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Apple Event 2024 – Forbes Verified

Posted on by darion

Like clockwork, Apple holds an iPhone launch event every September — and that was the case once again during “It’s Glowtime,” the title of Apple’s 2024 event. Unlike in years past, the annual event took place on a Monday (possibly because of the presidential debate on Tuesday) and featured the release of the latest and greatest iPhone 16 model, new Apple Watch Series 10 models, and more.

There were, however, a ton of rumored upgrades that we didn’t see. There were no new iPad or Mac models — and if Apple has any in store for this year, it’ll likely have its own event in October or November. But there were still plenty of debuts, including the release of the iPhone 16, brand-new AirPods, and more.

Curious about the brand new Apple products and which ones you might want? Here’s a rundown of what Apple showed off at its “It’s Glowtime” event on September 9.

The iPhone was the last product Apple discussed at its event, but it stole the show. Designed with Apple Intelligence in mind, the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus also feature new on-device camera controls.

Camera Control, as it’s called, is located on the side of the device and is a button that allows users to take photos more naturally and swipe to control some camera functions. The button is placed parallel to the side of the phone and launches the camera with a tap, and takes a photo with another tap. A tap and hold records video and interacts with the Taptic Engine for natural feedback. You can also lightly press the button to bring up other controls, such as the ability to swipe to zoom or access other settings. It’s a fairly advanced feature, although it remains to be seen how easy it is to use in real life.

Beyond the camera controls, the cameras have also received some improvements. Like before, the camera is 48MP and supports a 2x lossless telephoto feature that crops the camera sensor to produce a zoomed-in shot that doesn’t use digital zoom. The new ultra-wide-angle camera is still 12MP, but now has built-in autofocus, a larger aperture, and larger pixels to capture up to 2.6x more light. The device can now also record surround video, thanks to the new vertically aligned cameras.

Under the hood of the iPhone 16 is Apple’s latest and greatest A18 chip. The A18 has a new Neural Engine that Apple says is optimized to handle large generative models, more memory bandwidth for faster AI performance, and a new 6-core processor. That’s all alongside a new 5-core GPU that Apple says is 40% faster and is used for Apple Intelligence, new camera features, and all while using 35% less power.

Apple intelligence at the forefront

But Apple also put a strong focus on Apple Intelligence again at its event, going through the features it announced in June. Apple says the first set of Apple Intelligence features will be available in beta in October, with more languages ​​coming in December and then even more next year.

But it also announced a new feature for the iPhone 16: Visual Intelligence. This new intelligent feature lets users tap and hold the new Camera Control button and point the camera at any object in the world around them to get more information. Apple’s examples include holding the device to a concert poster to add it to the camera, or to a business to see its ratings and menu. It also connects with Google, allowing you to easily find products that you might be interested in. Visual Intelligence will be available on the iPhone 16 later this year.

The 6.1-inch iPhone 16 and 6.7-inch iPhone 16 Plus are available for pre-order starting Friday, September 13, and will begin shipping on September 20. The iPhone 16 starts at $799, and the iPhone 16 Plus starts at $899.

In addition to the iPhone 16, Apple also unveiled the all-new iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max. Like its siblings, the iPhone 16 Pro has a new camera control on the side, as well as new displays measuring 6.3-inches on the iPhone 16 Pro and 6.9-inches on the iPhone 16 Pro Max. Apple says the devices have thinner bezels, ensuring that the larger displays don’t mean the devices themselves are significantly larger.

The iPhone 16 Pro is also available in new finishes: Black Titanium, Natural Titanium, White Titanium, and Desert Titanium. Thanks to improved power efficiency and a larger battery, the iPhone 16 Pro Max has a longer battery life. Apple calls it the best battery life of any iPhone. That said, the tech giant didn’t provide actual battery life numbers, so we’ll see how much better it is.

Under the hood of the iPhone 16 Pro is the new pro-class A18 Pro chip. This chip goes beyond the standard A18 chip, offering a 16-core Neural Engine and a faster 6-core GPU that can perform up to 20% faster than the A17 Pro chip.

The iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max cameras have also been significantly improved. The new devices have a new 48-megapixel main camera with a new Quad Pixel sensor that can capture data faster for more detail. The same goes for a new 48-megapixel ultra-wide-angle sensor and a 48-megapixel telephoto camera with 5x optical zoom. The devices also get new camera styles that can be customized using Camera Control. Finally, there’s a new Cinematic Slow-Motion feature that can capture 4K video at 120 frames per second. And the device has new microphones that Apple says deliver “studio-quality” audio.

The iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max will be available for pre-order starting September 13, with sales beginning September 20. The iPhone 16 Pro is priced at $999, while the iPhone 16 Pro Max starts at $1,199.

The Apple Watch Series 10 was the first new wearable Apple unveiled at its event, and it’s a big year for the device — now in its 10th generation. Contrary to what some rumors have suggested, Apple isn’t necessarily to reinvent Apple Watch design for the Series 10. However, the tech company has made some great changes to the Watch Series 10 design, including a larger display with smaller bezels and a thinner 9.7mm case — which is 10% thinner than the Apple Watch Series 9. The device’s display is so large, it’s even bigger than the Apple Watch Ultra. This could come in handy for things like reading text or typing out responses.

In terms of display technology, the device is the company’s first “wide-angle OLED display,” which is designed to be easily viewed from wider angles or when you’re not looking at the device straight on.

While the Watch is available in Apple’s primary colors, Rose Gold and Silver Aluminum, it also comes in a slew of new colors, including Natural, Gold, Slate Gray, and the all-new Jet Black. Be sure to check the price before you buy, as some of these colors are more expensive than the aluminum-based models. For that price, you do get the metal watch bands in the same colors, which is nice.

The Series 10 features Apple’s new S10 chipset, built to be more efficient and better support intelligent features like automatic workout detection and crash detection. The chipset uses a new neural network to reduce background noise during phone calls and enables access to the Translate app on Apple Watch.

Apple also showed off new health monitoring features, including detection of sleep apnea, a sleep disorder that can cause sufferers to stop breathing multiple times a night. The feature is still pending FDA approval, but Apple says it expects it to arrive soon — and will be coming to the Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2. Speaking of the Apple Watch Ultra, Apple didn’t announce an Ultra 3 this year — but it did give the Ultra 2 a new black finish and a new Titanium Milanese woven watch band, as well as new Hermes Apple Watch bands.

The Apple Watch Series 10 starts at $399 for the Wi-Fi model or $499 for the cellular model. It’s available for pre-order now, with availability on September 20.

Apple has revamped its entry-level AirPods for the fourth generation and has unveiled a new look for the latest iteration. The new AirPods 4 feature a slightly new design that makes them look a bit closer to the AirPods Pro, with a shorter, angled stem.

The new AirPods 4 feature Apple’s H2 chip, which helps them produce significantly improved sound quality and what it calls Personalized Spatial Audio. They also feature head tracking, as well as the ability to nod or shake your head to respond to Siri, a feature that was first announced at WWDC in June. The new AirPods 4 have a total of 30 hours of battery life, including charging time with the case.

There’s also a slightly more advanced version of the AirPods 4, simply called the “AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation.” As you might expect, this version of the headphones has noise cancellation and transparency modes. It also has Adaptive Audio, which can adjust the noise modes based on your surroundings, and Conversational Awareness mode, which detects when you’re talking to someone and switches directly to transparency mode. It’s a cool upgrade, though it will obviously cost more at $179.

The AirPods 4 are priced at $129 for the non-ANC version and $179 for the AirPods with Active Noise Cancellation. You can add them to your cart now, with both options starting to ship on September 20.