Apple Unveils Series 12 and Ultra 4 Smartwatches With AI Audio Features
The tech giant introduced new Siri ambient listening capabilities, biometric sensors, and automated daily recaps at its Cupertino launch event.
Apple introduced the Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 during an event at its headquarters in Cupertino, California, integrating new artificial intelligence capabilities aimed at daily activity tracking and speech transcription, as first reported by TechCrunch.
While the hardware design of both devices remains largely consistent with prior iterations, Apple focused heavily on software enhancements under a new suite of "Audio Intelligence" tools. These features allow users to transcribe and summarize spoken conversations in real time, entering direct competition with a growing market of dedicated AI wearable products.
Among the core software additions is "Live Rewind," which enables users to view a text transcript of the preceding 15 seconds of spoken audio by double-pressing the device's Digital Crown. Users can query Siri regarding the contents of the transcript or store the generated text within a newly designed Siri application for future reference.
The update also features "Siri Recap," an ambient listening function designed to capture key takeaways from events such as work meetings or personal appointments. Following a conversation, Apple Intelligence automatically categorizes the session with a title and bulleted points inside the Siri application. Additionally, a specialized Sound Recognition feature monitors environmental audio for alerts like sirens, doorbells, alarms, or a crying baby to assist hearing-impaired users. Apple stated that none of these audio capabilities record or store actual sound files on the device or in the cloud.
On the hardware side, both smartwatches received structural updates to their biometric sensing arrays. Apple expanded the surface area of the device electrodes to improve contact during electrocardiogram (ECG) scans, while optical heart-rate tracking now utilizes redesigned photodiodes arranged in a circular configuration alongside energy-efficient green light-emitting diodes.
These sensor modifications enable the smartwatches to gather background heart-rate measurements every five seconds continuously throughout the day, representing a 60-fold increase in sampling frequency compared to previous models.
Apple also added wellness metric aggregators to watchOS, including a daily readiness score similar to those found on consumer smart rings, which evaluates recent sleep patterns, physical activity, and vitals. A separate "Health Age" metric compares an individual's actual age against performance indicators like sleep quality and VO2 max levels.
The Apple Watch Series 12 will retail with a base price of $399, while the Apple Watch Ultra 4 is priced starting at $499.
Sources
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