Pondering this week’s ‘Awe-Dropping’ Apple Event
I was on the ground at Apple Park yesterday covering Apple’s “Awe-Dropping” event, during which the company announced a slew of upgraded iPhones, Apple Watches, AirPods Pro, and more. The critiques of the new products are, for now anyway, compromised if only because I haven’t had meaningful hands-on time testing anything sans a few minutes here and there in the hands-on area in the Steve Jobs Theater. Nonetheless, I’ve spent a lot of time ruminating over everything I saw on Tuesday at a high level. My biggest takeaway from yesterday’s festivities are twofold: (1) the new iPhone lineup, top to bottom, is arguably Apple’s best in years; and (2) as ever, accessibility is a key character in these products’ respective stories. Truth is, most of the A-lister reviewers and analysts ignore accessibility because it’s amorphous and dynamic and ostensibly not newsy enough for the tech-obsessed lot that buy iPhones.
Before I get to my product-by-product analysis, I want to share a personal anecdote. At one point in the hands-on area yesterday, I ran into Apple Fellow Phil Schiller and we said our pleasantries and began commiserating on the morning’s announcements. When Schiller saw me, he greeted me with a big smile and a firm handshake, embracing me by telling me how it was “so good” to see me and how he reads everything I write while praising my talents. After the adrenaline rush of the day began to wear off, it occurred to me the exchange with him hit me in the feels. It wasn’t the first time I’ve spoken with Schiller; the salient point is how much it means, personally and professionally, that someone of his stature utterly and clearly respects what I do. As I alluded to above, working as a reporter whose beat is accessibility is neither easy nor glamorous. It has taken a helluva lot of work to get myself where I am in my journalistic career as someone from a marginalized community writing about a marginalized facet of technology. I enjoy a lot of privilege, to be sure—cf. attending Apple media events in person—but am nonetheless acutely aware of the bevy of barriers which constantly confront me. Still, Schiller’s warm embrace and kind words meant the world to my psyche because it’s more validation of the trail I’ve tirelessly blazed for over a decade.
Anyway, enough ego-stroking sentimentalism—onto the meat from yesterday’s bones.
The Air Stole The Show—And My Heart
In the lead-up to the event, rumors ran rampant about the iPhone Air. I was inclined to believe the device’s thin-and-light design would be a deterrent for many disabled people largely because, by virtue of its very nature, there’s literally less matter for the human hand to grab. While it’s still plausible the Air may not be the right iPhone for someone who benefits from thicker objects to compensate for low muscle tone or whatnot, I now believe the inverse is also equally plausible. To wit, my brief time playing around with iPhone Airs of various finishes following the keynote taught me the phone should be a boon for its thinness and lightness. Owing to its name, the Air is ridiculously thin and light; in-hand, it feels something akin to a movie prop—hollow and toy-like yet paradoxically also feels substantial and relatively weighty. I didn’t think to slip it into my pocket for a hot second, but I imagine getting the Air in and out of there should be far more accessible than my current iPhone 16 Pro Max. Likewise, walking around with the Air stashed away in my pocket seems like it’ll be easier because, again, there’s less phone to tote around. What’s more, the iPhone Air still has a large 6.5-inch display. I’ve been a devout iPhone Pro Max (née Plus) user for what feels like eons at this point because I was willing to make the Faustian bargain of smartphones: in order to get the giant screen, I must incur the costs of having an aircraft carrier in my hands and in my pocket. With the iPhone Air, however, I’m inclined to believe that sacrifice is no longer necessary—I get a big screen (the 17 Pro Max’s is, like my 16 Pro Max, 6.9”) while getting all the ballyhooed physical traits. It’s the have-my-cake-and-eat-it-too iPhone to me.
In sum, I think I’ll be going from my 16 Pro Max to the iPhone Air.
Finally, a note about finishes. To my eyes—especially amidst the bright lights of the Steve Jobs Theater—the blue and white variants of the iPhone Air look effectively identical. Intellectually, I understand there’s a difference, but my eyes just didn’t notice it that much. As of this writing, I think I prefer the white because it looks super clean and premium. But blue being my favorite color, I’m partial to blue so… decisions, decisions.
Apple Watch Goes To Series 11, But 10 Is Plenty
Apple Watch Series 11 is here, but isn’t here for me. As someone who’s worn a Series 10 for the last year, Series 11 feels like a modest bump by comparison. That the new model can now measure hypertension is notable, as my doctor has talked about it with me before—which, as someone already with severe anxiety and depression, isn’t great.
Here’s a cursory shoutout to Apple Watch Ultra. I used the original for a long time, having been smitten by what was then the biggest screen on an Apple Watch I’d ever seen. The downside, of course, is the aforementioned Faustian bargain: big screen begets big, heavy object. I spent a couple minutes yesterday rekindling my acquaintance with the new Ultra 3, and while nice, it also isn’t for me anymore. As I said regarding the iPhone Air, the Series 10 (now 11) strikes the right balance of screen size and weight. I don’t foresee moving off the Series models for some time, if ever again, until and unless the Ultra’s case gets thinner and lighter. I love my current Series 10.
AirPods Pro 3 Are… Fine
I didn’t get my hands (or ears) on the refreshed AirPods Pro, but wasn’t too heartbroken about it. The update is nice and arguably long overdue, but not a must-have if you have the previous AirPods Pro 2. Both models have Apple’s hearing health features, which I covered extensively last year, and both have the Live Translation functionality. If you’re in the market for over-the-counter hearing aids and love AirPods, the $249 AirPods Pro 3 may well be the best bang-for-your-buck product in Apple’s constellation of products. For my use, I find myself reaching for the “lesser” AirPods 4 with active noise cancellation more often nowadays. I get all the “pro” features I like, wireless charging, and a smaller charging case that’s more accessible for me to carry and otherwise handle, especially when I’m out and about running errands. AirPods 4 are a great option.
Accessory Accessibility Matters a lot This Year
In an accessibility context, Apple’s accessory game seems to have leveled up several notches this year. Between the reborn MagSafe Battery Pack, the new crossbody strap, and TechWoven cases, there are accessibility implications aplenty to ponder. At first blush, I was extremely excited to see the MagSafe Battery Pack return. I have two of the old Lightning version and continue to love it. I care not that the connectors are mismatched. However festooned with USB-C, I was crestfallen when I read multiple reports, as well as Apple’s own literature, that the new Battery Pack is “exclusively,” per Apple, compatible with the iPhone Air. As I wrote earlier, I’m leaning towards getting an Air anyway so I’ll also get the Battery Pack, but it’s still a bummer it’s not simpatico with its iPhone 17 brethren. In fact, it appears I surely must’ve misheard in the loud-as-hell hands-on area; the reason I was crestfallen by the compatibility news is because I was sure one of the Apple staffers who talked up the iPhone Air with me said the Battery Pack was compatible with any iPhone that supports MagSafe—meaning, any iPhone 12 and later. Everything I’ve read thus far says the contrary, which really sucks. On the plus side, though, the iPhone Air’s Battery Pack retains the accessibility gains of its Lightning-equipped ancestor: that it uses magnetism to adhere itself makes attaching it literally a snap and eminently accessible. Proof positive yet again that MagSafe transcends sheer convenience and is actually a de-facto accessibility feature. Google was right to copy it for its Pixel 10 phones—magnets are a great conduit to charging.
Speaking of cases, as a case diehard myself—not only for protection, but accessibility too—I am deeply impressed by Apple’s new TechWoven cases. Not only are they handsome-looking, the grippy nature of the (fabric?) material adds more friction—ergo, more grip and friction means more security and ultimately more accessibility for those with fine-motor disabilities. The only bad thing is TechWoven is limited, compatibility-wise, to iPhone 17 and 17 Pro Max; I wish they were available for the Air, but nevertheless I’m happy to consider the iPhone 4-like Bumper and the Frosted case for my new phone.
Finally, the crossbody strap. The new lanyard was my biggest surprise in terms of interest, as my time playing with (and wearing!) them in the hands-on area surfaced a lot of ideas about its applicability to accessibility. As someone who uses a cane more for identification than navigation, the problem for me is holding it with one hand whilst I do something else with my other hand. It dawned on me yesterday, the iPhone crossbody strap could potentially aid with that by securely “holding” the iPhone as I use it so as to not drop it or whatever. I could be, say, using the Magnifier app on my phone with it attached to the strap while still holding my cane. I just upgraded to a new telescoping cane from a folding one, named such because it folds into itself when not in use, and while much more compact, still doesn’t solve the ergonomic issue with “holding” the cane while I do something. Short of getting a belt-worn pouch for stashing my cane when not in use, the crossbody strap should make using my phone more accessible at the same time I’m holding my cane for identification purposes.
The Precious ProMotion Pearl-Clutching
It’s New iPhone Season, which means it’s time for my annual admonishment friendly reminder that ProMotion isn’t nearly as table stakes as the embargoed reviewers and influential YouTubers (👋🏼, MKBHD) insist it is in everyday life. I’ve gotten a lot of pushback for this opinion over the years, but I’m not backing down because my argument, as with most things accessibility, drips with nuance that most fail to see.
The nerds are thinking about ProMotion as a marker of technological progress. The base iPhone 17 finally gets ProMotion this year and everyone is rejoicing. I get it, and from that perspective, the jubilation makes perfect sense. What the noise of the nerds’ incessant clamor drowns out is reality: not everyone can see, if at all, ProMotion. The fact of the matter is, to many people with low vision (myself included), the iPhone 16’s 60Hz display may as well be indistinguishable to that of the “better” 120Hz screen of the new iPhone 17. Animations aren’t more fluid. Scrolling isn’t smoother. There’s surely a technical and intellectual distinction, but as a practical matter, there is none to me.
To say that ProMotion is non-negotiable is disingenuous. It’s privileged. The vast majority who crow about its superiority in reviews, on podcasts, and in YouTube videos all have sufficient vision to appreciate it. I don’t begrudge them, but it would be better to emphasize something like “you’ll get better battery” than show us a bunch of senseless scrolling that not everyone can appreciate or relate to. To reiterate, I understand the perspective that Apple should upgrade the iPhone’s display tech for tech’s sake, but that’s only one side of the story. Too much is made about the practical application of ProMotion in everyday life; accessibility aside, I’d contend a regular, non-nerdy person moving from an older iPhone to the new iPhone 17 couldn’t care less about high refresh rate displays as they scroll Instagram or TikTok. And to be crystal clear, this isn’t about taking away a feature people like. This isn’t pie. My stance is about the mainstream tech media curbing their enthusiasm, and more pointedly, checking their abled privilege.
Your eyes may be able to pick up ProMotion—but not everyone’s can! Think about that.
As they say, this is a hill I will die on again and again forevermore.
As always, stay tuned for more coverage on the new iPhones in the coming weeks.
