Apple Event: Glowtime
iPhone 16, Apple Watch 10, AirPods 4
(a day late but hopefully not a dollar short - ZDR)
Apple’s latest marketing show introduced the iPhone 16 today, “designed from the ground up” for Apple’s AI technologies (“ Apple Intelligence“), but the new Apple Watch 10 was first in the show with a new, larger display and thinner enclosure, plus a new processor, among other updates. Apple said watchOS 11 will include language translation and detection of moderate-to-severe sleep apnea in the future for Apple Watch 9 and 10 and Ultra 2 models after FDA clearance. Apple Watch 10 pricing starts at $399.
AirPods 4 bring a new transducer, a new processor, and a new case with Apple promising improved audio quality. Pricing starts at $129 or $179 with active noise cancellation. The $249 AirPods Pro 2 will get hearing test and hearing aid features in the future, Apple said. The $549 AirPods Max headphones, which debuted back in 2020, get only a USB-C replacement for the Lightning port and different colors.
The iPhone 16 adds a new, multifunction camera control, shared by the 16 Pro models, in addition to the Pro’s “action button.” A new A18 processor is built with “second-generation 3nm” circuitry for higher performance with lower power drain to help on-device AI. More demanding AI tasks will be handed off to Apple’s “Private Cloud Compute” system.
Photography updates include a “fusion” main camera that can combine 12- and 48-Mpixel images for more detail in lower light, as well as macro and “spatial” capabilities. The iPhone’s excellent video capabilities get even better with 4K Dolby Vision recording up to 60 fps. Unfortunately, iPhone 16 wired connections continue to be crippled by USB 2 that’s more than twenty times slower than the 10Gbps USB 3 of iPhone Pro 15 and 16 models. Pricing starts at $799 for the iPhone 16 or $899 for the iPhone 16 Plus.
iPhone 16 Pro models are larger than before with “Grade 5” titanium enclosures and a new A18 Pro processor that’s a little faster and more power-efficient than before. New cameras include a 48-Mpixel ultrawide camera and the 48-Mpixel Fusion main camera, while the telephoto camera is the same 12-Mpixel “5x” (120mm equivalent) for both iPhone 16 Pro and Max models. Video recording now reaches up to 120fps 4K Dolby Vision for the Fusion camera, with even ProRes capture to USB3 external storage at that resolution. Four new “studio quality” microphones promise much better audio recordings with lower noise vs. Apple’s mediocre previous standard. Pricing starts at $999 or $1199 for the Pro Max model.
Battery life is longer for the new phones, and charging can be faster with Qi2 support and a new MagSafe charging puck priced at $39 or $49, depending on cable length. WiFi 7 is an upgrade for all iPhone 16 models while Pro models add NavIC support.
Apple is still selling its older iPhone SE ($429+), iPhone 14 ($599+), and iPhone 15 ($699+) non-Pro models, but an iPhone 16 or 16 Pro is required for Apple Intelligence support. A very helpful iPhone comparison tool shows differences among various models.
The company also announced that iOS 18, iPadOS 18, watchOS 11 and macOS 15 Sequoia will be available on Sept. 16, although Apple Intelligence features will only come later, piecemeal and starting with a beta-test stage.
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