Apple CEO Tim Cook unveiled the most eagerly awaited product of the year, the iPhone 15 line-up, during the 2023 iPhone Wonderlust event. At the wonderlust event, which began at Apple's Cupertino headquarters, Cook also gave the world a glimpse at the company's line of smartwatches.
Every September, Apple releases new flagship goods like the iPhone and an updated operating system. The first iPhone created by Steve Jobs in 2007 marked the beginning of this tradition. Now let’s jump into the new features Apple has brought with its latest products.
iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus
The new phones look almost the same as last year, except for the two panes sandwiched in a metal frame and the Dynamic Island being the only new aspect on the displays. Featuring an industry-first color infused back glass, both iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus come with a stunning textured matte finish with a new contoured edge on the aluminium enclosure. Both models sport the Dynamic Island fitted with an advanced camera system that could of course help users take fantastic shots capturing the moment of life. Still with dual cameras, the company has come with 48 megapixels and with binning the pixels promise fixing low-light performances. Compared to the 6.1-inch inch screen of the 15, the 15 Plus has a slightly bigger battery and 6.7-inch screen. But what they do share in common along with the watch is the second-generation Ultra Wideband chip. As far as supporting the Qi2 standard, the company has improvised its MagSafe.
iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max
Perhaps the most heard of feature for the two is the new titanium alloy case that has an aluminum substructure which is now lighter, not thinner, better heat dissipator and a better screen visibility maker. Sized 6.1 inches for Pro and 6.7 inches for Pro Max, both phones’ new back glass enables repairability as it can be replaced. The rumors about the Action button is real which is programmable and has haptic feedback. When customers tap it, they have a variety of options in addition to the ability to switch between their ringer and silence. For instance, someone can press the button to begin recording a voice memo. But it is only available for muting and works in conjunction with the Dynamic Island. Not dissimilar from android there is of course the StandBy screen which is enabled by iOS 17. Through these phones, Apple debuted its A17 Pro chip with a new GPU comprising ray-tracing acceleration (for augmented reality!). The company’s 3D graphics framework, Metal, poses an optimized scaling besides its efficient operation that proves it is battery friendly. That’s not all, the chip’s performance cores are improved, plus there is a new neural engine, dedicated AV1 decoder, USB 3 controller and USB-C connection.
Similar to the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus, the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max also share a 48 megapixel camera except with a bigger sensor than other and coated lenses for fewer reflections. It has got 24mm, 28mm and 35mm equivalent to the main camera. The company also promises image stabilization through the 120mm telephoto lens uses a tetraprism design with three-axis sensor-shift. Video recording is supported by an external USB drive, v-log encoding and ACES support.
Apple Watch Series 9 and Watch Ultra
The power system for this watch is the S9 chip that comes with upgraded graphics and neural core that not just enables more streamlined operation, but on-device processing of Siri requests, including logging and retrieving health data as well. Additionally, the new Ultra Wideband chip improves location and control over Apple devices. Dim light and bright light viewing can be adjusted as the display is brighter and could get darker too. A commonality that the watch shares with its iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus relatives is the A16 Bionic chip.
Most importantly, the company said that the Series 9 is the first carbon-neutral product and it replaces the leather bands with a material called FineWoven and it uses 95 percent recycled titanium.
In addition, the company revealed band cooperation with sportswear giant Nike as well as four new leather-free bands created in partnership with luxury brand Hermès.
Key AI Features in the New Products
Apple employs cutting-edge technology to enhance fundamental operations in its new gadgets, in contrast to other businesses that are aiming to modify their businesses significantly with artificial intelligence. The features substantially enhance fundamental operations like making calls or capturing better pictures.
Even though it wasn't discussed during its developer conference in June, artificial intelligence has been silently altering Apple's main software products for months now.
Apple added a four-core Neural Engine to its new chip, which was used to create the Series 9 Watch. This engine can handle machine learning jobs up to twice as quickly. Apple refers to the components of its AI-accelerating CPUs as the Neural Engine. Apple was able to introduce a new way for users to engage with the device, however, by including the machine learning chip components. Users can now double tap by squeezing their finger on their watch hand to perform actions such as answer or finish phone calls, pause music, or launch additional information such as the weather. The purpose is to allow users to operate the Apple Watch while using their non-watch hand to hold a cup of coffee or stroll a dog. When users tap their fingers together, the function uses the new chip and machine learning to detect minute motions and alterations in blood flow.
USB-C charging
The company is adding USB-C charging to the iPhone, as expected. Apple users can now charge their iPhones, iPads, and Mac laptops using the same USB-C chargers. (No more scrambling to find the right charger for each gadget).Lightning ports and chargers are now officially discontinued, exactly 11 years after their initial announcement. According to Apple, a dedicated USB-C controller in the iPhone 15 Pro will enable up to 20 times quicker transfer rates than USB-2 technology. Apple has begun selling AirPods Pro second generation units, which are supported by a USB-C powered charging case, outside of simply the iPhone. Not just the iPhone, but Apple has also begun selling second-generation AirPods Pro versions that can be charged over USB-C.