Apple iPhone 16 launch event highlights: Apple Intelligence-infused iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, iPhone 16 Pro Max, Watch 10, Watch Ultra 2, AirPods 4, AirPods Pro 2, and AirPods Max announced

Image Credit: Sahana Venugopal; compiled on Canva

Tim Cook praises Apple’s team and takes us through the new product announcements once more - the new Apple Watch 10, the Apple Watch Ultra 2, the Apple AirPods 4, the Apple AirPods Pro 2, the Apple AirPods Max, the iPhone 16, the iPhone 16 Plus, the Phone 16 Pro, and the iPhone 16 Pro Max, apart from Apple Intelligence-powered features and Visual Intelligence capabilities.

With that, the event comes to a close.

Apple iPhone 16 Pro will retail at $999

Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max will retail at $1199

The iPhone 16 Pro comes with a 48 MP camera, a 48 MP Ultra Wide camera, a 5x telephoto camera, and the Camera Control feature seen in the base models. A virtual control pad will help users seamlessly carry out colour grading instantly.

Apple hails the higher frame rates that its video mode can now support - 4K/120fps - along with adjustable fps rates after shooting your video. Apple is also enabling Spatial Audio capture during video recording.

Meanwhile, a new audio feature can isolate the voices of those in-frame, while there are multiple modes to mix audio in recorded videos. Musicians can also layer tracks more easily now, through the upgraded Voice Memo feature, or isolate vocal tracks from instrumentals.

The A18 Pro chip will power Apple’s Pro models, outpacing the performance of the A18 chip. It comes with a 16-core neural engine to power generative AI workloads. There is increased memory bandwidth and it takes Triple-A games even further than its predecessor. The new CPU is up to 15% faster than A17 Pro.

Picture Credit: John Xavier

Apple iPhone 16 Pro comes with a 6.3-inch display, while the iPhone 16 Pro Max comes with a 6.9-inch display, making the latter Apple’s best and largest, per the company.

The finishes include a darker black, a brighter white, a natural titanium, and a desert titanium.

Picture credit: John Xavier

Adapative refresh rates go up to 120 Hz, while the batteries have also undergone an upgrade. 

iPhone 16 Pro Max has the best iPhone battery life ever, according to the company. 

Apple iPhone 16 will retail at $799 [128 GB]

Apple iPhone 16 Plus will retail $899 [128 GB]

Picture credit: John Xavier

Apple says its new iPhone 16 design will handle heat better, while the A18 chip will help support a larger range of games, including Triple-A games. Apple introduces Tencent’s Honor of Kings: World, which will come to the device next year.

iPhone 16 has a bigger battery than its predecessor to support use cases such as gaming.

iOS enables messages via satellite, starting in the U.S. and Canada. Roadside assistance via satellite will be available in the UK.

A new feature in the iPhone 16 will let users aim their camera at objects and locations in order to get more information about them, or get guidance from ChatGPT. Users will be able to access this feature through the Camera Control feature later this year.

The new Camera Control button allows users to have a clicking experience, as though they were operating a mechanical camera shutter, for a more tactile photography sensation. A lighter press gives the photographer the ability to better frame the shot.

The new iPhone 16 comes with a 48 MP main camera, a 12 MP 2x Telephoto image feature, and a 12 MP Ultra Wide camera with auto-focus. The Ultra Wide camera will also support macro-photography.

The new camera design allows users to capture spatial videos and spatial photos that can be viewed via the Apple Vision Pro headset.

A redesigned Photos app promises to make organisation easier and more customisable. The Clean-up feature powered by Apple Intelligence will help people remove blemishes from their photos.

Picture Credit: John Xavier

Apple promises that its Gen AI offering, Apple Intelligence, will understand your context and protect your privacy through private-cloud compute. Data will not be shared or stored through Apple when using this feature. Apple also promises world-class energy efficiency. The company says it aims to be carbon-neutral by 2030.

Writing tools will be a crucial part of the iOS upgrade, to help draft, edit, and compile text. Users will also be able to generate new emojis through text-based prompts. Image Playground will let users generate entirely new images.

Apple Intelligence will help users find photos and videos in their collections by describing them, or entering keywords. It can arrange these into a storyline, says Apple.

Surveying your inbox is set to become easier, apart from scanning your notifications.

Siri is slated to get richer language understanding to help understand speakers in spite of their speech errors. It will also help users better navigate their iPhones. Siri will be able to provide customised assistance based on your personal messages and media as well, apart from making updates to contact books and other such apps.

The new Apple iPhone 16 comes with a brand new A18 chip for the iPhone 16 with an upgraded neural engine for generative AI models. There are also memory enhancements to support Apple Intelligence. It is up to 30% faster than the CPU in iPhone 15, Apple says. Its new GPU is up to 40% faster than the GPU in iPhone 15, per the company.

Built from the ground up to support AI, Apple introduces the iPhone 16. The new colours are ultramarine, teal, and pink, apart from white and black. Apple promises a tougher ceramic shield and glass finish, up to 2,000 nits of brightness in sunny environments, a 6.1-inch display for the iPhone 16 and 6.7 inches for iPhone 16 Plus.

There is a customisable action button, with short-cuts enabled that the users can set up for different times of the day.

The new ‘Camera Control’ feature lets users access the camera with just a click. Users can access visual intelligence features through this.

Picture credit: John Xavier

The new high-end earphones come with hearing protection features and a clinically validated hearing test, based on the Apple Hearing Study. The AirPods Pro 2 will come with a personalised Hearing Aid feature, based on the user’s test results. This profile will also be applied across music and movies. Regulatory clearance is still pending.

Picture Credit: John Xavier

A new generation of AirPods - Airpods 4 - has arrived, powered by the H2 chips, which Apple claims is the most advanced in the industry. A new acoustic architecture delivers personalised spatial audio, as well as intuitive responses to interact silently with Siri. Voice isolation removes background noises when making calls, and the charging case has USB-C compatibility. There is up to 30 hours of total battery.

A second model, inspired by AirPods Pro, brings Active Noise Cancellation to users. Transparency mode will also be available to listeners. Adaptive audio helps users navigate between environments without having to make constant adjustments. When you begin talking to someone, the volume of your media will be reduced for you. Wireless charging is supported.

The AirPods 4 will retail at $129

The ANC-supported model will retail at $179

The more advanced AirPods Max retail at $549

Picture Credit: John Xavier

The new Ultra smartwatch comes with more advanced metrics, training load features, and tools for cyclists and swimmers. There are customised workout options and hiker-friendly apps as well. The latest Ultra gets a new finish - Satin Black - for scratch resistance. The body is made of mostly recycled titanium. 

A new Ultra mesh-style metal band is also being launched, in both the Natural and Black colours.

The Apple Watch Ultra begins at $799 and is open for pre-orders. It is available from September 20. Apple hails the carbon-neutral qualifications of its watches, and the recycled materials used to make it.

The new smartwatch comes with a depth gauge, water temperature measurement, haptic direction sensors, a Tides app, and more metrics for those who love outdoor water sports. 

There are new colourways from Nike, and styles from Hermes.

The watch begins at $399, and will be available from September 20.

Crash detection and fall detection are powered by machine learning on the device, to safeguard users. The Translate app will also come to the smartwatch, enabling rapid processing. The watch can help users be aware of environments that are harmful to their health, and detect irregular cardiac rhythms. Sleep apnea tracking is also available with the new smartwatch. The Apple Watch 10 uses an accelerometer to detect this condition and analyse disturbed sleeping patterns over time. 

Picture Credit: John Xavier

Tim Cook hails the impact the smartwatch has had on millions, including those who use it for their emergency needs. He introduces the Apple Watch 10, featuring the biggest display and the thinnest design yet.

COO Jeff Williams says the Series 10 will get a display size bigger than the Apple Watch Ultra. The bigger screen will make it easier to read more texts and access news and other media. The display and the case have a wider aspect ratio.

The watch comes with the first ever wide-angle OLED display. The display on Series 10 is brighter even when viewed from an angle. The case is made from a “durable” aluminium alloy. You can play music and media through the speakers as well.

Series 10 is the fastest charging Apple watch ever, with up to 80% battery in just 30 minutes.

The Apple Watch this year gets grade 5 titanium, replacing stainless steel.

The colourways are black, silver, and rose gold.

Apple’s Glowtime launch event begins with a video montage showing Apple customers using their devices and apps in order to go about their day and meet their needs.

“Designed to make every day something to celebrate,” goes the slogan.

Tim Cook begins with the Apple Watch and the impact of AI on users.

Apple CEO Tim Cook takes the stage to kick off the event.

Picture credit: John Xavier

Inside the Steve Jobs Theatre, the Glowtime event is about to begin.

Picture credit: John Xavier

Artists, writers, creators, and musicians will be waiting this time to see if Apple is able to sensitively market its new AI-infused devices and help users appreciate their performance and speed, without suggesting that machines could replace human art and creativity.

During Apple’s May 7 event this year, the iPhone-maker unveiled the thinnest iPad Pro with the Apple M4 chip, the redesigned iPad Air in two sizes, and the all-new Apple Pencil Pro. However, the company’s ad for the iPad Pro, titled ‘Crush,’ went down badly with users who interpreted it as an anthem calling for the destruction of human art and creativity.

People gather at Steve Jobs Theatre in Apple’s headquarters in Cupertino, California, ahead of the Glowtime event

Picture credit: John Xavier

The iPhone-maker is expanding its presence in India, both as a retailer and as a handset maker. In fact, the value of the Apple iPhones that were assembled in India in the last fiscal year reached $14 billion, reported Bloomberg in late April. This means about one in seven phones was assembled in India, per the outlet.

However, a controversy broke out this summer when it was reported that Apple supplier Foxconn rejected married women from iPhone factory jobs in Tamil Nadu, allegedly due to the marital jewellery they wore, and the fear that they might take more days off. Foxconn acknowledged issues that took place in 2022, per Reuters, but said it had worked to address this.

Apple said it upholds the “highest supply chain standards in the industry,” reported Reuters.

Apple CEO Tim Cook is getting ready for the event, as he shared a photo of a rainbow-like structure with the caption, “Apple Park is glowing!” on X with his 14.5 million followers, in a reference to the event’s ‘It’s Glowtime’ slogan.

Despite its growth, Apple is dealing with challenges. The company in May said it would be laying off 614 workers in California. This came several weeks after shutting down a project to build an electric vehicle.

More recently, Apple cut about 100 jobs related to its digital services group, reported Bloomberg.

There is a great deal of excitement surrounding the Apple iPhone 16 and what it heralds for the future of AI-enabled smartphones. As a result, Apple’s stock price has risen by 13% since around June, when WWDC took place, per AP, as the outlet reported this increased the company’s market value by almost $400 billion.

The fourth edition of the AirPods could come in two variants: one with active noise cancellation (ANC), and a cheaper alternative. They could both come with a better fit and USB type-C charging cases.

The Apple Watch 10 is expected to get thinner but could be available in larger sizes. It could also get a battery boost to make it last longer.

Last year saw Apple at the forefront of a pulse oximetry patents infringement debacle that made it pull the Watch 9 and Ultra 2 off shelves. This time, the company is expected to roll out a few fresh health features.

The A18 Pro chip is expected to feature a 6-core CPU, with two high-performance cores and four efficiency cores, alongside increased GPU capabilities. This should enable more efficient handling of intense AI workloads, and reducing reliance on the cloud while also offering enhanced privacy protections.

Read more about the Apple launch event expectations here.

Apple is expected to put a new A18 Pro SoC (System on Chip) in its latest smartphone. While chip upgrades usually offer minor enhancements such as small speed boosts or improved graphics, Apple this time could be packing its products with a future-proof chipset that is intended to adapt seamlessly to the new era of artificial intelligence.

As Apple brings its AI technologies to the new lineup of phones and other wearables, the premium gadget-maker’s voice assistant Siri could evolve to compete with AI-powered assistants like Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa.

Phil Solis from IDC shared: “Apple is slowly integrating OpenAI capabilities into Siri, which could lead to a more robust and intelligent voice assistant in the future. While Siri has lagged behind, this integration could help close the gap.”

Phil Solis, Research Director for connectivity and smartphone semiconductor at IDC, explained how Huawei is taking on Apple.

“Huawei is pushing the envelope in foldable phones and gaining market share in China. State support and innovative designs are allowing them to compete aggressively against Apple,” he said in a podcast with The Hindu’s John Xavier.

Listen to the full conversation here.

Apple announced its collaboration with OpenAI this summer, meaning ChatGPT is set to become a part of the iPhone experience, as confirmed by Apple CEO Tim Cook and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.

Image credit: https://www.apple.com/apple-intelligence/

Apple’s rival Google scheduled its Google Pixel smartphone launch event earlier than usual this year, and released a lineup of phones - including a foldable smartphone - packed with its latest generative AI offerings. Watchers want to see how Apple will answer the competition with its own AI-focused event.

Google’s Pixel 9 series is currently leading the charge in integrating Gen AI capabilities. However, Apple might look to catch up with the search giant through the A18 Pro-powered iPhone 16.

Apple’s devices could include more natural voice interactions, advanced real-time transcription, and even on-device image and video generation.

Apart from the launch of the new smartphones from the iPhone 16 series, many are looking forward to see how Apple builds on its newly introduced AI technology - dubbed ‘Apple Intelligence’ - that it unveiled during the WWDC event in June this year. 

So, who all will get these new AI features? Apple Intelligence is designed for iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia and is slated to come to the iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, and iPad and Mac with the M1 chip and later. It is starting with the U.S. market, followed by other regions.