Eliana Willis

Jason Hiner/ZDNETOn Monday, Sept. 9, Apple will announce the new iPhone 16 lineup. Alongside the iPhone, we’ll see new Apple Watches and many new software features. We’ll also learn more about Apple’s in-house generative AI model, Apple Intelligence, which the company unveiled during its annual developers conference in June.Also: Everything we expect at Apple’s iPhone 16 event: AI features, AirPods, Apple Watch Series 10, moreHowever, the products I’m most excited for Apple to announce are the two new pairs of AirPods the company has waiting to replace the current second- and third-generation models. Both AirPods will receive significant upgrades, but you should consider a few key differences before preordering them. Let’s get into them.The current second-generation AirPods are the cheapest and least software-intensive AirPods you can buy from Apple. They lack spatial audio, noise-canceling and transparency modes, and offer five hours of audio playback. The current third-generation model also lacks noise-canceling and transparency modes but offer six hours of audio playback. More

SwitchBot/ZDNETSwitchBot is an eclectic smart home brand, developing some very interesting gadgets from its Universal Remote to its 3-in-1 vacuum kit. This time, the company is making another hybrid device combining an air purifier with a wireless phone charger.Also: Everything you need to build out a smart homeIt’s called the Air Purifier Table and has an oval-shaped wooden platform sitting on top of it. There, you will find a Plus icon revealing the location of the wireless charger. Users can place a Qi-compatible smartphone over it to charge the battery. Even if you don’t own a Qi-compatible phone, the device can still double as a nightstand next to your bed.Unfortunately, we don’t know which Qi standard is being used on the Air Purifier Table. This is an important distinction. Standard Qi chargers usually send up to 7.5W of power to iPhones while Qi 2 chargers deliver 15W. The latter enables faster charging speeds. SwitchBot, for whatever reason, didn’t provide any extra details.The purifier consists of a three-layer filtration system that cleans the surrounding air of pet fur, bacteria, and any lingering odors. The gadget sports a 360-degree array that can quickly refresh average-sized rooms. SwitchBot claims the Air Purifier Table can clean up a 20-square-meter room in about seven minutes. And it’s quiet, too, at 20 decibels max. More

Jada Jones/ZDNETNext week, during its annual hardware event, Apple will announce new versions of its second and third-generation AirPods, with promises of better audio features and the much-desired USB-C port. Also: What to expect from Apple’s iPhone 16 ‘It’s Glowtime’ event, and how to watch the livestreamAccording to Bloomberg, Apple’s previous-generation AirPods, which were launched last year, did not sell as well as expected. In response, the company will unveil two new models: an affordable, more stripped-down version and a mid-tier model with more advanced features. Of the two releases, the mid-tier model will also gain a speaker for Find My capabilities and tracking. The Find My speaker is a convenient way to locate your AirPods when you know they’re close by but can’t pinpoint their exact location. If the feature on the new AirPods functions similarly to that on the more premium AirPods Pro, you should be able to trigger the speaker built into the case by clicking the “Play Sound” button in the Find My app. More

Jason Hiner/ZDNETApple will soon release the iPhone 16 series — with all the AI glamour in tow. Just recently, the company confirmed that its next hardware event will happen on September 9 at 10 a.m. PT. This year’s title is “It’s Glowtime,” playing to the vibrant and colorful animations that appear when you use the latest AI features on iOS 18, like Siri. Alongside the new iPhones, Apple is expected to announce a new Apple Watch, two AirPods, and possibly more.Also: This rumored iPhone 16 feature will either be pure genius or an ergonomic nightmareAlthough the iPhone will capture most of the spotlight, and WWDC was only months ago, Apple may also share more about its latest software, including iOS 18, iPadOS 18, tvOS 18, WatchOS 11, VisionOS 2, and MacOS Sequoia.How can I watch the Apple event?The iPhone 16 event takes place at Apple Park in Cupertino, California, with in-person attendance reserved for staff, partners, and members of the media. However, you can always catch the livestream on Apple’s website or the company’s YouTube channel if you want to tune in.iPhone 16 series: The best feature may not be AI-related More

Jason Hiner/ZDNETAlthough Apple’s next big event is just around the corner, that hasn’t stopped people from releasing leaks, rumors, and gossip about the tech giant’s upcoming devices. Notable insider Mark Gurman claims in a recent Bloomberg report the Apple Watch Series 10 will introduce a new major feature: sleep apnea detection.Also: The best Apple Watches you can buy: Expert testedDetails are sparse at the moment. According to Gurman, the feature will “attempt to determine if a wearer has sleep apnea” or not. If it does, the wearable will recommend visiting a medical professional for further testing. The keyword in that sentence is “attempt”. There isn’t a guarantee that the Apple Watch 10 will be able to accurately detect whether or not you have the condition.Gurman mentioned back in July that Apple was having a tough time getting the feature to work. It needs to be able to read a user’s blood oxygen saturation. However, it can’t make those measurements because of the company’s legal troubles with health tech company Masimo. A federal judge told Apple it couldn’t sell smartwatches with blood oxygen sensors, and the company was forced to disable them via a software patch. More

Sabrina Ortiz/ZDNETApple’s biggest event of the year is coming up: its annual September keynote — this year, dubbed as “It’s Glowtime.” The tech giant usually debuts a new iPhone series as well as new Apple Watch models, and this year, we might see an upgrade to the lower-end Apple Watch SE model. Also: What to expect from Apple’s iPhone 16 ‘It’s Glowtime’ event, and how to watch the livestreamThe last time Apple upgraded the Apple Watch SE More

Jason Hiner/ZDNETThe Apple Watch is one of the most popular smartwatches, and its integration with the Apple ecosystem makes it a go-to for iPhone fans. Apple is holding its annual September event on Monday, where we expect to see a new lineup of iPhones, AirPods, Apple Watch, and maybe even an iPad Mini. Also: What to expect from Apple’s iPhone 16 ‘It’s Glowtime’ event, and how to watch the livestreamWhile we don’t know exactly what upgrades Apple plans to give its devices, however various reports and rumors, combined with what we’ve seen in the past, give us a good idea of what will be featured. There are many rumors about the Apple Watch’s new upgrade, which will mark the company’s 10th smartwatch model, including what seems to be one of the biggest redesigns yet. Here’s what we look forward to Apple unveiling about the newest Apple Watch:The 3 best Apple Watch Series 10 features we expect More

Jason Hiner/ZDNETWe’re still days away from Apple’s September event, but I’m already thinking about the good, the bad, and the ugly of what will possibly be the iPhone 16’s flagship feature. As previously reported, the upcoming iPhone series is expected to feature a dedicated camera button. Housed on the bottom right side of the phones, the hardware key will act as a shutter button when pressed, both for photos and videos.Also: What to expect from Apple’s iPhone 16 ‘It’s Glowtime’ event, and how to watch the livestreamPitching the feature to the masses will be rather straightforward; most people are already familiar with taking photos on a camera in some way, shape, or form. To a degree, Apple is taking a step backward here, going from software to hardware. But, as is often the case with Apple products, the beauty is in the details.According to Bloomberg, the new camera button will be touch-capacitive, meaning it’ll behave differently depending on how you tap and swipe it. A short press on the key will prompt the iPhone to autofocus on what it thinks is the main subject, and a harder press will capture it. Similarly, swiping on the button’s surface will switch between photo and video modes or zoom in and out. These are the features that will be met with oohs and ahhs during the keynote. More