iPhones with camera button and AirPods as hearing aids

Cupertino (dpa/tmn) – As usual, Apple presented new iPhones and computer watches in September. Some highlights from the presentation, which lasted more than an hour and a half:

Camera button with many functions

With the new shutter button, Apple is attempting an ambitious experiment: the most important camera functions should be able to be controlled via a single control element, and intuitively.

The first press of the button opens the camera app. If you then press it all the way down, a photo is taken. If you keep the button pressed, a video is recorded – until you let go.

If you press the button lightly, the zoom indicator appears on the edge of the display. It can then be enlarged or reduced by moving the touch-sensitive button. A double click, meanwhile, calls up other camera functions, such as selecting color filters or setting the aperture. You can also scroll back and forth in these submenus by moving the button.

The choreography of pressing, half-pressing, double-clicking and swiping initially requires a certain amount of concentration, but can be mastered in a few minutes. A big advantage is that the camera can be operated with one hand – actually with one finger. The exciting question now is whether users will accept the new control options or continue to tap on the display out of long-standing habit.

Larger displays for the iPhone Pro

Except for the camera button, the design of the iPhone remains largely unchanged. Only the cameras on the standard model of the iPhone 15 are now arranged in a line next to each other like on the iPhone X – and not offset like last time. A side effect is that it can now also record three-dimensional videos for the Apple Vision Pro computer glasses. Until now, this was reserved for the Pro versions.

And the new Pro models are slightly larger than their predecessors, with an identical design. The display on the iPhone 16 Pro has grown from 6.1 to 6.3 inches, and on the 16 Pro Max from 6.7 to 6.9 inches. Also new: for the first time, the camera on the smaller Pro model is just as good as that on the larger Pro Max version. Up until now, the Max camera has boasted a stronger zoom, among other things.

AirPods Pro as a hearing aid

The AirPods 4 were unveiled on Monday – the new standard model of Apple headphones. They have been given a slightly different shape that is designed to fit more ear cups. In addition, the entry-level model now allows you to accept a call by nodding or reject it by shaking your head.

Active ambient noise cancellation (ANC), which was previously reserved for the AirPods Pro, is now included in the standard version – for an additional charge. Apple sells the entry-level version of the AirPods 4 for 149 euros, with noise cancellation they cost 199 euros.

In the noisy demo area in the Steve Jobs Theater on Apple's corporate campus, the noise cancellation of the AirPods 4 works very well – actually surprisingly well, considering that, unlike the Pro models, they do not have silicone grommets that provide additional insulation in the ear canal.

Around four years after their market launch, Apple's AirPods Max over-ear headphones also have new models – but the difference seems to be a USB-C port instead of the old in-house Lightning sockets and new colors. The new colors are called midnight, polar star, blue, orange and purple.

The AirPods Pro 2, on the other hand, only have software innovations – but they could be quite something. The devices can perform a hearing test and on this basis serve as a “clinical-level hearing aid”. Apple expects market approval from health authorities “probably soon”, and the function should then also be available in Germany, among other places.

If the AirPods Pro 2 are good at this, their price of 279 euros could shake up the established hearing aid market, which often costs several thousand euros.

Apple Watch bigger, thinner – and faster charging

Exactly ten years ago today, the first Apple Watch was announced. But there was no reference to it and no anniversary edition – Apple still adheres to the motto of founder Steve Jobs that companies should look forward free from nostalgia.

The display of the recently introduced Apple Watch Series 10 has become even larger: the watches previously had screen diagonals of 41 and 45 millimeters – now they are 42 and 46 millimeters. At the same time, according to Apple, the new watch is almost ten percent thinner than the previous model.

Apple's watch is getting a new health function: It will soon be able to detect sleep apnea, a condition in which breathing repeatedly stops during sleep. The watch uses its accelerometer, which measures small movements on the wrist.

However, many users charge their Apple Watch overnight instead of wearing it on their wrist. This is why the battery should now charge much faster. Half an hour on the charger should provide 80 percent of the battery power, and eight minutes should be enough for eight hours of sleep tracking.

The Series 10 can also display the depth of up to six meters while swimming – as well as the water temperature.

What is not coming to Germany for the time being: «Apple Intelligence»

The iPhone 16 is also equipped to support Apple's new AI features. “Apple Intelligence” is designed to collect user data on the devices in order to provide helpful answers to all kinds of questions. This also includes the ability to create your own emoji symbols from text specifications.

However, all of this is irrelevant for users in the European Union. Apple will be the first to provide clarity around the new digital law DMA. The company is particularly concerned that competitors could demand just as much access to user data by referring to the rules for large platforms.