Alongside the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro announcement, Apple today updated AppleCare+, introducing support for "unlimited repairs," up from two repairs per year.
Apple says that AppleCare+ for iPhone "includes unlimited incidents of accidental damage protection," with each one subject to service fees. Screen or back glass damage carries a $29 fee, while other accidental damage carries a $99 fee.
Accidental damage includes physical damage from handling due to unexpected and unintentional events, and it does not cover theft. Apple has a separate Theft and Loss AppleCare+ plan that covers two incidents per calendar year. AppleCare+ for the iPhone is priced at $79 for two years or $3.99 monthly.
Unlimited repairs are also available for the Apple Watch, iPad, and Mac, with the feature applicable to every AppleCare+ plan.
Apple appears to have delayed its new iCloud Shared Photo Library feature for iOS 16, which is scheduled to be officially released on Monday, September 12.
In iOS 16, currently still in beta, Apple has introduced an iCloud Shared Photo Library that aims to make it easer to share photos with your friends and family.
With the new iCloud Shared Photo Library in iOS 16, a new option in the Photos app lets you create a shared library and then invite anyone with an Apple device to view the photos, contribute photos to the library, and edit the photos contained within it, including favoriting images and adding captions. There are no limitations, and all participants have the same permissions.
However, in a footnote at the bottom of its iPhone 14 press release, Apple says "iCloud Shared Photo Library will be available in a future software update." It therefore looks like the new Photos iCloud feature will not make it to the first official version of iOS 16. We'll update this article if we learn more.
None of the new iPhone 14 models support the latest Wi-Fi 6E standard and instead remain limited to Wi-Fi 6, according to Apple's tech specs.
Rumors previously suggested that the new iPhones would support Wi-Fi 6E, but Apple's website confirms that the iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14 Pro, and iPhone 14 Pro Max are limited to Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) with 2x2 MIMO.
Wi-Fi 6E offers the features and capabilities of Wi-Fi 6, including higher performance, lower latency, and faster data rates, extended into the 6 GHz band. The additional spectrum provides a lot more airspace beyond existing 2.4GHz and 5GHz Wi-Fi, resulting in increased bandwidth and less interference for devices that support Wi-Fi 6E.
Apple today seeded the release candidate version of an upcoming tvOS 16 update to developers for testing purposes, with the beta coming one week after Apple seeded the seventh beta of tvOS 16 to developers.
Developers can download the new tvOS 16 beta by downloading a profile onto the Apple TV using Xcode.
tvOS 16 enables cross-device connectivity, a feature that allows developers to integrate Apple TV apps with iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch apps to unlock new experiences on the TV. Apple has also improved how multiple user profiles work in tvOS 16 by adding a shared keychain, so users won't need to sign in and choose their profile when launching an Apple TV app.
Game controller support has been expanded to the Nintendo Joy-Cons and Pro Controller, and HDR10+ support is available in the tvOS 16 Apple TV app. With tvOS 16, the Apple TV will support Matter, an upcoming standard that will improve interoperability between smart home accessories from different companies.
Apple today seeded the release candidate version of an upcoming watchOS 9 update to developers for testing purposes, with the new beta coming one week after Apple released the seventh beta to developers.
To install watchOS 9, developers will need to download the configuration profile from the Apple Developer Center. Once installed, watchOS 8 can be downloaded through the dedicated Apple Watch app on the iPhone by going to General > Software update. To update to new software, an Apple Watch needs to have 50 percent battery life, it must be placed on the charger, and it needs to be in range of the iPhone.
watchOS 9 introduces four new watch faces, including Lunar, Playtime, Metropolitan, and Astronomy, plus it includes updates to some existing watch faces and complications. The ECG app now supports AFib History for tracking how long a person has been in atrial fibrillation.
The sleep tracking feature now includes sleep stages, letting the Apple Watch track when users are in REM, Core, or Deep sleep, and Apple has added a Medications app. The Medications app lets users manage and track their medications, vitamins, and supplements, with reminders when it's time to take them.
Updates to the Workout app add custom workouts and improvements for runners, triathletes, and swimmers. Fitness+ workouts now support streaming to certain third-party TVs for those who don't have an Apple TV, and notifications have been redesigned to be less obtrusive when the watch's screen is active.
Other new features include a CallKit API that allows VOIP calls to be answered on Apple Watch, Apple Watch Mirroring for controlling the Apple Watch with an iPhone, Quick Actions for doing more with a double pinch gesture, and updates to the Reminders and Calendar apps.
With the iPhone 14 series, Apple mentioned larger batteries that last for a longer period of time, but the company did not go into detail about the increases that we can expect. As it turns out, all of the iPhone 14 models do offer longer battery life, coming in at right around an hour of improvement with direct comparisons to prior-generation iPhone 13 models.
The iPhone 14 lasts for up to 20 hours for video playback, up to 16 hours for streaming video playback, and up to 80 hours for audio playback. The iPhone 13 lasted for 19 hours for video playback, 15 hours for streaming video playback, and 75 hours for audio playback.
The iPhone 14 Pro lasts for up to 23 hours when watching videos (up from 22), up to 20 hours for streaming video (no improvement) and up to 75 hours for audio playback (no improvement).
The iPhone 14 Pro Max lasts for up to 29 hours when watching videos (up from 28 hours), up to 25 hours for streaming video (no improvement), and up to 95 hours for audio playback (no improvement).
There is no direct comparison for the iPhone 14 Plus because it is a new size, but it lasts for up to 26 hours for video playback, up to 20 hours for streaming video playback, and up to 100 hours for audio playback. It falls right in between the iPhone 14 and the iPhone 14 Pro Max, and has the longest audio playback length.
All four iPhones are fast charge capable and can charge to 50 percent in 30 to 35 minutes with a 20W or higher power adapter.
Apple today seeded the release candidate version of an upcoming iOS 16 update to developers for testing purposes, with the update coming a week after Apple released the eighth developer beta. The RC marks the final version of iOS that will be provided to the public next week.
Registered developers can download the iOS 16 profile from the Apple Developer Center, and once installed, the beta will be available over the air.
iOS 16 introduces a revamped Lock Screen that offers a new level of personalization and customization through widgets, a notification redesign, and adjustable fonts and colors for the time. Multiple Lock Screens are supported, similar to watch faces, and can be associated with Focus modes.
Focus is easier to set up than before and more customizable, with Focus filters available to cut out distracting content within apps. The Messages app now features tools for editing an iMessage, unsending an iMessage, and marking messages as unread, plus it supports SharePlay, much like FaceTime.
The Mail app has improved search and tools that include undo send, schedule send, and follow up so you can get a reminder to check up on an email if you haven't gotten a response. Safari supports Shared Tab Groups and Apple is working to replace passwords with Passkeys, a more biometrically secure way to log in to accounts.
iCloud Photo Library allows users to more easily share photos with family members, and Live Text is supported in video. There's a neat new feature for lifting the subject from a background with a tap, which is part of Visual Lookup.
Dictation has improved, Maps now supports multi-stop routing, Apple Pay Later lets you split up purchase payments, and the Home app has been entirely overhauled with a new look. The fifth beta of iOS 16 added the battery percentage back to the status bar on iPhones that have a notch, plus it introduced new sounds for locating an iPhone via Find My or the Apple Watch.
Apple today discontinued the premium Apple Watch Edition line, eight years after its introduction.
The change took place upon the announcement of the Apple Watch Series 8 and Apple Watch Ultra at Apple's "Far out" event. Apple Watch Series 7 Edition models are no longer available and there is no Apple Watch Series 8 Edition. Apple continues to offer the Apple Watch Hermès line as a luxury option.
The Apple Watch Edition line had been available since the launch of the original Apple Watch in 2015. Over the years, Apple Watch Edition models set themselves apart with unique casings made of materials like gold and ceramic.
In recent years, the Apple Watch edition had offered titanium casings with an additional, exclusive watch band. The Apple Watch Ultra is now the only Apple Watch to offer a titanium casing.
Apple today confirmed on its website that iPadOS 16 and macOS Ventura will launch in October.
iPadOS 16 and macOS Ventura pages on Apple's website confirm that both software updates will be released in October. On a related note, Apple says new AirPods Pro features such as Personalized Spatial Audio profiles and Find My support for the charging case will be available when iPadOS 16 and macOS Ventura are released in October.
iPadOS 16 was confirmed to have been delayed by Apple earlier last month and will not launch alongside iOS 16, which will be released Monday, September 12. macOS Ventura and iPadOS 16 will likely launch after an October event focused on the iPad and Mac.
With the launch of the new Apple Watch Series 8 models and the updated Apple Watch SE, Apple has officially discontinued the outdated Apple Watch Series 3 that was being sold as a low cost $199 option.
Available since 2017, the Apple Watch Series 3 had the same design as the original Apple Watch models and did not sport the larger casings that Apple started introducing with the Series 4 models. It was the first Apple Watch to offer cellular connectivity when it launched.
The Apple Watch Series 3 featured an Apple S3 chip, which is an older, slower Apple Watch chip variant. The Apple Watch Series 3 never offered much in the way of performance, and compared to modern Apple Watch models, it was notably underpowered. We have not recommended the Apple Watch Series 3 as a purchase option for the last few years, and its age became something of a joke.
Apple sold the Apple Watch Series 3 for $199, and it could be found even lower from third-party retailers hosting sales. Apple's low-cost Apple Watch option is now the $249 Apple Watch SE, which features a newer chip than the Apple Watch Series 3 and a more modern design.
We were expecting the discontinuation of the Apple Watch Series 3 as the device is not able to run watchOS 9, which is compatible only with the Series 4 and later. The Series 3 is limited to watchOS 8 and will receive no further major operating system updates. Prior to the launch of the Series 8 models, the Series 3 was already selling out and many variants were out of stock.
Apple's brand new Apple Watch Series 8, Apple Watch SE, and Apple Watch Ultra are both now available to pre-order on Apple's online store. Today's pre-order day comes ahead of the Series 8 and SE's September 16 launch day and the Ultra's September 23 launch day.
Both the Apple Watch Series 8 and Apple Watch SE were announced today at the "Far Out" event. The Series 8 features a larger display that curves around the edges, a new body temperature sensor, improvements to battery life, and more.
The second-generation Apple Watch SE features the S8 chip, crash detection, and new color options. Both Apple Watch models are launching alongside a wide array of new bands as well, including new colors for Sport Loop and Nike Sport Loop.
Lastly, Apple announced the new Apple Watch Ultra, which has a 49mm titanium case with the brightest Apple Watch display yet, as well as a bigger Digital Crown. It features 36 hours of battery life, a new Dark Mode, a Wayfinder watch face, a built-in depth gauge, a new dual-frequency GPS, and much more.
Pricing for the Apple Watch Series 8 starts at $399 for GPS and $499 for cellular, and it's available in aluminum Midnight, Starlight, Silver, and Product(RED). Stainless steel options include Silver, Gold, and Graphite.
The SE starts at $249 for GPS and $299 for cellular. It's available in Silver, Midnight, and Starlight.
The Ultra starts at $799 and only has one sizing option, as well as only offering a cellular option. Apple has also introduced new bands aimed at hikers, divers, and runners, called the Alpine Loop Band, Ocean Band, and Trail Loop.
Apple today introduced the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max with a new pill-shaped cutout called the "Dynamic Island," which Apple says provides "a rich and delightful new way to interact with activities, alerts, and notifications" on the devices.
With a combination of hardware and software, the Dynamic Island can morph into different shapes and sizes for things such as incoming phone calls, alerts, notifications, Face ID authentication, timers, turn-by-turn navigation, and more. The pill-shaped cutout takes up less space than the traditional notch did on the iPhone 13 Pro models.
Apple showcased the Dynamic Island in a new video shared on its YouTube channel:
"Ongoing background activities like Maps, Music, or a timer remain visible and interactive, and third-party apps in iOS 16 that provide information like sports scores and ride-sharing with Live Activities can take advantage of the Dynamic Island," says Apple.
Apple also previewed the Dynamic Island during its event on Wednesday:
Apple today announced the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max, featuring the "Dynamic Island" to surface alerts and activity in a new way, a brighter display with always-on functionality, the A16 Bionic chip, a more advanced camera system, new color options, and more.
The iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max offer the "Dynamic Island" thanks to a redesigned TrueDepth camera array that takes up less space and software integrations across the system. The Dynamic Island adapts and expands into different shapes in real time to show important alerts, notifications and activities across Maps, Music, timers, Live Activities, battery levels, Face ID, and more. It also maintains an active state to give users easier access to controls with a simple tap-and-hold gesture.
An improved Super Retina XDR display is up to two times brighter than that of the iPhone 13 Pro with 2,000 nits of brightness. It features always-on functionality for the first time. The display can drop to a 1Hz refresh rate, showing iOS 16's redesigned Lock Screen at all times to show the time, widgets, and Live Activities at a glance.
The A16 chip is the first Apple chip built on a 4nm process, featuring 16 billion transistors. With two high-performance cores and four high-efficiency cores, Apple says that the new 6-core CPU easily handles demanding workloads. The chip features an accelerated 5-core GPU with 50 percent more memory bandwidth and a new 16-core Neural Engine.
A16 Bionic powers computational photography features on the iPhone 14 Pro and supports the pro camera system. According to Apple, the CPU, GPU, Neural Engine, and image signal processor work together to support the new camera hardware and perform up to four trillion operations per photo. The A16 supports the Photonic Engine to apply Deep Fusion earlier in the imaging process and improve low-light performance across all of the device's cameras, as well as Action Mode to stabilize video more smoothly. Action mode is also now available in 4K at 24 fps and 30 fps.
The rear camera system features a 48-megapixel Wide camera with a 65 percent larger, quad-pixel sensor and second-generation sensor-shift optical image stabilization. For most photos, the quad-pixel sensor combines every four pixels into one large quad pixel equivalent to 2.44 µm, resulting in enhanced low-light capture and 12MP photo sizes. The sensor is optimized for ProRAW.
The 48-megapixel Wide camera also delivers a new 2x telephoto view, in addition to the 3x from the true Telephoto camera, that can also record 4K video with no digital zoom. The Ultra Wide camera is also improved. A new adaptive rear flash features nine LEDs and is up to twice as bright with up to three times better uniformity.
The iPhone 14 Pro also features an improved front-facing camera with an ƒ/1.9 aperture and autofocus, a new dual-core accelerometer with Crash Detection, and Emergency SOS using satellite connectivity. Emergency SOS via satellite allows users to connect directly to a satellite when they cannot get cellular signal, enabling messaging with emergency services. Users can manually share their location over satellite with Find My when there is no cellular or Wi-Fi connection.
The iPhone 14 Pro continues to deliver "all-day battery life." The new devices are available in new color options, including Space Black and Deep Purple, alongside Silver and Gold. The iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max remove the SIM tray for U.S. models, with eSIM being the only option.
The iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max continue to be priced at $999 and $1,099, respectively. Pre-orders begin on Friday, September 9, with availability beginning Friday, September 16.
Apple today announced that Apple Fitness+ will be available for all iPhone users to subscribe to, even if they don't have an Apple Watch. Apple says the update will be available later this fall in all 21 countries where the service is offered.
Apple says iPhone users will have access to the entire service featuring over 3,000 studio-style workouts and meditations. Fitness+ users will see onscreen trainer guidance and interval timing, and estimated calories burned will be used to make progress on their Move ring.
Fitness+ will be fully integrated with the Fitness app coming with iOS 16 and located in the middle tab, where users can close their Move ring through awards, activity sharing, and more. Users will only need an iPhone to sign up, and can then experience Fitness+ on iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV.
"Since launching just under two years ago, we have heard incredible feedback from users on what a difference Fitness+ is making in their lives. We are thrilled to bring the award-winning service to even more people by making Fitness+ available to all iPhone users later this fall, even if they don't have an Apple Watch," said Jay Blahnik, Apple's vice president of Fitness Technologies. "We can’t wait for more people around the world to stay motivated toward their fitness and wellness goals, and live a healthier day."
In addition, Apple says that throughout the fall Fitness+ will introduce new episodes of Time to Walk, the audio experience on Apple Watch designed to help people walk more often, featuring influential people who share stories, photos, and music with Fitness+ users.
Time to Walk has featured 58 guests to date, including Prince William, Malala Yousafzai, Christopher Meloni, Draymond Green, Camila Cabello, Nick Jonas, and many others. As the series kicks off its fourth season, new guests will be added each week.
Time to Run, Apple's audio running experience designed to help users add inspiration to their everyday run, will also add new episodes featuring popular running routes in some of the world's most iconic locations, beginning with Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming; Mexico City; Anchorage, Alaska; Monterey, California; Seattle; and Queenstown, New Zealand.
Lastly, starting Monday, September 12, Fitness+ will add to the popular Artist Spotlight series with new workouts featuring the music of Mary J. Blige, The Rolling Stones, and The Weeknd.
Fitness+ is available in Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, France, Germany, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Portugal, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Switzerland, the UAE, the UK, and the US.
Apple today announced that all iPhone 14 models sold in the U.S. do not have a built-in SIM card tray and instead rely entirely on eSIM technology.
Tech specs on Apple's website confirm the iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14 Pro, and iPhone 14 Pro Max are not compatible with physical SIM cards and instead have dual eSIM support, allowing for multiple cellular plans to be activated on a single device.
An eSIM is a digital SIM that allows users to activate a cellular plan without having to use a physical nano-SIM card. eSIM availability is rapidly expanding, but the technology is still not available in all countries, which explains why iPhone 14 models will remain available with a SIM card tray outside of the U.S. for now.
Apple's website has a list of carriers that support eSIM technology around the world. In the U.S., this includes AT&T, T-Mobile, US Cellular, Verizon, Xfinity Mobile, Boost Mobile, H2O Wireless, Straight Talk, C Spire, and some others.
The new iPhone 14 lineup consists of the 6.1-inch iPhone 14, 6.7-inch iPhone 14 Plus, 6.1-inch iPhone 14 Pro, and 6.7-inch iPhone 14 Pro Max, with all four devices available to pre-order this Friday, September 9 ahead of a September 16 launch. For more details about the devices, be sure to check out our announcement coverage.
Apple today announced the new iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus, which are available with 6.1-inch and 6.7-inch displays, respectively. Key new features include improved front and rear cameras, a slightly improved A15 Bionic chip with a 5-core GPU, and satellite connectivity for emergency texting in the United States and Canada.
As was widely rumored, the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus feature the ability to connect to satellite networks in emergency situations where normal cell towers may be out of reach. When emergency messages are sent using the new feature, they'll appear as gray bubbles within the Messages app to distinguish them from iMessage or SMS messages.
The iPhone 14 and the new iPhone 14 Plus include the same overall design as iPhone 13 models, but a larger 6.7-inch size replaces the previous 5.4-inch iPhone 13 mini size. Both models have the same Retina XDR OLED display with True Tone, Haptic Touch, and up to 1,200 nits of peak brightness. Internally, the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus feature the same A15 Bionic chip found in iPhone 13 Pro models for faster graphics.
Rear camera improvements on the Pro models include a larger sensor for the Wide lens that improves low-light performance and makes Night mode exposure twice as fast as before. On the front, there is a new 12-megapixel front-facing camera with autofocus.
The iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus also include a new feature called the "Photonic Engine":
Through a deep integration of hardware and software, Photonic Engine improves mid- to low-light performance for photos across all cameras: up to 2x on the Ultra Wide camera, 2x on the TrueDepth camera, and an impressive 2.5x on the new Main camera. Photonic Engine enables this dramatic increase in quality by applying the computational benefits of Deep Fusion earlier in the imaging process to deliver extraordinary detail, and preserve subtle textures, provide better color, and maintain more information in a photo.
The iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus will be available in midnight, blue, starlight, and purple in 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB options. Pre-orders for the new iPhone 14 models open on Friday, September 9, and the iPhone 14 will begin shipping on Friday, September 16. The larger iPhone 14 Plus will begin shipping to customers on Friday, October 7.
Apple today announced the second-generation AirPods Pro with an upgraded H2 chip that provides up to twice as much active noise cancellation and more.
The new AirPods Pro look similar to the original. A new Touch Control feature on the stem allows users to adjust the volume with a swipe up or down, while the silicone ear tips are now available in a new XS size alongside small, medium, and large.
With a combination of the H2 chip and a new low-distortion audio driver and custom amplifier, Apple says the new AirPods Pro offer "richer bass and crystal-clear sound across a wider range of frequencies." Active noise cancellation is improved by up to 2x, while Transparency mode has also been enhanced to better reduce loud environmental noises, such as a passing vehicle siren, construction tools, or loud speakers at a concert.
Apple says the new AirPods Pro provide longer battery life, with up to six hours of listening time per charge, which matches the third-generation standard AirPods released last year. The charging case now provides up to 30 hours of total listening time, compared to up to 24 hours of total listening time for the original AirPods Pro.
The new charging case features Find My support with a built-in speaker, IPX4-rated water and sweat resistance, and an integrated lanyard loop. The new case still has a Lightning connector for wired charging, and can now be wirelessly charged with an Apple Watch's magnetic charging puck in addition to MagSafe charging.
Apple says customers can personalize the new AirPods Pro charging case with Memoji featuring custom poses via the Apple Store app.
The new AirPods Pro will be available to order this Friday, September 9, with pricing set at $249 in the United States, which is the same price as the original. The second-generation AirPods Pro will be available on September 23.
"The new AirPods Pro deliver even better sound quality, a more immersive listening experience with Personalized Spatial Audio, and transformative audio features like Adaptive Transparency," said Apple marketing executive Bob Borchers. "With up to double the noise-cancelling power of their predecessor, the world's bestselling wireless headphones just got even better."
Apple today announced that iOS 16 and watchOS 9 will be available to all users with compatible iPhone and Apple Watch models on Monday, September 12.
iOS 16 was first previewed by Apple in June, and over the last several months, it has undergone beta testing with app developers and members of the public beta program. iOS 16 is a significant release, with major features including an entirely redesigned and customizable Lock Screen, the ability to temporarily edit iMessages, and much more.
The new Lock Screen allows customers to customize various visual elements to create their perfect Lock Screen. Customers can choose different fonts and colors for the clock, add widgets, add new wallpapers with depth effects, and more.
Besides the newly redesigned Lock Screen, Apple has also brought highly requested features to the Messages app. Users in iOS 16 can now edit messages up to 15 minutes after they've been sent and can unsend a message up to 2 minutes after they may have accidentally sent it. Improvements to SharePlay and collaboration within Messages are also a part of iOS 16.
In other core apps such as Mail and Safari, Apple is also improving features like Spotlight search and adding new ones like undo and schedule send for emails, Shared Tab Groups, Safari Passkeys, and more. Apple Maps is also gaining noteworthy features, including multi-stop routing and transit card support.
Unlike in previous years, Apple is not releasing iOS 16 and iPadOS 16 simultaneously. While iOS 16 will be available to iPhone users on Tuesday, September 13, iPadOS 16 will be available later this fall. iOS 16 is compatible with the following iPhones, but some features may require newer models:
