New products including the Apple Watch Ultra, iPhone 14 and Airpods pro 2 on display at the Apple event at their headquarters in Cupertino, California. | Photo Credit: Carlos Barria

Apple Incintroduced a range of new iPhone 14 models capable of sending a call for help via satellite during an emergency and crash-detection ability.

The iPhone 14 models will test Apple's ability to wring dollars from its relatively affluent customer base, which has kept spending in the face of rising inflation but is not immune to a weakening economy.

The iPhone 14 Plus model will have a larger screen like Apple's iPhone Pro models but the same A15 processor chip as the previous iPhone 13.

Apple Watch series 8

The Cupertino, California-based company also showed a trio of new Apple Watches, including a new Watch Ultra model aimed at extreme sports and diving.

The Series 8 with cellular will start at ₹45,900 for the GPS version with the GPS + Cellular model priced at ₹55,900 and the SE will start at ₹29,900. The Ultra, which includes cellular in its base model, will start at ₹89,900 and be available on September 23.

Apple said the new Series 8 watch has a temperature sensor that will work in conjunction with its previously released cycle tracking app to retroactively detect when a person has begun ovulating. The company emphasized the privacy approach of its cycle tracking. Privacy and reproductive health data has become a focus for tech companies in the wake of a U.S. Supreme Court decision that ended a constitutional right to abortion in the United States.

Apple said it does not have the key to decrypt health data such as cycle tracking.

But while accessories like the Apple Watch have driven incremental sales from Apple's existing user base, the iPhone remains the bedrock of its business with 52.4 per cent of sales in its most recent fiscal year.

Apple Watch Ultra

Touted as Apple’s “most-rugged and capable watch ever”, the newest series is made for people interested in outdoor adventure, water sports and endurance training.

It offers 60 hours of battery life, a compass in the dial and a new Oceanic Plus app for recreational scuba divers.

Price: ₹89,900

Availability: Starting September 23

Separately, Apple introduced the second generation of its lower-priced Watch SE for ₹29,900 with the crash detection feature.

Airpods Pro

The upgraded AirPods have personalized spatial audio, double the amount of noise cancellation over its predecessor and improved touch control to adjust volume with a light swipe.

The Airpods also have up to six hours of listening time, a 33% improvement over the prior version.

Price: ₹26,900

Availability: Orders start September 9, available from September 23

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Published on September 7, 2022