Here's What Apple Revealed at its "Far Out" 2022 Event

This past September 7th, Apple hosted an annual meeting for the media and public that typically takes place in September or October of each year at the company's immense Cupertino headquarters. This holiest of tech events is hotly anticipated for the new gadget releases and product announcements around which the tech giant has built a near cult following.

The so-called "Far Out" event of 2022 had tech watchers heavily speculating for months in advance on what features the event's main attraction, the latest iPhone, would have. Now that Far Out has come and gone, here's a recap of what's what.

iPhone Craze

The biggest attraction by far at each Apple product reveal is the company's next iPhone. In 2022 there were several new iPhone versions released. The models of the year consisted of the iPhone 14 standard edition, the iPhone 14 Plus, the iPhone 14 Pro and the most premium of the bunch, the iPhone 14 Pro Max.

Needless to say, all four of them sport some typically amazing new technology and were particularly notable for their camera improvements. The two premium iPhone models, the Pro and Pro Max in particular drew lots of attention with a whole host of new features that include a hugely-expanded 48-megapixel main camera sensor, a drastically improved front "TrueDepth" selfie camera and new picture processing specs that arguably make these iPhones into the best photo-taking phones in the world today.

Even the more basic iPhone 14 and 14 Plus models came with major upgrades to their photo sensors and their shooting and processing technology. Apple claims that they can now take superior photos in low light while shooting fast-action movement much more quickly and precisely.

The iPhone 14 Plus in particular was revealed to have an expanded 6.7-inch 1200-nit HDR display with Dolby Vision support and quite honestly, it's amazing. The premium Pro and Pro Max iPhones in the 2022 lineup all sported even further display improvements with their new Super Retina XDR screens and display brightness of up to 2000 nits under certain conditions.

New Phone Processor

The new A15 bionic chip of all four phones was also revealed as a powerhouse of ultra-fast performance. It "intelligently" handles both internal processing dynamics for better rendering of visuals and apps and image/video processing mechanics for superior camera performance. This latter capability is supported by the new Photonic Engine in each of the four phones.

iOS 16

Major improvements to iOS 16, the OS of the new iPhones, were also introduced. These included features such as Crash Detection, Always On Display and in the case of the Pro and Pro Max phones, a new "Dynamic Island" display notification feature that lets users interact with their phone quickly by always being active.

The new iPhones are already available for preorder and start shipping as of September 16th. They're priced at $799, $899, $999 and $1,099 for the Iphone Plus, 14 Plus, 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max respectively.

Other Major Announcements

Of course, iPhones weren't the only new announcements presented at Far Out 2022. Apple also revealed three new Apple Watch versions.

For starters, a new Apple Watch Series 8 model with larger display, better durability and a number of new safety and power mode features was unveiled. One of these power features is an always-on display that Apple claims can stay active for up to 36 hours on a full charge. New color and band designs were also unveiled for the newest Apple Watch. This little gadget goes on sale as of September 16th for $399.

Another and more affordable bonus was a new Apple Watch SE. This entry-priced version of Apple Watch is now bigger, better at pairing with iPhones and supposedly delivers faster performance than its predecessor. The Watch SE goes on sale on the 16th of September for $249.

To top the watch gala off, there was the Apple Watch Ultra, which is extremely rugged, made of titanium and includes a screen-protecting bezel that keeps impact fractures at bay. According to Apple.the Watch Ultra has an improved microphone, built-in cell phone and a battery life that also lasts 36 hours on a full charge under normal use conditions, but which –impressive if true- can be made to last a solid 60 hours with select optimization settings.

This premium Apple Watch model goes on sale on the same date as the other watches but for $799, the same price as that of the iPhone 14 standard edition.

On a final note, Apple also introduced a new set of second-generation AirPods Pro with a new H2 chipset and processing power for superior audio clarity, noise cancellation, passive noise reduction and up to six hours of use time between charges for the earbuds alone. The AirPods Pro start shipping as of September 23 at a suggested price of $249.