Apple revealed today at its “It’s Glowtime” conference a range of new consumer devices, including the iPhone 16 and the new generation of smartwatches, the Watch Series 10, and the AirPods 4. The highlight of the event was the updated designs of the products and support for artificial intelligence technologies.
In this report, TechNews reviews the most important announcements from Apple at the company’s most important fall conference, focusing on the top 8 announcements made during the event.
Apple unveiled the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus, which come with new features including two additional buttons, one similar to a DSLR camera button used for capturing photos and recording videos quickly, and the other is the command button that was exclusive to the Pro and Pro Max models of the iPhone 15 last year.
The rear cameras in the iPhone 16 feature a new design that allows for recording spatial video, which can be displayed on the Apple Glasses Pro.
Both phones run on the new A18 processor, which enables the new AI-based features and starts at a price of $799 for the regular model and $899 for the Plus model.
The Pro models of the iPhone 16 this year come with larger screens, with the Pro model having a 6.3-inch screen and the Pro Max model a 6.9-inch screen.
Both phones also work with the enhanced A18 Pro processor, with Apple promising that the Pro Max model will offer “the best battery life in iPhone history.”
The new cameras feature a telephoto lens for up to 5x optical zoom, a “Tetra Prism” design, as well as a 48-megapixel ultra-wide camera.
The starting price for the iPhone 16 Pro is $999, and the Pro Max model requires at least $1199 for purchase.
Apple introduced the new generation of its smartwatches, the Watch Series 10, which features a slimmer design and a wider and brighter OLED display by 40%.
The watch includes advanced health features, including the ability to detect breathe interruptions during sleep, and a sensor to measure water depth and temperature.
The watch is available in polished aluminum versions in black, rose gold, and silver colors, as well as a polished titanium version, which the company says is 20% lighter than the previous generation.
Prices start at $399.
Apple did not unveil a new generation of the Watch Ultra series, but it introduced significant technological upgrades to the latest generation, the Ultra 2, which now comes in a new color, black titanium, with a “Milanese” strap made of corrosion-resistant titanium designed for diving.
These improvements target sports enthusiasts and outdoor enthusiasts due to their robust design.
The company also unveiled the fourth generation of its wireless earbuds, the AirPods 4, which come with an open-ear design and offer an enhanced audio experience thanks to the new H4 processor.
The earbuds are said to be the “most comfortable” as claimed by the company itself, with an option that supports features such as active noise cancellation (ANC) and transparency mode that allows users to hear ambient sounds while in use.
The earbuds are available in two versions, with the regular version starting at $129, while the version with active noise cancellation starts at $179.
In an upcoming update, the latest Apple AirPods Pro 2, launched last year, will transition to a custom hearing aid for individuals with mild to moderate hearing loss.
This feature awaits regulatory approval, including from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
In addition, the earbuds will support a clinical hearing test feature to protect the ears in noisy environments, with these features being launched in a free software update in over 100 countries this fall.
Apple announced a simple update to its over-ear headphones, the AirPods Max, which includes the addition of a USB-C charging port instead of a Lightning port, with the headphones also available in new colors.
All iPhone 16 models are ready to run the first Apple Intelligence features, Apple Intelligence, which will arrive next month in the iOS 18.1 update, including “Visual intelligence” features revealed by the company today, enabling users to quickly search for information about objects captured by the camera directly without the need to save the images.
Apple will begin accepting pre-orders for all the devices announced today starting today, with shipping and availability starting on September 20. The artificial intelligence technologies will be available after receiving the iOS 18.1 updates in October, and iOS 18 updates for iPhone 15 and earlier models will be released on September 16.
