Apple’s September event is back. Since the pandemic, Apple events, born as theatre keynotes live broadcasted worldwide, have evolved into a whole cinematic experience. They’re spectacular movies, enacting the storytelling of products through great sequences, shot in breathtaking scenarios – the event was set outdoors, mostly in nature, and even underwater - with Apple Park providing an ideal base for the narrative. It’s Hollywood applied to technology, not the other way around for once, and it’s fantastic. 

After Tim Cook’s opening speech from Apple Park’s perfect lawns comes the Apple Watch moment. The first product showcased during the evening is introduced by a cut-up of users’ stories telling moments in which the device solved crucial problems or saved their lives – like calling 911 after a plane crash. “It’s incredible how such a small device has helped so much in my life”, says one of them in Spanish. The new Apple Watch Series 8 features new functions like temperature sensing, retrospective ovulation estimates, and low power mode. Apple SE, a cheaper version with the same core functions, like fall and crash detection, or heart rates notifications, has also been updated, and this model is 20% faster than the previous one.

And there’s also a rugged version called Apple Watch Ultra. It’s the first Apple device created explicitly for extreme conditions. All the parts have been redesigned, with a bigger titanium case, revised buttons, 60 hours of battery life, and a dedicated watch face for this model. Apple seems to be in total love with Ultra: a long slice of the event was dedicated to the brand-new rugged watch, billed as “an essential tool for essentially anything”; and Tim Cook himself admits being “excited” about Apple Watch Ultra.

The second part of the event was dedicated to AirPods, “the most popular headphone set in the world”, Apple says. New iPods Pro earbuds look a lot like the device’s first iteration, but much has been upgraded inside their case - and on its surface, with revised touch controls. New AirPods Pro is capable of 2x more noise canceling isolation, personalized Spatial Audio, and a new mode for transparency. In this new iteration, battery life is improved, both in the earbuds and in the case.

iPhone 14 is the first without a physical SIM tray – this applies only to US models. It’s also the first model to launch an SOS connecting to satellites, where there’s no mobile network available, using advanced technologies to communicate. “It took years to make this reality”, Apple says. It launches in November in the US and Canada.  

iPhone 14 comes in two sizes, a regular 6.1” one, and a 6.7” Plus version, both with Apple-custom OLED screens (wasn’t Retina the name?) and A15 processor with 5-core GPU. They come in 5 new colors and sport a two-lense main camera system and a revised frontal camera with autofocus. Image quality is assured by the same technologies we saw in previous models, as larger sensors, intelligent software and Apple Silicon. Apple also introduces Photonic Engine to get better low-light pictures and improved stabilization when taking videos. 

The Pro model drops the notch for a hole. Around this hardware element, Apple has developed a whole new software experience, Dynamic Island, replacing notifications with a less intrusive interface element. iPhone 14 Pro comes in two sizes, a display that Apple defines as the most advanced ever seen on a smartphone and features an Always-On Display and new lock-screen widgets. With iPhone 14 Pro, Apple also introduces the new A16 processor, “the best on a smartphone,” Apple says. It comes in two sizes, a “normal” Pro and a larger Max Pro.

There’s an upgraded rear camera system, with new sensors, new lenses (still three), and a revised flash; it offers double quality in low-light photography compared to iPhone 13 Pro, for example. There have also been updates on the software side, introducing a mode aimed at shooting action videos, 4K cinematic mode, and reintroducing the beloved 2x zoom camera button, corresponding to 50mm on a full-frame reflex. iPhone Pro and Pro Max can use ProRaw and ProRes formats for professional photographers and filmmakers.

The environment has been a protagonist of the whole event, and Apple spent an entire chapter entirely dedicated to its sustainability initiatives and how to recycle products just by bringing them to Apple Stores. For every new product, Apple also showed sustainability information, disclosing when recycled materials are used for manufacturing and more, aiming at building global neutral products by 2030.

Most of the devices will be available since September, 16th. Prices: iPhone 14 from $799, iPhone 14 Pro from $999, Apple Watch 8 from $399, Apple Watch Ultra from $799, Apple Watch SE and AirPods Pro from $249.