access many, if not all, of the same features. 

Plus7

Picture and sound quality: Picture was ok, clear, but far from a HD clear image. Sound was ok for watching on a iPhone or iPad. 

Noteworthy Feature: Plus7 has recently added new live streaming of their three main channels to the app. You can live stream Channel 7, 7two, and 7mate. 

Show catalog: 7Plus features heaps of there shows, including: A Touch of Frost, Beach Cops, Better Homes and Gardens, Blindspot, Castle, Grimm, Heroes Reborn, Home and Away, How to Get Away with Murder, The Blacklist, The Chase, and many more... 

Ads: Yes. The 'hour long' episode that I watched featured seven commercial breaks. Commercial breaks featured multiple ads.  

AirPlay support?: No. 

9Jumpin

Picture and sound quality: Quality improves based on your internet connection. Picture and sound was very good on mobile. 

Noteworthy Features: View shows previews, read up on the show and characters, and view Twitter feeds. *on selected shows.  

Show catalog: 9jumpin features many shows from there three main channels, including: 60 Minutes, Arrow, The Bachelor, The Big Bang Theory, Celebrity Apprentice, A Current Affair, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Hot Seat, Survivor, and more... 

Ads: Yes. The 'half hour show' featured four commercial breaks. Commercial breaks feature multiple ads. 

AirPlay support?: Yes. No button on the app, however you can switch on AirPlay to your Apple TV on through the iOS Control Panel. Streaming quality was very clear once it adjusted to your connections speed - this happens after every commercial break, as well. One problem however, if my iPhone's screen switched off, the video paused. Ad volume was also inconsistent. 

Tenplay

Picture and sound quality: Picture frequently was blurring and low quality on mobile. Sound was clear and fine for mobile. Picture quality on the Apple TV app varies. Maybe based on show, but sometimes was very low quality and hard to watch. Most shows were blurry and nowhere near even DVD quality.  

Noteworthy Features: With the MyTV feature, if you sign up, you can add favorite shows, create a watchlist's and episode playlists. Your can also set reminders. 

Show catalog: shows featured on Tenplay include: TBL Families, Homeland, Scream Queens, Have You Been Paying Attention, Limitless, Madam Secretary, Empire, Hawaii Five-O, Supernatural, Family Feud, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, and more.   

Ads: Yes. Four commercial breaks on the 'half hour show'. Commercial breaks feature multiple ads. Volume is inconsistent, with some ads being much louder than the TV show.   

AirPlay support?: Tenplay wins in Apple TV support, because they are the only app at the moment that actually is featured as an official app on the Apple TV itself. No need to stream from your iPhone or iPad, you can watch whatever is available right from the Apple TV. 

> Continue to Part 2 

Part two of my Australian TV network apps on iOS review. These reviews are looking for the following criteria: picture and sound quality. General features and user interface. The catalog of available shows to watch. How advertising effects the watch-ability and if the app supports AirPlay streaming to a Apple TV. 

Note: These reviews are based on playback on a iPhone 6 and streaming to a 2014 Apple TV (not the newest one). These networks also have websites available where you can access many, if not all, of the same features. 

(Click to view Part 1)  

Part 2 of Aussie TV App For iOS: 

SBS On Demand

Notable Problems: Firstly, videos play with the iPhone's status bar overlaying. Great that I can see the time and my battery level - but this is annoying. Video sometimes failed to even begin - though it's funny - the advertisement played fine. And I say advertisement and not 'advertisements' because the same one played over and over. App is not even readjusted for larger iPhone screens and is still just enlarged to fit. 

Picture and sound quality: Just watchable. Video has poor frame rate and pixel banding issues. Could do with a much higher Bit Rate.  

Show catalog: Some on the shows available to watch are: American Ninja Warrior, South Park, Letters & Numbers, Ali G: Remixed, Australia with Simon Reeve, Awaken, Bref, Dateline, Fargo, Maison Close, If You Are The One, a lot of documentaries, and many more...  

Ads: Yes. Run through out the program. 

AirPlay support?: Sort of. I want to say "no". No button on the apps screen, however you can switch it on in the iOS Control Panel. When the iPhone screen sleeps, sometimes so did the playing video. Video also has a hard time resuming playback position after an ad plays and often stay in an endless crashed loop of not loading anything. Video would not even close when 'Done' was pressed. You no what - just don't even attempt to AirPlay video from this app.  

ABC iview

Picture and sound quality: Sound was good for iPhone or iPad. Picture quality adjusts with your internet connection, however the best I experienced looked just 'okay' on iPhone and could of been much better. The picture isn't high quality 'sharp' and there was definitely pixel banding in areas. The low picture quality is much more noticeable on iPad or when AirPlayed to a TV screen.    

Noteworthy Features: You can browse content by channel. Choose shows from ABC, or ABC 2, ABC 3, ABC Kids, News, Arts, and ABC Presents. 

Show catalog: A wide variety of shows are on the ABC networks, but to name a few: Doctor Who, Making Families Happy, Catalyst, Four Corners, Antiques Roadshow, The Beautiful Lie, The Next Step, Camp Lakebottom, Numb Chucks, Play School, and many more... 

Ads: In the couple of programs I watched, there was no advertisements. 

AirPlay support?: Yes! You can AirPlay the video to an Apple TV. 

ABC KIDS iview 

A dedicated app just for kids, ABC KIDS iview app opened with volume that was not controlled by my iPhone's volume level. All sounds in this app (except playing video) do this. Really annoying. 


Based on the security of the Settings, I assume this app is intended for kids who cant read numbers yet. 

Picture and sound quality: Sound is fine, picture on the other hand is pretty low quality in my experience. It's 'okay' on iPhone and even streamed to a Apple TV, but it's not very sharp. 

Noteworthy Features: The app features a grid of shows to choose from. Tap a show to bring up available videos. Parents can also set a timer to lock the screen. 

Show catalog: Among the list are: Hey Duggee, 64 Zoo Lane, Bananas in Pajamas, Big Block SingSong, Bob the Builder, Dinosaur Train, dirtgirlworld, Emma!, Fireman Sam, and more...  

Ads: None that I saw. 

AirPlay support?: Yes! You can AirPlay the video to an Apple TV. 

Thanks for reading, be sure to share if you liked these reviews! 

New details about the all new Apple TV have emerged today from Tim Cook, who was on stage and interviewed at the WSJDLive conference, held in Palm Springs, California.

The all new Apple TV will go on pre-order on Monday October 26th and will begin shipping out at the end of that week.

The new Apple TV features a new operating system called tvOS, Siri voice search, an App Store and a lot more.

The new Apple TV will come in either 32GB ($149) or 64GB ($199).

> View more details about the all new Apple TV on the Apple website.

Apple held a media event today (Wednesday September 9th 2015), and got on stage with their keynote presentation, held at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, in San Francisco. 

The following is my notes taken during the Apple Event Keynote presentation. For the full info on everything about the new upgrades or products, be sure to check out Apple.com. 

Video of today's Apple Event will also be available on the Apple Events webpage. 

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Apple Watch:

- 97% customer satisfaction.

- WatchOS2

- Facebook Messenger, iTranslate, GoPro & AirStrip (health care) apps coming to Apple Watch. 

- New bands. 

- New Apple Watch models.

- New Gold and Rose Gold Sport Apple Watch models.

- New models shipping today.

- watchOS 2 available September 16th. 

iPad:

- "The biggest news in iPad since the iPad". 

iPad Pro.

-- Larger display. 12.9 inch

-- full-size software keyboard 

-- A9X processor. 64-bit. 

-- Double graphics performance of A8X chip. 

-- 10 hour battery life.

-- Four speakers.

-- 6.9mm thin. (6.1mm iPad Air) 

-- 1.57 lb.

-- New physical Smart Keyboard accessory sold separately. (only for iPad Pro) $169.

-- Apple Pencil! Built in sensors. Charges via lightning plug into iPad Pro.

-- Demos of new apps by Adobe and 3D4Medical were shown.
-- Three color options; silver, gold, and space-gray.
-- 8 megapixel camera.
-- Price: from $799 for 32GB model.
-- iPad Pro Coming in November.
-- Apple Pencil $99, also coming in November. 

iPad Mini 2 now from $269
iPad Mini 4 from $399 (new)
iPad Air from $399
iPad Air 2 from $499
iPad Pro from $799


Apple TV:
- "The future of TV is apps".
- App Store.
- New user interface.
- Powerful hardware.
- Modern OS
- Developer tools.
- New Apple TV.
- Use your voice to search video content with Siri.
- Use Siri for navigation around Apple TV.
- New remote for new Apple TV. Includes touch pad.
- Apple Music also included in Apple TV.
- Check weather.
- Operating system called: tvOS.
- Developers can make apps, including games.
- Some game demos were shown, a shopping app, and a sports app.
- Apple TV specs Ethernet, HDMI, Bluetooth 4.0.
- Price: 32GB $149, 64GB $199.
- tvOS developer beta opens today.
- New Apple TV ships in Late October.


iPhone:
- New iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus.
- New Rose Gold color option. Also in gold, silver, and space gray.
- "The only thing that's changed is everything."
- New stronger glass and 7000 series aluminum.
- 3D Touch. New gestures and buttons. Short-cuts.
- Taptic Engine.
- Specs: A9 chip, 64-bit. 70% faster CPU, 90% GPU (than A8).
- Game demo were shown.
- M9 motion co-processor built directly into A9 chip.
- 2nd-Generation Touch ID finger print scanner. 2 times faster.
- 12 megapixel iSight Camera. 50% more pixels than before.
- 4K video recording. 8 million pixels in every frame.
- 5-megapixel front facing FaceTime camera.
- Retina Flash: True Tone flash on screen for front camera.
- 'Live Photos' using 3D Touch. Also can have sound.
- New app makes moving from Android easy.
- Wi-Fi up to 2x faster.
- Comes with iOS 9.
- iPhone 6S from $199. iPhone 6S Plus $299. Same as previous.
- iPhone 6 now $99 and iPhone 6 Plus $199.
- Pre-order Saturday September 12th.
- Available Friday September 25th.
- iOS 9 available Wednesday September 16th.


iCloud Prices:
5GB Free
50GB $0.99
200GB $2.99
1TB $9.99

Mark your calendar, the rumors got this one right! Apple has just sent out the invites for a Media Event on Wednesday September 9th at 10 a.m PDT, at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, in San Francisco, California.

The image that came with the invite, writes, "Hey, Siri, give us a hint."  And, if you ask Siri to give you a hint, you may just get some fun answers.

Apple is expected to announce at the Media Event on September 9th, the new iPhone 6S, and has also been rumored to announce other new products, like new iPad's, (possibly a iPad Pro), and even an upgrade to the Apple TV.

The Keynote will be streamed live by Apple at 10 a.m. PDT, on September 9th.

Want some free TV show episodes to add to your Apple iTunes collection? As you may or may not know, iTunes regularly features free full-length episodes of TV shows for you to download, in their 'Free on iTunes' section, of the iTunes store.

If you have a U.S. iTunes account, there is a bunch of episodes from a variety of shows that you can download, all for free! Other counties usually also have free content, but from my experience, the U.S. always has the most on offer.

Currently iTunes (U.S. Store) is offering for free, full-length episodes from TV shows that include; episode 1 of 'Humans', 'Quantum Jump', pilot of 'Proof', an episode of 'Impractical Jokers', episode 1 of Disney show 'Best Friends Whenever', Robert Zemeckis in 'The Director's Chair', episode 'Ninja Sharks' from 'Shark Week 2015', the pilot of MTV's 'The Scream' TV Series, and many more...

To download and start watching these episodes, open up your iTunes app, head to TV Shows on the Store, and look for the 'Free on iTunes' text apart of Quick Links section.