My quick takes on the Sept 7 “Far Out” Apple Event:

Apple Watch Series 8 (40 mins): No visual design changes and no reason to upgrade from S7. S8 improves by adding crash detection and a temperature sensor. It’s clear they spent little time on improving S8 and much more time on the new $799 titanium Ultra edition which is rugged and definitely not for most people. I also love the version of blue they used for S7 and not the darker S8 blue. End result: no upgrade for me, but I’ll probably get the Ultra after I see it in person;)

AirPods Pro 2 (8 mins): Like the Watch S8, there are no visual design changes. The upgraded CPU improves spatial audio and noise cancelling. Also features longer battery life and touch controls. Case includes lanyard, speaker, and ability to charge via Apple Watch charger. End result: no upgrade for me until my existing AirPods Pro croak or I lose them. I’ll probably get them anyway ;) $249

iPhone 14 (21 mins): Again, no visual design changes. Features A15 chip (same chip as iPhone 13 Pro but slightly improved), improved cameras with improved low light improvement, action mode for improved video stabilization, multiple eSIMs (no more SIM card tray), crash detection, emergency SOS via satellite, ability to share your location to friends via satellite. If you have an iPhone 13, I don’t see any reason to upgrade. If you have a model older than 13 and are pinching pennies, buy the iPhone 13 and save a hundy. $799 ($899 for Plus model)

iPhone 14 Pro (22 mins): The only visual design change is the notch is gone, but there’s a pill-shaped cutout which features an animated “Dynamic Island” for better handling of notifications (it’s very cool!), thinner borders, up to 2000 nits for brighter display, always-on display, new A16 chip, 48MP camera with f/1.78 aperature for improved low light captures, Ultra Wide camera with f/2.2 aperture, action mode for improved video stabilization, improved cinematic mode, crash detection, emergency SOS via satellite, ability to share your location to friends via satellite. End result: I will be uprgrading my 13 Pro Max to 14 Pro Max–no question. $999 ($1099 Pro max)

No “one more thing” but WTF was that random clip at the end of the woman standing next to a subway? A teaser for something, but what?

In summary, this much anticipated Apple Event was fully of mildly updated products. Evolutionary, not revolutionary, and nothing new other than Apple Watch Ultra. The star of the show was improvements to the iPhone 14 Pro and really the only Apple product I’ll be upgrading right away. I’ll consider the new AirPods Pro 2 and Ultra watch after I watch the honest reviews and see in person.

And there is one more thing… for some reason (I cry) there’s still no USB-C (not until 2023 now).