Apple has officially launched its latest slate of products, introducing the world to the latest models of iPhone and Apple Watch among other items.
The iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus – yes, they’re bringing the Plus nomenclature back – appear to be not dissimilar from the previous model, much to Twitter’s fury. Tech-wise, the phones still run on the A15 Bionic chip that the 13 model used, albeit with new colour options. The big difference across all iPhone 14s is the updating of SOS technology, allowing emergency contact to be made more efficiently without unnecessary back-and-forth.
The iPhone 14 starts at US$849 (AU$1399), with the iPhone 14 Plus sitting at US$949 (AU$1579).
The bigger announcement was the introduction of the Pro series, the iPhone 14 Pro, and its counterpart the iPhone 14 Pro Max. This is where the tech elements come to play – the Pro series will run on an updated A16 Bionic chip and has a new ‘always on’ function that means screen junkies will never miss a notification. The phone will drop to a low refresh rate of 1Hz, allowing widget functions and notifications to come through even when the phone is asleep.
Gone, too, is the notch that contained the camera on previous models, replaced with a new section dubbed the “Dynamic Island”. Why is it dynamic? Because it allows background notifications such as voice recorders to pop up without using precious screen space.
The iPhone 14 Pro fetches a whopping US$999 (AU$1749), with the Max model starting at US$1099 (AU$1899).
The new watches are also here: the Apple Watch Series 8 will feature a car crash detection feature that contacts emergency services if its internal settings detect a collision, and a temperature monitor that can be used to track ovulation cycles. There’s also a new Pro option, the Apple Watch Ultra, which is aimed at active users such as hikers and scuba divers and include larger buttons, a better battery life and a titanium case to protect the larger, clunkier screen.
The Apple Watch Ultra will set you back US$799 (AU$1299), while the Series 8 sits at US$399 (AU$629).
Finally, a new set of Airpods is set to hit the market, with the Airpods Pro 2 featuring better battery life, personalised 3D user audio and the introduction of adaptive transparency. The new Airpods will cost US$249 (AU$399).
