If you know me, you know I like a good Apple product.
In fact, you could say, I’m a little obsessed.
On Monday of this week, Apple held its annual event for releasing their most crucial products: iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods.
Before I share a summary of the event, I must answer an important question that I am often asked by my friends and relatives the moment they realise a new iPhone is on the shelves:
Are you buying the new iPhone this year?
My answer is No.
It’s not because of my focus on personal finances.
And it's not because these updates are the most minor year-over-year improvements in memory.
It's because I'm finding ever more enjoyment from making things last.
I'll admit, it feels easy to say this when both my devices are barely one year old. Let's see where my mind is at next year.
More than ever, though, I see the cost of a new iPhone or any gadget beyond the price tag. The materials, the processes, the energy, the shipping.
Even if Apple is pushing for a more sustainable supply chain, and reducing their emissions as fast as they can, there's nothing more sustainable than using your devices for longer.
So, my purchasing decision aside... what did Apple release?
iPhone 16 and 16 Pro
Don't get too excited.
The iPhone 16 has some beautiful new colours, a new camera bump (similar to iPhone X but with larger lenses), and gets the new Camera Button. This is a clever button with a touchpad to make it easy to snap, zoom, and focus the camera.
iPhone 16 Pro got a shiny titanium bezel, the new camera button, and an assortment of other camera upgrades. It also now comes in a delightful gold colour.
One of the most controversial aspects of the launch of the new iPhones is Apple touting their ability to run Apple Intelligence.
Apple's own AI features make it easier to write and edit text, edit photos, and speak to Siri.
The small detail is that Apple Intelligence features aren't ready yet — so a lot of the great new functionality isn't on these new phones from day one.
If you've been holding off getting a new iPhone for many years, then these new devices are just great. As Apple always likes to say — they're the best iPhones they've ever made. Thank goodness for that!
If you have one of last year's models, these are only small updates — this is to be expected in the 16th generation of any product, so you won't miss out on much if you only have an iPhone 15.
Apple Watch
Apple Watch reached a milestone: Series 10.
I remember my original "Series 0" Apple Watch and recall how much I enjoyed its introduction as a hugely anticipated product.
The Apple Watch persuaded me to wear a watch for the first time since school, and has been a sidekick for making me a healthier, fitter human. I also still find the Apple Watch to be one of the most beautiful, thoughtfully designed products I own — important for something that is on my wrist almost every hour of the waking day (and night).
Hitting its 10th generation, there were rumours of a significant redesign, but while the Series 10 is an improvement, it's hard to see it as anything other than an incremental change compared to previous models.
I must commend Apple for sticking to the same system of bands, across all models, since day one — you can still connect a band from 2015 to an Apple Watch due to go on sale next week.
The Apple Watch Series 10 gets a larger screen, thinner case, new finishes, new bands, and many of the features of the Apple Watch Ultra. I'm excited to see it in person, as it can be hard to appreciate new materials and small improvements until you see and feel them for real.
The Apple Watch Ultra (the one I wear every day, that has been my companion as I push my fitness to new heights) got a beautiful sibling: it now comes in black. It looks like something Batman would wear — if that's not cool then I don't know what is.
Personally I’m thrilled to see the Ultra didn’t get a more significant update — it means my watch is still the latest and greatest for a whole extra year.
New AirPods
The standard AirPods are now in their fourth incarnation and come in two variations: one with and one without active noise cancellation.
AirPods Pro 2 didn't get a hardware update but the big news is they can now be used as a hearing aid. I don't know a lot about this market, but I'm told hearing aids can be very expensive and often don't look very cool. For someone who already owns an iPhone and needs a hearing aid, I'm sure this will be incredibly welcome news, even as an option on the table.
AirPods Max (the big over-ear headphones that now seem ubiquitous in most major cities) ditched Lightning for USB-C, and come in new colours. Aside from that, they're unchanged — an odd move for a product that has gone 4+ years without an update.
Aside from these hardware changes, Apple focused on building hype for Apple Intelligence, which will be rolling out steadily to various regions and languages over the coming months.
I hope this is a helpful roundup of the week in Apple — let me know if you want more info!
I shall return to normal non-Apple programming next week I promise.
Other things
- Notion sent an email about reaching 100 million users. I really loved how personal it was — refreshing for such a successful, established business. I did a quick video to explain what I like about it.
- "Big tech’s bid to rewrite the rules on net zero." This is an eye-opening piece about how some of the largest tech companies are using questionable (read: misleading) techniques to report their energy usage and emissions.
- We attended the B-Corp festival, “Louder than Words” in Oxford. Inspiring to see the future of business — there are thousands of people working to change the world for the better right now.
A quote for the week ahead
We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit. — Aristotle