Apple's new Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4, available for pre-order now and shipping September 18, introduce an Audio Intelligence system that can transcribe and summarize ambient conversations through features called Live Rewind and Siri Recap. The devices also add Sound Recognition for accessibility alerts and automatic Shazam-based Music Recognition, with both conversation-focused tools entering beta in late 2026.
techspot.com
· 2026-09-10
Apple's latest product event introduced hardware like the Apple Watch Series 12, Apple Watch Ultra 4, AirPods 5, iPhone 18 Pro models, and the foldable iPhone Duo, but not everything ships immediately. While the Watch and AirPods models arrive September 18 alongside the iPhone 18 Pro, the iPhone Duo won't ship until October 23, and several Apple Intelligence features—including expanded Siri AI language support—won't roll out until later in 2026.
cnet.com
· 2026-09-09
Apple confirmed that not all products and features unveiled at its latest event will ship simultaneously. The Apple Watch Series 12, Watch Ultra 4 and AirPods 5 arrive Sept. 18, followed by the iPhone 18 Pro models on the same date, while the foldable iPhone Duo won't ship until Oct. 23. Software updates including iOS 27 land Sept. 14, but Siri AI remains a beta feature rolling out gradually, first in English, then in French, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese and Spanish by October.
cnet.com
· 2026-09-09
Apple's 'Surprise and Shine' event introduced the company's first foldable phone, the iPhone Duo, marking a major shift in its product lineup. The event also featured the Apple Watch Series 12, Apple Watch Ultra 4 with unchanged pricing, AirPods 5 with upgraded noise-canceling, and iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max models in four colors. The 81-minute presentation is available for replay on Apple's website and YouTube, and marked new CEO John Ternus's first major public event.
cnet.com
· 2026-09-09
Apple's new Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 include four opt-in 'audio intelligence' tools—sound and music recognition, conversation recap, and a 'Live Rewind' feature that transcribes the last 15 seconds of ambient speech. Apple says these features rely on the microphone but don't record or store raw audio, processing most data locally via a new secure chip component called the Secure Exclave, with any cloud processing handled through Apple's Private Cloud Compute system.
wired.com
· 2026-09-09
Apple unveiled the Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4, both built around a new S11 chip and a redesigned Health Sensing System aimed at improving heart rate and heart rate variability tracking. The system uses ring-arranged photodiodes, larger electrodes, and bigger, more efficient green LEDs to measure heart rate every five seconds, with HRV readings taken up to 24 times more often than before. Preorders for both models are now open.
arstechnica.com
· 2026-09-09
Apple introduced the iPhone 18 Pro alongside other hardware, headlined by a camera system with variable aperture settings of f/1.48, f/1.8, f/2.8 and f/4.0, adjustable directly in the camera app. The device also features a smaller Dynamic Island capable of displaying three simultaneous live activities, plus updated Photographic Styles with new texture and grain options.
engadget.com
· 2026-09-09
Apple introduced the Watch Series 12 alongside the Ultra 4, iPhone 18 lineup and a foldable iPhone Duo, keeping the smartwatch's exterior design unchanged while overhauling its internals. The update centers on a new S11 processor and redesigned health sensors that improve heart rate accuracy, add deeper recovery tracking, and enable an AI-powered Audio Intelligence feature for transcribing conversations. Despite the upgrades, pricing stays flat at $399 for the Series 12 and $799 for the Ultra 4, even as iPhone 18 Pro prices rose.
cnet.com
· 2026-09-09
Apple introduced the Watch Series 12 at its September event, retaining last year's design but overhauling internals with a new S11 chip and upgraded health sensors. The device gains features like more accurate heart rate tracking, deeper recovery data, and an AI-powered Audio Intelligence tool that can record, transcribe and save conversations. Despite these upgrades and new colors, Apple held the starting price at $399, while the Watch Ultra 4 starts at $799.
cnet.com
· 2026-09-09
Apple unveiled its Watch Series 12 and Watch Ultra 4 alongside the iPhone 18 Pro line and foldable iPhone Duo at its 'Surprise and Shine' event, highlighting a new Audio Intelligence system for the watches. The feature set includes ambient sound alerts for things like sirens and doorbells, a Live Rewind tool that transcribes the previous 15 seconds of speech via a crown double-tap, and a Siri Recap function that summarizes key conversations for later reference.
cnet.com
· 2026-09-09
Apple unveiled a revamped Health app alongside its new Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4, using Apple Intelligence to analyze user data more deeply. New features include an Insights tab, a readiness score, a computed 'Health Age' based on metrics like VO2 max and sleep, and a longevity tab that can incorporate lab results. Apple also partnered with Quest Diagnostics to offer a 50-biomarker blood panel for $119.
techcrunch.com
· 2026-09-09
Apple introduced the Watch Series 12 and Watch Ultra 4 at its Cupertino event, keeping hardware largely unchanged but adding new 'Audio Intelligence' software features. These include Live Rewind, which replays the last 15 seconds of conversation as text, and Siri Recap, which uses ambient listening to summarize meetings or conversations into notes in a new Siri app. A Sound Recognition tool for detecting sirens, alarms and crying babies also debuts, alongside an upgraded health-sensing system with more frequent heart-rate tracking.
techcrunch.com
· 2026-09-09