Attending an Apple event in person makes you think of Charlie Bucket visiting the illustrious chocolate factory in the movie Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. The ceremony was flawlessly and expertly put up, but without the Oompa Loompas, there were no earth-shattering pronouncements.
Even yet, Apple made every effort to keep the iPhone and Watch interesting and attractive, which was challenging given the weak smartphone market.
New models of the iPhone 15 and 15 Pro
Tuesday’s “Wonderlust” September keynote address by Apple included the unveiling of the new iPhone 15 series in addition to other notable updates.
Apple verified industry rumors with the iPhone 15 that it would switch from its Lightning charging port to USB-C. The revamped Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 smartwatches, which have new colors and features, were also presented.
Even while the yearly iPhone event has become fairly mechanical over the years, frequently with small updates to battery life, camera systems, and screens, the USB-C announcement this year is the most substantial change to the iPhone’s design in 11 years. This eagerly anticipated improvement streamlines the charging process for a variety of brands and gadgets that were standardized on USB-C years ago.
That announcement received a lackluster round of applause inside the Steve Jobs Theater, probably because business travelers in attendance were aware that this would ultimately make their accessory bag much lighter and easier in terms of wire management.
Apple deals with a difficult revenue environment, much like the majority of the technology sector. For the third straight fiscal quarter, which concluded in July, Apple’s revenues declined. Less frequent device updates caused iPhone revenue for the quarter to drop by 2% year over year to $39.7 billion.
People should upgrade even more now that Apple has said it won’t raise prices for the iPhone 15 series. The business should be commended for overcoming the need to raise prices given the inflationary environment the world continues to operate in.
Apple frequently upgrades its entry-level smartphones with new features when it introduces new high-end smartphone models. The organization introduced the next-generation entry-level iPhone 15, which eliminates the notch in favor of an expanded “Dynamic Island” utility that provides alerts, notifications, and other useful features.
Apple Expands its Computational Photography Initiative
Up until recently, the entry-level iPhone 15 phones only had the iPhone 14 Pro’s improved image stabilization for taking pictures and videos, 2x telephoto capabilities, and enhanced portraiture with richer color and better low-light performance.
The Pro models come with even more advanced camera upgrades, like a 48MP main camera with a sensor bigger than the iPhone 15’s.
For photographers and filmmakers, the iPhone 15 Pro series opens up hitherto impractical workflows. Users may now shoot on an iPhone and instantaneously transfer 48MP ProRAW directly to a Mac using Capture One.
Apple claims that the iPhone 15 contains the same A16 Bionic processor as the iPhone 14 Pro, which incorporates a neural engine for handling more difficult tasks, like on-device live voicemail transcriptions, which will be made possible with the release of iOS 17.
An improved ultra-wideband (UWB) chip on the iPhone 15 connects with nearby devices, making it simpler to locate people (more precisely) who broadcast their location in crowded areas.
There are two sizes and five color options for the iPhone 15: black, blue, pink, green, and yellow. The screen size of the iPhone 15 is 6.1 inches, whereas that of the iPhone 15 Pro is 6.7 inches.
Starting costs for the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro are $799 and $999, respectively.
Finally, USB-C is available for the iPhone!
The biggest change is probably the adoption of a USB-C charging connection for the new iPhone 15 models, which ends Apple’s exclusive Lightning charging connector’s 11-year reign.
Apple has been under pressure from the European Union to make this change for the past few years, but now that they can power their Mac computers, iPhones, and iPads with the same USB-C chargers, it will significantly reduce the difficulty of finding the right charger for each device.
The iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max’s new USB-C connector enables USB 3 for data transfer rates up to 10GB per second, which is up to 20x quicker than USB 2.
Millions of outdated Lightning cords will likely end up in landfills within the next year or two, one can only speculate.
Importantly, the iPhone 15 Pro’s unique USB-C controller will enable up to 20 times faster transfer rates than USB-2 technology. That’s more significant than Apple indicated during the presentation because moving huge files—especially videos—via a Lightning wire can take a long time.
Iterative Release of Apple Watch Series 9
The updated silicon chip and enhanced ultrawideband connectivity of the corporation are found in the new Apple Watch Series 9 that was introduced at the event.
Users of the most recent Apple Watch may speak health data into the device, touch another Apple Watch to share contact information, and raise their wrist to instantly brighten the display. The Series 9 comes in pink, navy, crimson, gold, silver, and graphite as well as other hues.
Apple also introduced a new UWB chip and a redesigned S9 dual-core processor in the second generation of its “rugged” Ultra smartwatch series. For more thorough tracking, it also provides additional data on the display.
Both the Series 9 and Ultra models of the Apple Watch will go on sale on September 22 for $399 and $799, respectively.
Apple claims that users can utilize the new “double tap” gesture control on the Watch Series 9 to answer or end phone calls, play and pause music, and snooze alarms. The hand gesture can browse through widgets just like rotating the digital crown does.
Double tap is made feasible, in accordance with the corporation, by an upgraded neural engine that utilizes machine learning and sensor data processing. Next month, users will get access to the feature.
A similar hand tap will be used to operate the Vision Pro mixed reality headset, which is scheduled to launch in early 2024.
The Sustainability Addiction of Apple
According to Lisa Jackson, vice president of environment, policy, and social initiatives, Apple’s Watch Series 9 will be the company’s “first-ever carbon-neutral product,” citing efforts to reduce its carbon footprint and offset emissions through carbon buybacks verified by a third party.
Jackson announced that Apple will stop utilizing leather in future accessories, including watch bands, as part of the company’s ongoing sustainability initiatives. Apple will switch to a new fabric called FineWoven, which has a substantially smaller carbon footprint than leather and is made up of 68% post-consumer recycled material.
Apple is introducing FineWoven in place of leather across all of its product lines. This includes new Apple Watch bands as well as the new FineWoven Case with MagSafe and FineWoven Wallet with MagSafe for the iPhone 15 series. The new iPhone 15 and Apple Watch lineups make progress toward the 2025 goals for using only 100% recycled metals in essential components, including the first use of 100% recycled cobalt by the company in the batteries of the iPhone 15, Apple Watch Series 9, and Apple Watch Ultra 2.
Final Reflections
No new iPad, Mac, or MacBook models were released, disappointing those who were hoping for them. Apple was rumored to be releasing a new “M3” processor, but it’s likely that the company will postpone those announcements until later this year.
In addition, contrary to what some had predicted, Apple did not introduce new AirPods (or the outdated AirPods Max). Apple did however reveal that an older version of the AirPods Pro second generation with a USB-C charging port would be available.
I was particularly interested in the Action Button and Double Tap among the new offerings. Double Tap was particularly alluring since it provides convenience by way of a straightforward gesture while using an iPhone and Watch together, such as snapping a group selfie or picking up or hanging up a call.
A feature that will draw attention is the new Action Button, which has some genuine promise. Users can rapidly utilize this button for a variety of various actions, such as shooting pictures, turning on the iPhone’s light, recording a voice note, or creating shortcuts for other operations, in true Apple fashion.
The upgraded camera features in the Pro models, especially the 5X zoom capability, will improve computational photography on modern smartphones even further. In order for people to immediately see 3D user-generated material after the debut of Vision Pro, Apple also included spatial video capture to its Pro models.
