Apple unveils iPhone 14 with camera upgrades, satellite feature; watch goes Ultra
By Mark Gurman | Bloomberg
Apple unveiled the latest installment of its flagship product, the iPhone 14, banking on camera upgrades and a new emergency satellite-messaging feature to ward off competition from Samsung Electronics Co. and other smartphone rivals.
The company debuted the models Wednesday at a presentation dubbed Far Out, an event that also spotlighted Apple’s new watch line and AirPods earbuds. The standard iPhone 14 models look similar to the iPhone 13 from last year, but with a twist: Apple has dropped the mini version and added a model with a larger, 6.7-inch display.
The bulk of the iPhone upgrades are coming to the higher-end Pro line. Those devices will include a 48-megapixel camera and a screen that’s capable of always staying on in a low-power mode, similar to recent versions of the Apple Watch. That will let the new phones show widgets with bits of information — weather, calendar appointments and stock tickers, for instance — while the rest of the screen remains off.
The Pro devices also get the speedier new A16 processor, while the standard line runs a modestly souped-up version of the current A15. Apple describes the A16 as the fastest chip in a smartphone, 40% faster than the competition.
Camera improvements include a new Action mode for video that helps stabilize shots. And the device embraces the eSIM standard, which dispenses with a physical SIM card. The iPhone 14 also offers crash detection, similiar to the latest Apple Watch. The standard iPhone 14 will cost $799 and ship on Sept. 16, with the Plus version coming in at $899 on Oct. 7.
The satellite service, meanwhile, will let users send SOS messages without a cellular connection. Apple plans to offer it free for the first two years, starting in November.
“We’re constantly challenging ourselves to raise the bar and make it better,” Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook said during the presentation.
The iPhone remains Apple’s most important product by far, generating roughly 50% of the company’s sales on its own and helping fuel additional revenue from services like the App Store and Apple TV+. It also coaxes customers to buy accessories like AirPods and the Apple Watch.
The iPhone 14 Pro gets a new display with thinner bezels and more active area. The screen is also brighter, at 1600 nits, the same level of brightness of the Pro Display XDR.
Bigger Ultra watch aimed at outdoor athletes
The Cupertino company unveiled a new line of smartwatches that includes a bigger, more rugged model called Ultra, aiming to attract hikers, long-distance runners and other serious athletes.
The $799 device has a larger screen and a new button that gives users “quick physical control” for a range of functions, the company said Wednesday during a presentation dubbed Far Out, an event that will include iPhone and AirPods announcements. The Ultra also has a bigger battery that can keep it running for up to 60 hours in low-power mode.
The Apple Watch Ultra is part of a next-generation line of devices that will add body-temperature tracking, crash detection and the new lower-power mode. The standard model in the line, known as Series 8, will starts at $399, with a cellular version costing $499. The temperature-tracking feature will help women monitor their ovulation and other health issues, Apple said.
The company also is rolling out a redesigned version of its lower-end SE model. It starts at $249, with the cellular model coming in $349.
The Apple Watch has become an increasingly more important part of the tech giant’s business, accounting for a large portion of its Wearables, Home and Accessories segment, which generated about $8 billion last quarter. The Apple Watch is tied to the iPhone, meaning the product helps push users to buy newer smartphone models and benefits Apple beyond just the price of the smartwatch’s hardware.
AirPods Pro get better audio, easier-to-find case
Apple also announced the first update to its AirPods Pro earbuds since the high-end product first went on sale in October 2019, adding improved audio quality and a redesigned carrying case.
The new model, which keeps the $249 price of the previous generation, offers crisper audio and the H2 wireless chip, Apple said during a presentation Wednesday. The new earbuds also include an updated carrying case with speaker holes that can make a noise to help customers find the device.
AirPods have become an increasingly critical part of Apple’s Wearables, Home and Accessories category, which brought in about $8 billion in revenue last quarter. The Pro models offer active noise cancelation, giving consumers a reason to pay up for the higher-end version. The other models cost $129 and $179, with an over-ear headphones version — AirPods Max — costing $549.
The first AirPods launched in 2016, part of an expansion into audio accessories that also included the HomePod mini speaker. The company is also working on a more advanced, larger home speaker for release next year, Bloomberg News has reported.