Apple Announces New iPhones, Apple Watches, and AirPods Pro!

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Apple held its annual fall event last week where it announced new iPhones, Apple Watches, and AirPods Pro. This year’s event proved many predictions wrong as Apple had quite a few surprises in its announcements.

Titled “Far Out”, this year’s Apple Event was filled with exciting new features for Apple’s updated devices. Many of these new features focus on health, safety, and well-being, while others are just plain fun!

All of these new Apple devices are available for pre-order now.

New AirPods Pro

Apple’s announced its second-generation AirPods Pro. The first generation of Apple’s high-end earbuds proved quite popular, so the company is launching a new and improved version. These AirPods Pro have a 33% longer battery life, with up to six hours of listening time on a single charge.

The case for the new AirPods Pro has been upgraded also, giving up to 30 hours of charge to the earbuds. The new case can be magnetically charged.

The sound quality has also been improved in the new AirPods Pro, with a new H2 chip and low-distortion audio driver. The AirPods Pro have a new way to control the volume of the sound, by sliding your finger up or down the stem.

Personalized Spatial Audio

But what may make the sound most impressive is personalized Spatial Audio. The new AirPods Pro use the True Depth camera on the iPhone to map a personal surround sound for your ears, so you feel as if you’re on stage with your favorite band (according to Apple).

Noise Control

If you want to block the sound around you, you’ll like the new active noise cancellation that blocks twice the surrounding sound as the original AirPods Pro. If you want to hear the world around you, you’ll like the new Transparency mode that reduces high-decibel sound nearby.

To help you find your AirPods Pro more easily, Apple added speakers to the case. When you use the Find My app to locate your AirPods Pro, a sound will play from the speakers in the case.

AirPods Pro will cost $249 and be available beginning September 23.

New Apple Watches

Apple introduced three new watches: Series 8, SE 2nd generation, and Ultra.

Apple Watch Series 8

Apple Watch Series 8 is an upgrade that includes new health and safety features. Previous models of the Apple Watch include fall detection that can notify emergency services and your emergency contacts if a fall is detected and you’re unresponsive.

Learn about Apple Watch Fall Detection at => How the Apple Watch May Save Your Life After a Fall

Car Crash Detection

The Series 8 Apple Watch not only has fall detection but also comes with car crash detection. The Watch can detect whether you’ve been in a crash and also whether the crash was a front, rear, or side impact or a rollover. As with fall detection, car crash detection will alert you that a crash has been detected and give you time to respond. If you don’t respond, your Apple Watch will contact emergency services and your emergency contacts with the news that you’ve been in a car crash and with your location.

Car crash detection was tested in over one million hours of driving, according to Apple. This feature runs only when you’re driving.

Temperature Sensors

The new Watch also has two temperature sensors, one on the back for your skin and one on the watch face for the air temperature. The new Apple Watch can use these sensors to monitor women’s health and fertility, charting basal body temperature to indicate ovulation and menstrual cycles.

Apple Watch health data is encrypted and unavailable to Apple but can be shared with doctors using two-factor verification.

Don’t miss => How to Use 2-Step Verification for an Extra Layer of Password Protection

Battery Life

The battery life of the Apple Watch Series 8 is up to 18 hours, according to Apple. With a new Low Power mode, the Series 8 battery can last up to 36 hours.

Availability

Apple Watch Series 8 will be available on September 16, beginning at $399.

Apple Watch SE 2nd Generation

Apple Watch SE 2nd generation is a lower-cost Watch that’s 20% faster than the previous generation, according to Apple. As with the earlier SE, this Watch can be used by those without a cell phone plan (such as children) and paired with a parent’s iPhone.

Health and safety features are included with this SE, such as fall detection, crash detection, emergency SOS, and heart rate notification.

Apple Watch SE 2nd generation is priced beginning at $249 and becomes available September XX.

Apple Watch Ultra

Apple Watch Ultra is a new mega-sized Watch designed for serious athletes and adventurers. No longer will triathletes have to worry about their Apple Watch battery dying before they finish the race. This large Watch comes with a larger battery, lasting up to 36 hours on a single charge. Apple says that the Watch can last up to 60 hours on Low Power mode.

The new, larger display measures 49mm and has a flat crystal. The Digital Crown (the round button on the side) has ridges so you can easily turn it while wearing gloves.

The Ultra has a Wayfinder setting to help you find your way back should you get lost. You can set Waypoints along your hike or run, then Ultra will help guide you back to your starting point.

On the edge of the Watch is a new orange Action button that can be customized to perform many functions. For example, you could set the Action button to start a Workout, set a Waypoint, or launch an app.

The Apple Watch Ultra has three microphones and two speakers for clearer phone calls even in windy conditions. The speakers can play a loud alarm if you’re lost, to help others locate you.

Should your adventurous spirit take you underwater, you’ll like that the Ultra has twice the water resistance of other Apple Watches.

Apple has partnered with Huish to create the Oceanic Plus app for scuba divers to track the depth of their dives, tides, currents, water temperature, and visibility.

The Oceanic Plus app can alert divers to hazards such as extreme ascents.

Apple Watch Ultra will be available on September 23 for $799.

iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro

Apple introduced two new iPhones, the iPhone 14 and 14 Pro, in two sizes 6.1 in (15.49 cm) and 6.7 in (17.02 cm).

iPhone 14

This iPhone is 18% faster than the iPhone 13 and comes with an improved camera. According to Apple, the iPhone 14 camera has a 48% improvement in low light conditions.

The Night Mode setting is twice as fast on the iPhone 14 camera as on the 13 for taking pictures in low light. For better videos, the iPhone 14 camera has a new stabilization action mode that records smoother videos when you’re on the go.

eSIM

This generation of iPhones eliminates the physical SIM card, along with the SIM card tray. eSIM will be how these iPhones connect to carriers. With eSIM, iPhones can connect to multiple accounts and have multiple phone numbers. If your iPhone 14 is lost or stolen, you don’t have to worry about your physical SIM card being stolen.

Car Crash Detection

Like the Apple Watch Series 8, the iPhone 14 has car crash detection and can notify emergency services and your emergency contacts if it detects a crash and you are unresponsive.

Satellite Emergency SOS

Another impressive safety feature is a new satellite connectivity option. With Satellite Emergency SOS, if you’re experiencing an emergency but are unable to connect to Wi-Fi or cell towers, you can connect your iPhone 14 to a satellite.

After you activate Satellite Emergency SOS, your iPhone 14 will show you where to point your phone to connect to the satellite. Note that you must be outside with a clear view of the sky to use emergency satellite mode.

Because satellite communications take longer than other connections, the iPhone will ask you questions that an emergency responder would ask. You choose your answers and the iPhone will send that information to emergency services via text or voice message.

You’ll also be able to use the Find My app to share your location via satellite.

Satellite emergency services will be free for two years, starting in November in the U.S. and Canada. Apple hasn’t yet announced how much a subscription will cost after the free period expires in 2024.

Battery Life

Battery life is up to 20 hours of video playback on the iPhone 14 and 26 hours on the iPhone 14 Plus, according to Apple.

Availability

The iPhone 14 will start at $799 and will be available on September 16. The iPhone 14 Plus will be priced starting at $899 and be available on October 7.

iPhone 14 Pro

The iPhone 14 Pro comes with all of the new features of the iPhone 14, including eSIM, crash detection, and emergency satellite SOS.

Always On Lock Screen

In addition, the iPhone 14 Pro has an Always On feature that displays the lock screen of the phone at all times. You can add widgets to the lock screen. Widgets can display important information and apps, such as weather, sports scores, news, and more. When the phone is in your pocket, the screen will go dark to preserve battery life.

Dynamic Island

In addition, Apple added a new Dynamic Island feature that utilizes the space around the front camera. Dynamic Island provides information, alerts, animations, and background activity.

This video from Apple introduces Dynamic Island:

https://youtu.be/WuEH265pUy4

For example, Dynamic Island can show controls for a phone call when you’re in a different app so you can quickly mute or hang up a call. You can use Dynamic Island to control music and see album art, which is handy when you’re listening to tunes with another app open.

Dynamic Island work with third-party apps so you can see live sports scores, get Lyft notifications, and more. You can even see notifications from two apps at once with Dynamic Island.

The news of Dynamic Island was warmly received by many in the tech community.

Dynamic island is the hottest piece of UI I’ve seen in a long time pic.twitter.com/CuezwtTUuX

— Charles Patterson (@CharlesPattson) September 7, 2022

Camera and Battery Life

The new 48mp camera creates sharper images and better photos in low light. The battery lasts for 23 hours of video playback for the iPhone 14 Pro and 29 hours for the iPhone 14 Pro Max, according to Apple.

Availability

The iPhone 14 Pro price begins at $999 and the Pro Plus price begins at $1099. Pre-orders are available now with the phones going on sale on September 16.

Your Thoughts

Which of Apple’s announcements was most exciting to you? Are you interested in the Apple Watch Ultra for your adventures? Would you like an Always On display and Dynamic Island on your next iPhone? Do you like the idea of car crash detection?

Share your thoughts in the Comments section below!

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*images from Apple