Apple’s September keynote announced better phones, but the Ultra Watch 2 is the true GOAT

This might be one of the most tepid responses we’ve ever seen to Apple’s big September reveals. The annual event is typically a blowout — but if social media buzz is any indication, the mood was less “Wonderlust”, as the event’s name seemed to hoped for, and more “wonder what the fuss is about”.

It certainly didn’t spark the same conversations at their Worldwide Developers Conference announcement in June, when they revealed the Vision Pro — their version of augmented reality goggles.

Related: Why Apple’s Vision Pro makes for exciting times for techies

But do complaints that the tech giant’s upgrades are all iterative and uninspiring mean that the launch was a flop? Not necessarily.

Can the iPhone 15 thunder without lightning?

It was Apple’s latest version of their flagship smartphone, the iPhone 15, that received the  brunt of online derision.
Its upgraded main camera sensor (48MP, up from 12MP) and bigger battery (but not longer battery life, says The Verge, compared to the iPhone 14) failed to spark joy, while the faster A16 chip and Apple’s Dynamic island, a pill-shaped notch housing the front camera that stretches to display notifications, were merely ports from the Pro version of last year’s iPhone 14.

A new Action Button replaces the mute switch with programmable shortcuts, like opening the camera, recording a voice memo, or, well, silencing your phone — but that only comes with the Pro and Pro Max versions of the iPhone 15.

The premium smartphones also pack a new telephoto lens, along with a shiny new titanium shell — all upgrades that fail to spur the same excitement as the iPhone 4, which introduced the front-facing camera and essentially invented the selfie, or the iPhone 5S’ one-touch fingerprint scanner on the home button (what we know as Touch ID today). 

And if you asked Apple, they might even agree. After all, their asking price for the iPhone 15 has not changed from the launch prices we saw for last year’s iPhone 14.

On the bright side, they finally phased out their Lightning ports for the USB-C connectors that everyone else uses — a decision spurred less by technological conformity and more by the European Union’s incoming regulations — for their iPhones, along with other products like their second-gen Airpods Pro wireless earbuds.

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In fact, that was pretty much it in terms of major updates for Apple’s wireless earbuds, which otherwise received a slightly better dust resistance rating, improved intelligent noise cancellation features, and a larger range of earbud tips.

Related: CES 2023: The coolest tech gadgets to look forward to

Watch this space

On the other hand, the Apple Watch Ultra 2, the company’s second-generation edition of its high-end wearable, might just become the sleeper hit of “Wonderlust”.

The biggest upgrade to the sport-focused smartwatch, which ships in a 49mm titanium case as standard, lies under the hood.

Both the Apple Watch Ultra 2 and the entry-level Apple Watch Series 9 have received the latest processor, the S9 SiP (system in package). It is said to feature more transistors, yielding snappier animations and quicker responses, as well as a quad-core “Neural Engine” that can process machine learning tasks twice as fast as its predecessor.

This means that Apple’s digital assistant Siri will be able to work far faster and more accurately, even when off-grid and hundreds of kilometres away from the nearest cell tower. The S9 processor is also said to enable the watch’s new double tap gesture, allowing users to navigate its main features using just one hand without touching the display. 

Nifty for mountain bikers, nature photographers, or, really, anyone who anticipates time spent in an environment where you wouldn’t want to leave both hands unoccupied or smear mud on shiny watch screens.

Speaking of screens, the maximum brightness of the Apple Watch Ultra 2’s has been bumped up significantly — from 2,000 nits to a full 3,000. This makes it a lot easier to take advantage of an Ultra-exclusive new watch face called Modular Ultra — which offers a host of extra slots for complications on your digital watch face, whether that be altitude, depth, or a compass — for real-time updates even in bright, outdoor situations with direct sunlight.

One step ahead

Coupled with the latest Apple watch operating system, WatchOS 10, which offers more tools for cyclists a la Bluetooth pairing with power metre pedals and a wider altitude range both underwater and above ground, the Apple Watch Ultra 2’s targeted upgrades signal that the company knows the niche they’re going for — lifestyle users with a penchant for adventure, already tapped into the Apple ecosystem.

Related: The most anticipated tech gadget launches of 2023

Just look at the Ultra 2’s battery life — you get 36 hours on a single charge, exactly like its predecessor. Lost opportunity for upgrading aside, this is a drop in the ocean compared to Garmin’s comparably priced Fenix 7 Pro, which can last for 37 days. But these are completely different beasts, of course.

And while the Apple Watch Ultra 2 is no overhaul from the original (it’s even priced the same at $1,199), lest we forget, making something that people want (or love) to use is as much innovation as it is iteration.

Ironing out the kinks of previous versions with cautious, calculated steps is part of the process of creating beauty. In the case of the Apple Watch Ultra 2, these intentional upgrades might just be what’s necessary to push the sports-focused smartwatch from good to truly great.