This Glowtime Apple Event is… Mid.

I normally get excited when September rolls around because it’s the annual iPhone event. Granted, this isn’t always the case (Apple launched the iPhone 12 series in October 2020). As someone who doesn’t upgrade every year, I could get a hit or miss with the iPhone I got that year. While most of them happen to be significant (iPhone 5 in 2012, iPhone 12 Pro in 2020), I get updates that are just good enough at best. Despite all that, the Apple events associated with these launches have at least one great thing to remember. I feel that the Glowtime Apple event is just… okay. Or mid, if you prefer that term.

Here are the highlights of a somewhat muted Apple event and my thoughts on everything announced.

The iPhone is Just a Camera at This Point

On the surface, you might think Apple cares more about the iPhone 16 than the iPhone 16 Pro. I don’t blame you for feeling that way: the regular iPhone this year gets a lot of new physical changes. The sentiment around the new iPhones being boring this time is because they don’t look that much different from last year’s (especially the Pro models).

Let’s face it: smartphones are everywhere and deeply embedded in our daily lives. I don’t see Apple significantly changing how the iPhone looks unless necessary. The fact that Apple put its shiny “not-a-button” Camera Control feature on ALL the new iPhones feels like a big deal.

While it seems like just another button on the surface, Apple made it pretty clear not to call it a button. Camera Control consists of three things:

• a tactile switch that lets you click to open the app and take a photo or video
• high-precision force sensor to power the light press gesture for the new camera preview that lets you adjust other control options (such as zoom, exposure, or depth of field)
• a capacitive sensor for touch interactions like swiping to zoom in and out

There’s even a feature coming in a future software update where Camera Control lets you have a two-stage shutter! With a light press, you can automatically lock focus and exposure on a subject. This allows users to reframe the shot without losing focus.

If the things I mentioned don’t tell me that the iPhone is just a camera, then I don’t know what will.

Apple Intelligence is as Boring as this Apple Event

The best thing about Apple Intelligence is how Apple managed to find a way to brand “AI”.

Other than that, all the Apple Intelligence features showcased during the event have been done before. Even the “new” Visual Intelligence feature is like Google Lens, but Apple made it. While people expect phone upgrades to happen due to these generative AI features, buyers would be surprised to see it absent when they get their new iPhone 16. That’s because Apple won’t be releasing the iPhone 16 lineup with any Apple Intelligence features included. As The Verge said, these phones will ship as a “work in progress”.

Whether Apple gets to boast higher iPhone revenue depends on how much people will care about having Apple Intelligence.

The Rest of the iPhone 16 Details

Besides the two highlight features I mentioned, here are the things you need to know about the iPhone 16 lineup:

• iPhone 16
  • Action Button is now in the regular iPhone 16 and 16 Plus
  • Its 12MP Ultra Wide camera has autofocus (basically taking the 15 Pro’s Ultra Wide camera)
  • The Apple A18 chip brings the regular iPhone back into parity with the Pro models (ish), with 8GB RAM for Apple Intelligence
  • The 6.1-inch (16) and 6.7-inch (16 Plus) Super Retina XDR displays can now go down to 1 nit for even more efficient use of battery
  • Comes in five colors: Black, White, Pink, Teal, and Ultramarine. (the colors on the regular models are more vibrant than last year’s)
• iPhone 16 Pro
  • A new 48MP ultra-wide camera brings better quality ultra-wide and macro photos
  • Larger 6.3-inch (16 Pro) and 6.9-inch (16 Pro Max) Super Retina XDR displays with Always-on and ProMotion (120Hz)
  • Record videos in 4K 120fps in Slo-mo or Video mode including the ability to adjust playback speed after capture on the Photos app
  • The Pro models get four studio-quality mics for better audio recording in videos, including Spatial Audio recording and the ability to adjust sound after capture with Audio Mix

Here is the pricing for the iPhone 16 lineup in the US and the Philippines:

The iPhone 16 lineup will be available on September 20 in 58 countries including Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, South Korea, Türkiye, the UAE, the U.K., and the U.S.

A week later on September 27, the iPhone 16 lineup will be available in Macao, Vietnam, and 19 other countries and regions.

The Apple Watch Got Thinner… and?

Many people expected the Apple Watch to get a major redesign for its 10th anniversary. While it didn’t exactly happen, the Apple Watch Series 10 has three things going for it. That would be its thinner body, the new Jet Black polished aluminum finish, and new Titanium finishes.

Apple made the new S10 system-in-package (SiP) to support the thinner profile of Series 10. Thanks to the new chip and better power efficiency, we now get a more efficient Always-on Display with its Wide Angle OLED. You can now see the time better from more angles and the second hand in certain watch faces can be seen even at Always-on Display mode.

Apple Watch Series 10 starts at $399 (P26,490 in PH) for Aluminum models and $699 (P46,990 in PH) for Titanium models.

Like the new phones, the Apple Watch Series 10 will be available starting September 20 in 58 countries and regions including Australia, Canada, France, Germany, India, Japan, the UAE, the U.K., and the U.S.

There’s also a new finish on the existing Apple Watch Ultra 2: Black Titanium. Apple even released a new band to come with the new finish: the Titanium Milanese Loop.

There are two AirPods 4 Models…

We also got the next generation of AirPods in two variants: one with Active Noise Cancellation (ANC)! The AirPods 4 brings a new earbud shape that will hopefully fit in more ears. Its more portable charging case offers USB-C charging and up to 30 hours of battery life. Those who get the ANC version will get a charging case capable of wireless charging! It supports charging via a Qi-certified charger (no MagSafe due to the smaller case), and the Apple Watch charger! Both AirPods 4 models come with Apple’s H2 chip. That chip enables a lot of the new features that we see from AirPods Pro 2 such as Adaptive Audio and Personalized Spatial Audio.

AirPods 4 costs $129 (P8,490 in PH), while AirPods 4 with ANC costs $179 (P11,490 in PH).

Speaking of AirPods Pro 2, that’s getting hearing-focused features including the ability for these buds to become your hearing aid! Apple just got FDA approval in the US and they are hoping to get regulatory approval in the over 100 countries that will get these features.

While we technically got new colors and USB-C charging support for AirPods Max, there are no other updates to speak of. This is downright unacceptable for a pair of headphones that costs $549 (P32,990 in PH).

What do you think of the Glowtime Apple event? Was it as “mid” as I think it was? Sound off in the comments!

Follow Utterly Techie on social media for updates!
Facebook | Instagram
Twitter | YouTube