Apple Did Something Un-Apple-ish

Apple held an event to reveal the next incremental upgrade to some of their hardware and some of their new software for their suite of hardware products.

We got some pretty cool reveals - such as using AirPods as Hearing Aids, approved by the FDA! That alone can make a massive impact for the hearing impaired as this can be a really affordable point of entry for such a device... but that's pretty much the only thing that kept my excitement from Apple, and even that comes with a caveat.

Okay - so in a nutshell, this passing Apple Event revealed the new iPhone 16 set, the Apple Watch 10 and Ultra 2, AirPods 4 and Pro 2, and the slightly updated new AirPods Max. None of these devices have any major design changes that are noteworthy in my opinion - however, there is a new button on the iPhones! Well - Apple doesn't want to call it a button... but it's definitely a button, just a button that also has touch and swipe functions.

All new iPhone 16 devices will have this new "Camera Control"... the extra button... that will be primarily utilized to help trigger the capture function in the camera app, as well as swiping across the button to zoom. It's honestly a neat feature, and I'll give props to Apple for not only adding it to the Pro version of the phone. Now the question is, will the average user really use this new button and feature? Or will only intermediate to professional photographers - though I'd question professionals due to the likelihood that they'd prefer a dedicated handheld camera with abilities to swap lenses.
And no - adding a case to an iPhone that can have swappable micro-lenses are not a full replacement for an actual camera with actual full lenses.

The Apple Watches are still Apple's take on smartwatches. Slightly thinner, better viewing angles (which is nice, but it's a watch. You look at it directly. I could be missing something as I don't use an Apple Watch, but I cannot imagine the viewing being poor), and a supposed bump in battery life.

Nothing really different here other than some new colors along with now using USB-C. Even the weird HeadPhone Bra case is the same. It's honestly not great when the headphones themselves are pretty damn spectacular. But hey, this'll lower the cost of the previous iterations, wink wink, nudge nudge.

Apple claims the slight redesign of their new Pods 4 are designed to "fit all-day for comfort", but I've yet to find any version of their pods comfortable - I'm just one of the people who has ears that just does not mesh with with this general design.
Again though, the best benefit from the new generation of Pods is that Apple is bringing FDA approved capabilities of using, it seems only the Pro 2 model, Pods as Hearing Aids. That's extremely cool to now be able to have a more cost-affordable hearing aids. Pretty cool Apple

However, there's something that irks me. First, the feature itself isn't coming with the launch of the actual AirPods... it's coming, apparently, this fall in a later software update... and Second - this feature is one of Apple's ecosystem lock-in-feature. As in, if you use a phone that isn't an iPhone, but you still use the AirPods Pro 2, you won't be able to activate the Hearing Aid mode.

I get it, it's a big unique feature that no other major OEM, to my knowledge, has done. But we're talking about Hearing Aid accessibility features. I don't think it's appropriate to gate-keep such a function purely to push your own profits. And while I'm on my soapbox I'll pivot to remind anyone reading that this is essentially a very Apple-like-move: To promote some positive feature, with a very negative application. Another example that was mentioned in the Essence Of Zen Podcast: After Dark covering a point mentioned by Louis Rossmann that Apple, while promoting honest to goodness practical security encryption of user data on MacBooks, and promoting "green" practices with their cardboard packaging and paper covering instead of plastic... they are actively shredding down slightly older MacBooks into unrecyclable carcinogenic waste(Vice). I'll kindly stop the soapboxing here, otherwise this will become a rant about Green-washing.

So... earlier in the year, Apple announced their take on AI, and dubbed it "Apple Intelligence". Honestly, I support their naming as "AI" isn't really "AI". The new term "GAI" - or "General Artificial Intelligence" was coined as an attempt to steer the corporate masses from abusing words as if they have no meaning, but I digress.

Apple Intelligence was shown to have a series of your standard "AI" features from more language like communication with Siri, generating images and emojies, etc.

None of these Apple Intelligent features are launching with the new iPhones... None. It's extremely unlike Apple to push software marketing before a hardware launch only to have it "promised to come later with an update". If anything, that feels... that feels like Google.

Overall, I'm sure Apple fans are excited, and even I, myself, am impressed by a few of the achievements made! But I can't help but feel that Apple is becoming... boring, and is no longer really pushing the envelope like they used to.

I would always say, "While Apple isn't for me, I can commend them for what they do and achieve!". But it seems that they may be reaching a ceiling that might indicate a soon cap-off before a slow decline into genericness.

I hope I'm wrong, but I'm ready for new blood to inject life into the tech-sphere. Good blood, not synthetic fake blood with an AI label slapped on it.