Summary of this post generated by Apple Inteligence:
The author discusses their recent Apple Watch purchases, including the Series 10 and Ultra 2. They recommend the Series 10 for its value and features, while the Ultra 2 is considered a poor value proposition due to its similarities to the previous model. The author also expresses frustration with Apple’s inconsistent watch materials and colors, and suggests that the Ultra 2’s DLC coating may be the only reason to buy it.
The author expresses disappointment with the lack of an Apple Watch SE2 and AirPods Pro 3, but praises the AirPods 4 and iPhone 16 Pro Max. They highlight the iPhone’s impressive features and suggest that most people should buy the iPhone 16 Plus with 256GB of storage and AppleCare. The author also expresses excitement about the iPhone’s improved charging speed, camera capabilities, and the Action button.
I’ve started this post a few times, and I continue to dump things over on Mastodon than this blog in bits and pieces.
Introduction:
Following the Apple announcement, I ordered a Hermès Polished Stainless Steel Apple Watch 46mm with the new Hermès link bracelet for a pre-tax price of $1950. I cancelled that order (more on that later) and instead bought an Apple Watch Ultra 2 in DLC-coated Black with a Black Titanium Milanese bracelet. I cancelled that order a day later.
I looked over at my Lightning-equipped AirPods Pro 2 and considered replacing those as I should have done a year ago when this product was unchanged except for the addition of a USB-C port and a small tweak done to better support Apple Vision Pro, but since I charge my AirPods with a MagSafe charger and don’t currently own a Vision Pro, I held off.
A week ago, I opened my MacBook Pro at 8 a.m. and ordered a replacement for my iPhone 14 Pro Max (Gold/1TB). I bought the newest model that replaces it, a 16 Pro Max still with 1 terabyte in that shiny new Desert color. Given I only have 180 gigabytes free on my iPhone 14, I felt that was a good place to be for its replacement.
So this left me at the end of last week having purchased only an iPhone ($1599), but when I listed my iPhone 14 on Swappa, I decided to also list the Ultra. I thought the Ultra would never sell at $650, and the iPhone would not sell at $1050. Sadly, they both sold within 24 hours…well, I say sadly not because of the money I made but because they sold so quickly. By Monday, I had shipped both my iPhone and Apple Watch Ultra 1 to the buyers and had to spend 5 days without a phone or watch. I’ve done it before and am happy to have gotten 2X trade-in value on both.
Apple Watch Series 10 and Ultra 2 (2024)
The Aluminum Apple Watch has always been the basic watch. I buy them as gifts for people who don’t have an Apple Watch. I’m an Edition owner through and through. This year, the Jet Black Aluminum Apple Watch in 46mm that’s thinner, larger, and has the best OLED display on an Apple Watch ever is the one to buy for nearly everyone. It has feature parity except for the lack of Sapphire glass to the $700 Titanium model and the $1200 Hermès model. It’s the Apple Watch to buy. If you have $200+ trade-in value on your Apple Watch and are in the United States and don’t need blood oxygen sensing, upgrade to the Series 10 Jet Black Aluminum 46mm Apple Watch.
The Apple Watch Ultra 2 is the worst value proposition of this year’s lineup. It’s last year’s watch with the addition of a new color, which I have to say is huge. It’s the only Diamond Like Carbon-coated Apple Watch in the 2024 lineup, and so if you don’t think the Ultra 3 will be revolutionary and need an Apple Watch today that has multi-day battery life and the brightest screen, get the DLC model, not because it’s black but because it has the strongest case of any Apple Watch on sale. If you need an Ultra, buy an Ultra 1 refurbished or used for $400-$500 and bide your time for an Ultra 3 next year. There are many reasons to get an Ultra, but the Ultra 2 isn’t the watch you need if you can hold out until 2025. Tom’s Guide compares the specifications between the Ultra 2 and Series 10. You don’t have to need all of those features to want 3 days of battery life.
Apple Watch Hermès has been on my list for a while. In previous years, Hermès just meant getting special watch faces and Hermès leather bands. Buying from Hermès, you can still get leather bands, but over time, Hermès started to gain exclusive colors / materials. This continues in 2024. With Apple Watch Titanium having 4 finishes, Natural, Slate, Gold, and Polished, but Polished comes at a $200 premium and is exclusive to Hermès. What does $200 get you? A collection of Hermès watch faces, an extra year warranty, and a finish of polished titanium that looks identical to the previously standard stainless steel (non-space-black). If you have a collection of Hermès bands, you’ll know that their band loops that connect to the Apple Watch are polished stainless steel, so the only watch available where your Hermès bands match seamlessly in 2024 is this year’s Hermès polished titanium. I arrived at that price because if you look at the MSRP of the Hermès bands, which is the cheapest at $349, the watch is $200 more than the other titanium watches. It remains the only watch (now that the Edition is no more) that comes with a 1-year extra warranty and AppleCare added gives you 3 years versus 2 with every other watch sold. I do recommend you buy your Hermès watch from Apple.com and deal with the lack of any leather bands being available, then purchase a leather band from Hermès.com directly. The reason is Hermès.com has a horrible return policy (store credit), whereas Hermès on Apple.com has the standard return policy. I now have two Hermès straps and will probably buy a few more in the next 12 months, hedging my bets that Apple will not change the band connectors in 2025. That is a pipe dream.
Before we move on, a few other notes:
I love that the link bracelets are now $350 instead of $500 as they were before last week’s event. They are unchanged in design and materials, except you can no longer purchase a DLC-treated Space Black link (bummer), but I love that this band continues.
Titanium is a great material and is better than stainless steel (lighter), but I guess Apple Watch colors / materials are getting difficult to track or just maybe I’m getting old. I want aluminum, stainless, titanium, and ceramic all available. Change the insides, make the watch better, and allow people to spend $299 up to $1299 and pick their materials. If they want their aluminum to be Hermès for $200 more, fine, that’s up to them. If they want their watch DLC coated titanium or DLC coated stainless, that’s up to them. My fashion changes, and having 12+ different watch cases available (color + materials), that’s up to me. Falling in love with Space Black Stainless steel, then being forced to purchase the Hermès versions (series 7) to get that, and then Edition being Ceramic for a year before going to Titanium, and then being cancelled….and now to get a watch that matches my Hermès bands (polished stainless steel) and having to buy the Hermès versions just to get a polished steel look (even though it’s titanium), it’s just all very frustrating. Finally, if you want any DLC-coated watch in 2024, you have to buy the Ultra 2 in black. I’m just exhausted. Either give me one watch to buy every year or make them all available at various price points. I have spent hours pouring over watch options, and I have to do this every single year, and I just want Apple to refresh the features and sell me the case material & color that I want. Come on!
The original and still available Milanese Loop is great, but like others have reported, wasn’t a great fit for the Ultra. The redesign tackled every shortcoming. The Ultra is heavy, and the Milanese being magnetic at the clasp didn’t do well. In fact, it would almost slide open more and more throughout the day. The Ultra was just too heavy. It wasn’t built for Ultra activities, so anything that grabbed that magnetic clasp would also open it, so more jewelry bracelet than functional. I think the Ultra Milanese solves the shortcomings, and I can’t wait to wear it. The only lingering question is the Ultra Milanese in Titanium also DLC coated if you order it in black? We’ll find out once I’ve worn mine for a month or two.
The Series 10 46mm screen is vastly superior in every way but peak brightness than the Ultra 2, as is the SIP being 10th gen instead of 9th and the fast-charging function, but the Ultra still bests it in a lot of ways. But I’m pretty amazed that the Ultra 2 doesn’t have the new screen or SIP. Disappointing, actually, but that’s why it’s still known as Series 2.
I’m very surprised that Series 10 didn’t have a full case redesign like the iPhone X had for the 10th model, even though nerds like me know the Series 10 is actually the 11th Apple Watch Generation, and next year will be its 12th generation.
I feel like writing is on the wall for updated band connections, in which case I may keep my Ultra 2 a full 2 years in order to get as much time as I can with my over 20 different bands, including a few $400 Hermès bands that I’ll be really sad to lose. This is the only reason I cancelled my nearly $2,000 Hermès + Link Bracelet order because the amount of remorse I’d feel only having that $950 band for a single year was just too high.
We didn’t get an Apple Watch SE2 this year. Apple Watch starts at $399. I think Apple needs an “unapologetically plastic” Watch SE 2 in one size at $199. It can be a Series 7 SIP and have an LCD display and not have Sleep Apnea detection or music playback out of the speaker, but like the $129 AirPods that will be $99 on sale, Apple Watch should be $199 at the lowest. I just feel like that’s a magic price point where Apple could dominate the wearables market more than they do today. $199 is “uncle Christmas gift” territory.
AirPods:
I am disappointed there is no AirPods Pro 3, but I’m frankly impressed that Apple has continued to improve these over time. They are in their 3rd year and continue to improve.
AirPods Max —- I see these EVERYWHERE. Everyone in my office has them, everyone at the gym is using them so much that I see more AirPods Max than I do AirPods (Pro or non-pro), and I see them on the trails and people using them in cafes. They’re insanely popular and at their magical $400 price point on sale, they’re selling like hotcakes. Adding USB-C is one year overdue and frankly insulting. Apple should have made the new price $399, added USB-C, and called it a day at a minimum. Alternatively, AirPods Max are now $350 and include the H2 chip along with a lighter weight, and that would have been a home run. These were never $550 headphones, and their value prop is at an all-time low.
AirPods 4 —— Home run, Apple. They’ll be a $99 Black Friday deal in the non-ANC version and $129 with ANC, and they’re smaller, lighter, better, and have wireless charging. Amazing job, Apple. This Christmas, anyone who doesn’t already have AirPods will be getting a pair. This is huge, and they’re going to sell so many of these.
iPhone:
It has been really difficult to sit on the sidelines while every blogger calls Apple’s 2024 iPhone “boring”. We’re 17 years into the iPhone. There are a billion active iPhones in use globally, and Apple manages to do something new every single year and sell iPhones that cost up to $1599 for a phone. It’s pretty amazing.
I also have to call you guys out on this. Please get out of the habit of comparing year-over-year phones. Please get in the habit of defaulting to 3-year upgrade cycles and mentioning 2-year improvements. There are single-digit percentages of people who will take a new iPhone every year, so telling me how this compares to an iPhone 15 is useless. Just use the iPhone 13 Pro as an example. USB-C, Dynamic Island, larger screen, 5X zoom, 48 megapixel cameras with pixel binning, Portrait Night mode, Brighter screens, iMessage over satellite, amazingly huge battery improvements, better repairability, 60% faster CPU/GPUs, Action Button, Camera Button, thinner bezels, and there are hundreds of additional WOW features.
For the first time since the Pro phones were announced, most people should buy an iPhone 16 Plus with 256GB of storage and AppleCare.
This is a huge win, and those phones are going to be great for the next 5 years and serve everyone really well.
For folks who want 120Hz refresh, a larger screen, a better screen, better cameras, longer battery life, and more, then get the Pro model. It’s $200 more up front, and you get a better experience.
I’m coming from an iPhone 14 Pro, and while this was a feature last year, I am thrilled to have an iPhone coming that can do very fast data transfers. I just completed a one-month, 12,000-mile motorcycle trip, and every day for a month, I sat in my tent at night waiting for 4K, 60FPS videos to transfer over USB-2 to my Mac via Image Capture. It takes a very long time. Apple has not given me a removable storage option, so while my GoPro, DJI drone, Canon R5, Leica Q3, and Insta 360 all have cards that go into the SD card slot on my Mac, I’m waiting an hour for videos to transfer to my Mac.
I no longer have to suffer once I’m on a 16 Pro Max.
Other things I’m excited about are 25-watt MagSafe and support for Qi2 charging. I’ve ordered from Peak Design four Qi2 chargers for my cars and motorcycles so I can finally be free of 7.5-watt charging, which is how all of my vehicles work today, so it’ll be nice to have that improved charging speed and convenience. I’m digging 48-megapixel sensors on 2 of the 3 cameras, but I’d like it on the 3rd. The 2X speed improvement on the iPhone sensor should be ProRaw, which will be much faster, and JPEG-XL encoding will be quick thanks to the A18 Pro. The battery improvement is good, the screen brightness will be higher, and there are some video features I’m super stoked about.
This is my first time with the Action button, which I plan on using for the flashlight, and having a dedicated camera button will be interesting, and I hope to love it.
If the iPad Pro M4 is any indication of what kind of speeds I’ll experience, I’m very excited. Photo Library, Machine Learning, searching, editing, or encoding video. It’s all going to be faster. This is a good thing. I’ll also experience faster Wi-Fi and 5G speeds.
I used to be an annual upgrader, but I’m settling into bi-annual, but maybe one day I’ll go every 3 years, but only if Apple releases a phone that gives me 3 years of AppleCare.
More detail on that last remark. The iPhone is worth more in a working version. If the iPhone fails one day after 2 years of ownership, I effectively have a paperweight. My iPhone 14 Pro Max with 1 week left on the warranty sold for $1050. If I kept it an additional year and it died, I’d have to cough up hundreds of dollars to repair it out of warranty or put it in a box as non-working and lose out on effectively $1000 resale value. Will the iPhone die before I replace it at the end of year 3? Probably not, but AppleCare includes 2 accidental damage incidents, and so dropping it and breaking it between years 2 and 3 is highly likely. The only thing I can consider as an option is that I do buy all of my iPhones with my American Express Platinum card, which affords a 1-year extension to your warranty, so I’ve heard some people who buy the iPhone and attach AppleCare at the time of purchase mean they have a 3-year warranty, and I’ve heard stories of Amex honoring that, so maybe I’m good? I just don’t think my iPhone 14 Pro Max will be worth $1050 in a year when the 17 is released,more like $500, which upgrading every 2 years costs me $550 out of pocket. Not bad. We’ll see how I feel when the iPhone 18 Pro is announced.
Even though I no longer need to get a Max-model to get all of the features, I’m sticking with Max. It has the higher resale value that more than makes up for the $100 price premium, sells faster, and AppleCare is the same price despite the higher risk of damage with drops. It also has a longer battery life. I have extra-large hands, so the larger phones have never been an issue for me. I will say too that when you’re on a motorcycle for a month and relying on the phone for everything, that larger screen is a huge benefit. I could easily go back to a non-Max model, but I see no reason to do so when the cost is only $100 more and no other downsides.
Other Observations:
- I’m surprised Spatial Video recording didn’t increase to 4K.
- Apple iCloud storage is still just 5GB for free and 50GB for 99 cents.
- Apple didn’t have any services announcements at WWDC or the iPhone event. I expected Apple to update iCloud pricing, fix the discrepancy between Apple One Premium and storage (you save no money by paying Apple for their highest tier if you’re going to add the 6/12 terabyte storage packages. You actually pay much more per terabyte if you’re on the highest tier versus just being on their family plan).
- I was hoping to get more information about Satellite SOS and eventually what Apple will charge for that or if it’ll be baked into iCloud+.
- Apple’s ChatGPT integration is still a mystery.
- FineWoven is dead for iPhone cases but seemingly has no replacement, and Apple just sells Silicone and Polycarbonate (plastic) cases now.
- There are no next-gen MagSafe docks on the market yet.
- No charging AirPods via iPhone’s MagSafe connector.
- No MagSafe charger replacement with USB-C (I still use my Lightning one).
- 45 Watt charging the iPhone is amazing.
- 0-80% Apple Watch charging in 30 minutes is amazing.
- No iPhone Ultra this year.
Summary:
I spent $850 for an Ultra 2 with Milanese Loop in black and $1599 for an iPhone 16 Pro Max 1TB. I will be visiting the Apple Store to check out the other new watch bands and hoping to pick up a star-fruit case while I wait for my Peak Design case to ship, so I will add on another $200 in accessories.
I hope Apple gives us an OLED MacBook Pro M4 Max next month, but if they don’t, I will be saving a lot of money by keeping my M1 Max another year.
Finally, Best Buy continues to be the best place to buy non-BTO Apple products. I’ll enjoy 2 years of AppleCare for free by purchasing those 2 devices via Best Buy instead of Apple as a part of Best Buy Total. It’s been an amazing program that covers thousands of dollars in devices we own.