Apple Refreshes Product Lines Apple refreshed its iPhone, Watch and AirPods product lines at an online event Wednesday, as well as introducing a new Ultra watch for activity in challenging environments.
The Apple Watch Ultra is designed to operate in extreme cold and hot environments, as well as under 130 feet of water. It’s housed in a rugged titanium case and its face is made of tough sapphire crystal.
Ultra also has an “Action” button that’s programmable, an 85-decibel siren for emergencies, and its controls are designed for use with gloves. It has three microphones for voice call clarity, even in windy conditions.
Cellular is built into the Ultra, which has a battery life of 36 hours on a single charge, although Apple promised that will be boosted to 60 hours with new battery optimization software available this fall.
In addition, Ultra supports dual frequency GPS, and with the Dive Plus app can be turned into a scuba diving computer.
The Ultra will sell for US$799 and will be available Sept. 23.
“I’m a scuba diver, and I’ve had multiple dive watches that were well over $1,000,” said Tim Bajarin, president of Creative Strategies, a technology advisory firm in Campbell, Calif.
“Here you’re getting a dive watch and everything else, plus cellular for $799,” he told TechNewsWorld. “That’s a really good deal.”
“It’ll be a big hit among extreme sports enthusiasts and scuba divers,” he added.
Crash Detection
Ross Rubin, the principal analyst at Reticle Research, a consumer technology advisory firm in New York City called the Ultra a “statement product.”
“It shows that the Apple Watch can be used in harsh environments by people engaged in extreme activities,” he told TechNewsWorld.
“It isn’t something that mainstream people need, but you can see how some of the technology, like the action button, may filter down to future iterations of other models Hideo Kojima New Podcast,” he added.
Apple also rolled out its Series 8 Apple Watch at its pre-taped event. The watch sports a new temperature sensor, which can be used by women to track ovulation. Ovulation is typically measured with a thermometer and journal. The new watch makes that task a lot easier and more convenient by providing automatic retrospective ovulation estimates.
“The Apple Watch has morphed into a digital-health wearable solution,” Mark N. Vena, president and principal analyst at SmartTechResearch in San Jose, Calif. told TechNewsWorld.
The watch, as well as the new iPhones, also has a new crash detection feature. When a crash is detected, the watch will automatically connect with emergency services, provide the location of the crash, and notify the emergency contacts on the watch.
To create the feature, Apple added two new motion sensors to the Series 8, an improved three-axis gyroscope and a high G-force accelerometer. The accelerometer can measure up to 256 Gs, allowing it to detect the extreme impacts of a crash.
The feature runs only when a user is in a moving vehicle and gathers data only around the time of a possible crash.
“Apple Watch isn’t just for health, but it’s also for safety,” Bajarin observed.
Series 8 watches have 18-hour battery life but with a new low power mode feature, battery life can be extended to 36 hours.
The Series 8 will be available Sept. 16. The GPS version is priced at $399 and the cellular version at $499.
Satellite SOS
During its online event, Apple also introduced the iPhone 14 Pro, with a 6.1-inch display, and Pro Max, with a display of 6.7-inches.
The Pro models, as well as the 14 and 14-plus models, support a new Emergency SOS service via satellite. Special antennas have been built in the new iPhone models to enable them to send text messages to high-flying satellites.
To aid in the connection, software on the phone shows a user where to point their phone to connect to the satellite and to stay connected as the satellite moves.