Posts Tagged → apple event

A Few Thoughts Following Apple’s “It’s Glowtime” Event

Today Apple announced its latest crop of Apple Watches, AirPods, and iPhones. Here are a few thoughts.

The Video Events

  • Apple has perfected these video presentations. There are so many nice small touches throughout the videos and I like the way they are featuring bits of the Bay Area beyond Apple Park.
  • Another thing about these video presentations is how information dense they are. So much information comes at you so fast. No more silly demos.
  • That said, I still miss the anything-can-happen tension of the live events. These million-dollar executives should have to sweat once in a while. Although I expect actual live events from Apple are a thing of the past.

Apple Watch Series 10

  • The thing about Apple Watch saving lives is real. I know two people that experienced that. I’ve heard more from my audience. That’s got to feel pretty great if you work on the Apple Watch.
  • The new design doesn’t look like the revolution we’d been hearing about. Thinner and bigger but, generally, the same.
  • I’m relieved they didn’t change the band system.
  • 80% battery in 30 minutes. Nice.
  • The Sleep Apnea feature looks to be a nice improvement. The white whale, however, remains blood pressure and blood glucose monitoring.
  • I love that they brought titanium back to the standard Watch. It’s such a great case material. Strong and light.
  • I’m not a fan of polished titanium. Well, I’m generally not a fan of any polished metal. They show so many more scratches than other finishes. I’m guessing they wanted the titanium watches to look different from their aluminum variants.

Apple Watch Ultra 2 (again)

  • There were last-minute rumors that there would not be an Apple Watch Ultra 3 but instead a black variant of the Ultra 2 and that’s what we got.
  • I know a lot of folks are going to love this, but I prefer the natural titanium. Looks like I’ll be holding on to my Apple Watch Ultra another year. It’s still doing great.
  • It seems odd to me that the Ultra didn’t get a proper update this year. Now it’s behind the standard (and less expensive) Apple Watch Series 10. I don’t think they are backing away from the Ultra (I see them on people’s wrists everywhere) but maybe something went wrong in development?

AirPods 4

  • This feels like a substantial update to the standard AirPods. A lot of the features from the AirPods Pro trickled down this year and that’s great. Increasingly the AirPods are tiny computers in our ears.
  • There are a lot of people that don’t like the fit of the AirPods Pro. This will bring them a lot of the Pro features and at a lower price.
  • This is the first time there have been two flavors of standard AirPods in the same release. The Active Noise Cancellation version will run another $50.

AirPods Max

  • New colors and a USB-C port for charging. That’s about it.

AirPods Pro

  • AirPods Pro 2 as Hearing Aids: This is one of those great angles that only Apple seems interested in. Create a consumer technology and then use it to solve a health problem. Granted, they are awfully big for hearing aids, but a lot of people can benefit from this feature.
  • Note that they also are now doing hearing testing, which will also be a big deal.

iPhone 16

  • The new iPhone looks great. I prefer the stacked lens layout.
  • Apple continues to push the envelope on unbreakable glass. I’d love to see some scientific tests against the different glass iterations Apple’s used over the years.
  • I haven’t heard any blowback from members or listeners about the bigger size. I still wish they made a small one every year.

The New Camera Control Button

  • I hd hoped that this button would be programmable, but it sure seems dedicated to the camera based on the presentation.
  • There are a lot of camera controls once you master the new button. I’m looking forward to getting my hands on it.
  • The combination with the Apple Intelligence looks interesting. I didn’t expect that.

iPhone 16 Pro

  • I was in the MacSparky Labs Discord during this event and there was a lot of talk about how the big difference every year is just the camera. But the fact is that cameras improvements sell phones.
  • That said, I am looking forward to an improved Ultra Wide lens.
  • “The Largest iPhone Display Ever” plus the ever shrinking bezels will be fun to test. It seems like Apple is leaning into something with the way it’s increasing screen sizes across the board.
  • I think all that talk about improved microphones is as much aimed at Apple Intelligence as anything else. The better the voice input, the better AI result.
  • There are some big claims about the increased battery life (33 hours on the Pro Max!). I’m looking forward to testing that.

The Apple Intelligence Sales Job

They spent a lot of time talking about Apple Intelligence. That’s probably necessary given the market pressures. But these promises for an undelivered product also raise the stakes. Ultimately, there has to be more than hype behind Apple Intelligence, and soon.

Apple’s September 9 “It’s Glowtime” Event

poster for apple it's glowtime event, taking place on 9 september 2024

Apple announced this year’s iPhone event for Monday, September 9 at 10:00 Pacific.

A few things about it:

  • Monday is unusual for an Apple Event. My guess: they want to stay clear of the US Presidential Debate set for September 10.
  • Mark Gurman reports it’s another pre-taped event. I wonder if Apple will ever go back to the live events. They spent a lot of money on those Steve Jobs Theater seats.
  • For those of you in the MacSparky Labs, keep an eye on your email. I’ll set up a few events around the announcements.

Apple’s “Let Loose” Event Set for May 7

We’ve been talking about new iPads for months. It looks like it’s nearly time for release with Apple’s announcement of the “Let Loose” event, scheduled for May 7. The event, confirmed to be an all-digital affair, sure looks to be iPad-focused with the prominent display of Apple Pencil.

Mirroring the online format of last October’s “Scary Fast” event, this one will be at 7 a.m. PT (10 a.m. ET) via Apple’s website. The centerpiece of the event is expected to be the new iPad Pro lineup. Rumors suggest that both the 11-inch and 12.9-inch models will feature OLED displays, making them thinner than their predecessors. This upgrade is anticipated to enhance the visual experience, offering deeper blacks and more vibrant colors.

Also, the iPad Air is rumored to get a new 12.9-inch model. This would follow other Apple product lines getting a less expensive larger model like the 15-inch MacBook Air and the iPhone Plus models.

An intriguing piece of the “Let Loose” puzzle is the tease of a new Apple Pencil. Enhanced with “Find My” integration and magnetically swappable tips, this stylus is rumored to redefine digital drawing and writing. Additionally, a potential “Squeeze” gesture feature could introduce a new layer of interactivity, adding to its versatility. It won’t be long now.

A Few Thoughts on Apple’s “Scary Fast” Event and Announcements

Last night, Apple did a prime-time event where they shared a little news and some new hardware. I’ve got a few thoughts:

  • The 5:00 P.M. Pacific start time was a brain-bender for me. As I went through the day, I kept forgetting there was still an Apple Event later. Is this what it always feels like in Europe?
  • I’ve already heard complaints about the fact the event was only 30 minutes. I liked it. They didn’t have more to say. They didn’t add fluff or silly demos. In. Out. Thank you very much.
  • I’m sure he’s a nice guy, but I’ve always felt Johny Srouji is just kind of scary. It’s those eyes. So, of course, on a Halloween-adjacent announcement, he starts, “Welcome to my lab!”. I love that he leans into it.
  • We got M3, M3 Pro, and M3 Max all in one go. I hope that is the way of the future. I’d expect the M3 Ultra sometime next year (along with MacBook Air, Mac Studio, and Mac Pro).
  • The graphics sounds like the big winner here. If you are doing graphics-heavy work, this may be for you.
  • We got M3 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pros. It appears the 13-inch MacBook Pro is now gone. In its place is a 14-inch MacBook Pro with an entry-level M3 chip. That’s a win. If you loved the Touch Bar, I’m sorry.
  • We also got news of an updated 24” iMac with the M3 chip. Same colors. Same form-factor. Just faster. I sure would have liked them to announce an M3 Pro iMac with a bigger screen to go along with it. I hear from a lot of people that want a Mac like that.
  • I expected the peripherals to all switch over to USB-C. However, it looks like that’s not happening yet.
  • Apple makes the M3 sound like a significant improvement. They are trying to convince remaining Intel chip owners and even leaning a bit on M1 users. If you’re in that second category and your M1 iMac s fine, don’t worry about it. The M1-equipped Macs are still really great computers.

Now, we can say Apple is done for the year. Before you know it, we’ll be in 2024, which will be all about the Vision Pro.

“Scary Fast” Apple Event on October 30

Apple is full of surprises this week with the announcement of a barely-October-almost-November event on October 30 at 17:00 Pacific. The new time is interesting, but I expect it is more than an experiment.

The graphics hint is the Mac Finder icon so expect Mac news. The question is which Macs are the news?

  • The 24″ iMac is still on the M1 chip and the M3 chip is rumored to be heading our way. Maybe we see new colorful M3 iMacs just in time for the holidays?
  • It seems early for an M3 MacBook Air and that’s a popular Mac. I have to wonder if they are getting M3 chips at sufficient scale to move that one up to M3 yet.
  • The rumor mill seems to think we’ll get M3 MacBook Pros. There are a lot of good reasons for that, but it would be strange seeing the new M3 chips on the upper end Macs before the lower end ones.

I don’t know anything more than what all the rumors are saying at this point. If it is a move to the 3nm M3, I approve. Back in the Intel days it took years for speed bumps. Maybe that comes faster in the age of Apple silicon?

I will add to the prediction list that if Craig Federighi makes a substantive appearance (it may just be about hardware, not software), they’ll find some way to put him in a Halloween costume. (I’ll go out on a limb and say vampire.)

Lastly, if you are in the MacSparky Labs, check your email tomorrow. I’m going to plan a Labs meetup for the day after.

“Far Out” Apple Event

Apple's "Far Out" Event Art

Today Apple made it official. The new iPhone event is September 7. Mark your calendar. Check your wallets. We’ll definitely get the new iPhones and likely Apple Watches. Things that I am curious about:

  • Rumors are the iPhone Pro camera will take a leap. I hope that’s true.
  • I’ll be shocked if the iPhone Pro doesn’t get the always on screen. I’m curious to see what that will be like in actual use.
  • There is an interesting rumor that we’ll get a “pro” or “sport” watch that will cost a bit more. It’ll be fun to see what that means if true. Also, if true it will be the first time that the phone chip between the watches will be different. Until now you got the same chip whether you bought a $300 watch or a $20,000 watch.

We’ll find out soon enough. I’ll be doing some fun things in The MacSparky Labs for this event. If you’re in the labs, keep an eye on your email over the next few days.

Rumors and Tomorrow’s Peek Performance

With Apple’s Peek Performance event tomorrow, we’ll all know soon enough if we’ll see anything noteworthy. That said, it seems the rumors are now flying fast and furious with the emergence of a hypothetical “Mac Studio”, which is something between a Mac mini and a Mac Pro. Luke Miani even has renders (that don’t look very attractive to me). The rumors of a lower-cost monitor are also heating up.

I think the release of this first generation of Apple silicon has been a lot of fun with new Macs and new designs steadily flowing out of Cupertino. I also think that very same fact makes it easy to get carried away with it all. Will I be happy if there are new Macs tomorrow? Yes. Will I be surprised if the event is a lot more low-key with an iPhone SE and a new iPad? No. We’ll all know tomorrow.