Christina Marfice, BestReviews Staff
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There’s a lot of excitement around Apple’s 2023 event
The time has finally come! Apple fans everywhere tuned in to the tech giant’s big launch event, “Wonderlust.” And just like what was rumored, the big updates and releases are with the iPhone and Apple Watch. Specifically, the iPhone 15 and Apple Watch Series 9.
After Apple CEO Tim Cook spoke a bit about the June releases of Mac Studio, Mac Pro and the 15-inch Apple Mac Book Air, calling the releases the “best and most capable lineup in the history of the personal computer,” Cook dove right into the anticipated releases, starting with the Apple Watch Series 9.
Apple Watch Series 9
The biggest and most-speculated-about launch ahead of “Wonderlust” was definitely the iPhone 15. But the Apple Watch Series 9 developments are really impressive. The new watch uses powerful Apple silicone, and some new features are advanced workout methods, sleep stages and car crash detection. The watch uses the “all-new S9 SiP” and is the company’s most powerful watch chip yet. It has a 30 percent faster GPU and makes animations and effects look very smooth. There’s a four-core Neural Engine that makes processing AI tasks twice as fast. It also improves battery life somehow. The watch is also using more environmentally-friendly materials, completely abandoning the use of leather for bands. Instead, the company is using a material they’re calling “Fine Woven” — made of 68% post-consumer recycled materials.
But the most impressive news about the watch is something called “Double Tap,” which allows you to control the watch with one had, using a gesture with your thumb and index finger. You just tap them together twice to control several functions on the watch. Now, you can easily use the watch with one hand only. “Double Tap controls the primary button in an app — so things like stopping a timer, play/pause music, snoozing an alarm or control and navigate the smart stack in watchOS 10,” explained Engadget. The Series 9 starts at $399 and can be pre-ordered starting today.
Apple iPhone 15
The new line of iPhones has been the subject of a pretty steady stream of leaks in the last few months, so industry insiders were expecting new colors, a thinner bevel, a lighter frame made of a new titanium alloy, a slightly larger display and a periscopic telephoto lens camera. They were right.
But the biggest rumored upgrade to the iPhone 15 has to do with how it charges. Just as rumored, USB-C has become the universal standard — including for iPhone 15. Now all your Apple products from iPads to MacBooks can use the same charger. Finally. There will also be new AirPods charging cases and USB-C wired earpods.
The 15 Pro also has iPhone’s thinnest borders ever, so it’s smaller without affecting screen size. And the titanium makes the 15 Pro very light. The silent switch has also been reinvented and is now called the Action Button. “The Action Button, which replaces the ring / vibrate switch, can be programmed to do things like activating the camera, starting a recording, opening a note, or running your own custom shortcuts,” reports The Verge. “The button switches the iPhone between ring and vibrate by default, which is vital since it has replaced the ring / vibrate switch that Apple has included on the iPhone since its debut in 2007. You can feel a haptic feedback when it changes.”
Other upgrades include the company’s second-generation UWB chip that increases range by 2x. The event explained that you can use its UWB feature to find your friends when you’re separated from each other in crowds. The iPhone 15 is getting the second-gen Ultra Wideband chip, so it can connect to devices up to 3x farther away. And Apple’s Find My will allow you to find your friends more precisely. It also uses Emergency SOS via Satelite and Roadside Assistance via Satellite to allow you to text roadside assistance providers over satellite transmission. It will launch in the U.S. with AAA.
The iPhone 15 starts at $799, and the iPhone 15 Plus starts at $899.
How to watch the Apple ‘Wonderlust’ event
The “Wonderlust” event will be held at 10 a.m. PT (1 p.m. ET) on Tuesday, Sept. 12.
The live stream is available on:
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Christina Marfice writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money
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