Key Takeaways
- Apple unveiled the iPhone 16 Monday, showcasing a number of artificial intelligence (AI) features as the company bets on AI as a key driver of new phone sales.
- The tech giant also announced the newest versions of its smartwatch and headphones, with a larger watch display and new hearing aid features for AirPods Pro.
- All the products unveiled Monday will be available starting Sept. 20.
Apple (AAPL) unveiled a slate of new products during Monday’s “It’s Glowtime” event, including the iPhone 16 designed for artificial intelligence (AI) as the company bets on AI as a key driver of new phone sales.
The tech giant’s presentation showcased several AI-powered features that will be available on iPhone 16, such as text and image generation, along with questions and commands the revamped Siri will be able to handle.
Apple’s Future Powered by AI
Monday’s event highlighted some previously announced features like Apple’s new Image Playground AI image generator and the ability to create custom emojis with AI, while also debuting a number of new features.
The iPhone 16 will use a new, more powerful version of Siri and the A18 chip to better understand questions and commands, and be able to perform a wider range of tasks like summarizing emails, proofreading or changing the tone of blocks of text, and finding specific photos in user libraries.
The AI features will be offered as a free series of software updates, with Apple Intelligence launching in English next month, and other languages like Chinese and Spanish next year.
A new “camera control” button will also let users take pictures or change zoom or other settings while keeping a hand on the side of the phone, and access AI features like looking up a monument or location by taking a picture of it.
The iPhone 16 and 16 Plus will launch with prices starting at $799 and $899, respectively. The 16 Pro and Pro Max, featuring the largest iPhone displays ever, will start at $999 and $1,199, respectively. All four models, priced at the same point as last year’s releases, will launch Sept. 20.
Apple Also Announces New AirPods, Watch Series 10
Apple also announced the Apple Watch Series 10, which features the largest display on an Apple smartwatch yet, launching Sept. 20 starting at $399, and $499 for a cellular-enabled version. The new watches will also come with a new operating system, with features like the Apple translate app’s watch debut, improvements to the watch’s charging times, and new health features like sleep apnea detection.
Apple followed the watch announcement with AirPods 4, new earbuds with updates like head-nodding or shaking responses to notifications from Siri. The new AirPods will also launch Sept. 20 starting at $129, and $179 for the model with increased noise cancellation capabilities. The existing AirPods Pro model will also reduce background noise to protect a user’s ears, and be usable as a hearing aid.
Apple shares were little changed, edging 0.2% lower to $220.34 in Monday afternoon trading after the event ended. They’ve gained over 14% since the start of the year.