UNITED STATES: Apple Inc unveiled a trio of new Apple Watches on Wednesday, including a new extreme sports-focused Watch Ultra model, testing the willingness of its user base to keep buying new products amid a weakening global economy.
The watch debuted at an event called “Far Out” at Apple’s Cupertino, California headquarters, where analysts expect it to add the ability to send emergency messages from iPhones using a satellite connection.
Apple previously said the Ultra Watch model will have the largest battery to date and a more durable case and controls designed for gloved use.
The new watches include an improved budget model called SE and the Series 8 watch with drop detection and a low power mode for 36 hours of battery life.
Apple said the new Series 8 watch has a temperature sensor that will work in conjunction with a previously released cycle tracking app to track back when a person started ovulating.
The Apple Watch Ultra has been launched at a price of Rs 89,900 in India for all variants and is available for pre-orders starting right now. The Apple Watch Ultra will go on sale from September 23. Apple Watch Ultra comes with three new band options – Trail Loop, Alpine Loop and Ocean Band. Customers in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, India, Japan, UAE, UK, US and more than 40 other countries and regions can order Apple Watch Ultra today.
The Apple Watch Ultra is made of aerospace grade titanium and comes with a case that lifts up to wrap around all edges of the flat sapphire crystal front that protects the Retina display with a maximum brightness of 200 nits. Apple Watch Ultra has three built-in microphones to significantly improve the sound quality of voice calls in any conditions.
It also uses an adaptive beamforming algorithm that uses microphones to pick up the voice while reducing ambient background noise, resulting in remarkable clarity.
Apple Watch Ultra offers up to 36 hours of combined battery life with regular use. There’s a new Actions button on the Apple Watch Ultra that provides instant access to a number of features, including workouts, compass waypoints, backtracking, and more.
The Apple Watch Ultra also uses dual-frequency GPS that integrates the L1 and L5 frequencies, resulting in one of the most accurate GPS on any smartwatch, powered by Apple’s new positioning algorithms.
The company emphasised the approach to protecting privacy while tracking the cycle. Privacy and reproductive health data have become a focus for tech companies following a US Supreme Court decision that ended the constitutional right to abortion in the United States.
Apple said it does not have the key to decrypt health data such as cycle tracking. But while accessories like the Apple Watch have helped boost sales to Apple’s existing user base, the iPhone remains the backbone of its business, accounting for 52.4% of sales in the last fiscal year.
Also Read: Apple To Manufacture iPhone 14 in India
