Apple shows off health and safety features in new devices
Tech editor Dan Howley reports live from Apple's annual showcase event that debuted the new Apple devices and their health and safety focused features.
Video Transcript
- All right. Let's turn to Apple now. Apple shares closing up on the day. 0.93%. Really unmoved largely speaking by this massive unveiling of the new Apple iPhone 14. No real shocker in Cupertino. Unveiled multiple new phones. Watches. And the remodeled AirPods Pro, which quite frankly, was my lead there. Let's talk to TikTok performer, Dan Howley, about what happened today. Dan, largely, what was the lead for you? What was the headline at today's Apple event?
DAN HOWLEY: Yeah, it was obviously a very large event with a number of new products coming out. I think if you're going to take anything away from this it's really that Apple is leaning into safety and health even more than it was before. And I'll explain. Obviously, we have the new iPhone 14. There's the iPhone 14, IPhone 14 Plus, The iPhone 14 Pro, and iPhone 14 Pro Max. A lot of new names, and kind of mixed up older names in there. Basically, what you need to know is the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus use the same processor as last year's iPhone 13. But they do get dramatically improved cameras.
They're saying that you'll get much better low light performance. 2 times in some instances than the prior generation. And then we have the pros. Those get a much bigger upgrade. They have new versions of the notch at the top of the screen where the camera is. They call it a digital island. And basically, it's almost a secondary interface where you can move apps like Spotify or Apple Music up into there. And then interact with them from the top of the screen while still being able to interact with your main app below that.
And then we have the new Apple Watches. The Apple Watch SE, which is the entry level. That gets some improvements. We have the Apple Watch Series 8. That's getting a temperature sensor built in so that it'll be able to provide health patterns over time, ovulation indicators, things along those lines. And then we have the Apple Watch Ultra. That's the biggest watch now. That's a millimeter case on that bad boy. And it's really built for extreme athletes. People that are going to be running marathons, triathlons. Basically stuff I'll never do. But it looks cool. And it's got a 36 hour battery on top of all of that.
I think the main thing though, as I said, is the safety aspect. And so all of these come with the ability to detect car accidents as well as with the iPhones the ability to connect to satellites to send emergency messages. So safety a big indicator here along with health.
- Dan, when it comes to the phones though, the iPhone 14, I know you were saying that you were excited for this. Is it going to be enough though to get a number of people who have been sitting on the sidelines to upgrade their phone?
DAN HOWLEY: Yeah. I think it will. These are newer phones obviously. The camera is the big sell for everybody usually when it comes to these phones. And so all the cameras are getting upgraded. Whether it's the standard 14 or the 14 Pro line. Even when you go up to the 14 Pro line it's a better upgrade. So I think that people will want to make that leap. There's also an always on display on the Pros. So that's really getting a lot of different features.
The base ones kind of staying the same. With the exception of those cameras as I said. But if you have an iPhone 13, iPhone 13 Pro, it's really not enough to push me to want to say, go out and drop $1,000. Go out and drop $1,100 on a new iPhone. If you do have a 12 or older though, I think now is definitely a good time to upgrade. If you are running with a 12, and you're not feeling that $1,007.99 for the basic iPhone 14, you can hold out a little bit longer. But if you're anywhere from an 11 back, then you really should take the leap with these new phones.
- You know, Dan, obviously with the timing of this perfect as people sort of kick off their holiday shopping season. Any perhaps any issues or any discussions that you were hearing about Apple's ability to deliver on some of these new models?
DAN HOWLEY: No and that's something that we were actually looking at to see if there was going to be an issue. Whether it comes from supply chain or factory issues. But we didn't seem to get any kind of indication there as to any form of slowdown. They basically just said that these devices are going to be coming for preorder shortly. And then on store shelves after that. I think a lot of people will be wondering whether or not we'll need to see higher expectations for that Apple Watch Ultra just because it is going to offer a larger battery life. And people who aren't necessarily extreme athletes may still want to go for it. I mean, look I'm into it because I like all kinds of new tech.
But the average person also might get into it. $799 though, that's a lot to drop on a smartwatch. The basic iPhone you're looking at Apple Watch you're looking at $399. So it's a tough sell. But I do think that people will want to jump into it. So whether or not they'll have enough in hand, that remains to be seen.
- And I think the other big takeaway of course, is the fact that at least in the US prices did not change for these new lineup of phones. Right? Despite the fact that we're facing inflation. Despite the fact that we've had these supply chain challenges. Prices remaining the same, which I think caught a lot of people on the street by surprise. Dan Howley, great reporting. Thanks so much for joining us.
