Here are 6 old technologies Apple wants you to think are revolutionary

By Nick Mokey September 13, 2017

apple new tech is old iphone x — Apple

We know, we know. Apple takes its time to do new technologies “right,” not “first.” But if you watched Apple’s September 12 announcements for the iPhone 8, iPhone X, Apple TV 4K and Apple Watch Series 3, you might be wondering just how long it takes to perfect an animated 3D turd.

While Apple acolytes inside the newly minted Steve Jobs Theater breathlessly applauded new “features” paraded on stage by Apple VPs, the rest of us were feeling a wave of déjà vu. OLED screens, wireless charging, 4K … haven’t we seen this stuff before?

Yup. Even by its own standards, Apple dredged up some almost embarrassingly dated technologies for its latest round of refreshes. In case Tim Cook’s teary-eyed reality distortion field threw you for a loop, we thought we would provide some perspective on how long Apple’s new features have existed in competing devices. Put on some Black Eyed Peas, because we’re going back to a time people took will.i.am. seriously.

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Your iPhone and Apple Watch are getting huge software updates today

An iPhone home screen with iOS 18.

In June, Apple announced new software features for some of its most popular devices, including the iPhone and Apple Watch. Today, everyone with supported devices will receive the iOS 18 and watchOS 11 updates.

Apple has not officially announced the exact timing for today's new software updates, but they typically follow a consistent process for each update. It looks like iOS 18 and watchOS 11 will likely be released at 10 a.m. PT/1 p.m. ET. In addition to these updates, Apple will release iPadOS 18, macOS Sequoia, and visionOS 2.

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Trading in your old phone for the iPhone 16? Make sure you do this first

iPhone 16 Pro color options.

The thought of $650 off a new iPhone 16, as promised during the Apple event, might be enticing -- but know there are conditions associated with trade-in. If your phone is damaged at all, the trade-in value quickly drops to a whopping $0. If you plan to trade in your current device for an upgrade, you might also want to consider taking it in for repairs before you swing by the Apple Store.

Macworld's Michael Simon had some first-hand experience with this. His iPhone 15 Pro Max, a phone likely to yield almost the maximum value, had a crack along its back. The glass wasn't falling off, and it was a relatively easy repair -- but Apple offered him $0 for the trade-in, even though he could have taken it in for repairs for just $29 thanks to AppleCare Plus.

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Watch all of Apple’s It’s Glowtime videos right here

The iPhone 16 at Apple's 'It's Glowtime' event in September 2024.

Apple’s It's Glowtime event on Monday took the wraps off the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16, the Apple Watch Series 10, and the AirPods 4. The tech giant also offered an overview of its first effort at integrating artificial intelligence into the iPhone in the form of Apple Intelligence, and talked about a new hearing aid feature for the AirPods Pro 2.

Apple live-streamed the entire event and, as usual, extracted various segments and shared them on its YouTube channel as individual videos. It also dropped some fresh content and a video that condenses the 98-minute event into just a few minutes. You can watch all of the videos below or simply pick out the ones of interest:
Introducing iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max
The latest iteration of Apple's flagship model is finally here. The three-minute video below makes it clear from the outset that the new iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max are built for Apple's new artificial intelligence features ...