Earlier today, Apple hosted its "Far Out" event where the company announced plenty of new devices we're super excited about, including new iPhones, Apple Watches, and AirPods. There were plenty of surprises, along with some we saw coming.
All of the devices announced are as follows: iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Pro, Apple Watch Series 8, Apple Watch SE 2, Apple Watch Ultra, and AirPods Pro 2. If you weren't paying close attention or missed the event and haven't dug into a rewatch just yet, there may be some things that you didn't catch just yet. Here are five things that you may have missed at the event!
We got a Severance season two teaser!
If you stuck around to the very end of the event after the camera cut off Tim Cook and showed the Apple logo in its starry configuration, you were treated to a Marvel-like post-credit scene for Severance Season 2 — the upcoming return of Apple's breakout Apple TV+ hit.
It wasn't much, but the scene featured Britt Lower as Helly (or her outie!), standing in front of a subway car at a train station. She glitched in and out of the screen before the screen cut to black. You can catch it at the end of the event video on YouTube below:
Apple killed off the iPhone mini
To the disappointment of some, Apple killed off the iPhone mini at this event. The company announced that, instead of releasing an iPhone 14 mini, it would go the other way and release a 6.7-inch iPhone 14 called the iPhone 14 Plus.
So, if you were a big fan of a tiny flagship iPhone, you're going to need to pick up an iPhone 13 mini or iPhone 12 mini in order to enjoy your small iPhone dream.
Despite the size increase of the iPhone 14 Plus, it packs in the same features as the smaller iPhone 14. Greg Joswiak, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing, talked about the full lineup of features in the new models:
“Our customers rely on their iPhone every day, and iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus introduce groundbreaking new technologies and important safety capabilities. With the new, larger 6.7-inch display on iPhone 14 Plus, users can enjoy more content onscreen when browsing the web and even more text. Both phones have a powerful new Main camera with a huge leap in low-light performance, advanced connectivity capabilities with 5G and eSIM, and the incredible performance of A15 Bionic, which helps enable even better battery life. All of this, tightly integrated with iOS 16, makes iPhone more essential than ever.”
Apple Fitness+ works without an Apple Watch now
During the event, Apple announced that later this year, iPhone users who are subscribed to Apple Fitness+ will be able to use the workout subscription service without the need to have an Apple Watch. The feature will be launched to iPhone users in the 21 countries where the service is already offered.
As far as what this means for closing your rings, completing an Apple Fitness+ workout with just your iPhone will calculate and contribute to your Move ring, but not to your Exercise or Stand rings as those are still limited to the Apple Watch.
Jay Blahnik, Apple’s vice president of Fitness Technologies, said that the feature is coming "later this fall:"
“Since launching just under two years ago, we have heard incredible feedback from users on what a difference Fitness+ is making in their lives. We are thrilled to bring the award-winning service to even more people by making Fitness+ available to all iPhone users later this fall, even if they don’t have an Apple Watch. We can’t wait for more people around the world to stay motivated toward their fitness and wellness goals, and live a healthier day.”
The Apple Watch Series 3 is finally dead
The iPhone mini wasn't the only thing that Apple killed off at its "Far Out" event. The Apple Watch Series 3 was also sent off to the chopping block.
The Apple Watch Series 3 has been available since 2017 and, despite all logic, stayed as part of the Apple Watch lineup for a staggering five years. While it had made sense to some as a cheap entry-level Apple Watch, the launch of the $249 Apple Watch SE 2 finally replaced the Series 3 as the new entry-level Apple Watch. This is a great thing as the Series 3 should have likely been killed off years ago.
Apple ripped the SIM tray out of the iPhone 14
One of the unexpected announcements at the event concerned the SIM card, or lack thereof, with the iPhone 14 lineup. The company announced that it would be removing the physical SIM tray from iPhone 14 models in the United States, so it is eSIM or bust for iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro owners in the country.
The company claimed that eSIM was a superior option due to security, ease of use, and the ability to support multiple SIM cards on one iPhone:
"eSIM allows users to easily connect or quickly transfer their existing plans digitally, is a more secure alternative to a physical SIM card, and allows for multiple cellular plans on a single device. iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus remove the SIM tray for US models, enabling users to more quickly and easily set up their devices."
There's so much more
While those are five things you may have missed, there is truly so much more. Here are some more highlights from the event:
- Apple added a new button, the Action button, on the Apple Watch Ultra
- The iPhone 14 supports satellite connectivity
- The iPhone 14 and new Apple Watches now feature car crash detection
- iPadOS 16 and macOS Ventura are launching in October
- The Apple Watch Ultra has a 30+ hour battery life
- The iPhone 14 Pro has a Dynamic Island
Today's event was jam-packed so definitely head back in and re-watch the event to try and catch everything you missed the first time! And if you're interested in preordering some of the new devices, like maybe a preorder of the Apple Watch SE 2 or Apple Watch Ultra, keep checking back on iMore as we'll keep you updated on where to look!
