iPhone 16, new AirPods and other news from the Apple product show

CUPERTINO, Calif. — Apple has shifted its focus firmly toward artificial intelligence, unveiling the highly anticipated iPhone 16 and a slew of new features that will arrive with the device’s next operating system update. While the new line of phones was the main attraction at Monday’s event, the tech giant also shared updates to its smartwatch and AirPod lines.

Here are the top announcements from Apple’s “Glowtime” event.

Apple Intelligence

Apple’s core AI solutions are packaged and advertised as Apple Intelligence — first unveiled at the company’s developer conference in June.

These features include the ability to search for images in your library by describing them, creating custom emojis, summarizing emails, and prioritizing notifications. Apple Intelligence will also update Apple’s virtual assistant Siri to better understand requests and give it awareness of on-screen actions taking place on your phone, hopefully making it more useful.

What sets Apple apart from competitors like Samsung and Google? The company is trying to maintain its long-standing commitment to privacy by adapting its AI so that most of its functions are processed on the device itself, rather than in remote data centers. When a task requires a connection to a data center, Apple promises that it will be done in a tightly controlled way that ensures no personal information is stored remotely.

Most of Apple’s AI features will be made available as part of a free software update to iOS 18, the operating system that will power the iPhone 16, available from October to December. The language at launch will be American English, but an update to support other languages ​​will be released next year, according to Apple.

iPhone 16 and the camera button

The iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max will have slightly larger displays and will be equipped with different versions of the powerful A18 processor, which will give Apple devices the computing power needed to support artificial intelligence features.

As CEO Tim Cook said during Monday’s event, the iPhone 16 “was designed from the ground up with Apple Intelligence in mind.”

At the other end of the spectrum, the biggest physical change to the iPhone 16 lineup is a dedicated camera button. The button responds to taps and gestures, allowing users to quickly take photos, preview shots, or start recording video.

This button also allows device owners to use the Visual Intelligence feature, which automatically searches photos a user takes on their iPhone 16.

The phones will begin shipping on September 20. The iPhone 16 will cost $799, and the Plus model $899. The iPhone 16 Pro will cost $999, and the Pro Max $1,199.

Apple Watch Updates

The Apple Watch Series 10 has a larger and brighter wide-angle OLED display that will allow users to better view the watch from angles, but Apple focused most of its presentation on the device’s ability to detect symptoms of sleep apnea.

The new device will be available for the first time in a titanium finish, which is part of a long-term trend in the watchmaking industry to offer more durable, lighter and perceived higher-quality alternatives to traditional materials.

The Series 10 Watch starts at $399 and will be available on September 20.

Airpods are more of a listening device

The new AirPods 4 series will feature an improved processor for better sound quality and more active noise cancellation.

If you often lose your earbuds, the new AirPods will also play a sound when you find them using the Find My app.

In a medically focused update to the AirPods Pro 2, Apple said it will update the devices to work as over-the-counter hearing aids. A free software update will provide the update, as well as include options to help protect your hearing and the ability to take a clinical-grade hearing test.

The AirPod 4 is priced at $129, while the active noise-cancelling version will cost $179. Both models will ship on September 20.