The event opened with testimonials from Apple Watch users who were notified of health problems by their Apple Watches or who were rescued from dire situations by its emergency contact features.
“It’s amazing to see all the ways people use iPhone and Apple Watch,” said Cook.
Introducing the Double Tap Gesture
Apple is adding a new gesture to the repertoire used to control the watch, which it’s calling “Double Tap.” Users will tap the index fingers and thumbs of their watch hands twice to activate the main action of whatever is on the watch face such as a call.
Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2
The regular Apple Watch with GPS starts at $399 with GPS and cellular connection starting at $499.
Apple's Shift Away from Leather
As part of its environmental initiatives, Apple said it would no longer use leather in its future watch bands or iPhone cases. Instead, it’s introducing a new textile it’s calling “FineWoven” which the company claims is made out of 68% post consumer content. Apple showed off several examples of FineWoven Watch bands, which will have a “suede-like” feel. It’s all part of a larger goal of developing completely carbon neutral products. The company said the Apple Watch Ultra 2 would be completely carbon neutral.
New Colors and Display
There’s a slate of new Watch colors on offer, including pink aluminum, midnight, silver, and product red. The product also comes with metallics ranging from silver to gold to graphite.
The $799 Apple Watch Ultra 2 now has a 2.1-inch, always-on LTPO OLED screen compared to the original’s 1.9-inch display. This is due to Apple shrinking the bezels on the screen, similar to what it’s accomplished with the newly announced iPhone 15. The flat screen now pushes a “Modular Ultra” to the edge of the display, and it’s also able to go extremely bright at 3,000 nits.
And if you’re still wondering, the Ultra’s screen is still flat compared to the regular Apple Watch’s smaller waterfall design, which curves at its edges. It gets 36 hours of battery on a single charge and 72 hours in low power mode, according to Apple.
