First blush not exactly first gush for new Apple products

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The new iPhone 6s in the hands of journalist during Apple's September event Wednesday.
The new iPhone 6s in the hands of journalist during Apple's September event Wednesday.
Photo: The Verge/YouTube

After a little playtime with Apple’s new products Wednesday, the bloggers and tech reporters who cover Cupertino wrote positive reviews, but nothing seemed to make anyone pause and say wow.

The hands-on reviews and observations of the new Apple TV, the iPad Pro and iPhone 6s were measured praises of what may come later, the story appears to be more about evolution than revelation.

For every new product reveal Apple holds, the company gives journalists a chance to do a hands-on inspection of the new devices. They can demo some of the functions but otherwise must wait a few weeks before they can spend quality time with a product for an in-depth user experience.

Maybe Apple is so good at innovation, it’s getting tougher to impress.

“As for performance, it’s unsurprisingly great,” The Verge’s Nilay Patel said after trying out the beefed-up Apple TV. “Overall, it’s a welcome – and meaningful – upgrade to the Apple TV, but there’s nothing in this first look that makes it seem like it’s going to usher in a massive TV revolution.”

Apple seems confident it can get us all to trade in our old iPads for the newly unveiled iPad Pro, which allows for multitasking and can be partnered with an optional keyboard. Once David Pierce of Wired got over iPad Pro’s 12.9-inch size, he called it great.

The new iPad Pro is bigger and handles more tasks, but one journalist wonders if it's the right product for the consumer.
The new iPad Pro is bigger and handles more tasks, but one journalist wonders if it’s the right product for the consumer.
Photo: Apple

“The question will be, is it great for you?” Pierce wrote. “The iPad is still a tablet, and running iOS means it’s still going to be a little clunky. Using word, I found myself wishing I had all my keyboard and mouse shortcuts handy and didn’t have to keep picking up the Pencil or tapping the screen. And if we learned anything from the (Microsoft Surface), it’s that the world might not be ready for this type of device just yet.”

Pierce was equally kind and cautious on his impressions of the iPhone 6s, which is the same in design from the 6, but has several new features like 3D Touch, a 12-megapixel camera, 4K video and Live Picture, which records 1.5 seconds of video and turns a still photo into something a little more animated.

“But the photos and videos I’ve seen look insane,” he said. “Like, incredible. But again, hard to say for sure what they’ll be like in the real world.”

The Verge’s Dieter Hohn praised the iPhone 6s as great but seems to be looking past it with greater expectations for an iPhone 7.

“So the big question: should you upgrade? At this point, I feel like it’s an academic question with iPhones,” Hohn wrote. “If you need a new iPhone, get this one. If you have an iPhone 6 or are otherwise happy with your iPhone, you don’t really have to.”

USA Today’s Jefferson Graham seemed to write with a sharper edge than most about the iPhone 6s. He seems to be tired of hearing the “best ever” claims each time Apple shows off a newer version of a gadget.

“Apple spent over 40 minutes Wednesday doing a high-intensity sales job on the new iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, which it flames was the most advance and best ever iPhone,” Graham said. “They always say that. It’s that this year, it didn’t seem like Apple had the goods to prove it. So last year’s model was the best iPhone ever – how do you top it? You don’t. As consumers, we just have to come to terms with that.”

He ended his review with a prediction: Apple will roll out an iPhone 7 next year and it will be the “most advanced, best, revolutionary” iPhone ever.

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