Real Kato Blog: Apple Event Live Blog

Apple introduced new models of the Apple Watch, AirPods Pro, and iPhone today. These were the notes I captured live.

2:33 PM EDT:
Looks like we're wrapping up. It's gonna be an expensive fall for some of us.

2:32 PM EDT:
$999 for Pro, $1099 for Pro Max. Up to $1000 trade in. Pre order September 9, available September 16. Back to Tim.

2:26 PM EDT:
Back to Greg. "All day" battery life, which means... not different from the 13, I suppose. We're watching a video... pricing probably coming next.

2:22 PM EDT:
Vitor Silva, production manager for iPhone, to tell us about the camera. 48MP quad-pixel main camera sensor for better sensitivity while retaining 12MP picture sizes. Or you can use all 48 million pixels. Main camera, ultra wide, and telephoto lenses. The specs are going by too fast for me to capture. Computational photography uses the main camera to optimize images from the other sensors. New flash. Better video (ProRes, Dolby Vision) and the image stabilization feature we saw earlier.

2:17 PM EDT:
A16 Bionic chip, 4nm production process. Better power efficiency, better performance. 6-core CPU (2 high performance, 4 high efficiency). Neural engine. 5-core GPU. New display engines which supports 1-Hz refresh for the always-on display. Image signal processor.

2:15 PM EDT:
Greg back to tell us about a brighter display, widgets on the lock screen, and a new feature that the rumor sites predicted: always-on display.

2:14 PM EDT:
Third party apps can access the island.

2:12 PM EDT:
Alan Dye, VP of Human Interface, to tell us about "Dynamic Island". The pill appears to expand to show alerts and other notifications, which makes it seem more like an on-screen feature and less like a physical non-screen area. Neat.

2:11 PM EDT:
"Pill" replaces the notch. It seems to morph when different features are activated.

2:10 PM EDT:
Tim Cook back. Yep, Pro models next. Greg Joswiak, SVP of marketing, to tell us about it.

2:09 PM EDT:
We're watching a video now. Expecting Pro models next.

2:07 PM EDT:
Starts $799 and $899 for regular and Plus. Trade-in discounts. Pre-order September 9, ships September 16 for regular and October 7 for Plus.

2:02 PM EDT:
You have to point the phone directly at the satellite. The display helps you point it the right way. The bandwidth is extremely low; even a short text takes 15 seconds. So the phone prompts you for condensed information about your emergency. The text might go to an Apple-staffed relay center that calls the nearest emergency service. You can do one non-emergency function: send your location to a friend. It looks like it'll be a subscription service, but you get two years for free.

2:00 PM EDT:
New crash detection in the iPhone 14, just like the new Apple Watch. Ashley Williams, manager of Satellite Modeling, is here to tell us about satellite connectivity. This has been a long-rumored feature. It's specifically for emergency SOS.

1:57 PM EDT:
Kaiann back to talk 5G and eSIM. No models have a SIM tray any more.

1:55 PM EDT:
Talking about computational photography... again, I'm pretty sure all of this was in the 13 Pro. But maybe they made some tweaks to the software; there's something called the "Photonic Engine". Improved video stabilization with increased overscan.

1:52 PM EDT:
Someone else to tell us about the camera... I didn't catch her name. 12MP main camera with larger sensors, f1.5 aperture, optical image stabilization. They're doing a lot of comparisons ("49% better low light capture") but they don't tell us what they're comparing against. 12MP f1.9 true-depth front camera with autofocus.

1:49 PM EDT:
Kaiann Drance, VP of phone marketing, to tell us about the iPhone 14. 6.1" and a Plus model at 6.7". Notch. 5 colors. A15 chip (same as the 13 Pro). Honestly it seems like they just took the 13 Pro innards and made them into the base 14.

1:48 PM EDT:
Tim Cook to introduce us to the new iPhone.

1:47 PM EDT:
AirPods pro are $249. Ships September 23rd.

1:44 PM EDT:
Mary-Ann Rau, AirPods senior engineer, to tell us about the new AirPods Pro. H2 chip. New audio driver, new amplifier. New "personalized" spatial audio, using your phone to detect the shape of your head. Improved Active Noise Cancellation ("double" the noise reduction) uses computational audio and better microphones. Better fitting tips. Adaptive transparency mode to reduce intrusive noise. New capacitative controls (swipe for volume changes, for example). Now 6 hours battery life; 30 hours with the charging case. Precision location for the case. The case also now has a speaker to help you find it. Charging cases can now also use the MagSafe charger as the Watch.

1:41 PM EDT:
Back to Tim. Now we're gonna talk AirPods Pro.

1:39 PM EDT:
We're watching a promo video for the Apple Watch Ultra.

1:36 PM EDT:
Back to Jeff. Apple Watch Ultra is $799; all models include cellular. Ships September 23.

1:33 PM EDT:
Julz Arney, Director of Fitness Tech, is here to tell us more. L5 GPS for better accuracy. She talks up WatchOS 9 health features, and the action button. There'll be a new feature that detects when you're at a track. This is being marketed as a watch for outdoor enthusiasts for sure, but there are a lot of people who imagine themselves to be outdoor enthusiasts. The new watch is actually now officially a dive watch, with increased water resistance... wow. Mike Huish, CEO of Oceanic Outdoors, tells us about their dive computer app on the watch.

1:29 PM EDT:
49mm case, flat screen (with protected edges), a new action button... in general, bigger controls that can be used while wearing gloves. Better microphone for windy conditions. 36 hour battery, or 60 hours using a new Lower Power mode coming this fall. New way finder watch face. Night mode to turn the display red. "Alpine Loop", "Ocean", and "Trail Loop" watch bands.

1:25 PM EDT:
Jeff is back to tell us about a new watch specifically for explorers and adventurers. This is the Apple Watch Ultra that the rumor sites had been rumbling about. It's... large.

1:22 PM EDT:
The SE has the same crash detection as the Series 8. What we really need is a side-by-side feature comparison between SE and 8 but they're not going to give it to us. $249 for GPS and $299 for cellular.

1:21 PM EDT:
Jeff back, now talking about the Apple Watch SE. New materials. Diedre to tell us more.

1:19 PM EDT:
Starting at $399 for non-cellular, $499 for cellular. Ships September 16th.

1:18 PM EDT:
Seven colors across two finishes for Series 8 watches. Two new Hermes bands.

1:15 PM EDT:
Back to Diedre, who introduces Low Power mode. That extends battery life to 36 hours by turning off some features (including always-on display); this will be available for Series 4 and later. She also tells us that international roaming will be available for Series 5 and later.

1:15 PM EDT:
Ron tells us about new super-sensitive accelerometers and AI to help detect crash conditions. The barometer can detect air pressure changes consistent with air bag deployment.

1:14 PM EDT:
Deidre is talking about a new feature, car crash detection. She hands off to Ron Huang, VP of Sensing and Connectivity.

1:10 PM EDT:
Dr. Desai talks up temperature tracking in the context of menstrual cycle tracking for women. She specifically mentions privacy (against anti-abortion states, for sure). Not-so-subtle message: the Watch can help you with early pregnancy detection... without anyone else knowing.

1:07 PM EDT:
Jeff Williams is here to introduce the new Apple Watch Series 8. He's handing off to Deidre Caldbeck, director of Product Marketing. Then she hands off to the VP of Health, Dr. Sumbul Desai.

1:04 PM EDT:
There's a video of people surviving near-death experiences thanks to their Apple Watch. There are a lot of pretty wild stories.

1:00 PM EDT:
The Apple live event is starting. New iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods are expected. First topic: Apple Watch.

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