Source: Apple / Apple Watch Series 10
On Monday, Apple held its Glowtime Event, during which it unveiled its new iPhone 16 series of flagship smartphones, built from the roundup to utilize Apple Intelligence, the tech giant’s take on artificial intelligence. But honestly, it wasn’t the iPhone 16 that stole the show; it was the wearables.
Along with the announcement of the iPhone 16, Apple, of course, rolled out some new wearables to go with the latest edition of the annual smartphone.
The company that Jobs built announced a new Apple Watch Series 10, Apple Watch Ultra 2 AirPods 4, AirPods 2 Pro, and the $549 AirPods Max that only got a USB-C port and new colors, but that’s it in the form of updates.
While most of the accessories boast impressive technical features, two health-related features were the highlight of Monday’s Apple Event.
Sleep monitoring is now a staple of all smartwatches and health-monitoring apps. Pending FDA approval, Apple is taking it further with the Apple Watch’s ability to now monitor for sleep apnea.
Source: Apple / Apple Watch Series 10
Sleep apnea is a dreadful condition that many people do not know they suffer from. Those who have the condition experience moments during sleep where they stop breathing.
According to Apple, sleep apnea can cause hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and cardiac issues if untreated. During the keynote, Apple said that more than 1 billion people worldwide are believed to be affected by the condition.
The AirPods Pro 2 Now Double As Hearing Aids
Source: Apple / AirPods Pro 2
Another outstanding feature, also pending FDA approval, is the world’s first All-In-One Hearing Health Experience, which Apple’s AirPod Pro 2 buds will offer.
The AirPod Pro 2 will now offer users hearing protection and allow them to take a hearing test to determine whether they have hearing loss. According to Apple, 1.5 billion people worldwide live with hearing loss.
The AirPod Pro 2 will also offer groundbreaking over-the-counter Hearing Aid capability for users with mild to moderate hearing loss.
After taking the clinical hearing test, your AirPod Pro 2 will become a clinical-grade hearing aid.
Per Apple:
After setup, the feature enables personalized dynamic adjustments so users have the sounds around them boosted in real time. This helps them better engage in conversation, and keeps them connected to the people and environment around them. With the incredible audio quality of AirPods Pro, the user’s personalized hearing profile is automatically applied to music, movies, games, and phone calls across their devices, without needing to adjust any settings. Users can also set up the Hearing Aid feature with an audiogram created by a hearing health professional.
New hearing health features will be available this fall for AirPods Pro 2 customers in a free software update when paired with iPhone or iPad running iOS 18 or iPadOS 18.
