The Apple Event finally happened, one of the big events in Techtember to take place in Cupertino, Apple HQ and of course, virtually for the rest of the world.
First, one of the small details that took place in the event was the opening film on the Apple Event: the testimonials of how the Apple Watch and iPhone played a part in other people's lives. From saving one's life, detecting one's heart irregularities, SOS emergencies and life-saving moments. But what stood out was this familiar tune:
So, the Apple Event kicked off on Tuesday, September 12th, with opening greetings and preview addresses from CEO Tim Cook. He highlighted some of the reviews of this year's previously announced/released products: The MacBook 15" laptop and the Apple Vision Pro.
The new stuff by Apple: Apple Watch and iPhone.
Without further ado, the Apple Watch lineup was the headliner of the hardware announcements. Apple has revealed the new Watch Series 9, with a bunch of new details; a new S9 Chip, an ultra-wideband chip, and a gesture on the watch hand called "Double Tap" which is tapping your index finger and thumb together twice.
Next was the Apple Watch Ultra 2, with a similar design to its predecessor Watch Series 9. It comes with an ultra-wideband chip, the S9 chip, a "Double Tap" gesture, a 3000-nit display and a new Modular Ultra watch face.
Apple Watch Series 9 - from $399 (KES 58,433.55)
Apple Watch Series Ultra - from $799 (KES 117,013.55)
Then, the iPhone releases followed, with the iPhone 15 being the 3rd hardware category released. This lineup of iPhone 15 adds a couple of new stuff. A new modelling structure with some new materials used for the outer body and inner components. The Dynamic Island is also added to the iPhone 15's Super Retina XDR 60 hertz display.
The phone gets an A16 Bionic chip, similar to the iPhone 14 Pro's chip. Cameras this time have been upgraded: 48MP main camera, 12MP telephoto camera. There is a new 2nd-generation ultra-wideband chip, extensive for the Find My network. And yes...iPhone 15 now has a USB-C port.
The Pro models got a huge number of refreshes. The iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max have a new Titanium build and finish with a lighter design. The screen for the Pro models also gets thinner bezels. A new customizable Action Button has been placed instead of the action mute toggle.
Apple is adding a more efficient A17 Pro processor to the device, which is dubbed to be the most powerful 3-nanometer chip yet and perfect for mobile gaming. The processor also handles USB-C data transfers that are 3 times fast for data speeds of 10 Gigabits. In addition to a 48MP main camera, the iPhone 15 Pro Max comes with a 5x telephoto camera. The Pro models can record spatial video for the Apple Vision Pro. The Pro models also come with a USB-C port with faster charging capabilities.
iPhone 15 - from $799 (KES 117,013.55)
iPhone 15 Plus - from $899 (KES 131,658.55)
iPhone 15 Pro -from $999 (KES 146,303.55)
iPhone 15 Pro Max - from $1,199 (KES 175,593.55)
It was announced that AirPods Pro will come with a USB-C port as well for its charging case. EarPods also will be shipped with USB-C connectors.
Software Releases
Announced during its event, Apple revealed when it will release its next round of updates to iOS, watchOS, iPadOS, and macOS. Apple plans on launching iOS 17, watchOS 10, and iPadOS 17 on September 18th. macOS Sonoma is slated for release on September 26th.
iOS 17 will be available on September 18th for these devices:
- iPhone 14
- iPhone 14 Plus
- iPhone 14 Pro
- iPhone 14 Pro Max
- iPhone 13
- iPhone 13 mini
- iPhone 13 Pro
- iPhone 13 Pro Max
- iPhone 12
- iPhone 12 mini
- iPhone 12 Pro
- iPhone 12 Pro Max
- iPhone 11
- iPhone 11 Pro
- iPhone 11 Pro Max
- iPhone XS
- iPhone XS Max
- iPhone XR
- iPhone SE (2nd gen or later)
