Apple’s annual smartphone showcase delivered a thinner, lighter iPhone, new AirPods with live translation, and a health-focused Apple Watch. However, they kept surprisingly quiet about artificial intelligence. The event, branded as “Awe-dropping,” centered on design changes and subtle nods to future AI ambitions.
What’s Happening & Why This Matters
Apple CEO Tim Cook opened the event at the company’s Cupertino headquarters. He unveiled the iPhone 17 family, which includes the iPhone Air, Apple’s ‘thinnest smartphone ever’. At 5.6mm thick, the Air features a 6.5-inch Pro Motion display. Air is crafted with spacecraft titanium and a ceramic shield layer for added durability. Despite its slim frame, Apple promises the phone remains crack-resistant wrapped in Ceramic Shield. It offers the same battery life, Wi-Fi speed, and processing power as its larger Pro siblings.
Cook noted Apple’s legacy of innovation:
“Design is at the core of everything we do. With iPhone 17, we’ve raised the bar again,” he said, calling the new Air “the biggest leap ever” for the iPhone since its original 2007 debut.
The iPhone Air starts at $999, with preorders opening Friday. General availability is set for 19 September. This ultra-thin device uses an eSIM rather than a physical SIM card, improving space efficiency. Moreover, space savings enable Apple to include a new N1 chip for improved connectivity. Its faster C1X modem doubles network speeds compared to the iPhone 16e.
Expanded Lineup and Features
Alongside the Air, Apple introduced updated Pro models: iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max. Both feature a Vapour Chamber cooling system for better thermal performance, a unibody titanium-aluminum hybrid frame, and Ceramic Shield protection.
- Pro price: $1,099
- Pro Max price: $1,199
The entire iPhone 17 family now includes dual fusion camera systems, offering 48MP resolution. A center stage front camera adds enhanced video composition. Apple doubled base storage to 256GB and improved battery performance. Stats boast eight more hours of video playback and faster charging.
AirPods With Live Translation
The AirPods Pro 3 stood out for their groundbreaking live translation feature, enabling real-time language translation during conversations. The earbuds also include:
- Enhanced noise cancellation
- Five ear tip sizes for secure fit during intense workouts
- Heart rate monitoring and calorie tracking
- Support for 50 workout types
Priced at $249, the AirPods Pro 3 will be available starting 19 September. The upgrade matches Google’s Pixel Buds, which pioneered live translation years ago. The newest AirPods, one of Apple’s most popular accessories, keep Apple competitive in the smart wearables.
Apple Watch: Health at the Forefront
The Apple Watch Series 11 focuses on advanced health monitoring, including hypertension detection, sleep scoring, and mental health tracking. The watch still requires U.S. FDA clearance for hypertension monitoring. Apple envisions that the feature can alert over one million people about potential high blood pressure this year.
- Series 11 price: $399
- Ultra 3 price: $799
- SE3 price: $299 (entry-level model)
The Ultra 3 boasts Apple’s largest watch display yet and 42 hours of battery life. Ultra 3 is marketed to outdoorsmen, athletes, and adventurers.
Tariffs and Supply Chain
Looming over the celebration: U.S. tariffs under President Donald Trump. The tech tariffs threaten to transfer iPhone production prices to consumers. Markets foreshadowed iPhone prices dramatically rising due to increased levies on components manufactured or fully assembled in China. Apple mitigated this risk, shifting production to India. They air-shipped thousands of iPhones to the U.S. ahead of tariff deadlines. Analysts speculated on a $2,000 iPhone. Cook’s plans suggest consumers won’t shoulder extreme price jumps — at least not yet.
AI Ambitions Take a Backseat
Although Apple Intelligence, the company’s suite of generative AI tools, launched in October 2024, it received minimal attention during this event. There were subtle integrations, particularly in the AirPods translation features and health tracking. However, there was no mention of Siri’s rumored overhaul.
Insider reports hint that Apple is negotiating with Google to incorporate its Gemini AI models into Siri. The pattern fits since Google already provides search capabilities for Safari. A potential partnership reinvigorates Apple’s approach to AI. Embarassingly, Apple currently trails competitors OpenAI, Microsoft, and Google in AI. AI integrations with products lag, too, compared to, say, Google’s Pixel line.
TF Summary: What’s Next
The iPhone 17 event zeroed in on design innovation and ecosystem enhancements. The iPhone Air is the most important event announcement. The Air’s design, heat management, and multifunction, single-lens camera initiate Apple’s ultra-thin device era. However, the muted presentations around AI questions Apple’s readiness to compete in the advancing generative AI space. They cannot afford to delay here much longer.
MY FORECAST: As tariffs come, go, and return, again, while competitors innovate fast, Apple’s success hinges on global supply chain challenges. They must ensure cutting-edge product releases. The company’s next “one more thing” — potentially a foldable iPhone — could provide the hype needed to maintain its leadership in smartphones.
— Text-to-Speech (TTS) provided by gspeech