Apple announces the newest Watch and iPhone models, new OSs
/Today Apple had their traditional fall Watch and iPhone announcement. You can almost set your watch to it every year! Here are the highlights:
iPhone 15:
The big news is the move away from the Lightning connector that we use to charge and connect our iPhones. The Lightning connector was introduced exactly 11 years ago today, so it had a good run. The new connection at the bottom of the iPhone 15s is USB-C. This connector has been the primary charge port for Mac laptops since 2016 and iPads started moving to it last year. USB-C provides faster data transfer and will also allow it to connect it directly to external hard drives! No doubt there will be more uses for USB-C that Lightning could even imagine!
iPhone 15 - The base model (not counting the lost-leader SE model) is improved over previous year’s base model with improved cameras and, finally, a 2X optical zoom camera. This has been my complaint about the base model since it was introduce with the iPhone 11. It is finally a decent phone worth considering if you are on a limited budget. The screen is also improved, doubling its brightness for better readability outdoors. It comes in two sizes: 15 and 15 Plus (large phone). $799+
iPhone 15 Pro - These are the phones to get if you can swing the extra $200. Well worth the money if you have it. The Pros continue with their 3 full cameras onboard (wide, normal and telephoto) that are also improved this year. The Pro Max (large phone) has a greatly improved telephoto camera, moving from 3X to a full 5X zoom! Wow, now that is a useful telephoto! The Pros also move from a previous stainless steel chassis to a titanium one! Titanium is stronger, lighter, and therefore allow the phones to become slightly smaller than their predecessors while maintaining the same screen sizes. These phones have shed about 20 grams of weight, which is noticeable! The edges are also more rounded and more comfortable in-hand. $999+
The Pros also sport an always-on display (if you want it on) and a new Action button on the left side in place of the traditional silent switch. This button is programmable and can do things like, yes, silence the ringer, or open the camera (and shutter the camera), open the flashlight and more.
Apple Watch:
Apple Watch Series 9 - There are not a lot of changes to the Watch over the Series 8. The key improvements are a 2X brighter display that also goes darker for dark room use. There is more on-watch processing rather than using the connected iPhone or iCloud, resulting in faster Siri results. Probably the most important change is the double-tap feature. When your non-Watch hand is busy (holding a coffee cup, cooking, etc.) you can respond to screen requests by double tapping your index finger and thumb together. Examples of where this can be used is answering a phone call, ending a phone call, stopping a timer or alarm, pausing music, ending a workout and so on. Very useful! It also sports a better and more accurate iPhone finder for those times you iPhone ends up in the couch cushions. $399+
Apple Watch Ultra 2 - This is the second iteration of the ultimate Apple Watch, built especially for high adventurers. It is a large watch with 3-day battery life. The Ultra 2 model now has a brighter display and also supports double-tap. $799+
That is the announcement in a nutshell.
Remember that new operating systems are coming out soon - iOS and watchOS 17, iPadOS as well as MacOS Sonoma are coming in the next weeks:
It is worth reading about what is coming to your devices:
iOS 17 - https://www.apple.com/ios/ios-17/
watchOS 10 - https://www.apple.com/watchos/watchos-10/
ipadOS 17 - https://www.apple.com/ipados/ipados-17/
macOS Sonoma - https://www.apple.com/macos/sonoma-preview/