Apple is weaving AI into its latest watches, AirPods, iPhone models

A taste of Apple’s built-in artificial intelligence, known as Apple Intelligence, across its latest watches, AirPods and phone offerings, was announced at its “GloTime” event on Monday.

In a pre-recorded session broadcast online, speakers touted several features in the new hardware lineup, which uses Apple Intelligence to support everything from diagnosing sleep apnea to managing the phone’s bulging photo library to combating hearing loss.

“Apple is trying to embed AI in everything,” observes Mark N. Vena, president and chief analyst SmartTech Research In Las Vegas.

“They did everything they had to do,” he told TechNewsWorld. “They’ve upgraded watches, AirPods, phones and their cameras, but everything they’ve led in every product category has been about AI, AI, AI, AI.”

Gene Munster, Managing Partner Deepwater Asset ManagementA venture capital firm in Minneapolis, noted that at Apple events, many details were aired — features, pricing, timing.

“It’s all noise,” he told TechNewsWorld. “It’s noisy because it’s a trap to think of Apple Intelligence as a series of features.”

“The reality is that this is a new paradigm that will change how nearly 1.8 billion Apple customers interact with technology,” he announced.

“In 2007,” he continued, “the iPhone’s touch screen was disguised as a feature, and in fact, it was the basis for a paradigm shift in the phone becoming the computer in your pocket.”

“Apple Intelligence puts infinite simplicity and intelligence in your pocket,” he said. He argued that Apple would provide consumers with the most usable version of AI. “That’s because it’s a hardware, software service component that only Apple can do,” he noted.

New sleep apnea app

At its online event, Apple announced its new Apple Watch Series 10. Its models are slimmer, with 30% larger displays, and their cases are made of aluminum and polished titanium. The watch is powered by a new S10 SiP, has a new sleep apnea feature and has an 18-hour battery life. Models start at US$399 and will be available on September 20

“I think the larger display will drive a lot of people to upgrade,” predicted Anshel Saag, a senior analyst. Moore Insights and StrategiesA technology analyst and advisory firm based in Austin, Texas.

“You might even see some people move from the Ultra to the new Series 10 just because of the bigger screen,” he told TechNewsWorld. It ends up being more useful. As long as the big screen doesn’t affect battery life, I think people like that big display.”

“The new series has better viewing angles,” he added. “It’s also important, because you’re not always looking at your wrist.”

The wide-angle OLED display on the Apple Watch Series 10 improves visibility at wide angles and is up to 40 percent brighter than the Series 9 when viewed from the side.

Tim Bazarin, its president creative strategyA technology consulting firm in San Jose, California, praised the new sleep apnea feature. He told TechNewsWorld, “Anyone with sleep apnea, especially significant sleep apnea, can have serious health problems. “The ability to test for sleep apnea during normal sleep patterns is pretty important.”

“That information can be taken to the doctor who will look at that test and that sleep pattern and start the process of determining how severe the sleep apnea is,” he added.

Apple also released updates to the Apple Watch Ultra 2, featuring a new titanium case and sapphire front crystal. Models start at $799 and will be available on September 20

Refreshed AirPods

Apple has also refreshed its AirPods line. It has improved audio performance on its AirPods 4 and AirPods Pro 2, introduced new colors for its over-the-ear AirPods Max offering, and upgraded its AirPods Pro product. AirPods 4 sell for $129 and $179 with active noise cancellation. AirPods Max sells for $549 and AirPods Pro 2 for $249. All available September 20.

Left to right: The new AirPods lineup features AirPods 4, AirPods 4 with active noise cancellation, AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods Max. This refreshed lineup includes updated designs for AirPods 4, new color options for AirPods Max, and integrated hearing health features on AirPods Pro 2.

“I was shocked that Apple spent so little time on AirPods Max,” Vena said. “They haven’t upgraded those over-the-head headphones in a long time. I have been using mine for years. The only change they made was to switch from the Lightning plug to USB-C.”

With the new AirPods Pro 2 line, Apple is entering the hearing health business. AirPods Pro can not only test hearing but also act as a hearing aid.

“They haven’t spent a lot of time on the ability to test hearing, but it’s a big deal,” Bajarin maintained.

“Many people realize that they may have some hearing loss, but they don’t really know how significant it is. With this new software, they can actually test for hearing loss. And that’s pretty important because, right now, if you need a hearing test, you have to go to a doctor’s office or an audiologist and get an in-person test. Having it on your phone makes the process easier,” he noted.

“The software can turn AirPods Pro into a clinically approved hearing aid,” he continued. “What’s really important to understand — and what I think will make AirPods a big, big seller — is that they can remove the stigma behind hearing aids.”

“There are many people who are hesitant to use hearing aids because it identifies them with a medical problem,” he explains. “Well, if you’re wearing the new AirPods Pro and you’re using them on a hearing aid level, no one knows. They just think you’re listening to music and it removes that stigma.”

“I think it’s a game-changer,” he added. “I think that alone will drive many more people to get their hearing tested and use a solution like this, which is much cheaper than most hearing aids on the market and makes it a much more accessible health tool in the process.”

Smart Siri

The iPhone 16 and 16 Plus are based on the new A18 chip, while the A18 Pro powers the Pro and Max models.

iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus will be available in five colors: Black, White, Pink, Teal and Ultramarine.

“It’s important to developers that the A18 is used in all iPhone 16 models,” Sag said “This two-tier strategy is no more. I think it will help unify what features are supported and not supported in silicon.”

“The A18 Pro chip has the most powerful neural processing engine in the iPhone,” Bajarin noted. “For generative AI it’s important to process the kind of data you need. So the A18 Pro chip makes the iPhone 16 the most powerful AI-enhanced smartphone on the market today.”

“And it allows Siri to be smarter, not only giving you data but also analyzing the data,” he said. “It lets you view your photo library and quickly sort through all the photos you’ve taken of your dog or automatically create albums for you.”

iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max will be available in four finishes: Black Titanium, Natural Titanium, White Titanium and Desert Titanium.

Siri may be smart, but it may not be a world changer. “I don’t think Siri is yet a new interface that will change how we interact with the world around us,” observed Thomas Husson, vice president and principal analyst. Forrester ResearchA market research company headquartered in Cambridge, Mass.

“However, there are clear signs that Siri is finally becoming a digital agent, leveraging your device information and personal context to deliver new multimodal experiences and take action on your behalf,” he told TechNewsWorld.

The iPhone 16 features several camera upgrades, including a camera control button, a 48MP Fusion camera, and the equivalent of four lenses. iPhone 16 sells for $799; 16 plus, $899; 16 Pro, $999; and 16 Pro Max, $1,199. The phones will be available on September 20

According to Apple, some hefty trade-in amounts for the iPhone 12 and above can be used to purchase an iPhone 16. “They want a better upgrade cycle that moves more people to Apple Intelligence-enabled devices,” Sagg said.

“I think they want to have a strong Apple Intelligence install base so they can convince developers to build on it,” he added. “They’re banking some of the company’s success on Apple Intelligence being supported in a coordinated and capable way by developers.”

Editor’s Note: Images featured in this article have been submitted to Apple.