Recap of Apple’s September product announcement

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Just like clockwork, Apple had their fall announcement just after Labor Day this year. This is when Apple announces new iPhones, Apple Watches and other personal devices for the next year.

iPhone 14 is here!

As expected, the iPhone 14 is here. As in recent past, there are two groups of iPhone 14s - the iPhone 14 and the iPhone 14 Pro.

The iPhone 14 is like the 12 and 13. It comes in a “regular” size and a Plus size. It is a good phone with 2 cameras, but the wrong ones. The cameras are a normal view and a wide angle. It does not have a telephoto camera, which would be way more useful than a wide angle camera. This deficiency just takes this phone out of play for me. I don’t recommend it.

The iPhone 14 Pro also comes in “regular” and Max sizes. This is the iPhone to get if you are in the market. They are very similar to the 13 Pros with these upgrades:

  1. Always on screen - if you want, the screen can stay on, even while locked, showing the clock, notifications, etc.

  2. Emergency SOS - if you are out in the middle of nowhere with zero service and need help, the new iPhone connects to the world via satellite! Yes, it tracks and connects to satellites overhead to send customized emergency messages for help. It sends the message along with a very precise GPS location and the charge state of your battery. Emergency services can text you back as well. This is an amazing new feature for adventurers.

  3. Better “normal’ camera.

  4. A front-facing camera (aka selfie camera) with auto focus. Previous iPhones had fixed focus.

  5. 2X brighter display out in the sunshine.

  6. Fitness tracking - no longer do you have to have an Apple Watch to enjoy the benefits of Apple’s excellent Fitness+ program. Also, the phone has crash detection to determine if you have been in a car crash, and calls for help.

  7. Action mode for taking video while moving (walking, running, biking, etc). This is an excellent image stabilization mode for smooth videos.

There are lots of other features. These are just the ones that caught my eye. Pricing is the same as the 12 and 13 Pros - $999 for regular size, $1099 for the Max size.

Read more about the Pros here: https://www.apple.com/iphone-14-pro/

Read more about the non-Pros here: https://www.apple.com/iphone-14/

Apple Watch Series 8

Yes, another iteration of Apple’s great watch! This is very much an evolutionary change from the previous series. The 8 adds:

  1. Crash detection for detecting if you have been in a crash and alerting emergency services.

  2. Body temperature measurement for women’s cycle tracking and ovulation estimates.

I have a Series 5 watch and this is not enough new for me to upgrade.

https://www.apple.com/apple-watch-series-8/

Apple Watch Ultra

For the adventurous among us. Really adventurous. This is an all new watch that is very rugged, large with a long battery life.

This watch is great for scuba divers, mountain climbers. It works in extreme temperatures and environments. $799

https://www.apple.com/apple-watch-ultra/

AirPods Pro 2

Apple’s second generation of the sealing in-ear earbuds. They have improved sound, longer battery life and a case with a built-in speaker so you can find it via Find My.

Same price as before - $249

https://www.apple.com/airpods-pro/

That is about it. Kind of a slow announcement for hardware upgrades this year.

Note: The new iPhone operating system, iOS 16 releases Monday, September 12th, so go get it! Settings > General > Software Update. Read more about it here.