Apple's iPhone 16 Event: AI Integration, New Devices, and Accessibility Features

iPhone 16, new Watch and AirPods are coming: But is Apple thinking differently enough?

Apple unveiled the iPhone 16 range with on-device artificial intelligence capabilities across the models. Each fall, as reliably as the leaves changing color and pumpkin spice lattes returning to coffee shops, we can expect Apple to release its latest lineup of iPhones. And so it has. Apple announced the upcoming iPhone 16 models at its "Glowtime" event Monday. In addition to the phones, it announced the Apple Watch 10 and Ultra and upgrades to the AirPods, AirPods Pro and AirPods Max. The tech company also provided updates on iOS 18 and Apple Intelligence. Some years, the announced product slate feels only incrementally different from the previous year's. Perhaps an improved camera or a few new colors? For about the same price, of course. Would a set of purple AirPods Max be enticing? Yes. But what else is on offer beyond new hues? This is not an Apple-specific question. Most personal tech companies are guilty of release cadences that are often more slight tweak than seismic shift. It isn't surprising, consumers as a whole can be a fickle bunch. Apple's stocks had some ups and downs Monday, falling nearly 2% during the Apple event before bouncing back and closing up 0.04%. For a company whose slogan in the late 1990s/early aughts was "Think Different," is it still thinking differently enough? Or is there consumer comfort in the expected? "There is a growing feeling that smartphone updates have become a bit boring," said Ben Wood, chief analyst and CMO at CCS Insight. "Apple is not immune to this trend and is betting on software and AI to breathe new life into its most important product to reignite consumer interest and drive upgrade purchases." iPhone 16 lineup Apple on Monday announced its newest iPhones, including the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus as well as the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max. Prices start at $799, and preorders for the devices open Friday. "The iPhone 16 range is hugely important for Apple at a time when consumer demand for new smartphones is slowing," Wood said. New to the latest models is a Camera Control button on the side of the device. Apple also brought the Action Button from the iPhone 15 Pro to the new lineup. The Pro and Max phones also have slightly larger screens. Maybe the focus for possible groundbreaking in the future lies in what's under the hood of products more than in their outward design. "For the first time possibly ever, the focus is on services for the new iPhone unveiling," said Paolo Pescatore, tech analyst and founder of PP Foresight. "This is significant, as it underlines the ongoing battle among consumer providers to differentiate with the race to offer AI." Apple Watch updates The tech company unveiled new Apple Watch models, Series 10 and Ultra 2. Both products boast larger, thinner displays but are otherwise fairly similar to previous models. "The lack of updates to the Watch line beyond the Series 10 speaks to the fact that smartwatches have become incredibly hard to improve in an annual cadence," Wood said. The new watches will be available Sept. 20. Preorders have started for Series 10, starting at $399, and for Ultra 2, starting at $799. One big health feature that will be available in the upcoming watchOS is sleep apnea notifications. Sleep apnea is when a person momentarily stops breathing while asleep. The condition can severely disrupt sleep and mental health and damage a person's overall health. The Apple Watch will now be able to track breathing activity and help detect sleep apnea. Apple Intelligence Apple is entering its AI era: Apple Intelligence, that is. The tech company announced Apple Intelligence at its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June. At Monday's event, Apple expanded on the feature's integration and how it will work with Siri and other apps, such as helping users write emails or find and curate photos. "Apple is doing what it does best, simplifying the user experience to deepen engagement. Novel features powered by Apple Intelligence will resonate with iPhone users, as they not only build upon the way they currently use their devices but also take experiences to a whole new level," Pescatore said. The iOS 18 update will be available for iPhones on Sept. 16, but apparently Apple Intelligence will not be a part of the this update. Users will get to experience more with Apple Intelligence when iOS 18.1 rolls out next month, Apple said in a news release about upcoming AI features. Questions about Apple Intelligence and privacy protection have been raised since the WWDC keynote, but there wasn't much additional information during Monday's event. "Apple will lean into its hardware, software and platform integration to launch a cohesive AI pivot, and we expect the advertising and marketing of these products to focus heavily on safe AI use cases within Apple's ecosystem," said Emarketer analyst Gadjo Sevilla. AirPods updates Updates to Apple's headphones lineup include two versions of AirPods 4 - with and without active noise canceling - new colors for the AirPods Max, and AirPods Pro 2 models that will feature enhanced hearing protection. AirPods 4 start at $129 (for the model without noise canceling), with preorders available now. Preorders also have begun for the Max model, which have a price tag of $549. All of the new headphones will be released Sept. 20. One of the most interesting announcements at the event centered on the hearing-based features, including hearing protection, hearing profiles and hearing tests for AirPod Pros and iPhone. AirPods could be used as over-the-counter hearing aids this fall. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced Thursday it has "authorized the first over-the-counter hearing aid software device, Hearing Aid Feature, intended to be used with compatible versions of the Apple AirPods Pro headphones." Hearing Aid Feature, a software-only medical application, can be customized to a user's need and can "amplify sounds for people 18 and older with perceived mild to moderate hearing impairment," according to the announcement. The FDA estimates about 30 million US adults have some degree of hearing loss. In 2022, the FDA established a new category of over-the-counter hearing aids for adults with perceived mild to moderate hearing loss. Sound off: Why did everyone suddenly stop using headphones in public? "Apple's decision to add hearing aid capabilities to the AirPods Pro is another step on its path toward holistic health tracking, Wood said. "The idea that consumer headphones can offer hearing aid functionality may sound unrealistic but over-the-counter hearing aids have been growing in popularity over the last few years and the AirPods Pro would bring this technology to a more affordable price point." OTC hearing aids range in price from $99 a pair to more than $3,000, according to the National Council on Aging.

Everything announced at Apple's iPhone 16 'Glowup' Event: AI, Apple Watch 10, AirPods, more

Every fall, major tech companies unveil their newest hardware ahead of the holiday season. On Monday, Apple held its marquee event, dubbed "Glowtime," unveiling its highly anticipated iPhone 16 lineup, Apple Watch Series 10, redesigned AirPods, and more. Although the hardware was the star of the show and WWDC, its software event, was only months ago, Apple also sprinkled in some new helpful software features users can expect soon, including highly anticipated health offerings -- and, of course, artificial intelligence (AI). Also: 4 best iPhone 16 features that make Apple's standard model worth upgrading to If you didn't get to tune in or want a detailed summary of the announcements, keep reading for ZDNET's full roundup of the news below. The iPhone 16 lineup, consisting of the iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone Pro Max, was at the forefront of Apple's event. The iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus come in new bold colors, including ultramarine, teal, and pink, alongside white and black. Other than colors, the changes to the phones' appearance include a rear camera bump, camera alignment, and two new buttons, which we will explore below. The iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus maintain 6.1-inch and 6.7-inch screens, respectively. The phones have a new customizable Action button on the side, which can be programmed to perform different tasks, such as opening the flashlight. Also: The 4 biggest new health features Apple just announced Additionally, there is a new Camera Control button, with touch-capacitive sensors that users can tap and swipe to control the camera. The button functions like a regular camera, allowing users to press it lightly to focus on a subject and harder to take a picture. The button can also launch the camera app, start recording, and pull up camera controls. The phones also feature upgraded camera systems, including a 48-megapixel lens, with a 2X Telephoto option and a new macro photography lens enabled by the new 12MP Ultra Wide camera. Both phones also take spatial photos and videos for the Apple Vision Pro. To give the smartphones enough power to run the latest features powered by generative AI found in Apple Intelligence, the new phones also feature a new A18 processor. The A18 chip makes it up to two times faster for machine learning, has 17% more memory bandwidth, is up to 30% faster than the CPU in the iPhone 15, and has a 40% faster GPU. Also: Every iPhone 16 model compared: Which iPhone should you buy today? The iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus will be available for preorder on September 13 at $799 and $899 respectively, starting at 128GB. iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max also came packed with upgrades, the highlights being larger 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch displays, the thinnest borders ever on an Apple product, Super Retina XDR displays, four titanium finishes (black titanium, natural titanium, white titanium, and desert titanium), Camera Control, and the A18 Pro chip. The A18 Pro chip has 16-core neural engines and 17% more memory bandwidth to excel at generative AI workloads. It runs up to 15% faster than last year's A17 Pro, using 20% less power, paired with a 6-core GPU. Apple also threw around the term "Next-gen ML accelerators" during the event. Also: iPhone 16 Pro vs. iPhone 13 Pro: Should you upgrade to Apple's latest model? - Prism The camera system has also been upgraded on the Pro line, featuring a new 48MP Fusion camera with a "faster, more efficient quad-pixel sensor and Apple Camera Interface, unlocking 4K120 fps video recording in Dolby Vision - the highest resolution and frame-rate combination ever available on iPhone, and a smartphone first," according to Apple. The iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max are available for preorder on September 13 at $999 and $1,099 respectively, starting at 128GB of storage. For the first time since the Apple Watch Series 7 launch, the mid-tier wearable received a noticeable redesign with the launch of the Apple Watch Series 10. Apple gave its Series 10 the thinnest design (9.7 mm) and biggest screen yet. Apple also touted that the Apple Watch Series 10 features fast charging and up to 18 hours of battery life. The watch has Apple's first wide-angle OLED display, which makes its screen up to 40% brighter than the Series 9 when viewed from an angle. This helps readers better read the screen. This OLED display allows for a faster refresh rate, updating once a second instead of once a minute in always-on mode. Some of the new breakout features of the Apple Watch include sleep apnea notifications, audio playback through the Series 10's new speakers, background noise reduction during calls, and a built-in depth gauge and water temperature sensor. Also: Apple Watch Series 10 vs. Apple Watch Series 9: Should you upgrade to the latest model? The Apple Watch Series 10 starts at $399, is available for pre-order starting today, September 9, and will ship on September 20. For the first time, it is available in a polished aluminum finish in jet black, rose gold, and silver aluminum. The titanium case, made of a new grade 5 titanium, is available in natural, gold, and slate. Alongside the Watch Series 10, Apple announced a new satin black finish for its Watch Ultra 2, which is tailored to avid athletes and outdoor enthusiasts. It starts at $799; pre-orders start today and ship out on September 20. Apple also launched an array of new watch bands, including new offerings from Hermes and Nike Sport Loop. After rumors circulated about two new AirPod models since last year, Apple finally launched them: Apple AirPods 4 and AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation (ANC). One is the new entry-level option, while the other sits between that and the more premium AirPods Pro 2. Both of the new Apple AirPods 4 models feature an H2 chip, much better overall sound quality, Personalized Spatial Audio, voice isolation, gesture-based Siri controls, and, most notably, a USB-C charging case. In addition to USB-C charging, the AirPods can be charged using an Apple Watch charger or a Q-certified charger, delivering up to 30 hours of battery life. Also: Which Apple AirPods 4 model should you buy? Here are the key differences Apple also shares that the new Open-Ear Fit makes these AirPods the "best headphones Apple has ever created with an open-ear design, setting an entirely new benchmark for fit and comfort." The stem now features a force sensor, allowing users to press on the stem to pause, mute, or end calls. The more advanced version includes active noise cancellation at a slightly higher cost. AirPods 4 will cost $129, and the model with ANC will cost $179. Like the rest of the products, they are available for pre-order today and will be in stores starting September 20. Apple also refreshed its AirPods Max offering with new colors (midnight, blue, purple, starlight, and orange), and USB-C charging. Lastly, Apple announced new hearing health features for AirPods Pro 2 coming this fall: Hearing Protections, which actively reduce louder noises from your surroundings using machine learning; Hearing Test, which requires AirPods Pro and an iPhone; and a Hearing Aid feature, which allows earbuds to double as hearing aids. Also: Your AirPods Pro 2 can soon double as over-the-counter hearing aids. Here's how These features will be available in the fall for AirPods Pro 2 via the software update when paired with an iPhone running on iOS 18 or iPad running on iPadOS 18. Apple debuted its in-house generative AI features, Apple Intelligence, during its annual Worldwide Developers Conference in June. During the conference, we saw how Apple planned to implement Apple Intelligence across its personal devices, including via an upgraded Siri with more conversational capabilities. During today's event, Apple mostly reviewed the features it had previously unveiled, highlighting ways it will help users, such as auto-writing, proofreading, emoji-generating, searching photo galleries using conversational prompts, and more. Also: Apple delivers on hardware upgrades but punts Apple Intelligence rollout The biggest highlight was the launch of Visual Intelligence, Apple's answer to Google Lens. Like Google Lens, you can take photos of your surroundings, such as a dog or restaurant, and get personalized insights and relevant information on what you captured. Users who purchase a device from the new iPhone 16 lineup will be able to access Visual Intelligence from the new Camera Control option "later this year," according to Apple, though the company did not clarify an exact launch date. Apple unveiled iOS 18 during this year's WWDC in June. It will be readily installed on all iPhone 16 models and available to download on older iPhones this coming Monday, Sept. 16. Even though Apple didn't touch on iOS 18 much during the event, plenty of features are packed into the new software, so we rounded up some of the best ones: ZDNET is at Apple headquarters in Cupertino now, so stay tuned for the latest news, hands-on reviews, takeaways, and more.