We were expecting Apple at the turn of September 7. The Cupertino company had invited the press to the presentation of its novelties. On the menu: iPhone 14, AirPods Pro 2, but also new Apple Watch. Series 8, SE and Ultra. All incorporate new features including CarCrash, which gives the alert in the event of a road accident.
Watch Series 8 and Watch Ultra: Apple flexes its muscles
The Apple Watch, the best-selling connected watch in the world for 7 years, is getting an update. It incorporates… a new temperature sensor dedicated to women. After integrated cycle tracking three years ago, ovulation tracking is now on board. This allows you to know the hormonal changes and to alert the user to the imminence of her ovulation. Data is encrypted in-device and end-to-end encrypted for storage in iCloud. “Apple can in no way decrypt them,” insisted the manufacturer.
Another new feature is road accident detection, with a function called CarCrash. This is based on the presence of a new accelerometer (which measures movements four times faster) and specially developed algorithms. Apple claims that the on-board artificial intelligence for the CarCrash function has been “trained” for a million hours! As a result, in the event of a frontal or side impact, rear-end collision or rollover, the Apple Watch Series 8 alerts the contacts preselected by the driver after 8 seconds. Let’s face it, it’s a function that we don’t really want to test…
And a little extra: the 16-hour battery life of the Apple Watch (from Series 4) can now reach up to 36 hours with a Power Saving Mode that deactivates certain functions.
Ovulation detection and the CarCrash function are also arriving on the Apple Watch SE, which is sold for less.
Availability: September 16.
Indicative price: from 499 euros (Apple Watch Series 8), and 299 euros (Apple Watch SE).
Apple Watch Ultra: Apple goes on an adventure
Apple also unveiled during its keynote its Apple Watch Ultra, a watch designed for adventure, with a reinforced frame, with a titanium case and sapphire crystal. It is resistant to extreme temperatures (from -20° to + 55°).
A new customizable button for accessing programmed functions has been introduced and the digital crown is now wider for use with gloves. Its triangulation system allows you to find your way if you get lost. The Apple Watch Ultra has a battery life of 36 hours on a single charge. Finally, a new application called Oceanic + App is specifically dedicated to divers.
Availability: September 16.
Indicative price: 999 euros.