Janet Ingber
Apple held its annual “Far Out” product launch event on September 6, 2022. There was a lot of speculation about what would be unveiled. At the very beginning of the event, Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO said, “Today we’re here to talk about three products that have become essential in our lives: iPhone, AirPods and Apple Watch.” Products are discussed in the order they were presented. During the presentations, Apple made a point of speaking about their use of recycled materials.
Apple Watches
This year Apple introduced three watches. They are the Series 8, an updated SE, and Ultra.
Apple Watch Series 8
This new Apple Watch will add more health, safety, and connectivity features.
Cycle tracking came to the Apple Watch three years ago. With Series 8, there are some new features. With the watch’s new temperature sensor, women can get information about temperature changes relating to ovulation. The temperature sensor has two parts: a sensor under the back crystal and a sensor under the display.
Women using iOS 16 and watchOS 9 will get notifications about cycle deviations. Data can be shared with your health care provider or anyone else. Data is encrypted on the watch and can only be accessed with a password, Touch ID, or Face ID. When syncing data with iCloud, end-to-end encryption is used.
Apple has implemented Crash Detection in this model of the Apple Watch. Even if you are not driving the car, the Apple Watch can call for help in case of a crash. The Series 8 Apple Watch can contact emergency services, provide your location, and notify emergency contacts. The Series 8 Apple watch has two new motion sensors, an improved gyroscope, and a high g-force accelerometer.
Low Power Mode will be available on Series 4 and later, with iOS 9. If you use an iPhone, you are probably familiar with the Low Power Mode. According to Apple, this feature can give you 36 hours of battery on a full charge
International roaming will be supported for cellular watches starting with Series 5.
Apple Watch Series 8 starts at $399 for GPS and $499 for cellular. It will be available in midnight, starlight, silver, and product red. There are 3 stainless steel finishes: silver, gold, and graphite.
Apple Watch Series 8 is available as of September 16.
Apple Watch SE
This updated Apple Watch SE will have the same crash detection sensors as the Apple Watch series 8. Its display is 30% larger than the Series 3 watch. The SE also gets the same fast processor as the Series 8. According to Apple, this new SE will be 20% faster than its predecessor. The SE starts at $249 for GPS and $299 for Cellular. It will be available in midnight, starlight, silver, and product red. There are 3 stainless steel finishes: silver, gold, and graphite. The watch was also released on September 16.
Apple Watch Ultra
Apple consulted athletes and explorers to design this watch so it can handle extreme environments. Apple’s COO Jeff Williams said, “Apple Watch Ultra is a versatile tool that empowers users to push their boundaries with adventure, endurance, and exploration.” The watch is only available in a titanium casing. It has a very large 45 mm screen. The watch costs $799. All Apple Watch Ultras have cellular connection. The Apple has further details of the watch here
AirPods Pro 2
These new AirPods will have a new H2 chip, a low distortion driver, and a custom amplifier.
You can create a customized Spatial Audio profile using the true depth camera on your iPhone running iOS 16. The profile is based on the size and shape of your head and ears. According to Apple, Noise Cancellation will be up to double of the original AirPods Pro. For these new AirPods, Apple is adding an extra-small pair of ear tips.
Another new feature of these AirPods is Active Transparency. When the AirPods are in Transparency mode, they process background noise at 4800 times per second, letting them decrease background sound immediately.
It will be easier to change the volume on AirPods Pro 2. Simply slide your finger on the stem to make a change.
These new AirPods will give up to six hours of listening time on a single charge, a significant increase. The charging case gives up to 30 hours of listening time. If you misplace your charging case, Precision Find will guide you to it. There will be a speaker in the bottom of the case to help you. The speaker will also play tones for low battery, pairing, and when charging starts. The Apple Watch charger will be able to charge these new AirPods. The case will have a loop for adding a lanyard. The AirPods Pro 2 will be available on September 23rd. White is still the only color option.
iPhone 14, 14 Plus, iPhone Pro, and iPhone Pro Max
Unfortunately, Apple is not selling an iPhone 14 Mini with its 5.42” screen. The iPhone 14 has a 6.1” screen and the screen on the iPhone Plus is 6.7”. The screen on the iPhone Pro is 6.1” and iPhone Pro Max has a 6.7” screen.
All of these phones have the same Crash Detection described in the Apple Watch section. They have satellite connectivity for use in a location without cell towers that enables you to text for help. Your phone will instruct you how to position the phone to get satellite reception. You can then connect with emergency services. If you purchase any iPhone 14, you will get satellite reception service free for two years.
Starting with the iPhone 14, 14 Plus, 14 Pro, and 14 Pro Max, phones will not have a SIM card and SIM tray. Apple will switch to eSIM, an embedded SIM card.
iPhone 14 and 14 Plus
The iPhone 14 and 14 Plus have a new 12 mega-pixel main camera, a larger sensor, and a faster 1.5 aperture. The camera has 49% greater ability to photograph in low light. Their front cameras can auto focus. This lets the camera focus more quickly, even in low light.
These phones have the same A15 processor as in the iPhone 13 plus and they have a new graphics core.
The iPhone 14 and 14 Plus come in five colors: midnight, starlight, purple, blue, and product red.
The iPhone 14 starts at $799 and the iPhone 14 Plus starts at $899.
The iPhone 14 will be available on September 16. The iPhone 14 Plus will be available on October 7.
iPhone Pro and iPhone Pro Max
These phones have a new 28 megapixel main camera. The proximity sensor is now behind the display. The Dynamic Island is a new feature only available on the 14 Pro and the 14 Pro Max. It displays notifications, some controls, and other useful information at the top of the screen. Both the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone Pro Max have an always-on display. The main camera on these phones has a 48-megapixel camera and quad pixel sensor. All cameras on the new phones do significantly better in low light settings than their predecessors.
The iPhone Pro and Pro Max are powered by Apple’s new A16 Bionic chip. According to Apple, this new chip is the fastest chip ever in a smart phone.
iPhone Pro starts at $999 and iPhone Pro Max starts at $1099. Colors are silver, gold, space black, and deep purple.
These phones are available as of September 16.
This article is made possible in part by generous funding from the James H. and Alice Teubert Charitable Trust, Huntington, West Virginia.
