On Sept. 9, Apple unveiled a bigger, super-powerful iPad Pro, new and improved 6S and 6S Plus iPhones, updates to its existing iPads and new features for Apple TV. We asked The Computer Guys and Gal, John Gilroy, Allison Druin and Bill Harlow, to explain what’s different so we can decide whether to dash out and buy these new devices — or resist the impulse to be first adopters.

 Apple Watch 

Fashion — The Apple Watch is not just a computer, it’s a fashion statement. So Apple has added new colors to the lineup. The least expensive Apple Watch Sport is now also available in gold and rose gold. At the high end, the new Apple Watch Hermés features luxurious leather bands and cuffs and a special Hermés watch face. In an apparent effort to appeal to both men and women, Apple also added more Sport Band colors.

Function — The Apple Watch’s new operating system, watchOS 2, allows apps to run natively on Apple Watch, rather than tethered via iPhone, which improves performance. And it means watch faces can be customized. Time Travel uses the digital crown to quickly scroll through your timeline to see what’s coming up. Missing from the original watchOS but now included in version 2 is an Activation Lock, which will hopefully deter theft.

iPad Pro

Size — The big news is the new, 12.9″ iPad Pro with a really impressive 5.6 megapixel screen. You can fit an entire iPad Air screen on the iPad Pro with plenty of room to spare for multitasking. The screen is wide enough in landscape mode for a “full size” virtual keyboard. iPad Pro is powered by a new A9X processor that sounds like a graphical workhorse, which it needs for all those pixels.

Stylus and Keyboard — The new iPad Pro is also the first model with a digitizer that can natively support a stylus, and Apple will sell you one for $99. It’s called the Apple Pencil. This native stylus could be a real boon to artists on the go. There’s also a new $169 Smart Keyboard that’s said to feature similar engineering to the new MacBook keyboard. So expect a good, but maybe not exceptional, typing experience.

iPad Pro or Surface Pro 3? — Fully tricked-out, the iPad Pro seems a lot like a Microsoft Surface Pro 3 in features and pricing. But the iPad Pro is still designed as an efficient, touch-oriented experience first. So even though the iPad Pro has a bigger, higher resolution screen than the Surface Pro 3, it’s still thinner, lighter and offers longer battery life. The iPad also has the largest ecosystem of tablet-specific apps. The Surface Pro 3, on the other hand, is a more traditional Windows PC in a hybrid tablet enclosure. This means you have access to wide variety of Windows apps you know and love, with the flexibility of a general use PC using Intel processors and common expansion ports. If you’re an Apple fan and want the app eco-sphere, the iPad is the way to go. If you’ve got PCs in your blood, the Surface is for you.

The Other iPads

A bit confusing — The rest of the iPad range is a slightly confusing mix of new and old. The iPad Air and iPad Air 2 stay the same. The iPad mini 3 has been replaced by the new iPad mini 4, with specs more in line with the iPad Air 2. The iPad mini 2 is the low end entry point (though it’s still a fine device). The good news is the entire iPad lineup will be able to take advantage of the improved productivity features coming in iOS 9 (available Sept. 16), with the most powerful models also supporting Split View multitasking.

Apple TV

New features — The new Apple TV might as well be a brand new product with all the significant, cumulative improvements. The hardware has been upgraded with the A8 processor from the iPhone 6 and a new remote, now known as the Siri Remote. Siri Remote offers new ways to interact. Touch controls make it easy to swipe and tap through the on-screen interface. The microphone in the Siri Remote allows you to easily search for content across different services using your voice. Siri also offers new voice controls for playback. My favorite moment: when the presenter played “Modern Family” and asked, “What did she say?” to prompt Apple TV to rewind 15 seconds and temporarily enable closed captions.

A true platform — The other significant change to Apple TV is its promotion from essentially an iTunes Store interface for your TV to a true platform. It’s telling that it has its own variant of iOS, called tvOS. Apple TV will have its own app store with lots of content apps (including heavy hitters like Netflix, Hulu, HBO GO, the major sports leagues and many others) and a variety of games. This interface change marks the start of a real commitment to this area of tech for Apple.

iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus

Physical design — The new 6S models of iPhones may not prompt you to upgrade from your one-year-old iPhone 6, but the improvements are welcome nonetheless. (And Apple launched a new monthly plan for folks desperate to upgrade annually.) It’s an “S” year, so the physical design stays the same, though the new rose gold color looks sharp.

3D Touch – The headline feature is 3D Touch: a light touch on the screen triggers one action and a firm touch in the same spot triggers another. And a tiny motor embedded behind the screen provides haptic feedback so you can operate by feel. It’s clever technology, but it may be a steep learning curve for some users. The challenge will be developing software that takes advantage of this feature.

Camera — The iSight camera has been upgraded to a 12 megapixel sensor, though more megapixels aren’t automatically better. The cool new feature is Live Photos: 12-megapixel animated photos with sound (imagine an animated GIF in pristine quality). Video capabilities have been upgraded to 4k capture, and the front FaceTime camera sees a dramatic upgrade to 5 megapixels.

Speed — The new iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus see the usual bump-ups in performance thanks to a faster A9 processor and improved wireless technologies.

Please note: The views expressed by Allison Druin are hers and do not necessarily represent those of the National Park Service or the United States.