Apple recently held a big hardware event at its headquarters in Cupertino, California, where the company announced the newiPhone 16series, the long-awaitedAirPods 4, as well as theApple Watch Series 10. The presentation came and went without a hitch, but I can’t help but feel that there was something of a sense of oddity that permeated throughout the entire keynote.
It’s difficult to pinpoint precisely whyApple’s “It’s Glowtime” eventcame across this way to me, but there are a few things in particular that certainly made me raise an eyebrow or two. Here are five details from the event that evoke a sense of strangeness in my eyes.
The new AirPods Max have barely changed, and my wallet is grateful
Consider it a blessing that there’s no pressure to fork over another $549 for an upgrade.
1Apple snubbed the AirPods Max
The $550 over-ear headphones deserve better
Apple dedicated a portion of the iPhone 16 event talking about refreshes to its ever-popular AirPods line. The AirPods 4 debuted in bothActive Noise Cancelation(ANC) and non-ANC form, and theAirPods Pro 2received some love in the form of an upcominghearing accessibility update.
Apple AirPods (4th Generation)
The 4th gen AirPods might not feature support for Active Noise Cancelation, but they still pack a punch. The new H2 chip and improved acoustic architecture improve sound quality compared to the previous generation, and the USB-C charging case is highly convenient.
Apple AirPods (4th Generation with ANC)
Improving on the 4th gen AirPods, the AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancelation support features like Adaptive Audio and Conversation Awareness. Its case has also been upgraded, with wireless charging and a built-in speaker for Find My functions.
Apple AirPods Pro 2nd Generation (USB-C)
The beauty of AirPods is their convenience, and the AirPods Pro 2nd Generation (USB-C) are no different. The upgrade to USB-C only adds to this, while the extra features and additional software enhancements make for an overall excellent experience.
AirPods Max
TheAirPods Maxoffer premium sound quality, active noise cancellation, and a luxurious design for an immersive audio experience.
TheAirPods Max, the company’s premiumover-ear headphones, also received a refresh – and abaffling one at that. The new colorways are attractive, and the switch from Lightning to USB-C is a big quality-of-life improvement, but Apple entirely neglected to outfit the product with its new H2 chip.
It’s downright baffling that Apple would elect to refresh its over-ear headphones, and not spec them out with its newer chip.
The H2 chip is the current-generation processor found in the AirPods Pro and the all-new AirPods 4, and it offers extra audio processing capabilities over the H1 used in the AirPods Max. Specifically, the H2 improves on the noise cancelation and transparency mode capabilities of its predecessor. It’s downright baffling that Apple would elect to refresh its over-ear headphones, and not spec them out with its newer chip.
Apple’s iPhone 16 Pro and AirPods Pro aren’t worth it now
With the AirPods 4th gen and the iPhone 16 offering similar features for the same price, is it time for most people to ditch Apple’s Pro devices?
2Beats is a phone case maker now
Beats-branded iPhone 16 cases are now available for order
Arguably the strangest announcement to come out of the iPhone 16 keynote is the fact that Beats – the brand synonymous with consumer audio products – is designing cases for the latest iPhone.
The all-new Beats iPhone 16 Case with MagSafe can be yours for $50, and it’s available in midnight black, summit stone, riptide blue, and sunset purple. In short, the case is built of hard glossy plastic, and it comes with a microfiber lining to protect your handset from the elements.
Apple acquired Beatsin 2014 and has continued to release new earbuds and headphones under the Beats brand name. Outsourcing first-party case engineering to a company that specializes in audio gear seems like an odd move, but who am I to judge?
The Apple Watch Ultra 2 ‘update’ makes me question Apple’s commitment to fitness
Apple’s delay in updating the Watch Ultra 2 neglects performance on a device made for performance athletes.
3FineWoven is all but dead
There’s a newfound void in the iPhone case market
Apple discontinued its line of iconic leather iPhone cases back when theiPhone 15series launched, replacing it instead with a new FineWoven material. This decision was purportedly madein the name of environmentalism, butit didn’t exactly go smoothly for the company.
In any case, it didn’t take long for customer complaints to start pouring in.
Apple describes the FineWoven material as a “suede-like” fabric, but it feels more carpet-adjacent to me. In any case, it didn’t take long for customer complaints to start pouring in last year: the material has a knack for picking up nicks and scratches at an alarming rate.
Customer dissatisfaction appears to have been strong enough to put an end to Apple’s FineWoven experiment, and now we’re left with neither first-party leather nor fabric materials to adorn the iPhone 16 with. Third-party case manufacturers are likely to reap the most benefit here, and, as mentioned, even Apple’s own Beats brand is seizing on the novel opportunity at hand.
How to pre-order Apple’s new iPhone 16 and secure yourself a model at launch
The iPhone 16 will undoubtedly sell like hotcakes at launch – here’s how you can secure yourself a model by using Apple’s pre-order system.
4The Camera Control button is on every single iPhone 16 model
Could this be part of Apple’s ‘AI for the rest of us’ push?
When Apple introducedthe new Camera Control buttonduring the iPhone 16 segment of its keynote, I was more than a little surprised. Surely a company like Apple – the same company that privileged its iPhone Pro models when debuting theDynamic Islandand theAction Button– wouldn’t generously integrate a new hardware feature into the base model of its lineup.
This year’s iPhone 16 line blurs the line between the “Pro” and the base-level iPhone by offering a new camera button and the Action Button, alongside the A18 chip.
iPhone 16 Plus
iPhone 16 Pro
Apple’s iPhone 16 Pro line features a few notable upgrades over last year’s iPhone 15 Pro, including a dedicated camera button, a new A18 Pro chip, a bigger screen, and several AI-powered Apple Intelligence features.
iPhone 16 Pro Max
And yet, here we are: the entire iPhone 16 series features this new Camera Controlcapacitive side key. It works in tandem with haptic feedback to provide a sense of tactility, and it makes taking photos and videos on the iPhone feel more like a dedicated point-and-shoot camera experience.
I imagine the reason for this unusually gracious decision has something to do withApple Intelligence. More specifically, the company plans to integrate its new Visual Intelligence feature into the Camera Control interface. Once enabled, it’ll allow you to point your iPhone 16 camera at a subject or at an object, and receive context-specific results using AI.
Is Apple Intelligence really the AI we’ve been waiting for, or just more noise?
Apple Intelligence brings AI features to iPhones, iPads, and Macs – but how well do these new features compare to competitors?
5"Coming soon" took precedent on stage
Camera Control and Apple Intelligence are both still in the oven
The aforementioned Visual Intelligence feature that Apple showcased at its iPhone 16 keynote won’t be launched alongside the company’s new hardware. Instead, we’ll have to wait for an iOS 18.x update sometime before the end of this year to enable the functionality.
In fact, the rest of the Apple Intelligence suite of AI features won’t be arriving at launch, either. Public availability is expected upon the release of a software update in October, which is decidedly laterthan iOS 18’s September 16 launchand the iPhone 16’s September 20 launch.
Even the new Camera Control feature isn’t fully baked on day one, with Apple promising an update “later this year” to enable the two-stage shutter feature shown on stage. Delayed software features are far from unheard of, but releasing new devices without having their corresponding key features ready is un-Apple-like in my estimation.
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