Key things Apple announced at its hardware event today
New models of the Apple iPhone 16 are displayed after Apple’s “It’s Glowtime” event in Cupertino, California, today. Nic Coury/AFP/Getty Images
Apple on Monday unveiled a host of new technology that features some impressive updates the company hopes will convince customers to upgrade.
The company announced that the iPhone 16 would be the first model purpose-built for generative artificial intelligence, which will allow users to create text and images with a natural-language prompt.
Apple unveiled the latest version of its AirPods and the new new Apple Watch 10.
Here are some of the highlights from the event:
- Hearing aid feature: Apple’s new AirPods Pro model will come with a clinical-grade over-the-counter hearing aid feature, the company said, as well as a clinical hearing test that users can access on their iPhones. Apple said it expects to receive clearance from the US Food and Drug Administration and other regulators soon, but the feature will be available in over 100 countries and regions, including the US, this month.
From Apple
- Tracking sleep apnea: Apple’s latest Apple Watch 10 can detect sleep apnea, the company said. The common and potentially dangerous condition can cause breathing to stop while people are sleeping. The detection feature is awaiting clearance from the FDA, Apple said, and is expected to be available in over 150 countries and regions later this month.
- Visuals intelligence: A new camera control feature, accessed with a button on the side of the phone, which will give users access to “visual intelligence,” Craig Federighi, the senior vice president of software engineering, said. For example, after clicking the camera control, a user can point the camera at a restaurant and the iPhone 16 will pull up information like reviews, the menu and how to make a reservation. It can also be used to identify things like dog breeds or landmarks and to add things to your calendar.
From Apple
- Siri enhancements: Siri will now be able to pull from users’ text messages, meaning it can remind you of TV and music recommendations sent by friends, said Federighi. For example, you can say, “Send Erica the photos from Saturday’s barbecue,” and Siri will understand which photos to send and automatically text them to the right person.
- iPhone Pro video enhancements: The new high-end iPhone 16 also lets you shoot in 4K resolution at 120 frames per second, with the ability to make the video slow-motion after recording a clip, rather than trying to grab the right setting as the action is happening. The Pro line is also getting an audio recording boost, including spatial audio with reduced background noise, enabling videos to pick conversations from ambient noise.
The newest iPhone Pro isn’t as expensive as you think (relatively speaking)
By CNN’s Elisabeth Buchwald
An employee counts US dollar currency as a customer pays cash for an Apple iPhone 15 series phone for sale at The Grove Apple retail store on release day in Los Angeles, California, on September 22, 2023.. Patrick T. Fallon/AFP/Getty Images
The newest iPhone 16 Pro Max will cost $1,199. That’s a hefty price tag on the surface, and would make it the most expensive iPhone Apple ever sold. But here’s the kicker: That’s before adjusting for inflation.
The iPhone X in 2017 cost $999, and back then that was the most expensive iPhone the Cupertino, California-based company sold. But when adjusting for inflation, the $999 iPhone X actually costs $74 more than the price of the new iPhone 16 Pro Max, according to Consumer Price Index data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Additionally, when considering price changes to smartphones, the BLS doesn’t just look at how much cheaper or more expensive a phone got over time. Rather, the agency considers how much value upgrades, such as enhanced battery life, have added to the products relative to earlier versions. After taking that into account, smartphones currently cost consumers 8.2% less compared to a year ago, according to July CPI data.
The Apple iPhone 16 Pro will start at $999
From CNN’s Elise Hammond
The new Apple iPhone 16 Pro will cost $999 and the iPhone 16 Pro Max will be $1,199, the company announced Monday.
Both will be available for pre-order on Friday and in stores on September 20, it said. That’s the same dollar amount as last year’s model, the iPhone 15 Pro.
iPhone 16 Pro line is bigger, faster than ever
By CNN’s Samantha Kelly
From Apple
Apple showed off the latest version of its high-end iPhone Pro, designed for Apple Intelligence at its core.
The iPhone 16 Pro line is bigger by 0.2 inches than last year’s models: the entry-level Pro is 6.3 inches and the Pro Max is 6.9 inches, allowing users to see and do more on the display. Apple said the devices include the thinnest borders yet, feature the longest-lasting battery life on any of its iPhones, and comes in four colors: white titanium, darker titanium, natural titanium and a brown-colored desert titanium.
Apple’s custom built A18 chip is also designed “hand in hand” to support Apple’s new AI tools.
The device also lets you shoot in 4K resolution at 120 frames per second, with the ability to make the video slow-motion after recording a clip, rather than trying to grab the right setting as the action is happening. The Pro line is also getting an audio recording boost, including spatial audio with reduced background noise, enabling videos to pick conversations from the people centered in the video out from the ambient noise around them.
New iPhone 16 will start at $799
From CNN’s Elise Hammond
From Apple
The new iPhone 16 will start at $799, the company said on Monday after unveiling its new artificial intelligence features.
The iPhone 16 Plus will start at $899.
Don’t call it “AI”
From CNN’s Allison Morrow
Apple CEO Tim Cook walks on the stage during an announcement of new products at Apple headquarters Monday, Sept. 9, in Cupertino, California. Juliana Yamada/AP
“Apple Intelligence” is artificial intelligence. But you didn’t hear the words “artificial” or “AI” coming out of the mouths of Apple’s leaders today.
Instead of “AI-powered,” CEO Tim Cook and others are referring to Apple’s “intelligent” features. That’s because Apple is one of the most brand-conscious companies on the planet, and it knows something that often gets lost in the bot-pilled bubble of Silicon Valley: Regular people don’t like AI.
Over the summer, a study published in the Journal of Hospitality Marketing & Management found that describing a product as “AI-powered” tends to lower a customer’s intention to buy it.
It’s not hard to see why: Our interactions with chatbots and AI image generators have quickly taught us to be skeptical of their stilted, often flatly incorrect renderings. When something looks inauthentic, we now say it looks like it was generated by a bot. When we hear a politician fumble their stump speech, we quip that it sounds like ChatGPT wrote it.
The always image-cautious Apple knows better than to fall into the “AI” trap, even if its whole pitch for the new iPhone is AI.
Apple’s new iPhone will have new artificial intelligence features
By CNN’s Samantha Delouya
From Apple
Apple revealed more details about its artificial intelligence offering what the company is calling “Apple Intelligence,” which is used in its new iPhone 16 model.
The features, which include writing tools that use AI to help draft emails and texts, will be included with the phone. Apple’s AI will also enable more natural conversations with Siri.
“Apple intelligence marks the start of a new era for Siri and makes it more natural, more contextually relevant and more personal to you with richer language understanding,” said Craig Federighi, Apple’s SVP of software engineering.
Siri will now be able to pull from users’ text messages, meaning it can remind you of TV show and music recommendations sent by friends, said Federighi.
“You’ll be able to simply say, ‘Send Erica the photos from Saturday’s barbecue,’ and Siri will dig up the photos and send them right off,” Federighi said.
The company had already hinted at some of Apple’s new AI features in the past, including AI-generated custom emojis and more accessible photo-searching capabilities.
From Apple
New iPhone 16 allows users to search by pointing their camera, Apple says
From CNN’s Elise Hammond
From Apple
The new iPhone 16 will allow users to get information about things around them just by pointing their camera, the company announced.
The camera control feature, accessed with a button on the side of the phone, will give users access to “visual intelligence,” Craig Federighi, the senior vice president of software engineering, said on Monday.
For example, after clicking the camera control, a user can point the camera at a restaurant and the iPhone 16 will pull up information like reviews, the menu and how to make a reservation.
Federighi said this “visual intelligence” can also be used to identify things like dog breeds or landmarks and to add things to your calendar.
Apple also touched on its previously announced partnership with ChatGPT creator OpenAI to power some of these features. Federighi gave the example of using camera control to access ChatGPT to get help with homework.
Some context: Apple previously announced that the iPhone 16 would be the first model purpose-built for generative artificial intelligence, which would allow users to create text and images with a natural language prompt.
Apple debuts iPhone 16 designed for AI
By CNN’s Samantha Kelly
From Apple
Apple CEO Tim Cook said the iPhone 16 “marks the beginning of an exciting new era,” thanks largely to Apple Intelligence. But there are some physical changes coming to the hardware, too.
The new phones come in white, black, teal, aquamarine and pink. They’re also available in two sizes: 6.1 inches for the iPhone 16 and 6.7 inches for iPhone 16 Plus.
The 16 line also comes packed with new buttons. First, there’a a customizable Action Button, replacing the mute button and allowing users to do anything from translating a phrase on the fly or programing a shortcut, such as turning on the flashlight or opening a calendar. Apple is also adding a physical button for easy access to opening the camera, initiated by sliding a finger.
The iPhone 16 comes with 17% more system memory bandwidth to better support Apple Intelligence, a glass-ceramic screen that promises to be 50% tougher and 40% faster GPU than the previous model.
Apple’s new AirPods Pro will come with a hearing aid feature
CNN’s Samantha Delouya
From Apple
Apple’s new AirPods Pro model will come with a clinical-grade over-the-counter hearing aid feature, the company said, as well as a clinical hearing test that users can access on their iPhones.
“After you take a hearing test, your AirPods Pro are transformed into a personalized hearing aid, hosting the specific sounds you need in real time,” said Apple’s VP of Health, Sumbul Ahmad Desai.
Desai said Apple expects to receive clearance from the US Food and Drug Administration and other regulators soon, but the feature will be available in over 100 countries and regions, including the US, this month.
In addition to the hearing aid feature, the new AirPods Pro model will have other features that focus on hearing loss, including machine learning-powered hearing protection that reduces louder background noise.
New AirPods 4 will start at $129
From CNN’s Elise Hammond
The new AirPods 4 will cost $129 and AirPods 4 with the active noise cancellation feature will be slightly more expensive at $179, the company announced on Monday.
Both are available to pre-order now and will be available on September 20.
Apple is bringing a bunch of Pro features to the AirPods base model
By CNN’s Samantha Kelly
From Apple
Apple unveiled the latest version of its base AirPods line that the company calls its “most comfortable” set yet, along with a handful of features that are typically found on its higher-end Pro model AirPods, like active noise cancellation and “transparency mode,” which enables users to hear the outside ambient environment.
Apple said the AirPods 4 were redesigned with advanced modeling tools to make the earbuds fit better into user ears. They also come with more control to play and pause music, start and end calls, and now include USB-C via the charging case.
Other upgrades include longer lasting battery life (now up to 30 hours of battery life) and an upgraded chip for richer listening experience.
Apple Watch Series 10 gets snorkeling, kayaking features
By CNN’s Samantha Kelly
Apple Watch Series 10 is also getting more advanced water tracking features.
The latest device, which can now go 20 feet underwater, features a water temperature sensor and a depth gauge. It also has specs specifically designed for snorkeling, such as direction and time spent underwater.
Other new features include a Tides app, which shows seven days of information for tides, coastline information, and sunrise and sunset times. For kayakers and rowers, a paddle logger app will monitor speed and give users haptic feedback to keep track of their route.
Series 10 Apple Watch starts at $399
From CNN’s Elise Hammond
From Apple
Apple’s new Series 10 watch will start at $399, according to the company.
It is now available to pre-order and will be available on September 20.
The newest Apple Watch will come with some new features, the company said at its hardware event on Monday, including a bigger face and new apps.
Here are some of the highlights:
- The watch has the biggest display yet, and it’s 30% larger than other Apple Watches.
- The face is also Apple’s thinnest yet.
- It can help detect sleep apnea.
- There are new features for water activities, including measuring water depth and temperature.
- Apple says this watch also charges quickly — up to 80% in 30 minutes, and it has a battery life of up to 18 hours.
Apple’s new Series 10 Watch can alert you to sleep apnea
CNN’s Samantha Delouya
From Apple
Apple’s latest watch can detect sleep apnea, the company said Monday.
“Sleep apnea is a common condition in which your breathing stops and restarts many times while you sleep,” according to the National Institutes of Health, preventing people’s bodies from getting enough oxygen.
“One of the biggest challenges is that 80% of people with sleep apnea are undiagnosed,” said Apple’s VP of Health Sumbul Ahmad Desai. “To detect sleep apnea, Apple Watch uses the accelerometer to monitor a new metric during sleep called breathing disturbances.”
The feature is awaiting clearance from the US Food and Drug Administration, Desai said, and is expected to be available in over 150 countries and regions later this month.
Sleep apnea affects approximately 39 million US adults, according to the National Council on Aging. Snoring is a common symptom.
Previous iterations of the Apple Watch alerted users to Afib, a life-threatening irregular heartbeat.
CNN’s Samantha Delouya
From Apple
Apple began the event by introducing its Apple Watch Series 10. The new model is the thinnest and has the Apple Watch’s largest-ever screen display, Jeff Williams, Apple’s Chief Operating Officer, said.
“With a larger screen, you can increase the font size without sacrificing content and you can see an additional line of text in apps like messages, mail and news,” Williams said. The device is more energy efficient than the previous one as well, and charges faster.
The watch comes in a new polished titanium finish in jet black, along with rose gold and silver.
Tim Cook teases first iPhone built specifically for AI
By CNN’s Samantha Kelly
The Apple event kicked off with a pre-recorded video of CEO Tim Cook teasing what’s to come today: Apple watch, Air Pods and the iPhone.
He said the iPhone 16 will be the first mobile device built “from the ground up” to better support the company’s new AI software, Apple Intelligence.
Notably, he called Apple Intelligence a “personal intelligence” system, appearing to avoid using the term “artificial intelligence.”
NOW: Apple’s hardware event has started
From CNN staff
Tim Cook speaks at the beginning of Apple’s “Glow” event on September 9. From Apple
Apple’s annual hardware event is now underway. The company is expected to reveal the first lineup of iPhones purpose-built for generative artificial intelligence.
The company’s task during this event will be to show iPhone users what this kind of AI will look like in real life.
It comes as Apple needs to convince investors that it hasn’t fallen behind in the AI arms race, as rivals have already released similar features with the new technology.
Follow along for live updates or watch the live stream here.
The buzzy iOS 18 updates
By CNN’s Clare Duffy
A person looks at an Apple iPhone 15 Pro during a launch event at Apple Park in Cupertino, California, on September 12, 2023. Nic Coury/AFP/Getty Images
Here’s a closer look at some of the previously announced iOS 18 updates we may learn more about later today:
Siri gets smarter. With Apple Intelligence, Siri will be able to answer questions using information from across multiple apps. For example, it could prep you for an upcoming meeting by telling you the time and location from your calendar, summarizing the prep document your colleague sent in an email and telling you the weather so you know how to dress.
AI-generated emojis. Apple Intelligence will make it possible for users to create their own emojis with text prompt in iMessage, as well as to generate non-photorealistic images to send in conversations.
OpenAI Partnership. In situations where OpenAI’s technology is better suited to answer a users’ question, Apple will let them opt-in to searching ChatGPT instead. The integration will work directly from their Apple device, even if a user doesn’t have a ChatGPT account.
Hidden apps. New privacy updates for iPhone will let users “lock” certain apps so only they can open them using Face ID, Touch ID or their passcode. Users can also “hide” apps so they don’t show up on their home screen and no media from those apps appear elsewhere across their system.
Real-time call transcripts. iPhone users will now be able to record and create transcripts of calls right from the phone app. All parties to the call will be notified when it is being recorded.
The AI iPhone
By CNN’s Clare Duffy
Apple CEO Tim Cook speaks during an announcement of new products on the Apple campus in Cupertino, California, on June 10. Jeff Chiu/AP
At its annual Worldwide Developers Conference in June, the company announced some of the biggest things coming to its new AI platform, which it’s dubbed Apple Intelligence, this fall.
This includes enabling more natural conversations with Siri, helping to draft emails, making it easier to find specific moments in your photo albums and incorporating users’ personal information into its responses. The company’s task today will be to show iPhone users what that will look like in real life.
Under the hood, the iPhone 16 is also expected to get an upgraded processor to better handle a lot of these features without compromising battery life.
It’s also possible there could be some subtle changes to the appearance of the iPhone, such as a wider screen or updated edges, to further emphasize this a big year to upgrade.
Why the iPhone 16 matters so much
By CNN’s Clare Duffy
A man holds a bag with a new iPhone on September 22, 2023 when Apple’s iPhone 15 went on sale in Shanghai, China Aly Song/Reuters
Apple faces immense pressure ahead of the event to prove the new AI features and other iPhone 16 updates are worth shelling out for an upgrade. The company also needs to convince investors that it hasn’t fallen behind in the AI arms race, as rivals have already released similar features with the new technology.
Since the launch of the iPhone 12 with 5G connectivity in 2020, the company has given users few exciting reasons to buy the latest generation. Phone cameras have largely advanced to the point where they’re sufficient for most people’s day-to-day needs without major hardware changes, and at some point the human eye isn’t even capable of perceiving higher screen resolutions.
As a result, iPhone sales, which make up half of the company’s revenue, have been sluggish.
If Apple delivers, it could cash in. About 300 million iPhones worldwide have not been upgraded in more than four years, according to a research note from analyst Dan Ives of investment firm Wedbush last month.
How to watch Apple’s iPhone event
From CNN’s Clare Duffy
A man seen in the new Apple store at the Tun Razak Exchange on June 20 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Annice Lyn/Getty Images
Apple is set to unveil its first lineup of iPhones built for generative artificial intelligence, the kind that lets people create images and helps them write emails, during its annual hardware event on Monday.
The event starts at 1 p.m. ET and you can watch the livestream here.
The event was teased with the cryptic motto of “it’s glow time,” and Apple is staying mum thus far on what it means.
It’s not just the new iPhone. Here’s what changes could be coming to your other Apple devices
From CNN’s Clare Duffy
Apple iPhone 15 series devices are displayed for sale as a customer purchases an iPhone at The Grove Apple retail store on release day in Los Angeles, California, on September 22, 2023. Patrick T. Fallon/AFP/Getty Images
Apple is expected to reveal its new iPhone 16 on Monday, which will be the main focus of its annual hardware event. But there will likely also be some changes coming to other Apple devices.
The Apple Watch Series 10 is expected to be thinner than its predecessors but with a larger screen, and the company is also set to roll out new low-end and mid-tier AirPod offerings, according to a report from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, citing unnamed people familiar with the situation.
Those updates would follow new software offerings for both devices that Apple announced at its annual developers conference in June.
AirPods users will be able to answer or decline a call with just a nod or shake of their head. And new vital sign tracking on Apple Watch can notify users when they may be getting sick, based on signals like body temperature and heart rate.
One of the biggest questions from Apple’s event today: How much will you have to pay for the new iPhone?
From CNN’s Clare Duffy
A customer purchases an iPhone 15 on September 22, 2023 in Milan, Italy. Ming Yeung/Getty Images
A major question heading into Apple’s annual hardware event on Monday is how much customers will have to shell out for the new iPhone 16 lineup.
For the last four years, the starting price at launch for the new iPhones was $799.
Apple enthusiasts have debated for years whether iPhone models should be cheaper, while investors would prefer maximum profit.
Many analysts, including CFRA Research’s Angelo Zino, say Apple could modestly raise prices “across the board” for the iPhone lineup because of the new AI features and the cost to the company of delivering them.
However, it almost certainly won’t be a major hike because “they don’t want to lose the (customer) enthusiasm because of sticker shock,” D.A. Davidson analyst Gil Luria told CNN.
If Apple delivers, it could cash in — roughly 300 million iPhones worldwide have not been upgraded in more than four years, according to a research note from analyst Dan Ives of investment firm Wedbush last month.
Apple and AI: What does this mean for your data?
Analysis from CNN’s Brian Fung
People walk past an Apple store in the Americana at Brand shopping center on December 26, 2023 in Glendale, California. Mario Tama/Getty Images
Apple is expected to unveil its new lineup of iPhones that are built for artificial intelligence today, but that also brings up questions about privacy and data for some users.
Apple Intelligence — the collective brandname for all of Apple’s own AI tools — is intended to be more of a personal assistant than anything else. It takes in specific information about your relationships and contacts, messages and emails you’ve sent, events you’ve been to, meetings on your calendar and other highly individualized bits of data about your life.
But while Apple Intelligence will have access to a wide range of your personal data, it will lack what companyexecutives called “world knowledge” — more general information about history, current events and other things that are less directly linked to you.
That’s where ChatGPT comes in. Users will be able to have Siri forward questions and prompts to ChatGPT — on an opt-in basis — or have ChatGPT help you write documents within Apple apps.
What about your data: Since Apple Intelligence and ChatGPT will be used for largely different purposes, the amount and type of information users send to each AI may be different, too. ChatGPT won’t necessarily or automatically have access to your highly personal details, although you might choose to share some of this data and more with OpenAI if you decide to use ChatGPT through Apple. During a demo in June, Apple showed Siri asking the user for permission to send a prompt to ChatGPT before doing so.
While Apple users will have to send their personal information and AI queries to OpenAI if they want to use ChatGPT, Apple has said that most of the time Apple Intelligence won’t be sending user data anywhere. As much as possible, Apple will try to process AI prompts directly on your device using smaller AI models.
This is similar to how Apple already processes FaceID and other sensitive data — the idea being that processing data right on the device limits risky exposure. Your data can’t be intercepted or hacked from a central server if it never actually goes anywhere.
Apple’s previous AI iPhone announcement helped it to become the most valuable public company in the US
From CNN’s Krystal Hur
People are reflected in an overhead mirror as they gather to purchase Apple iPhone 15 models in the Apple The Grove store on September 22, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. Mario Tama/Getty Images
Apple is the most valuable public company in the United States and now it’s taking another step in working to convince investors that it hasn’t fallen behind in the AI arms race.
The company is expected to unveil the iPhone 16 today, which and it’s likely to be the first version to be able to accommodate Apple’s version of AI – dubbed “Apple Intelligence” by the company – natively.
In June, Apple first announced the generative AI features for iPhones at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference — sending stocks climbing and passing Microsoft to become the most valuable public company.
At that conference, Apple announced a partnership with ChatGPT creator OpenAI to power some of its phone’s features. Although the partnership will likely give the company a much-needed boost, Apple aligning itself with a company and a technology that has yet to win public trust has raised criticism, especially for taking user inputs and incorporating them into ChatGPT’s data set. Those may cause some privacy challenges down the road for a company that has long prioritized its users’ safety and anonymity.
And today, the company will aim to show users and investors what that looks like in real life.
