U.S. tech giant Apple has unveiled a host of new technology, including the iPhone 16, which features some impressive updates the company hopes will convince customers — many of whom have been holding onto their older gadgets — to upgrade. Since the 2020 launch of the iPhone 12, which was the first Apple smartphone with 5G connectivity, the company has given customers few reasons to buy the latest generation. Phone cameras have largely advanced to the point where they’re sufficient for most people’s day-to-day needs without major hardware changes, and at some point the human eye isn’t even capable of perceiving higher screen resolutions. Similarly, the Apple Watch and AirPods have seen mostly incremental upgrades in recent years that haven’t persuaded customers to shell out hundreds of dollars for slightly better devices. On Monday, Apple made several announcements it believes could promote a new sales cycle. IPhone 16 Apple announced that the iPhone 16 would be the first model purpose-built for generative artificial intelligence, which would allow users to create text and images with a natural-language prompt. It comes with a new camera control feature, accessed with a button on the side of the phone, which will give users access to information based on an image captured by the camera. Siri will be able to pull from users’ text messages, meaning it can remind them of TV and music recommendations sent by friends. Siri will also better understand your verbal directions and perform the tasks accordingly. The new phones come in white, black, teal, ultramarine and pink. They’re also available in two sizes: 6.1 inches for the iPhone 16 and 6.7 inches for iPhone 16 Plus. The iPhone 16 comes with 17% more system memory bandwidth to better support Apple Intelligence, a glass-ceramic screen that promises to be 50% tougher and 40% faster GPU than the previous model. The entry-level Pro is 6.3 inches and the Pro Max is 6.9 inches. Apple said the devices include the thinnest borders yet. The iPhone 16 Pro also features a longer battery life, and comes in four colors: white titanium, darker titanium, natural titanium and a brown-colored desert titanium. The Pro allows the user to shoot videos in 4K resolution at 120 frames per second, with an audio recording boost, including spatial audio with reduced background noise. The iPhone 16 series will go on sale Sept. 20, with preorders starting Friday. The iPhone 16 will be priced from US$799 in the U.S. and 5,999 yuan (US$843) in China. The iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max will be priced at US$999 and US$1,199 in the U.S. and 7,999 yuan and 9,999 yuan in China, respectively. AirPods Apple unveiled the latest version of its AirPods line that the company calls its “most comfortable” set yet. And its AirPods Pro gained a hearing aid feature that is awaiting regulatory approval. The AirPods 4 come with more control to play and pause music, start and end calls, and include USB-C via the charging case. The higher-end Pro model also features active noise cancellation and “transparency mode,” which enables users to hear the outside ambient environment. Apple Watch The new Apple Watch 10, 30% larger than previous Apple Watches, comes in a new polished titanium finish in jet black, rose gold and silver. Its sleep apnea-detecting function, awaiting clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, is expected to be available in over 150 countries and regions later this month. The new Apple Watch also charges quickly — up to 80% in 30 minutes, and it has a battery life of up to 18 hours. The latest device, which can now go 7 meters underwater, features a water temperature sensor and a depth gauge. (SD-Agencies) | 