CUPERTINO, Calif. (AP) — Apple’s latest line-up of iPhones will boast better cameras, faster processors, and a longer lasting battery — all at the same prices as last year’s models, despite inflationary pressure that has driven up the cost of many other everyday items.

That pricing decision, revealed Wednesday during Apple’s first in-person product event in three years, came as a mild surprise. Many analysts predicted Apple would ask its devout fans to pay as much as 15% more to help offset rising costs for many components.

The hoopla surrounding Apple’s new iPhone 14 models is part of a post-Labor Day ritual the company has staged annually for more than a decade. Wednesday’s event was held on the company’s Cupertino, California, campus at a theater named after company co-founder Steve Jobs. After Apple CEO Tim Cook strolled out on stage, most of the event consisted of pre-recorded video presentation that the company honed during previous events staged during the pandemic.

For several years, Apple’s new iPhones have mostly featured incremental upgrades to cameras and battery life, and this year’s models were no exception. Pricing for the standard iPhone 14 will start at $799; the deluxe iPhone 14 Pro Max will start at $1099.

Among the latest improvements is a 48-megapixel camera in the Pro and Pro Max models that the company said will produce especially crisp pictures. The iPhone 13 versions of the Pro and Pro Max have 12-megapixel cameras. This year’s high-end models will also have always-on displays that stay lit even when the device is locked, a feature that has long been available on many smartphones powered by Google’s Android software.

Beginning in November, all the iPhone 14 models will be able to send SOS messages via a new satellite feature — a safety measure intended to let users request help when in remote areas without a wireless connection.

All the iPhone 14 models also will include a motion senor capable of detecting serious car crashes and automatically connecting to emergency services.

With inflation still hovering at its highest level in 40 years, consumers have curbed their spending on many discretionary items. That’s likely contributing to a recent decline in smartphone sales, although the iPhone has fared far better than competing Android devices .

The dimming sales outlook prompted the research firm International Data Corp. to predict a worldwide decline in 2022 smartphone shipments of 6.5%, almost double the 3.5% decline it had estimated a few months ago. Despite that anticipated drop in sales, the average price for new smartphones is expected to finish this year about 6% higher than last year, IDC estimated.

By keeping iPhones prices the same, Apple faces the potential risk of undermining its profits if inflation drives up its own costs. It’s a hit that the company could easily afford, given it has reaped $44 billion in profits through the first half of this year.

Apple could also end up fatten its bottom line if more consumers looking upgrade their mobile devices gravitate to the high-end Pro and Pro Max models, which generate bigger profit margins than the cheaper models. And it appears Apple is anticipating a growing number of consumers will will be prepared to pay an additional $200 to $300 for deluxe versions of the iPhone 14, said Wedbush Securities analyst Daniel Ives.

Apple’s stock price gained 1% Wednesday to close at $155.96.

Consumers have already been snapping up iPhones this year, even though Apple charges among the industry’s highest prices. Apple sold an estimated 106 million iPhones through the first half of this year, an 8% increase from the same time last year, according to Canalys, another research firm.

Forrester analyst Thomas Husson hailed the new lineup for its faster chips, improved design and “some incremental innovative features.”

The company’s Apple Watch Series 8, meanwhile, will include a new temperature sensor intended to help women retrospectively track their ovulation cycles in addition to the crash detection feature also debuting on the iPhone 14. The price for the latest Apple Watch, available in stores Sept. 16, will start at $399, the same as last year’s model.

In an effort to broaden the appeal of wearable technology, Apple is rolling out a Watch Ultra model designed to be more durable and offering a variety of special features tailored for hikers, scuba divers and other outdoor enthusiasts. The Watch Ultra, available in stores Sept. 23, will carry a premium price of $799.

CCI Insight analyst Leo Gebbie predicted that the Ultra will compete with existing sports watch brands like Garmin and some luxury Swiss watchmakers that market their products around extreme sports.

Apple also took the wraps off its next generation of wireless earbuds, the AirPods Pro 2, which will also maintain a starting price of $249.

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There are two way you can do this, either in your browser on your iPhone or iPad or on the various apps on your device. You can follow the instructions below to easily clear the cache on your iPhone or iPad.

How do I clear the cache on the iPhone or iPad?

This method will clear the cache in Safari on your iPhone or iPad, it will also clear all of the cookies on your device. This may help you speed up your browsing on your device in Safari. Once you clear all the cache you will need to input your passwords again on any websites as you will be signed out.

1. Go to Settings in your iPhone or iPad.

2. Scroll down to Safari and Select it.

3. Click on Clear History and Website Data on your device.

4. A popup will appear, clock Clear History and Data.

That’s it all of your browsing history will be cleared in Safari and you will need to login again to any websites, hopefully this should speed things up for your on your device when you are using the Safari browser.

How do I clear cache from other apps on my iPhone or iPad?

Another way to possibly speed things up on your device is clear the cache on individual apps that you no longer use, these apps can take up quite a bit of space with their documents and data and also possibly slow things down. If you have any app that is using a lot of data you no longer need you can delete the app and reinstall it. The only way to remove data on these apps is to delete the app completely. Follow the steps below to delete individual apps. If you do this it will completely delete the app and all of the data so make sure you only do this for apps where you no longer need the data.

1. Go to Settings on your device.

2. Select General then iPhone Storage.

3. Select the app you want delete and click Delete App.

4. You will then be promoted again to Delete App, click this and the app will be removed.

We hope you will find these tips useful and helpful, if you have any questions, please leave a comment below and we will try our best to answer them.

Roland Hutchinson | Contributed

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Apple unveiled four new iPhones equipped with technology for use with faster new 5G wireless networks, hoping that demand for higher data speeds will spark demand for new phones.

That might not happen as quickly as Apple would like.

In a virtual presentation Tuesday, the company announced four 5G-enabled versions of the new iPhone 12 ranging in price from almost $700 to roughly $1,100. Apple also announced a new, less expensive version of its HomePod smart speaker.

Smartphone sales have been slowing for years as their technology has matured. That has meant far fewer gotta-have-it innovations that can drive demand and, at least until recently, increasingly pricey phones. Add to that pandemic-related economic crisis, and consumers have tended to eke as much life as possible out of their existing phones.

Apple, however, is clearly betting that 5G speeds could push many users off the fence. At its event, the company boasted about 5G capabilities and brought in Verizon CEO Hans Vestberg to champion the carrier’s network.

5G is supposed to mean much faster speeds, making it quicker to download movies or games, for instance. But finding those speeds can be a challenge. While telecom operators have been rolling out 5G networks, significant boosts in speed are still uncommon in much of the world, including the U.S. So far, there are no popular new consumer applications that require 5G.

Updates in the new phones mostly amount to “incremental improvements” over predecessor iPhones, technology analyst Patrick Moorhead said, referring to 5G capabilities and camera upgrades on higher-end phones. But he suggested that if carriers build out their 5G networks fast enough, it could launch a “supercycle” in which large numbers of people switch to 5G phones.

That might be a big if. Mobile expert Carolina Milanesi of the firm Creative Strategies said economic pain caused by the global pandemic and accompanying job losses could easily restrain that buying impulse.

Apple’s new models include the iPhone 12, which features a 6.1-inch display and starts at almost $800, and the iPhone 12 Mini, with a 5.4-inch display at almost $700. A higher-end iPhone 12 Pro with more powerful cameras will begin at roughly $1,000; the 12 Pro Max, with a 6.7-inch display, will set buyers back at least $1,100. Apple said the phones should be more durable.

In a move that may annoy some consumers, Apple will no longer include charging adapters with new phones. It says that will mean smaller, lighter boxes that are more environmentally friendly to ship. Apple, however, separately sells power adapters that cost about $20 and $50, depending on how fast they charge phones.

The iPhone models unveiled Tuesday will launch at different times. The iPhone 12 and 12 Pro will be available starting Oct. 23; the Mini and the Pro Max will follow on Nov. 13.

That compresses Apple’s window for building up excitement heading into the key holiday season.

Although other parts of Apple’s business are now growing more rapidly, the iPhone remains the biggest business of a technology juggernaut currently worth about $2 trillion, nearly double its value when stay-at-home orders imposed in the U.S in mid-March plunged the economy into a deep recession.

The pandemic temporarily paralyzed Apple’s overseas factories and key suppliers, leading to a delay of the latest iPhones from their usual late September rollout. The company also closed many of its U.S. stores for months because of the pandemic, depriving Apple of a prime showcase for its products.

Apple on Tuesday also said it was shrinking the size and price of its HomePod speaker to catch up to Amazon and Google in the market for internet-connected speakers, where it has barely made a dent. Both Amazon and Google are trying to position their speakers, the Echo and the Nest, as low-cost command centers for helping people manage their homes and lives. They cost as little as $50, while the HomePod costs almost $300.

The new HomePod Mini will cost almost $100. It will integrate Apple’s own music service, of course, with Pandora and Amazon’s music service in “coming months.” Apple didn’t mention music-streaming giant Spotify. It will be available for sale Nov. 6 and start shipping the week of Nov. 16.

The research firm eMarketer estimates about 58 million people in the U.S. use an Amazon Echo while 26.5 million use a Google Nest speaker. Roughtly 15 million use a HomePod or speakers sold by other manufactures, including Sonos and Harman Kardon.

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