iPhone 14 launch: 10 takeaways from Apple’s Far Out event

Apple , one of the most popular consumer tech companies in the world, launched the latest iPhone 14 series and a series of other products at an online event on Wednesday. Here are 10 takeaways from the Far Out event. The entire iPhone 14 line-up comes with a new safety feature that can provide emergency assistance in the event of an accident. With a new dual-core accelerometer, crash detection on iPhone can now detect a severe car crash and automatically dial emergency services when users are unconscious or unable to reach their iPhones. When combined with Apple Watch, crash detection leverages the strength of both devices to get immediate assistance. For example, when a severe crash is detected, the emergency services call interface will appear on Apple Watch, as it is most likely to be in closer proximity to the user, while the call is placed through the iPhone if it is in range for the best possible connection. Apple has launched emergency SOS service via satellite connectivity with the new iPhone 14 series . This technology allows antennas to connect directly to a satellite, enabling messaging with emergency services when a user is outside of the cellular or Wi-Fi network coverage. It lets users to manually share their location over satellite when there is no connectivity, “providing a sense of security [to users] when hiking or camping off the grid”, Apple said. Initially, the emergency SOS via satellite will be available to users in the US and Canada from November. The service will be free for two years. The new Apple products are designed to minimise the company’s impact on the environment. The iPhones use 100 per cent recycled rare earth elements in all magnets and 100 per cent recycled tin in the solder of several printed circuit boards, the company said. Fibre-based packaging does not use outer plastic wrap, bringing Apple closer to its goal of completely removing plastic from all packaging by 2025. Today, Apple is carbon neutral for global corporate operations, and by 2030, it plans to be 100 per cent carbon neutral across its entire manufacturing supply chain and all product life cycles. Apple Fitness+, the technology company’s fitness and wellness service, will be available for all iPhone users even if they don’t have an Apple Watch, the company announced on Wednesday. The update will be available later this year in all 21 countries where the service is offered. iPhone users will have access to the entire service featuring over 3,000 studio-style workouts and meditations. Apple Fitness+ is available as a subscription service for $9.99 per month or $79.99 per year, and can be shared with up to five other family members. Apple Watch Series 8 features new temperature-sensing capabilities that give women further insights into their health. They are designed with the “same privacy protections as with all other health data”, Apple said. The new smartwatch comes with a dual-sensor design — one sensor on the rear back of the watch, near to the skin, and another under the display. It will minimise any interference from the external environment. Sleep tracking in the latest watchOS 9 operating system provides more insights with the introduction of sleep stages. The smartwatch will use signals from the accelerometer and heart rate sensor to estimate when users are in REM (rapid eye movements), core or deep sleep. Sleep stage data can be viewed directly on the watch in the Sleep app and users can view more detailed information in the Health app on iPhone. Apple said the sensors will check wrist temperature during sleep every five seconds and measure changes as small as 0.1°C. In the Health app, users can see nightly shifts in temperature, which can be caused by exercise, jet lag or illness. With personalised spatial audio, the new AirPods will ensure an immersive experience. Users perceive sound individually, based on the size and shape of their head and ears. Using the TrueDepth camera on the iPhone, users can create a personal profile for spatial audio that delivers a tailored listening experience, Apple said. Users can enjoy personalised spatial audio with music, movies and TV shows across iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple TV. Apple stock, which has dropped nearly 14.8 per cent since the start of the year, jumped almost 1 per cent to trade at $155.96 a share on Wednesday at the market close. It gives the company a total market valuation of nearly $2.51 trillion. In intraday trading on January 3, the company briefly hit a market value of $3tn when its shares reached $182.86. The company was the first to achieve this milestone, although it failed to hold above the level until the end of the trading day. Apple unveiled its A16 bionic chip that will be used in iPhone 14 Pro. It features an accelerated five-core graphics processing unit with 50 per cent more memory bandwidth and a new 16-core neural engine capable of performing nearly 17 trillion operations per second, Apple said. This will ensure a seamless run of graphics-intensive games and heavy apps on the iPhone. The iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus models start from $799 (Dh3,399) and $899 (Dh3,799), respectively, while the iPhone 14 Pro costs $999 (Dh4,299) and the iPhone 14 Pro Max starts at $1,099 (Dh4,699). Customers will be able to pre-order all four new phones from Friday. The iPhone 14, iPhone Pro and iPhone Pro Max will be available from September 16, while the iPhone 14 Plus will be available from October 7. Apple Watch Series 8 starts at $399 (Dh1,599) and Apple Watch SE at $249 (Dh999), with both available to order from Wednesday, with availability beginning September 16. Apple Watch Ultra, which starts at $799 (Dh3,199), is available to order today, with availability beginning September 23.

iPhone 14 launch: 10 takeaways from Apple’s Far Out event

Cupertino-based company launched four new models in its 14 series and more during Far Out online reveal