Apple has a new slate of updates to their most beloved products, from the iPhone to AirPods.
The company announced the release of the iPhone 16, AirPods 4 and Apple Watch 10, among other products, at its annual launch event on Sept. 9. Taking place in Sacramento, Calif., Apple CEO Tim Cook took the stage to introduce this year’s slate of products to a standing ovation.
Part of the company’s release included the new iPhone 16 and the iPhone 16 Pro, both of which will incorporate artificial intelligence into their software. As Apple has struggled to get customers to upgrade to its newest models since 2020, the company will be looking to make a larger dent in sales this year, analyst Dan Ives told Wired.
“We estimate 300 million iPhones have not been upgraded in 4 years,” Ives said, though he added he predicted this year will be “the strongest iPhone unit year ever and will exceed the previous record of 231 million unit sales [in 2015].”
From the upgraded technological features to the new color waves, here’s everything to know about Apple’s newest versions of its most popular products.
One of the most highly anticipated products of the year, Apple’s latest iPhone release has a number of new features. The iPhone 16 will be the first Apple phone built for artificial intelligence with the introduction of Apple Intelligence, which allows users to build text and images with language prompts.
Among other enhancements, the iPhone 16 will also have a camera control feature in the form of a button that, when clicked, runs “visual intelligence.” This means if the camera is pointed over a restaurant, it will tell the user reviews, the menu and other information about the establishment, or when it is over a dog, it can tell the user the breed.
Siri will also be more advanced and able to pull from the user’s text messages, allowing it to remind them of TV or movie recommendations from a friend, for example. The voice assistant will also be able to follow commands better so that if one were to tell Siri to send photos to a friend from a barbecue, it would accurately know who to send it to and which photos.
In addition to software changes, the iPhone 16 also boasts a new design. It will now be available in white, black, teal, “ultramarine” and pink and in two sizes: 6.1 inches for the regular size and 6.7 inches for the iPhone 16 Plus.
The iPhone 16 will be available for preorder on Sept. 13 and will be in stores on Sept. 20.
iPhone 16 Pro
The iPhone 16 Pro will feature all of the new developments introduced in the iPhone 16 in addition to more AI capabilities. The Pro is also physically different, coming in 0.2 inches bigger than the previous year’s model at 6.3 inches for the iPhone 16 Pro and 6.9 for the Pro Max. It also has a longer lasting battery life than any previous iPhone and has its own four shades to debut: white titanium, darker titanium, natural titanium and a tan “desert” titanium.
The biggest difference between the iPhone 16 and the Pro is the addition of 4K video to the Pro, which allows the user to film in 4K and the ability to make a video slow-motion after the fact. The iPhone 16 will be available for preorder on Sept. 13 and will be in stores on Sept. 20.
Apple’s signature earphones, their AirPods, have been redesigned for their fourth model to be the “most comfortable AirPods ever.” The earbuds will now fit better into users’ ears and allow them to have more control when playing or pausing music and starting or ending calls.
The AirPods 4 will also join other Apple products in requiring USB-C charging. Like their Pro counterparts, the AirPods 4 will now also feature noise cancellation and “transparency” mode, though for a steeper price. The AirPods 4 are available for preorder now and will be in stores on Sept. 20.
The AirPods Pro 2 are tackling an issue 1.5 billion people around the world struggle with, according to the World Health Organization: hearing loss. To that end, the Pro 2 will attempt to work on prevention, awareness and assistance.
The earphones will introduce an over-the-counter hearing aid that a user can utilize after conducting a hearing test. Though the feature will be available in their products this month, Apple is awaiting clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
The AirPods Pro 2 are available online and in stores now.
The newest Apple Watch is the thinnest but largest available yet. Boasting the widest display screen — at 30% bigger than previous watches — the Series 10 also comes in new colors in both aluminum and titanium: jet black, natural, gold and slate.
The watch can also charge significantly faster than previous iterations, reaching 80% within 30 minutes and lasting 18 hours.
The Apple Watch Series 10 also has a number of software upgrades, including the ability to see if a user has sleep apnea, a condition in which one stops breathing while asleep. The detection feature is awaiting clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration but will be available in late September. The watch can also now go 20 feet underwater and has depth and temperature sensing for underwater activities.
The Apple Watch Series 10 is available for preorder now and will be in stores on Sept. 20.
