At a closely watched event from its headquarters in Cupertino, California, Apple has showcased four new smartphones, including the larger 6.7-inch iPhone 14 Plus model and an updated iPhone 14 Pro that rethinks the all-too-bad notch. In typical Apple fashion, the devices also offer better battery life and camera features than the previous year.
But the biggest surprise may be the price: the iPhone 14 and 14 Plus will start at $799 and $899 respectively, the same starting prices as last year’s models. The iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max start at $999 and $1099 respectively, unchanged from the previous year. Analysts widely predict that Apple will raise the price of premium models by $100.
“It’s impressive that Apple has maintained price parity year-over-year on new iPhone 14 devices in the US,” said Ben Wood, principal analyst at market research firm CCS Insight. “We predicted that inflation, increased production and component costs, and other expenses like more expensive shipping would cause Apple to drive up retail prices.”
For Apple, the risk of convincing customers to upgrade devices, and especially the iPhone, which remains its central product, is always high. That task has potentially been made more difficult this year due to wider economic fluctuations, including fears of an impending recession.
Throughout the event, Apple oscillated between presenting its line of products as tools to live our best lives, while also avoiding all sorts of illnesses that can happen to customers in an uncertain world, from car crashes to being stranded in the wilderness.
Apple has announced several new Apple Watch models, including a high-end version that costs $799 and is designed to support the needs of a rare group of outdoor enthusiasts. It has also added an option and a satellite link feature to its watches to detect when a user has been in a car accident. for phones that aim to help people communicate when cell phones are not working.
Here are the highlights from the event:
New iPhone 14 series
Apple introduced four new smartphones, including the new iPhone 14 with a 6.1-inch display and the iPhone 14 Plus with a larger 6.7-inch display.
The new iPhone 14 has a 12MP main camera with larger pixels, faster aperture and improved sensors. It also uses the same chip as last year’s iPhone 13 Pro model (A15) and iterates a chip for the first time in years.
However, for the first time, the new front camera features autofocus, allowing it to focus in low light from multiple distances for better individual and group selfies. It also has a new action mode that allows users to keep videos steady while on the go.
Apple’s new Pro series features an always-on display and the ability to receive notifications and events through what the company calls a “dynamic island”; this is the multi-pole notch at the top of the phone, which is now considered a feature. The Pro series also comes with the first 48 MP camera in an iPhone.
In a notable change, the iPhone 14 series also eliminates the need for a physical SIM card and instead uses a digital “e-SIM” card. Now users can store multiple e-SIMs on the same device and have multiple cell phone plans and phone numbers on the same phone. It also prevents others from removing the physical SIM card in case your iPhone is lost or stolen. Apple said the iPhone will no longer have a SIM tray on all US models.
The iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro will be available in five colors: midnight, starlight, blue, purple and red.
New Apple Watches
Apple introduced three new smartwatches at the event: Series 8, SE and Ultra.
At the highest level, the Ultra model is designed to help users watch. endurance training, scuba diving adventures and triathlons. The device runs for approximately 36 hours on a single charge, is more water resistant, and has an advanced compass that can work at night, in the ocean, and in other conditions.
On the low end, Apple has updated the SE to be up to 20% faster than the previous version. IT It starts at $249 for GPS models and $299 for cellular models.
And in the middle is the Series 8 model, which starts at $399. Like previous versions of Apple’s smartwatch, the Series 8 aims to motivate users to stay active and fit. Apple also highlighted the women’s health features of the watch, with renewed menstrual cycle tracking tools that can predict ovulation. According to the company, the tracking data is kept on each device and can only be accessed via a password or face ID. Apple does not have a key for encrypted data and therefore cannot access them without your express consent.
The announcement is that the Supreme Court’s Roe v. It came as data security became a major flashpoint for women following the decision to oust Wade.
New AirPods Pro 2
Apple showcased the latest generation AirPods Pro, one of the biggest debut products of recent years. The new AirPods Pro will have six hours of listening time on a single charge, better than the original version. Each earpiece and case itself is now equipped to play a sound to help you find it. And a slight swipe of the earpiece up and down will increase or decrease the volume.
AirPods Pro now comes with enhanced dynamic noise canceling technology and can eliminate twice as much noise as the original version. Meanwhile, a new adaptive transparency mode aims to reduce harsh environmental noise.
The AirPods Pro 2 cost $249 and hit stores Friday.
Satellite connection for emergencies
While Apple isn’t introducing any groundbreaking new hardware products, at least one new feature could prove to be game-changing for customers on rare occasions.
The new Emergency SOS via Satellite feature, which Apple says it has been working on for years, has been specially designed and manufactured. iPhone 14 devices for connecting to satellites when not near a terrestrial tower. By allowing users to point their device to a satellite that the phone will help locate, users will be able to send and receive information for immediate assistance.
The company said it has created a short text compression mechanism to condense messages that take about 15 seconds to send if a user has a clear view of the sky. (It may take a few minutes longer if something like greenery is on the way.)
Apple said local providers will be alerted to assist with the call for help.
Correction: An earlier version of this story attributed a quote to the wrong analyst at CCS Insight.
