Key Takeaways
- The iPhone 16 was recently unveiled, garnering a range of reactions.
- The new “camera control” button was a focus of the presentation for some.
- Apple’s much-discussed AI features were also a focus.
Apple (AAPL) announced its iPhone 16 and a number of other products during its annual fall launch event this week, generating a range of reactions as people voiced their thoughts on the new products and features.
One feature that generated excitement and curiosity was the iPhone 16’s “camera control” button, which will let users open their camera from the lock screen. When the phone is taking landscape photos, the button—around the area where a shutter button would be on a traditional camera—will make it easier to take pictures with keep both hands on the phone to keep it stable.
Others were excited about the artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities Apple showcased during the event. Its “Visual Intelligence” demo seemed to rival Alphabet’s (GOOGL) Google Lens, which can translate text and perform Google searches just by taking a picture of something in front of the user.
Some, like YouTube tech reviewer Marques Brownlee, said it was becoming more difficult for him to associate the iPhone 16 with Apple’s AI features, given that the phone is launching Sept. 20, with none of the much-hyped AI features accessible. Visually and in terms of the technological hardware, Brownlee said, the iPhone 16 represents a “very incremental, minor update” to last year’s iPhone 15.
Apple said that many AI features will roll out in iOS software updates starting next month for U.S. English users, and over the next year for other English-speaking areas and a number of other languages.
The event also sparked a number of jokes about how visually similar the new iPhones are to recent models.