Recent Apple Announcements

On September 9, Apple had an event, kicking off the biggest part of their Fall season of announcements. This includes updates to a lot of products, and all the software.

Software

New versions of the OS (the 27 models) were released on Monday, September 14. 

Do I get the new OS?

This release is available for most devices that got last year’s release. For iPhones, it’s exactly the same. watchOS 27 drops any watch older than Series 9, and drops Apple Watch SE (2nd generation) and Apple Watch Ultra (1st generation). iPad OS 27 drops the iPad (8th generation, 2020) and other iPads from 2019 or so. macOS 27 Golden Gate drops the last remaining Intel Macs. And tvOS 27 drops the Apple TV HD, and the Apple TV 4K (1st generation, 2017). All of these will continue to work okay for a year or two, but any devices you have that can’t run last year’s update really need to be shopping for replacements this year.

For day-to-day use, the new releases have a lot of subtle but welcome improvements. The BIG improvement is that Apple Intelligence (and Siri) becomes actually useful, if your device(s) can handle it.  If the new Siri doesn’t work on your device, then this update should be the good kind of boring.  But, still, kind of boring.

Do I get the AI Siri?

Your iPhone has to be pretty recent to support the new, smarter Siri. iPhone 15 Pro/Pro Max, iPhone 16 & 17 (any model) do, older phones don’t. iPads require an M1 chip or later, or the iPad mini with the A17 Pro, but none of the regular old iPads without Air or Pro after them. All Macs with Apple Silicon support it. Any Apple Watch with watchOS 27 is okay, as are all Apple Vision Pro devices.

I’ve been using the betas for a couple of months. There is a real step change in the usefulness of Siri, including the new Siri app. Sometimes, it is remarkably smart. Sometimes not. I find it is slightly less smart than Google’s Gemini for fact-based questions (and Gemini is worse than ChatGPT or Claude), but I trust Siri to know about things on my device (contents of email and my calendar) that I don’t trust any of the others with. For those sort of questions, it has been quite good, again with a “when it works” caveat. I have been using beta software all this time; we’ll see how the release version works. But I’m hopeful.

My recommendation is to wait about a week after release on this one to see if there are any big problems that pop up, and if not, go ahead and install it. Once it’s done with reindexing all the data on your device, you will likely see some improvement on speed and even battery life. If you have been using the latest version of the OS 26 releases, the indexing may already be done.

If you have devices that can’t update to the 27 version, install whatever update is available! And if you find yourself wanting something new, either to keep support or to get a better Siri, here are some other updates.

iPhones (Hardware)

The new iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max are out. They are slightly better than the iPhone 17 Pro/Pro Max (better camera, better battery), and cost more. Every iPhone, even the ones that haven’t been updated, cost $100 more now.

We’ve been used to yearly fall releases of both iPhone and iPhone Pro models. This year, that changes. The iPhone Pro is being released in the fall, while the regular old iPhone isn’t coming until the Spring. So the iPhone 17 is still available, at a steeper price. Thank you, AI!

The iPhone Air came out last year. It’s a lot like an iPhone, but thinner and lighter.

The big new release is the iPhone Duo, which is a foldable iPhone. It has the deluxe thinness technology from the Air, but with a brand new form factor. It’s expensive, but has a cool factor, for sure.

Here are starting prices for each of the phones Apple is currently selling:

If you are buying on the high end, now is a reasonable time. If you are on the low end, wait until Spring if you can.

iPads (Hardware)

Rumors say a new iPad mini with an OLED screen will arrive in October, with a refresh of all the other models in the first half of next year. If you need a new iPad, remember that the base iPad (that is, not iPad Air, iPad Pro, or iPad mini) doesn’t support Apple Intelligence. I’d recommend going for at least an iPad Air, or the mini if you like the tiny form factor – but wait on the October announcements for that.

Macs (Hardware)

Apple recently released new versions of the Mac mini and Mac Studio, their two desktop systems (besides the iMac, which includes the screen). Rumors say there will be a new iMac and MacBook in October, and a new touch-screen MacBook Pro sometime in the next 6 months or so. I’d recommend holding off on a low-end Mac (unless you want a Mac mini) until the announcement.  Things are less clear on MacBook Pro advice. Prices have gone up, and release dates for new models are uncertain. 

AirPods (Hardware)

Apple just released AirPods 5, and now provide Active Noise Cancellation at the entry $129 price, and for $20 more throws in a wireless recharging case and sound adjustment on the tip. The new model replaces the AirPods 4, which cost an extra $50 for the Active Noise Cancellation. The entry-level AirPods now have most of the features of the original AirPods Pro.

The AirPods Pro 3 retails for $249 from Apple, but you can get them for $199 from Amazon or Costco. The Pro has features that the entry model doesn’t have, per normal. I do like the Pro, but you can choose based on your own needs.

Apple TV and Home Pods (Hardware)

Still nothing new released, and they got big cost increases earlier this year for the old designs. Rumors keep saying, “Coming soon,” perhaps with a new Apple Home controller with a screen.  I’m waiting impatiently. A new Apple TV is supposed to be my birthday present.

CEOs (Meatware)

John Ternus replaced Tim Cook as Apple’s Chief Executive Officer. Tim is still on the Board. Ternus has been involved in hardware design at Apple for years, and seems a good pick.