Spotlight on Apple Watch

For the big comeback in person after three years at the Steve Jobs Theater, Apple took a gamble not to feature its highest-paying product, the iPhone, for its annual event. Instead, it was its Apple Watch that got the biggest announcements on Wednesday, with an Ultra model designed for divers and hikers, a collision detector and a built-in skin thermometer to predict ovulation.

Karim Benessaieh
The Press

“This is the strongest line of Apple Watch,” said Jeff Williams, Apple’s chief operating officer, recalling that this watch has been at the top of sales since its launch in 2015. The new edition, called Series 8, includes a skin temperature sensor that can detect temperature changes of 0.1 degrees, every five seconds. An algorithm then combines the data to predict when ovulation will occur.

The data is fully encrypted on the watch, just like that which is sent to Apple’s servers, and the company does not have access to it, it was specified.

Robust watch

The other new function allows, by combining data from the gyroscope, accelerometer and motion sensor, to detect car accidents, collisions or rollovers. We use artificial intelligence trained by a million hours of data to alert the emergency services, if the wearer of the watch does not appear ten seconds after the alert.

The big news, however, is the launch of a new watch, called Apple Watch Ultra, aimed at sports enthusiasts, hikers and divers. This larger watch, with a 49mm screen, has an unmatched battery life of 36 hours (compared to 18 hours for the base Apple Watch) which can be extended to 60 hours in minimum power mode.

Apple’s avowed ambition: “To make it the best sports watch. »

For tracking, it uses two GPS frequencies and can be used up to 40 meters deep. It also includes a new orange button, customizable, which instantly displays the most suitable application.

It will be available in stores starting September 23 for $1,099. The Apple Watch Series 8 and its more budget-friendly version, the SE, will go on sale September 16 for $529 and $329 respectively.

Finally, we presented the second generation of AirPods Pro, whose ambient noise cancellation function would be twice as effective and which offer six hours of autonomy, or 33% more than those of the first edition. They go on sale September 23 for $329.

No more SIM card

The two base models of the iPhone 2022 edition, the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus, feature 6.1-inch and 6.7-inch screens. They also integrate collision detection and offer a notable novelty, the possibility of sending emergency text messages using the satellite network. These two phones inherited the A15 Bionic chip already present in last year’s iPhone 13.

It should be noted that Apple will be bold in removing the slot used to insert a SIM card from models sold in the United States. Users will now have to use only the eSIM card integrated into their phone, an operation that promises to be simple with the collaboration of cellular service providers.

The iPhone 14 will be available starting September 16 for $1,099, and the 14 Plus on October 7 for $1,249.

Dynamic dispaly

The high-end editions, the iPhone 14 Pro and the iPhone 14 Pro Max, are entitled to the new A16 Bionic chip with its 16 billion transistors and its 17,000 billion operations per second, “the most powerful chip fast ever installed on a phone, ”we summarized.

For the first time from Apple, the main rear camera can go up to 48 megapixels and the screen brightness can reach 2000 nits, “twice as bright as an iPhone 13 Pro”. Video recording has a stabilization mode when the phone is moving.

What especially strikes the imagination is the disappearance of the famous notch at the top, replaced by a black cylinder.

This element called “Dynamic Island” transforms as needed, stretching to display notifications or a phone call or becoming rectangular for music control.

These two Pro models will be in stores starting September 16, at starting prices of $1399 and $1549.

All of these new iPhone models will feature the new iOS 16 operating system.