iPhone 14 launch: 10 takeaways from Apple’s Far Out event

Apple, one of the most popular consumer tech companies in the world, launched the latest iPhone 14 series and a series of other products at an online event on Wednesday.

Here are 10 takeaways from the Far Out event.

Crash detection feature

The entire iPhone 14 line-up comes with a new safety feature that can provide emergency assistance in the event of an accident.

With a new dual-core accelerometer, crash detection on iPhone can now detect a severe car crash and automatically dial emergency services when users are unconscious or unable to reach their iPhones.

When combined with Apple Watch, crash detection leverages the strength of both devices to get immediate assistance.

For example, when a severe crash is detected, the emergency services call interface will appear on Apple Watch, as it is most likely to be in closer proximity to the user, while the call is placed through the iPhone if it is in range for the best possible connection.

Emergency SOS via satellite

Apple has launched emergency SOS service via satellite connectivity with the new iPhone 14 series.

This technology allows antennas to connect directly to a satellite, enabling messaging with emergency services when a user is outside of the cellular or Wi-Fi network coverage.

It lets users to manually share their location over satellite when there is no connectivity, “providing a sense of security [to users] when hiking or camping off the grid”, Apple said.

Initially, the emergency SOS via satellite will be available to users in the US and Canada from November. The service will be free for two years.

Green Apple

The new Apple products are designed to minimise the company’s impact on the environment.

The iPhones use 100 per cent recycled rare earth elements in all magnets and 100 per cent recycled tin in the solder of several printed circuit boards, the company said.

Fibre-based packaging does not use outer plastic wrap, bringing Apple closer to its goal of completely removing plastic from all packaging by 2025.

Apple launches its latest iPhone 14 series. Bloomberg

Today, Apple is carbon neutral for global corporate operations, and by 2030, it plans to be 100 per cent carbon neutral across its entire manufacturing supply chain and all product life cycles.

Apple Fitness+ available to all iPhone users

Apple Fitness+, the technology company’s fitness and wellness service, will be available for all iPhone users even if they don’t have an Apple Watch, the company announced on Wednesday.

The update will be available later this year in all 21 countries where the service is offered. iPhone users will have access to the entire service featuring over 3,000 studio-style workouts and meditations.

Apple Fitness+ is available as a subscription service for $9.99 per month or $79.99 per year, and can be shared with up to five other family members.

Wrist temperature sensing for women’s health

Apple Watch Series 8 features new temperature-sensing capabilities that give women further insights into their health.

They are designed with the “same privacy protections as with all other health data”, Apple said.

The new smartwatch comes with a dual-sensor design — one sensor on the rear back of the watch, near to the skin, and another under the display. It will minimise any interference from the external environment.

Three new bands — Trail Loop, Alpine Loop and Ocean Band — offer unique design features that provide a secure and comfortable fit for Apple Watch users. Photo: Apple

Sleep tracking

Sleep tracking in the latest watchOS 9 operating system provides more insights with the introduction of sleep stages. The smartwatch will use signals from the accelerometer and heart rate sensor to estimate when users are in REM (rapid eye movements), core or deep sleep.

Sleep stage data can be viewed directly on the watch in the Sleep app and users can view more detailed information in the Health app on iPhone.

Apple said the sensors will check wrist temperature during sleep every five seconds and measure changes as small as 0.1°C. In the Health app, users can see nightly shifts in temperature, which can be caused by exercise, jet lag or illness.

Immersive sound experience with new AirPods

With personalised spatial audio, the new AirPods will ensure an immersive experience.

Users perceive sound individually, based on the size and shape of their head and ears. Using the TrueDepth camera on the iPhone, users can create a personal profile for spatial audio that delivers a tailored listening experience, Apple said.

Users can enjoy personalised spatial audio with music, movies and TV shows across iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple TV.

Apple aims to attract new customers through its new products. Bloomberg

Impact on Apple stock

Apple stock, which has dropped nearly 14.8 per cent since the start of the year, jumped almost 1 per cent to trade at $155.96 a share on Wednesday at the market close. It gives the company a total market valuation of nearly $2.51 trillion.

In intraday trading on January 3, the company briefly hit a market value of $3tn when its shares reached $182.86.

The company was the first to achieve this milestone, although it failed to hold above the level until the end of the trading day.

New A16 bionic

Apple unveiled its A16 bionic chip that will be used in iPhone 14 Pro.

It features an accelerated five-core graphics processing unit with 50 per cent more memory bandwidth and a new 16-core neural engine capable of performing nearly 17 trillion operations per second, Apple said.

This will ensure a seamless run of graphics-intensive games and heavy apps on the iPhone.

Prices and availability

The iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus models start from $799 (Dh3,399) and $899 (Dh3,799), respectively, while the iPhone 14 Pro costs $999 (Dh4,299) and the iPhone 14 Pro Max starts at $1,099 (Dh4,699).

Customers will be able to pre-order all four new phones from Friday. The iPhone 14, iPhone Pro and iPhone Pro Max will be available from September 16, while the iPhone 14 Plus will be available from October 7.

Apple Watch Series 8 starts at $399 (Dh1,599) and Apple Watch SE at $249 (Dh999), with both available to order from Wednesday, with availability beginning September 16.

Apple Watch Ultra, which starts at $799 (Dh3,199), is available to order today, with availability beginning September 23.

City's slump

L - Juventus, 2-0
D - C Palace, 2-2
W - N Forest, 3-0
L - Liverpool, 2-0
D - Feyenoord, 3-3
L - Tottenham, 4-0
L - Brighton, 2-1
L - Sporting, 4-1
L - Bournemouth, 2-1
L - Tottenham, 2-1

Key recommendations

Fewer criminals put behind bars and more to serve sentences in the community, with short sentences scrapped and many inmates released earlier.
Greater use of curfews and exclusion zones to deliver tougher supervision than ever on criminals.
Explore wider powers for judges to punish offenders by blocking them from attending football matches, banning them from driving or travelling abroad through an expansion of ‘ancillary orders’.
More Intensive Supervision Courts to tackle the root causes of crime such as alcohol and drug abuse – forcing repeat offenders to take part in tough treatment programmes or face prison.

Essentials
The flights
Return flights from Dubai to Windhoek, with a combination of Emirates and Air Namibia, cost from US$790 (Dh2,902) via Johannesburg.
The trip
A 10-day self-drive in Namibia staying at a combination of the safari camps mentioned – Okonjima AfriCat, Little Kulala, Desert Rhino/Damaraland, Ongava – costs from $7,000 (Dh25,711) per person, including car hire (Toyota 4x4 or similar), but excluding international flights, with The Luxury Safari Company.
When to go
The cooler winter months, from June to September, are best, especially for game viewing.

LAST 16

SEEDS

Liverpool, Manchester City, Barcelona, Paris St-Germain, Bayern Munich, RB Leipzig, Valencia, Juventus

PLUS

Real Madrid, Tottenham, Atalanta, Atletico Madrid, Napoli, Borussia Dortmund, Lyon, Chelsea

Notable cricketers and political careers

India: Kirti Azad, Navjot Sidhu and Gautam Gambhir (rumoured)
Pakistan: Imran Khan and Shahid Afridi (rumoured)
Sri Lanka: Arjuna Ranatunga, Sanath Jayasuriya, Tillakaratne Dilshan (rumoured)
Bangladesh (Mashrafe Mortaza)

What is a black hole?

1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull

2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight

3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge

4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own

5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed

Know your Camel lingo

The bairaq is a competition for the best herd of 50 camels, named for the banner its winner takes home

Namoos - a word of congratulations reserved for falconry competitions, camel races and camel pageants. It best translates as 'the pride of victory' - and for competitors, it is priceless

Asayel camels - sleek, short-haired hound-like racers

Majahim - chocolate-brown camels that can grow to weigh two tonnes. They were only valued for milk until camel pageantry took off in the 1990s

Millions Street - the thoroughfare where camels are led and where white 4x4s throng throughout the festival

Is it worth it? We put cheesecake frap to the test.

The verdict from the nutritionists is damning. But does a cheesecake frappuccino taste good enough to merit the indulgence?

My advice is to only go there if you have unusually sweet tooth. I like my puddings, but this was a bit much even for me. The first hit is a winner, but it's downhill, slowly, from there. Each sip is a little less satisfying than the last, and maybe it was just all that sugar, but it isn't long before the rush is replaced by a creeping remorse. And half of the thing is still left.

The caramel version is far superior to the blueberry, too. If someone put a full caramel cheesecake through a liquidiser and scooped out the contents, it would probably taste something like this. Blueberry, on the other hand, has more of an artificial taste. It's like someone has tried to invent this drink in a lab, and while early results were promising, they're still in the testing phase. It isn't terrible, but something isn't quite right either.

So if you want an experience, go for a small, and opt for the caramel. But if you want a cheesecake, it's probably more satisfying, and not quite as unhealthy, to just order the real thing.

'Worse than a prison sentence'

Marie Byrne, a counsellor who volunteers at the UAE government's mental health crisis helpline, said the ordeal the crew had been through would take time to overcome.

“It was worse than a prison sentence, where at least someone can deal with a set amount of time incarcerated," she said.

“They were living in perpetual mystery as to how their futures would pan out, and what that would be.

“Because of coronavirus, the world is very different now to the one they left, that will also have an impact.

“It will not fully register until they are on dry land. Some have not seen their young children grow up while others will have to rebuild relationships.

“It will be a challenge mentally, and to find other work to support their families as they have been out of circulation for so long. Hopefully they will get the care they need when they get home.”