I’ve been using an iPhone 15 Pro Max for a week now, so Brett Burney and I start this week’s episode of the In the News podcast by discussing the features that have stood out to me. I’ve also been using Apple’s FineWoven case for a week, and we discuss why so many people are upset about that case as a replacement for Apple’s former leather case. We also talk about iPhone photography, iOS 17 tips, the newest AirPods Pro, using your iPhone as a digital driver’s license, using the iPad mini on an airplane, the bittersweet end of red envelopes from Netflix, and more.
This episode is sponsored by SaneBox. This week, Brett and I explain the different plans that are offered and provide advice on picking the plan that makes the most sense for you. Go to sanebox.com/inthenews to sign up for a free trial and get a $25 credit toward a SaneBox subscription.
In our In the Know segment, Brett discusses adding widgets to the home screen of your iPad, and I discuss using the new mini-window on the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max when you use extreme digital zoom in the camera app.
Although I have heard a lot of praise for Apple this week as people start to try out the new iPhones (here is my review of the iPhone 15 Pro Max), another new Apple product has received wide criticism: Apple’s new FineWoven Case, which replaces Apple’s previous leather case which sold for the same price ($59.99). I’ve always been a fan of Apple’s leather iPhone cases. They fit the iPhone perfectly (something that always makes me nervous about a third-party case that is available to purchase when a new iPhone comes out), they felt good, and they protected the iPhone while making it less slippery. As Apple has eliminated all leather products for environmental reasons, they came up with a new FineWoven case. Arthur Shi of iFixIt took a very close look at the case (using extreme magnification) to see how it is made, which is somewhat impressive. But people are not happy about how it feels in the hand, as noted by Allison Johnson of The Verge, with some people comparing it to paper. There are also build quality issues, as noted by Stephen Hackett of 512 Pixels. I’ve been using a FineWoven case for the past week, and while I don’t hate it as much as many people, I do greatly prefer the feel and look of the leather case. Perhaps if Apple was selling this new case for less than the $60 price of the leather case it wouldn’t bother me as much. If your default every year is to buy the Apple case but you haven’t yet purchased a case for the newest iPhones, I strongly encourage you to check out the FineWoven case at an Apple Store before you buy it because you might not like it. And now, the news of note from the past week:
I have a big ask of you, but it is also an easy one. With September about to end, we are at the end of this year’s campaign to raise money for St. Jude. It would mean a lot to me if you donated any amount to help kids with cancer, and it would obviously mean a lot to so many others as well. I promise you that the entire process will take no more than 30 seconds of your time. Just click, enter your donation amount, and pay. It’s a great cause. Simply click here and donate any amount. Thanks!
If you have an iPhone 15 Pro or Pro Max, you can assign one action to the Action Button. Or, you can use this clever shortcut from Federico Viticci of MacStories to assign two shortcuts to the same Action Button.
If you want to listen to a great discussion of photography with the new iPhones, this week’s episode of John Gruber’s The Talk Show features guest Matthew Panzarino, and it is a fantastic episode. For example, John Gruber points out that with a traditional camera, you can take an amazing picture, but you need to be the photographer. You need to adjust everything—and know how to do so—to get that perfect picture. “What really jumped out buying a new, well-regarded, camera this year is how many decisions the iPhone makes automatically that are what I want it to do, without me doing anything.” The iPhone becomes the expert photographer, using its sophisticated processor to make everything look great. You just choose what to put in frame and when to press the button.
Jason Snell of Six Colors updated his great ebook Take Control of Photos. The book teaches you everything that you need to know about using the Photos app on an iPhone, iPad, and Mac, and it is updated for iOS 17 and the other new operating systems. And next week, he will add a free update to address new features added by the iPhone 15. It’s a great resource that I recommend to anyone who wants to do more with the Photos app.
We may now live in a world of streaming media, but I fondly remember the excitement of coming home at the end of the week to find a Netflix red envelope in my mailbox. Nicole Sperling of the New York Times reports that today is the last day that Netflix is shipping out any DVDs. My son is only 17 years old, but when I mentioned this to him, he told me that he distinctly remembers being a little kid and having the same excitement when he saw a red envelope—which he would always hope was a kids movie that we could enjoy as a family and not some grown-up movie that was just for me and my wife. It’s the end of an era.
If you are stuck in the middle of nowhere and need help with your car, you can use Roadside Assistance via Satellite with an iPhone 14 or 15. This video from Apple gives you an idea of how it works. I certainly hope that I never need to use this service, but it is nice to know that this lifesaver is available if I ever need it.
And finally, yesterday I saw the new trailer for the movie Argylle, which comes to theaters in February and then to Apple TV+. I suppose you would call this a spy movie with a twist. The cast is fantastic, and if the movie lives up to the promise of the trailer, this will be great fun to watch in a few months:
I received my iPhone 15 Pro Max this past Friday. And I know exactly when it was first in my hands because that occurred at the 22:30 mark (the beginning of Chapter 4) as I was recording the most recent episode of the In the News podcast. Since then, I’ve been using this new iPhone extensively. I love it, and I have lots of thoughts to share.
Titanium
Nine years ago, when Apple introduced the iPhone 6 models, it increased the size of the display in two ways. First, the iPhone 6 itself was larger than the iPhone 5s because it used a 4.7” display instead of a 4” display. Second, Apple introduced the iPhone 6 Plus with a 5.5” display—the first time a larger model became an option. Some people gravitated to the larger models instantly, but many (perhaps even most?) folks preferred the standard size, even though what constitutes the standard size has changed quite a bit over the years. The original iPhone released in 2007 had a 3.5” display; the “standard” size of the iPhone 15 Pro is 6.1”. Of course, screen size doesn’t tell you everything about the size of an iPhone. The bezels are much smaller today than they were in 2007, and there is no longer a button occupying some of the face of the iPhone. Nevertheless, the trend has been towards larger screens. For nine years, I have been happy with the “standard” size, even as that standard has changed over time.
This year, Apple has made it easier to consider making the move to a larger iPhone because the case has changed from stainless steel to titanium. Titanium is much lighter while remaining very strong.
I can attest that the change makes a difference. As you can see in the podcast video that I referenced above, from the very first time that I put my iPhone 14 Pro in one hand and my iPhone 15 Pro Max in another hand, I have noticed that the iPhone 15 Pro Max feels lighter. I can switch hands, and I feel the same thing. When I spent time this past weekend taking pictures with both the iPhone 14 Pro and the iPhone 15 Pro Max to see the difference between the former 3x zoom lens and the new 5x zoom lens, I again noticed the same thing.
I realize that I am being tricked. Apple says that the iPhone 14 Pro weighs 7.27 ounces and the iPhone 15 Pro Max weighs 7.81 ounces. So in reality, this larger iPhone 15 Pro Max weighs about half an ounce more than the phone that I used for the last year. But because the small amount of extra weight is distributed across a larger area, it doesn’t actually feel heavier. The only reason that this illusion works is that there is only a small amount of additional weight, and that is thanks to the use of titanium. Last year’s iPhone 14 Pro Max model weighed 8.47 ounces, so I’m sure that the iPhone 15 Pro Max would have weighed at least that much if Apple was still using stainless steel.
For me, someone moving from the standard to a larger phone, the use of titanium means that I don’t need to worry about moving to a heavier phone. If you get a new iPhone 15 Pro model and you stay with the same size—going from an iPhone 14 Pro to an iPhone 15 Pro, or going from an iPhone 14 Pro Max to an iPhone 15 Pro Max—your new iPhone will weigh noticeably less than your prior model, which is also something you will appreciate.
The best part about using titanium is the weight difference, but that’s not the only difference. The titanium iPhone has a matte finish that is noticeably different from the shiny stainless steel used in the past on the Pro models. That makes it just a tiny bit less slippery, although to be honest, not as much as I had hoped.
Another change that may have more to do with how Apple designed the iPhone than the change in material is that the edges of the iPhone 15 models are slightly more rounded at the corners. It is a subtle but nice change that makes the newest iPhone even more comfortable to hold in a hand.
Moving to titanium was a fabulous change in the Pro line, and it is a major reason that you feel like you are getting something much better when you upgrade to an iPhone 15 Pro or iPhone 15 Pro Max. I have already seen many advertisements on TV for the iPhone 15 Pro / Pro Max that emphasize the move to titanium, and this is not just marketing hype. It makes a difference.
A zoom that makes a substantial difference
Speaking of changes that make a difference, let’s talk about the 5x zoom lens on the iPhone 15 Pro Max. While I have been curious about using a larger size iPhone for years, the reason I made the leap this year was to try out the 5x optical zoom lens, the largest optical zoom that Apple has ever offered. It is really nice, and it is the first iPhone zoom lens that I feel has really made a substantial difference. This feels like a real zoom lens, not just getting a little closer to change the emphasis.
Apple first introduced a zoom lens for the iPhone in 2016. On the larger Plus model of the iPhone 7, Apple added a second lens to add a 2x optical zoom lens (56 mm). The following year, the telephoto lens was included with the iPhone X and Apple even added optical image stabilization so that pictures taken with the zoom lens would be less blurry. The zoom lens increased to 2.5x on the iPhone 12 Pro Max in 2020, and the zoom lens increased to 3x on the iPhone 13 Pro in 2021.
Having different levels of zoom is often useful because it allows you to place an emphasis on different parts of the picture to make the picture tell a different story. I showed that off in this post from 2019 when I compared the 0.5x, 1x, and 2x lenses on the iPhone 11 Pro. The addition of the 3x zoom enhanced this even more, allowing you to get closer without the excessive blurriness that occurs when you simply crop a photo.
With 5x, however, the zoom is extreme enough that you feel like you are getting a completely different type of picture. It is especially useful when you want to get details that you could not otherwise see.
For example, as I was looking out of my office window this past Friday, I saw a tugboat pushing a barge on the Mississippi River. I took three pictures using the 1x, 2x, and 5x lenses and got these three pictures (which are compressed somewhat to make them smaller in this p0st):
When I look at just the tugboat in all three pictures, the first two pictures are very blurry, with 2x only slightly better. But with the 5x camera, I can actually read the words “Marquette Transportation” on the side of the boat.
That is the sort of difference that you expect with something called a “zoom” lens. You want to zoom in and see details.
Here is another interesting example: a picture of a French Quarter-style gas lamp taken with the iPhone 15 Pro Max in 1x. This picture is compressed for size:
That was about as close as I could get to the lamp without standing on a ladder, but I can get closer using different lenses. I took four pictures: the iPhone 15 Pro Max at 1x and 2x, the iPhone 14 Pro at 3x, and the iPhone 15 Pro Max at 5x, focusing each one on the small nameplate at the bottom of the lamp. Here are the results:
Thanks to the additional zoom of the 5x, I can see that this lamp was manufactured by Bevolo Gas & Electric Lights, the company that first invented the original French Quarter-style gas lamp and that still makes them using hand-riveted copper at their store in the French Quarter in New Orleans. What is interesting to me, though, is that the second most detailed image is not the 3x but instead the 1x. Why is that?
When the new iPhone 15 Pro Max takes pictures using the 1x lens, it takes a 24-megapixel picture using a series of pictures taken in rapid succession using the 48-megapixel lens and then merges them to create the best picture. With the 2x lens, Apple creates a 24-megapixel picture using just the center portion of the 48-megapixel lens, and while it does some additional processing, not as much as the 1x lens (because Apple doesn’t want you to have to wait before you can take another picture). With the 3x and 5x lens, the lens brings you closer, but the quality of the overall picture is less for numerous reasons, one of which is that it is only a 12-megapixel image. What this means is that you will typically see the best results with the 1x camera. If you want to get closer, the best option—when you can—is to move your iPhone even closer and stick with 1x. If that is not an option, using the 2x and 3x lens will sometimes result in a better picture with more details, but not always. With the 5x lens, however, there is enough of a zoom increase that the lens can often compensate for other factors such as the 1x camera being an overall better lens.
Here is another example that provides results that are more expected. While I was in a well-lit coffeehouse this weekend, I saw a display with some books on it. Here is what I saw using the iPhone 15 Pro Max’s 1x camera:
These are only three examples, but I took tons of pictures with both iPhones this weekend, and the results were pretty consistent. For the best picture, use the 1x lens, which you get with either the iPhone 15 Pro or the iPhone 15 Pro Max. But if you want to really zoom in to see some details, there is a substantial difference between the 3x zoom and the 5x zoom.
I should note that the 5x lens is only part of the story. Apple is also using sophisticated stabilization technology to limit how much the 5x lens moves so that you don’t get a useless, blurry picture. And there is also some amazing computational photography going on in the background as well. The net result is that the 5x camera is a great tool to have.
For those times in life when you want a zoom lens, you typically want a big zoom. You are not just looking to change the composition of your shot; you are trying to get substantially closer. You want to see an architectural detail. You want to see your child’s face on stage from the audience or from across the gym during a basketball game. You want to read something on a sign that is far away. With the 5x lens, you get a substantial zoom that makes a difference. It is a great new feature.
Portrait mode, anytime
A camera improvement for all four of the new iPhone 15 models is that you no longer have to select Portrait Mode before you take a picture to achieve a blurred background, the bokeh effect. Now, just take a picture in the normal camera mode. After you take the picture, tap the Edit button in the Photos app. If the iPhone sees a person or a pet, the iPhone will let you blur the background using the depth information that was captured automatically.
I love this change. In the past, it was always difficult to decide before I took a picture which mode I would want to use, which often resulted in me taking the picture twice, once in each mode. Now, I can make all of those decisions later when I am reviewing and editing my pictures.
By the way, this effect also seems to be better than ever, presumably because of the improved A17 Pro processor, even in difficult areas like the edges of curly hair.
USB-C
Another major change for all of the iPhone 15 phones is the use of USB-C instead of Lightning. When you first get one of these phones, it means that you need to change some cords. I forgot to change the cord in my car, so when I got into my car on Friday afternoon and tried to use CarPlay, I realized that I needed a different cord (USB to USB-C) that I didn’t have with me.
But once I got past these initial hiccups, I appreciated moving even closer to the day when all of my devices use the same connector.
Also, for the times when you need to transfer video to and from a computer, the support for USB-C 3 with 10Gbit per second speed is nice and makes a big difference.
Action button
This year, Apple replaced the ringer switch with an Action Button. When you hold down on the button, an action happens. That action can be turning the ringer on or off if you want. But it can also do just about anything else.
For now, I have the Action Button configured to launch the Camera app. This was especially nice this past weekend when I took lots of pictures to try out the improved camera. Regardless of whether my iPhone was locked or in use, and no matter what it was doing, all I had to do is press that button to launch the Camera. And then in the Camera app, I could press that same button to take a picture.
In the future, I may try associating the Action Button with a sophisticated Shortcut, perhaps even one that does different things at different times of the day. But for now, I’m happy with it launching the Camera.
One small surprise: although the Action Button is the same size as the switch that it replaces, I’m used to the larger volume and power buttons on the iPhone. As a result, the Action Button seems too small. I’m sure that is something that I will get more used to over time.
Larger screen
I know that other folks have been using a larger iPhone for many, many years, but it is a new experience for me. I’ll need to spend far more than a single weekend with this new phone to really see what I really think. So far, however, I like it. Yes, holding a larger phone in my hand is a different experience, but it isn’t uncomfortable, especially thanks to the new softer edge. And when I am looking at the screen, the extra real estate is a valuable. I started in the default mode, where I could see more on the screen at one time, such as an extra row when looking my Inbox in the Mail app. Then I switched to the Larger Text Display Mode zoom in Settings, which means that I see essentially the same amount on the screen as with my iPhone 14 Pro but everything is bigger, so I don’t have to hold the iPhone quite so close to my face to see it. I’m not yet sure which mode I will stick with, but it is the larger screen that makes them both possible.
Of course, a larger iPhone screen is no match for an iPad. But when all that you have with you is your iPhone, it can be nice for that iPhone to have a larger screen. For example, this weekend I did not only the Saturday but even the Sunday New York Times crossword puzzle (with my wife’s help!) on my iPhone, and the larger screen made a big difference in making the small boxes legible.
When I am wearing a button-down shirt, I virtually always carry my iPhone in a shirt pocket. I feared that the larger iPhone would be too big for that, but so far, that doesn’t appear to be a problem.
I told myself that if this larger iPhone seemed wrong for me, I would return it and replace it with an iPhone 15 Pro during the first two weeks when returns are easy. I’ve already decided not to do that because my initial impressions are mostly positive. The real test will come this time next year when I make the decision on whether to stick with a Max size for what I imagine will be called the iPhone 16. But for now … so far, so good.
Conclusion
The iPhone 15 Pro Max is a great new iPhone. With the titanium finish, new design, 5x lens, Action Button, better portrait mode, and USB-C, there are plenty of meaningful changes that make this year’s model seem like a real step up. And if you haven’t tried a larger iPhone size in the past but you are curious about doing so, this is the best year ever to make that transition.
We just finished a huge week of Apple hardware and software releases, which means that we are no longer just thinking about upcoming new features—we are now actually using the new software and hardware. As a result, Brett Burney I had lot of interesting things to discuss on this week’s episode of the In the News Podcast. We started by discussing some of the best new features of iOS 17 and the other new software releases. Next, we discuss the new iPhone 15 models, and the timing of this discussion in the episode could not have been better because my new iPhone 15 Pro Max arrived just as we were beginning that discussion. As a result, if you watch the version of this week’s episode on YouTube, you can see one of the few live unboxing videos that was in no way pre-planned! We also talk about our initial thoughts on the new features added to the AirPods Pro, as well as other recent changes to Apple products like the HomePod and Apple TV.
This episode is sponsored by SaneBox, and Brett and I both explained why the @SaneNews folder makes such a dramatic difference when you are reading your emails because everything is pre-sorted. Imagine having an assistant pre-sort your physical mail so that you can go through it more efficiently; that is the idea. Go to sanebox.com/inthenews to sign up for a free trial and get a $25 credit toward a SaneBox subscription.
In our In the Know segment, Brett identifies some of the great new features in Safari in iOS 17 and iPadOS 17. I describe the level indicator in the Camera app in iOS 17 and how it makes it so incredibly easy to take perfectly level photos.
I hope that you are enjoying what should be called Apple Week 2023. We started the week with major updates to the operating system and apps on the iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. The Air Pads Pro, Apple TV, and HomePods also saw updates—for example, I can now talk to my HomePod mini by just saying “Siri …” instead of “Hey Siri, …” The initial reviews were posted on websites and on YouTube of the new versions of the iPhone and iPhone Pro, the new Apple Watch Series 9, Apple Watch Ultra 2, and new AirPods Pro. And people who pre-ordered those new devices early enough will have them in their hands today. My brand new iPhone Pro Max started in China this past Sunday, was in South Korea on Tuesday, came through Anchorage to arrive in Louisville on Wednesday, made it to Jackson, Mississippi on Thursday night, and finally should arrive in New Orleans and be in my hands at some point today. From hardware to software from Apple plus all of the third parties who are updating their accessories and apps to take advantage of the new features, it is all a bit overwhelming at the moment. With that in mind, and with full knowledge that I am skipping over lots of important details from this past week, here is just some of the news of note from the past week:
Not only did we get a software update on Monday, but we also got another one on Thursday. As noted by Michael Potuck on 9to5Mac, iOS 17.0.1 applies three security patches. If you haven’t updated to iOS 17 yet, Apple also released iOS 16.7 this week to apply similar patches. Potuck notes that if you apply the patch to your current iPhone and then receive a new iPhone 15 or 15 Pro, you’ll have to update the new device to iOS 17.0.1 before you can restore from a backup of your old iPhone. I do not know (yet) if this is something that needs to be done manually or if the new iPhone will walk you through this step as a part of the migration software.
The big new feature of the iPhone 15 Pro Max is the new 5x optical zoom lens. Why didn’t Apple opt for a 10x zoom, which you can get on the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra? In an interview with Nicolas Lellouche of the French publication Numerama, Apple’s VP of camera software engineering Jon McCormack explains that you get poor results with a 10x zoom unless you use a tripod to keep the phone perfectly steady, but with a 5x zoom and Apple’s new stabilization method (an autofocus 3D sensor-shift module), Apple can keep the lens steady enough to get good results. If you don’t parlez the Français, Joe Rossignol of MacRumors describes the article.
Jaron Schneider of the photography website PetaPixel also interviewed McCormack to discuss the camera system on the new iPhones. It’s a great interview. For example, McCormack says that while you can put your new iPhone in a mode to always take 48-megapixel photos—which you might think would be best to get more details—you are typically better off leaving it in the default 24-megapixel mode to get more dynamic range. McCormack explained: “Because when shooting at 24-megapixels, we shoot 12 high and 12 low—we actually shoot multiple of those—and we pick and then merge. There is, basically, a bigger bracket between the 12 high and the 12 low. Then, the 48 is an ‘extended dynamic range,’ versus ‘high dynamic range,’ which basically just limits the amount of processing. Because just in the little bit of processing time available [in the 24 megapixel] we can get a bit more dynamic range into Deep Fusion. So what you end up with in the 24, it’s a bit of a ‘Goldilocks moment’ of you get all of the extra dynamic range that comes from the 12 and the detail transfer that comes in from the 48.”
Other than that PetaPixel review from a photographer’s perspective, I wasn’t as impressed by the reviews of the new iPhone 15 models this year as I have been in past years. However, another exception is that I found John Gruber’s review to be excellent, so read that one if you want to learn more about these new models.
Jason Snell of Six Colors received a review unit of the iPhone 15 Pro Max on Thursday. He posted three pictures yesterday on Mastodon to compare the 1x, 2x, and 5x cameras, and you can see that the 5x camera results in a very different picture. He predicts that the 5x lens “is gonna be GREAT for zooming in to read far away text” (as his pictures demonstrate) and notes that “the image stabilization is for real.”
Jennifer Pattison Tuohy of The Verge speculates on why there is a Thread radio in the new iPhone 15 devices.
William Gallagher of AppleInsider notes that Apple CEO Tim Cook prefers the Natural Titanium color for his new iPhone 15 Pro Max. I’ve heard lots of other people say this week that they prefer this color too. I see that if you try to order a new iPhone 15 Pro Max right now, the Black Titanium and Blue Titanium are available on October 20, but the Natural Titanium and White Titanium are not available until November 10.
Jason Cross of Macworld notes that if you want the battery in your iPhone 15 or iPhone 15 Pro to last as long as possible, there is a new setting that will stop the iPhone from charging when it hits 80%. All batteries degrade over time and thus hold less charge, but you can reduce this if you stop charging at 80%. He also notes: “Users like me who work at a desk with ready access to a charger and rarely drop below 40 percent on a typical day would be better off setting a hard charge limit of 80 percent, as long as they remember to turn it off on those days when they’re likely to have a heavy-use day away from the charger.” Interesting advice.
John Gruber reviews the new USB-C version of the AirPods Pro and the new update to all models of the AirPods Pro. One new feature is Conversation Awareness. If you are listening to something and then you start talking, the music lowers the volume of what you are listening to, enhances the voice in front of you, and reduces background noise. I was listening to my AirPods Pro in the elevator this week when someone started talking to me and I was surprised (and delighted) to see this feature work so well. I’ve heard reports of others having trouble in certain situations—such as chatter around you in a supermarket being mistaken for a conversation in which you are participating—but for now, I like this new feature. The other new feature is a third listening mode called Adaptive Audio Mode, which is sort of a better version of Transparency Mode: you can hear the world around you as you listen to something, but there is a small amount of noise cancellation so that the outside world is a little less distracting.
With a new USB-C version of the AirPods Pro, what about other great iPhone accessories that should be updated from Lightning to USB-C such as the MagSafe Battery Pack? You can no longer buy the Lightning version of this fantastic device from Apple, but you can currently get it on Amazon for only $85. And because you can charge this battery pack by attaching it to an iPhone 15 and then plugging the iPhone in using a USB-C cord, you can still use this device with the latest iPhone. But John Gruber of Daring Fireball notes that when Apple first announced the product, they did so after waiting about two months after a new iPhone introduction, presumably to avoid any speculation that Apple thought that battery life was so poor that you needed a battery pack. Perhaps Apple will do the same thing this year: announce a USB-C version of the MagSafe Battery Pack in November. We’ll see.
Zachary McAuliffe of CNet describes his favorite new features in iOS 17 including StandBy, improvements to the Messages app, and more. One interesting new feature that he mentions: when you get a text message or an email with a two-factor verification code, your device can now automatically delete those messages after you get the number. Bravo.
Dan Moren of Six Colors notes three new Apple features that he would be “lost” without (ahem): the ability to download Offline Maps in iOS 17 so that you can use a map even without a cellular connection, improved walking directions in watchOS 10, and the ability to locate a lost Apple TV remote using iOS 17 and tvOS 17.
Apple updated its productivity apps—Pages, Keynote, and Numbers—with new features this week to work better with iOS 17 and iPadOS 17. For example, you can now work with 3D objects in USDZ format in all three apps. Zac Hall of 9to5Mac has details.
Adam Engst of TidBITS reports on a new free app from Sebastiaan de With called Orion that turns your iPad into an HDMI monitor. If you are traveling with a Windows laptop, I presume that you could use this to turn an iPad into a second external monitor, which I could see being useful. (If you have Mac, you can already use built-in features in MacOS to extend the Mac’s screen to the iPad.)
When you install the new watchOS 10 on your Apple Watch you will see a new Snoopy watch face. I’ve been using it all this week, and it is delightful. Every time I look at my wrist, I see a very short (about five seconds) animation featuring Snoopy and sometimes Woodstock, and there are tons of different animations: apparently well over a hundred. Robert Leedham of GQ interviews Paige Braddock, the chief creative officer at Charles M Schulz Creative Associates who worked with Apple to create this new watch face.
If you are running out of space on iCloud, Stephen Hackett of 512 Pixels notes that the 2 TB plan for $9.99/month is non longer the top plan, You can now also opt to pay $29.99/month for 6 TB or $59.99/month for 12 TB.
The Steve Jobs Archive announced a new fellowship program and named the nine 2023 SJA Fellows. These are young, talented people who want to spend a year creating something at the intersection of technology and liberal arts. Each fellow receives a stipend, resources, and tools (I’m sure lots of Apple technology) to help them create something amazing over the next year. What a great idea, and a great way to honor the legacy of Steve Jobs.
When Apple shows off the latest version of the Messages app every year, there are fake text messages showing conversations between fake people. I’m sure that most folks don’t even pay attention to the words because they are essentially there for Lorem Ipsum reasons. But Max Read took the opposite approach, studying and analyzing the patterns in the fake messages over the years, and the result is this fantastic article: A literary history of fake texts in Apple’s marketing materials. Well done. And also, a shout out to John Bishop, whoever you are.
And finally, this fun and informative video from Apple provides you with a Guided Tour of the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro:
Yesterday, Apple released major software updates for many of its products, including iOS 17 for the iPhone, iPadOS 17 for the iPad, and watchOS 10 for the Apple Watch. These updates add a large number of new features for all of these products. In some cases, they also change the way that the products work, so you may have to retrain your muscle memories. The changes on the Apple Watch, for example, are fairly substantial because every button now does something brand new. Thus, while I know that you will eventually want to upgrade, this might be an upgrade to postpone for a few days until you are ready to start adapting to changes.
I provided a preview of the new features when the first beta versions were announced a few months ago. We now have interactive widgets, the new StandBy mode on the iPhone, you can drop the “Hey” in “Hey Siri” if you want, autocorrect is better than ever, and there are countless other improvements. If you want an exhaustive look at everything that is new for the iPhone and iPad, Federico Viticci of MacStories posted his annual comprehensive review.
I just updated my devices and I haven’t had much chance to dig into everything, but I look forward to doing so in the coming days and weeks. I promise you that when I find features that really stand out to me, I’ll mention them here and on the In the News podcast.
Brett and I released what may be the biggest and best episode of the In the News podcast that we have ever published! I say biggest because we went over an hour, which is unusual for us. And it may be the best because there were so many interesting topics to discuss and analyze due to all of the Apple announcements from the past week. We start by going deep on the new versions of the iPhone and Apple Watch, Apple’s transition from USB-C to Lightning across its product line (not just in the new iPhones), and Apple’s move from leather to FineWoven in watch bands and cases. We also discuss the upcoming Qi2 standard that is apparently supported by the iPhone 15, the new version of the AirPods Pro that Apple (strangely) wants to pretend is not new, and much more.
In this week’s Where Y’at segment, we talk about butt dialing the Emergency SOS via Satellite service.
In our In the Know segment, Brett and I share two additional highlights from this week: one for the Apple Watch Ultra, and one for the iPhone.
We are finishing up one of the biggest weeks of the year in the Apple world: the introduction of the newest iPhone models. The iPhones have been out long enough that it is no longer realistic to expect dramatic improvements every year, but when Apple adds a few hardware features that improve the iPhone experience and you add to that the yearly update of the iPhone operating system, the end result is yet another nice year-over-year step forward. Apple starts taking orders for the new iPhones today, and new Apple Watch orders started a few days ago. The new products should be in our hands starting one week from today. It’s an exciting time, especially if you ordered something for yourself. And now, the news of note from the past week:
If you are spending some money on a new Apple device, I encourage you to share the love and also make a donation to help those with childhood cancer. Simply click here and donate any amount. Those of you who donated already are awesome. For everyone else, just click that link, and I promise it won’t take more than a minute of your time to do something that will make a tremendous difference. Thanks so much!
Let’s start with some of the iPhone news from this week. Jason Snell of Six Colors was at the announcement, so he had a chance to try out the new models, and he offers lots of interesting thoughts on what is new. He also notes that the colors on the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus models are very pale.
The new iPhone 15 models use USB-C instead of Lightning. That means that you have many more charging options. However, Brian X. Chen of the New York Times warns that you should not get the very cheapest items, such as USB-C cables that cost only $5, because they will not be very good quality and could, in extreme cases, even damage the iPhone.
Apple used to sell the MagSafe Duo and MagSafe Battery Pack, two devices that charge via Lightning. Rather than come out with new USB-C versions this week, Benjamin Mayo of 9to5Mac reports that it looks like Apple has discontinued both devices. That’s a shame because I love the MagSafe Battery Pack, as I noted again just a few months ago. Hopefully Apple will do something to improve the product and then will bring it back.
Since the iPhone now supports USB-C, you might also want to use AirPods Pro that support USB-C. You can now buy that from Apple but you have to get the whole product, not just a new case. The new product is called the second-generation AirPods Pro, just like the old product. But as reported by Joe Rossignol of MacRumors, you get more than just a new charging port in the case; you also get support for the best noise quality when used with the upcoming Vision Pro headset. So if you plan to get an Apple Vision Pro next year, you might want to get new AirPods Pro as well.
Dan Moren of Six Colors mentions some other tidbits that Apple did not announce during the presentation this week—like the new version of AirPods Pro—but that you should know about.
Everyone who has held a new iPhone said that it feels much lighter than the model it replaces, even though Titanium should only reduce the weight by around 8% to 10%. Why is that? The blogger who goes by “Dr. Drang” (and who has a Ph.D. in engineering, so he tends to know what he is talking about) offers some theories on why this is. And yes, he shows his work when he does the math.
One of the problems with Qi (wireless) charging is that if you don’t put your device on the charger in the right spot, it might not charge at all. Apple solves that problem in MagSafe by using magnets to make sure that everything is lined up correctly. Apple donated the MagSafe standard to the consortium behind Qi, and it is supposed to be part of the upcoming Qi2 standard. Apparently, the four new iPhone 15 models should support Qi2, but as Nathan Edwards of The Verge points out, this isn’t 100% clear because the Qi2 standard isn’t finished yet. But in theory, much like you can purchase any MagSafe device today and know that it will work well with your Apple products, in the future you will be able to purchase any Qi2 product and have the same degree of certainty that it will just work.
Andrew O’Hara of AppleInsider reviews the new HiRise 3 Deluxe from Twelve South. This looks like an amazing product, offering MagSafe charging for an iPhone and support for the new StandBy Mode, plus an Apple Watch charger and a Qi charger (perfect for AirPods), all in a beautiful package that is Apple certified.
Apple has phased out using leather in its products because of the environmental impact. Instead, Apple is using a soft material that it calls FineWoven, which is a type of microtwill. For example, for many years I have used a leather case made by Apple with my iPhone, but this year it is instead a FineWoven case. Although my new iPhone is still at least a week away, I received the case yesterday, and FineWoven feels very nice. It has some similarities to leather, and it seems to be a perfectly fine replacement. Apple is also using FineWoven in new Apple Watch bands. Antonio Benedetto of The Verge discusses Apple’s new use of FineWoven in its products.
Mitchel Broussard of MacRumors identifies all of the new Apple Watch bands announced by Apple this week.
Leander Kahney of Cult of Mac notes that there is now a new watch face for the Apple Watch Ultra and Ultra 2: Modular Ultra.
This Monday, Apple will release iOS 17 and the related operating systems such as iPadOS 17. As I noted earlier this year, that means that we will get lots of new features. However, a few features announced by Apple won’t be ready for the initial launch date. John Voorhees of MacStories identifies that features that will take a little bit longer before they are ready.
Before the Apple announcements this week, Tripp Mickle of the New York Times explored why the iPhone is so popular. One interesting statistic: nearly 90% of all teenagers own an iPhone. In my household, that statistic is 100%: 2 out of 2.
A big congratulations to Tara Cheever of Lit Software, the maker of amazing iPad apps for lawyers such as TrialPad and TranscriptPad. Tara was honored this week by the Legal Technology Resource Center as one of the top Women in Legal Tech. Tara has helped countless attorneys do more with their iPads over the years, and this recognition is well-deserved.
And finally, part of Apple’s presentation earlier this week was this video called Mother Nature. When I first saw the video, it struck me as a little silly. But upon a second watching, I’ve changed my mind. This approach is a fun and effective way for Apple to identify the significant efforts that it is taking to reduce its carbon footprint without being too preachy. So in the end, I like this video. Check it out and see what you think:
In addition to the new iPhone models announced by Apple this week, Apple also introduced two new Apple Watch models: the Apple Watch Series 9 and the Apple Watch Ultra 2. Apple is also continuing to sell the Apple Watch SE (second generation), which was introduced one year ago—the same time as the Series 8 and the first generation of the Ultra. I think the best way to understand the two new models is to understand the entire lineup, so I’m actually going to begin by addressing the Apple Watch SE.
Apple Watch SE (second generation model, released 2022)
The Apple Watch SE is the cheapest model. It starts at only $249 (for the 40mm size for smaller wrists) or $279 (for the 44mm size for larger wrists). It comes with an aluminum case in the colors Midnight, Starlight, and Silver. You can get a Wi-Fi model or a model with cellular connectivity for an extra $50 (plus you need to pay for a cellular plan, which can cost around $10/month).
The SE uses the S8, a chip released last year with the Series 8, so it is a fairly modern processor, although not the new top-of-the-line S9 discussed below.
The SE includes the main sensors that you would want: fall detection, crash detection, noise monitoring, high and low heart rate notifications, irregular rhythm notifications, and low cardio fitness notification.
Like the earlier models of the Apple Watch, the display on the SE is normally turned off. When you raise your wrist, the screen display turns on, with brightness up to 1,000 nits.
Apple Watch Series 9
The new Apple Watch Series 9 starts at $399 (for the 41mm model for smaller wrists) and at $429 (for the 45mm model for larger wrists). Here is what you get for the additional $150 over the Apple Watch SE.
Let’s start with the advantages over the SE that are new with the Series 9.
First, you get the brand new S9 processor. This new chip has 60% more transistors than the S8 chip used in the SE and last year’s Series 8, which should make the watch seem more responsive. The GPU is 30% faster, so animations and other visual effects should be faster. And a new 4-core neural engine doubles the speed of machine learning tasks.
Second, the Series 9 supports a new gesture for controlling the screen: the double tap. If you pinch your fingers twice on the hand next to the wrist where you are wearing your Apple Watch Series 9, the watch will detect that you have done a double tap and click the default button that is being displayed on your watch screen. For example, if you receive a phone call, the double tap answers the phone. If you receive a notification, the double tap opens the notification. If you are listening to music or a podcast, the double tap will play or pause. The Series 9 uses the new S9 processor to make this gesture work.
Third, you get a faster Siri. The Series 9 watch can process your commands locally, so you don’t have to wait for your watch to send a command to a server to interpret what you said before acting upon your command. The modern versions of the iPhone have a similar feature, and it makes Siri much more responsive.
Fourth, you get a brighter—or in some cases, darker—screen. The SE, like last year’s Series 8, has a display with a brightness of 1,000 nits. The Series 9 doubles that to a maximum brightness of 2,000 nits. Thus, if you are outside in the sun, the screen will be brighter and easier to read. The new screen also works better in a low-light situation, such as a dark room, because it can dim to just 1 nit.
Fifth, the Series 9 adds a new U2 chip (Ultra Wideband). This means that your Apple Watch can do a better job of sensing other Apple products around it and a better job helping you find a lost iPhone by putting arrows on the screen to point you to specific directions. If you have a HomePod (I’m not sure if this works with the HomePod mini), the new U2 makes the watch aware of your HomePod so that when you get near it, the Now Playing screen opens on the watch so that you can quickly control the music playing on the HomePod.
In addition to those five new features, the Series 9 is better than the SE because of the following features that were also available in last year’s Series 8.
First, you get a slightly larger screen than the SE, a feature that debuted with the Apple Watch Series 7 (and which I discussed more extensively in my review of that model). The 1mm increase doesn’t sound like much, but it does make a real difference when you are using the watch. Many on-screen buttons are noticeably larger and easier to tap. And you sometimes see more information on the screen, which is nice.
Second, the larger screen can be on all the time. This is a huge difference, and I love it. With the Apple Watch SE and many older models, you need to move or raise your wrist to activate the screen. With the Series 9 (like the Series 5, 6, 7, and 8), you can just glance at your wrist without moving it to see the time or to look at a notification. When you are in a meeting or with other people, this allows you to be much more discrete, potentially avoiding the embarrassment of a client or someone else thinking that you are getting bored with what they have to say because you are fiddling with your watch just to turn on the screen to see a notification or the time.
Third, the Series 9 has many more sensors than the SE, providing you with even more useful information. No new sensors were added to the Series 9 this year, but you do get the sensor added last year in the Series 8 that tracks your temperature while you are sleeping to help track your cycle if you are ovulating, which can help you make decisions for family planning and which provides a more detailed view of a menstrual cycle. The Series 9 also has a blood oxygen sensor (first introduced with the Series 6), which you can use to monitor your breathing and blood circulation, and thus your overall cardiac health. The Series 9 also has an ECG (also called an EKG) (first introduced with the Series 4 in 2018). The Series 9 also has a more advanced heart sensor than the SE (first introduced with the Series 6). Apple is careful to say that this is not a medical device, but these sensors can give you a warning that it might be a good time to go see a doctor.
Fourth, the Series 9 is more resistant to the outside world than the SE. Both the SE and the Series 9 are water resistant, so it is OK to swim with them or get them wet. But the Series 9 is also dust resistant (IP6X) (a feature introduced with the Series 7).
Fifth, you can charge a Series 9 more quickly than an SE. This is something that Apple first introduced with the Series 7, and I like it. I usually have no trouble with my Apple Watch lasting all day long. But on days when I push it to the limit, it is nice to give the battery a little boost at some point during the day, and it is noticeably faster to do so with an Apple Watch that supports a USB-C charger with fast charging.
Finally, with the Series 9 you can choose to pay more for a stainless steel case. I prefer the shiny look of the stainless steel case, and I’ve been using this version of the Apple Watch since 2015 when the Apple Watch was first introduced. The stainless steel case is a little tougher, and when you get that model you also get an improved screen that uses sapphire crystal instead of Ion-X glass to be more resistant to scratches. You have to pay an additional $300 for the stainless steel model so it is definitely a premium purchase, but if you think of an Apple Watch as jewelry that you wear all the time, that price increase may seem more reasonable.
Even if you don’t opt for the stainless steel model, you can see that the Series 9 offers ten solid advantages for the additional $150. If you just want a simple Apple Watch, you can live without all of them. But you are missing out on quite a bit with the SE. Just to pick one example, I think that for many professionals, the always-on, larger screen alone is worth the $150.
The Apple Watch Series 9 is available with an aluminum body in the same colors as the Apple Watch SE—Midnight, Starlight, and Silver—plus two additional colors: pink and PRODUCT(RED).
With the stainless steel body, the color choices are Graphite, Silver, and Gold.
Apple Watch Ultra 2
The other new Apple Watch announced this week is the Ultra 2. The Apple Watch Ultra was announced last year, and it has been a big hit. I know many people who own one, and they all love them. I personally find them to be a little chunky so don’t think that one of these models is in my future, but I am jealous of the larger screen.
This second generation version of the Ultra adds most of the new features that were added to the Series 9. You get the new S9 processor, the new double tap gesture, the new faster Siri because your commands are processed on the watch itself, and the new U2 Ultra Wideband chip.
While the Series 9 chip added the feature to go up to 2,000 nit brightness, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 now goes up to 3,000 nit brightness (up from 2,000 nits on the original Ultra). That’s pretty crazy, and I look forward to seeing what it looks like in real life. If you are outdoors and in the sun, having the brightest screen possible is a fantastic advantage.
The other key features of the Ultra remain the same as last year.
First, as mentioned above, you get the largest display available on any Apple Watch: 49mm, versus 45/41 on the Series 9 and 44/40 on the SE.
Second, you get the most durable Apple Watch ever made. It features the same sapphire crystal on the front that you get with the stainless steel version of the Series 9, but on the Ultra that crystal is completely flat with protection on the edges to give it additional protection. It features a case made of Titanium, so that it is both rugged and light, and there are raised guards around the digital crown for more protection. (There are no color choices with the Apple Watch Ultra 2; it only comes in what Apple calls the natural color of Titanium.) It is strong enough to be water resistant up to 100m (versus 50m on the Series 9 and SE) with EN13319 certification, so it can be used for scuba diving.
Third, speaking of scuba diving, the Ultra has a depth gauge with a temperature sensor. It also comes with an Oceanic+ app to use as a dive computer.
Fourth, the Ultra has an 86-decibel siren that you can activate to attract attention from up to 600 feet away. If you are lost in the woods and want someone else to find you, that siren can help. I suppose this could also be useful in a city if you are trying to attract attention because you are in an unsafe situation.
Fifth, the battery lasts up to 36 hours, which is twice as long as the 18-hour battery on the Series 9 and SE. Apple says it can also last up to 72 hours with low power settings enabled.
Seventh, the Ultra 2 features a button on the left side of the Apple Watch called the Action button. Unlike the button on the right side of the Apple Watch, which performs system functions and thus cannot be used with apps, the Action button on the left can be used by apps to allow for input without touching the screen. If you are underwater, this is especially useful because you cannot touch an Apple Watch screen when it is in water. In a workout, you can use the Action button to begin the workout and to move to the next interval of a custom workout or the next leg of a multisport workout. If you are running on a track, you can also use the Action button to mark each segment.
Eighth, the Ultra 2 features better GPS than the normal Apple Watch. (In addition to using the L1 frequency, which is the oldest and most-used version of GPS, it adds support for the new L5 frequency, which can provide less interference.)
Ninth, the Ultra has much louder speakers (Apple says 40% louder than the Series 9 or SE) and a much improved microphone. Thus, if you are in extreme weather conditions, it should be far easier to have a phone conversation using just your watch.
Apple sells three bands designed for the Ultra: an Ocean Band for swimming, an Alpine Loop for rough outdoor use, and a Trail Loop for long runs.
Conclusion
The upgrades to the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 make both watches much nicer to use. Brighter screens, a faster processor that makes the watch more responsible and that supports new features such as double tap and a faster Siri, and the new U2 chip all add up to some nice improvements. And with these improvements, the gap between the Apple SE (which hasn’t changed since last year) and the Series 9 is larger than ever, even though the price difference is the same as last year’s Series 8 versus the SE.
As for the Apple Watch Ultra, if you have been on the fence about getting this largest and most capable watch, perhaps these extra features will entice you.
Overall, Apple’s Apple Watch latest collection is excellent and provides buyers with lots of great options.
Yesterday, Apple introduced the 2023 versions of the iPhone: the iPhone 15 line. Once again, there are two types of iPhone and two sizes for each type, so the new devices are the iPhone 15, the iPhone 15 Plus, the iPhone 15 Pro, and the iPhone 15 Pro Max. You can pre-order new units starting this Friday at 5am Pacific / 8am Eastern, and you can get them in stores one week from this Friday on September 22. Here are the new features that I think will be most appreciated by lawyers and other professionals who use an iPhone.
The iPhone 15 Pro line
Let’s start with the iPhone 15 Pro and the iPhone 15 Pro Max because that is where we are seeing the most interesting new features.
Titanium
The Pro models look different from any other iPhone ever created because the outside is constructed from titanium. And to show how sophisticated Apple has gotten with metals, the titanium is fused with an aluminum inner chassis, which apparently helps with thermal dissipation.
As a result, each iPhone 15 Pro model is almost 10% lighter than the previous year’s model. Folks who were on Apple’s campus yesterday to try out the new devices reported that titanium makes the iPhone 15 Pro noticeably lighter every time you pick it up. For example, Jason Snell of Six Colors wrote: “This is not a minor, quirky, ‘I suppose if you weighed it you’d grudgingly admit it’s a few grams lighter’ sort of thing. It’s very clearly noticeable, thanks to the combined titanium and aluminum design. It doesn’t feel flimsy, mind you–it’s very solid but quite lighter.”
The outside has a brushed metal look with contoured edges. This looks good, and my hope is that this also makes the iPhone less slippery, but I’ll have to try it to see.
USB-C 3
We all knew that USB-C was coming to the iPhone, and now it is here. And on the Pro models, it is a faster version of USB-C called USB-C 3. To take advantage of this faster speed, you will have to purchase a separate cable that supports USB 3 with 10Gbit per second speed. Apple says that this means that transfers can be up to 20 times faster. (Lightning maxes out at 480 Mbits per second.) If you have ever taken a 4K HDR video with an iPhone and then tried to quickly get it to a computer so that you can edit the video, this was an exercise in frustration in the past. But with USB-C 3 speeds and the right cable, that should no longer be a problem.
Apple doesn’t currently sell a USB-C 3 cable, but it used to sell them as noted in 2017 by Chaim Gartenberg of the Verge, and it looks like you can still purchase them on Amazon for $37.99. On Apple’s own website, they are now selling the faster USB-C Thunderbolt 4 cable. Thunderbolt 4 can transfer up to 40Gbit per second, but the support for that fast speed means that Apple sells that cable for $69. If you only plan to use that cable with a new iPhone 15 Pro, that would be paying a lot more for speeds that you won’t be able to use. But if you have some other use for a Thunderbolt 4 cable that takes advantage of the full speed, maybe it is worth it for you.
Another advantage of USB-C is that you can charge your iPhone more quickly. If you use a 20W charger, you can reach a 50% charge in only 30 minutes.
Camera improvements
I often hear people say that the #1 reason they are getting a new iPhone is to get a better camera. The iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max have several ways to give you even better pictures.
First, there is an improved 48 megapixel camera. Last year’s iPhone 14 Pro also features a 48MP camera, and when you use the 48MP mode, the improvements can quite be stunning, as I showed in side-by-side photos last year. But the problem was that you had to use RAW mode on the iPhone 14 Pro to take full advantage of the 48MP camera, and because of the hassles associated with RAW, that meant that I didn’t use it as often as I thought I would. Fortunately, with the new Pro models, you can take 48MP with the iPhone’s normal HEIF mode. Picture sizes will be larger of course so they will take up more space on your iPhone, but the quality should be much better in many situations. Note that according to Filipe Espósito of 9to5Mac, the iPhone 14 Pro will also soon get a “HEIF Max” option to take 48MP pictures by default. If you don’t want to take 48MP all the time, the default mode is still an impressive 24MP.
Second, if you get the larger model (the iPhone 15 Pro Max) the former 3x telephone is now a much more powerful 5x telephoto. Apple uses something called a “tetraprism” to bounce the light off of a couple of right angles to achieve the effect. The 5x model is equivalent to a 120mm focal length, so if you are used to going up to 300mm or 400mm on your DSLR’s telephoto lens, this is not that. But it is a heck of a lot closer than any iPhone has gotten in the past using an optical zoom. If you are trying to capture an architectural detail on a building or your kid playing across the field in a soccer game, the iPhone 15 Pro Max should get you closer than you have ever been able to get before.
Third, the iPhone 15 Pro uses its three cameras to provide seven virtual focal lengths. You get 13mm with the utra-wide lens. The main lens with its 48MP resolution can be cropped to different image sizes without any noticeable impact on image quality, so it can give you 24mm (the main setting), 28mm, 35mm, and 48mm, and then the telephoto lens can get you 120mm on the iPhone 15 Max Pro or less (I’m not sure of the focal length) with the 3x telephoto lens on the iPhone 15 Pro. Apple spins this as the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max models giving you what seems like seven different lens.
Fourth, the ultra-wide lens is now supposed to be better than ever, although I haven’t yet seen details on this.
Fifth, because of the new processor (discussed below), things like night mode, HDR, video quality, and overall picture quality are all supposed to be better, as demonstrated by this lovely model:
A17 Pro processor
The iPhone 15 Pro models get Apple’s latest and great processor, the new A17 Pro. It is the first 3-nanometer chip, and it does more and does it faster. Of course, this makes the iPhone feel snappier. But it also means that sophisticated computations—such as the ones used for the new camera app—are possible that were never possible before. Graphics should be up to 20% faster.
Record spatial video
When Apple previewed the Apple Vision Pro earlier this year, Apple mentioned that you could use the upcoming device to record or view spatial video, which is immersive 3D video. When Apple let certain folks try out the beta version of the Apple Vision Pro earlier this year, I remember people saying that they saw a a spatial video of a child blowing out candles at a birthday party, and they said that it was unlike any other home video they had ever seen. You actually felt like you were there.
Later this year, the iPhone 15 Pro will be able to use two of its three lens to capture 3D spatial video that can be viewed on the Apple Vision Pro when it comes out next year. This makes a lot of sense. When you are taking a video, I doubt that you will want to be wearing a headset; you will want to just use the iPhone that is in your pocket. Later on, when you want to relive the moment, you can then put on your Apple Vision Pro headset.
I’m sure that at some point in the future, many of us will wish that we could go back in time and re-record videos using spatial video—just like I now look at home movies taken in the past, using technology like VHS-C or Super 8, and I wish that it could have been taken in 4K HDR. Even if you don’t have your own Apple Vision Pro or similar device for a long time, it is nice that you will be able to future-proof your videos when you take them with an iPhone 15 Pro or Pro Max.
Buttons and Bezels
Since the very first model of the iPhone released in 2007, there has been a ringer switch on the side. This year, on the Pro models, Apple is replacing that with an Action button. When you hold down on the button, an action happens. That action can be turning the ringer on or off if you like the traditional feature. But it can also turn on the flashlight, activate the Camera app, activate Voice Memos, activate the Magnifier, and much more. And I really mean “much more” because you can also trigger any action that you created in the Shortcuts app, which could be as simple as launching some specific app (perhaps the app that you use to record your time as a lawyer?) or performing some complicated automation. I’m looking forward to trying this out.
The iPhone 15 Pro models also feature a smaller bezel. This means that the height and width of the iPhone 15 Pro is slightly less than the iPhone 15—and this, along with titanium, helps to reduce the weight as compared to last year’s Pro models–although the iPhone 15 Pro is 0.01 inch thicker than the iPhone 15.
The iPhone 15 line
For about $200 less (starting at $799 instead of $999), you can get the iPhone 15 or iPhone 15 Plus. You don’t get the new cool new features noted above, but you do get some nice improvements.
Features pushed down from the Pro to the non-Pro
First, there are a number of features that used to require a Pro version of an iPhone but which are now available on the iPhone 15. I love the Dynamic Island at the top of my iPhone 14 Pro because it does a great job of making the information that you want from apps easily available. The Dynamic Island no longer requires a Pro and is available on all iPhone 15 models.
The A16 Bionic chip, introduced last year on the iPhone 14 Pro, is used with this year’s iPhone 15.
The camera on the iPhone 15 is much better and supports 48MP pictures—similar to the iPhone 15 Pro, but not quite as good in quality. You still only get two lenses (ultra-wide and regular) so you don’t get a telephoto lens with the iPhone 15 line. But with the 48MP lens, the iPhone 15 supports a 2x mode—a crop of the 48MP picture to 24MP, which is still an excellent picture quality, and is sort of like having a 2x zoom lens.
Like the iPhone 15 Pro, the iPhone 15 gets USB-C. However, it supports the same data transfer speed as the former Lightning connector: up to 480 Mbits per second.
Last year’s iPhone 14 Pro and this year’s iPhone 15 Pro supported very bright screens: up to 1600 nits for HDR and up to 2000 nits when you are outside. You now get the brighter screen with the iPhone 15 as well.
New features available on the iPhone 15 and 15 Pro
There are also some new features that are available on all four of the new iPhones, both Pro and non-Pro. First, there is a second-generation Ultra Wideband chip. This makes it easier to find the iPhone or other devices that support Ultra Wideband.
Portrait mode in the Camera app is improved. Even after you take a picture, you can change which person (or pet) is the focus of the image. And if my understanding is correct, the iPhone will try to capture depth information whenever you take any photo, even if you are not using Portrait mode. That way, if you see a picture that you took in the normal mode with a person in the photo and you want to change the photo after you took it to a Portrait Mode photo, this will be possible. That’s very useful.
All models support Wi-Fi 6E for better wireless performance when you are using a Wi-Fi 6E wireless router.
All models improve improved audio quality on phone calls. A new Voice Isolation mode is supposed to make your conversations loud and clear even when there is a noisy background.
Last year, the iPhone 14 Pro and non-Pro supported Emergency SOS via Satellite, a potentially life-saving service when there is no cellular connection available. If you don’t need your life saved but you do need some help because, for example, you have a flat tire or you ran out of gas, you can now use the Satellite feature to contact AAA for Roadside Assistance. This works on all iPhones that support the Satellite feature, so even last year’s models. If you are already a AAA customer, you get the support that is included in your plan. If you are not a AAA customer, you can pay-per-use for AAA’s roadside assistance services.
Prices and colors
The iPhone 15 starts at $799, and you pay an additional $100 for the larger Plus model. The iPhone 15 Pro starts at $999 and you pay an additional $200 for the iPhone 15 Pro Max model, but the Pro Max model is really only $100 more than the iPhone 15 Pro. It’s just that the iPhone 15 Pro, like the iPhone 15, starts at a 128GB capacity whereas the iPhone 15 Pro Max starts at 256GB.
For all models except the iPhone 15 Pro Max, it costs an additional $100 to go from 128GB to 256GB. Thus, for the 256GB size, the four models cost $899, $999, $1099 or $1199. Going from 256GB to 512GB costs an extra $200 for all four models. Going from 256GB to 1TB is only possible on the Pro models, and costs an extra $400.
For many years now, I’ve been very happy with a 256GB iPhone, and if you plan to have lots of pictures and videos on your device and you can afford the extra $100, I think that 256GB instead of 128GB may be the sweet spot to future-proof your device. But this year, because I think I’ll be taking larger 48MP photos and perhaps even lots of large spatial video files, I will probably spend the extra $200 on the 512GB model just to have some extra breathing room. 1TB is an insane amount of space for an iPhone, and if you have a special need for that much space, you already know why that is.
The iPhone 15 and 15 Plus models have lots of color choices: blue, pink, yellow, green, and black. As always, the Pro line is less colorful, and the choices this year are black titanium, white titanium, blue titanium, and natural titanium.
Conclusion
This is a year of nice improvements, even if none of them are revolutionary. My current plan is to get the iPhone 15 Pro Max, 512GB, black titanium. I’m worried that the larger iPhone will be so big that I won’t find it easy to carry around all day, but I’m looking forward to seeing what it is like to have larger text and/or more text on the screen, and I’m very eager to try out the new 5x telephoto lens. Perhaps this time next year I’ll be trading in the Max model to go back to the normal size so that it fits better in my shirt pocket, but who knows, maybe I’ll become a convert to the larger iPhone. Hopefully, the reduced weight that comes with titanium will mean that the Pro Max model won’t feel outrageously more heavy than my current iPhone 14 Pro. The speed bump and extra capabilities possible because of the new processor should also be a nice step up.
