The 5 Most Important Apple Product Announcements

'Good Stuff' Going On At Apple

What Apple develops with the consumer in mind often finds its way into business use, and the company's product announcements during its Sept. 7 event aren't likely to be an exception. Specifically, Apple's advancements in areas such as processing power, battery life and wireless technology are a good sign not just for users but also for solution providers that work with Apple products, said Mike Hadley, CEO of Boston-based Apple partner iCorps Technologies. "It's nice to see them come out with innovative technology, because they've struggled lately [in that regard]," Hadley said. "When Steve Jobs died, they obviously lost a great innovator and a great perfectionist and a great driver of technology. … This [event] is good stuff for them, I think."

What follows are the CRN Test Center's picks for the five biggest announcements that Apple made during its Sept. 7 product event.

A10 Fusion

Apple said the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus will get a boost in horsepower thanks to the company's next-generation, 64-bit chip, the A10 Fusion. The company will be taking a different approach with the processor by segmenting what its four cores focus on. Two of the cores will be for high performance, offering 40 percent faster processing than the A9, while the other two cores will be used for maximizing power efficiency of certain tasks. Apple said it's designed a new performance controller to determine which cores to utilize at a given time.

iPhone 7: Battery Life

For on-the-go workers that rely on their smartphone to stay productive, Apple's enhancements to the battery life in iPhone 7 could be very welcome. The iPhone 7 promises up to 14 hours of battery life for Wi-Fi usage, compared to the 11 hours promised by its predecessor, the iPhone 6S.

AirPods

Apple unveiled a new type of wireless headphones, which it calls AirPods, that will let users not just listen to audio but also make phone calls and interact with Siri. The AirPods will leverage Apple's new low-power W1 chip, and will offer up to five hours of usage on a charge. The AirPods will be available in late October for $159, Apple said.

iPhone 7 Plus: Camera

The iPhone 7 Plus will include a dual-camera setup for improved photo quality. The smartphone will feature a 12-megapixel wide-angle camera (the same as included on the iPhone 7) but then also add a 12-megapixel telephoto camera. Together, the two cameras "offer optical zoom at two times and up to 10 times digital zoom for photos," Apple said. Later this year, the dual cameras will also be able to support a new depth-of-field effect for iPhone 7 Plus photos, according to Apple. iCorps Technologies' Hadley said he is a major user of his iPhone camera for work, adding the upgraded cameras is one key reason why he's planning to upgrade to the iPhone 7 Plus.

Apple Watch Series 2

Apple unveiled an upgraded Apple Watch with boosts to CPU (up to 50 percent faster), GPU (up to 2X faster) and display (2X brighter, second-gen display). The Apple Watch Series 2 also comes with built-in GPS, better water resistance (it's now "swim-proof") and a new color -- ceramic white.

"I do believe the Apple Watch is a good business tool," said Hadley, who said he owns an Apple Watch that he'll use on days when he has a heavy meeting schedule in order to be able to glance at notifications.

The Apple Watch Series 2 will be available Sept. 16 and will be priced at $369.