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The US National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has created a silicon carbide (SiC)-based power module with what is claimed to be record efficiency, power density, and low-cost manufacturability...

On Tuesday, Apple, as usual for a September, unveiled its latest-generation tranche of iPhones, Apple Watches, wireless headphones, and the like, at its as-usual-prerecorded “Awe Inspiring” event (here’s last year’s event coverage from yours truly, if a preparatory memory refresh is necessary). Admittedly, there wasn’t anything terribly surprising unveiled, in no small part because much of it was predictable (last year’s iPhone 16 series was superseded by this year’s 17 series, for example…duh…) and a lot of it was also inevitable, “thanks” to the usual internal, partner (case suppliers and cellular carriers, for example) and supply chain players’ in-advance leaks. Never fear, however: I still found plenty of interesting (at least to me) tidbits big-and-small that I’ll be sharing in the following sections.

The chips

I’ll start with what the engineers out there are most interested in: the new phones’ internals. Much as the generational number-naming cadence for the new phones (three of them, at least: hold that thought) was predictable, so too is the cadence for their SoCs: last year’s A18 processors have been superseded by A19s (again…duh). And as usual, we don’t have a lot of details on them—clock speeds, cache size specifics, etc.—although Geekbench benchmarks on the “Pro” variant are already published. So, what do we know? Here’s the baseline A19, with a CPU cluster comprised of two performance and four efficiency cores, and a five-core GPU:

And here’s what Apple says about it:

Built on third-generation 3-nanometer technology, A19 delivers powerful performance, efficiency, and a huge boost in speed. An updated display engine, ISP, and Apple Neural Engine power features like Apple Intelligence and the latest-generation Photographic Styles. The 6-core CPU is 1.5x faster than the A15 Bionic chip in iPhone 13, and the 5-core GPU is more than 2x faster than A15 Bionic, unlocking stunning graphics and next-level mobile gaming. Neural Accelerators are also built into each GPU core to help run powerful generative AI models on device.

For comparison’s sake, the A18 was also a two-performance-core/four-efficiency-core CPU cluster architecture, with GPU core counts from four to six depending on the target device, albeit “binned” during test from the exact same originating sliver of silicon, I ‘spect.

Now for the A19 Pro:

Same two-performance-core/four-efficiency-core CPU cluster architecture as the baseline A19. So, what’s the “diff”? Apple claims that the “Pro” performance cores have both enhanced branch prediction and front-end bandwidth, and the new efficiency cores have more “last-level” (likely translation: core-shared) cache: a 50% capacity boost, to be precise. Now for the GPU:

Two graphics cluster options, at least so far: 5- and 6-core counts. Stay tuned for which phone(s) each goes into. And here’s what Apple says about the A19 Pro:

A19 Pro is Apple’s most capable iPhone chip yet. When paired with the Apple-designed vapor chamber, A19 Pro enables iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max to deliver up to 40 percent better sustained performance than the previous generation — ideal for gaming, video editing, and running large local language models. The 6-core CPU is the fastest CPU in any smartphone, and the 6-core GPU architecture includes Neural Accelerators built into each GPU core, a larger cache, and more memory than A18 Pro. The GPU works in tandem with the new 16-core Neural Engine to power Al models, stunning graphics, and AAA gaming titles like Arknights: Endfield, enabling hardware-accelerated ray tracing and higher frame rates.

Following both Apple-authored paragraphs I’ve already shared is another one, revealing another IC, this one more revolutionary versus evolutionary, although the concept’s already proven:

The iPhone 17 lineup also introduces N1, a new Apple-designed wireless networking chip that enables Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread. In addition to powering the latest generation of wireless technologies, N1 improves the overall performance and reliability of features like Personal Hotspot and AirDrop.

Apple has long stated its aspiration to “own” as much of the silicon foundation of its products as possible—with the likely exclusion of DRAM and flash memory, along with image sensors—although long-term on that last one, who knows? Broadcom had historically been Apple’s predominant supplier of wireless networking technology, although Apple had already ventured out on its own with earbuds (Bluetooth) and smart watches (both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi). That said, and perhaps obviously, the N1, whose development was rumored back in December, is a notable advancement on this foundation from both performance and functionality standpoints, including the welcome inclusion of Matter-related Thread support.

And speaking of wireless connectivity, what about the cellular side of the family? Apple’s iPhone 16e, introduced earlier this year, had first-time included the company’s in-house-developed cellular subsystem, the C1. Now there’s the C1X successor:

C1X, a new cellular modem designed by Apple…is up to 2x faster than C1, and for the same cellular technologies, it is even faster than the modem in iPhone 16 Pro, while using 30 percent less energy overall. This makes C1X the most power-efficient modem in an iPhone.

That said, the C1X is included in only one of this September’s new phones. Here’s a hint: power consumption is particularly critical with this particular mystery phone model. And the downside: as a result, it doesn’t support mmWave 5G cellular data services. Stay tuned for the details (assuming you haven’t already figured it out after visiting one of the earlier links).

One other IC-related advancement, supported by the A19 SoC series (and presumably future A-, M-, and other-series chips as well), bears mention. It’s Memory Integrity Reinforcement, which Apple describes as follows within a detailed Security Engineering and Architecture (SEAR) post:

Memory Integrity Enforcement (MIE) is the culmination of an unprecedented design and engineering effort, spanning half a decade, that combines the unique strengths of Apple silicon hardware with our advanced operating system security to provide industry-first, always-on memory safety protection across our devices — without compromising our best-in-class device performance. We believe Memory Integrity Enforcement represents the most significant upgrade to memory safety in the history of consumer operating systems…

Memory Integrity Enforcement is built on the robust foundation provided by our secure memory allocators, coupled with Enhanced Memory Tagging Extension (EMTE) in synchronous mode, and supported by extensive Tag Confidentiality Enforcement policies. MIE is built right into Apple hardware and software in all models of iPhone 17 and iPhone Air and offers unparalleled, always-on memory safety protection for our key attack surfaces including the kernel, while maintaining the power and performance that users expect.

With all due respect, SEAR might have gotten at least a bit out over its skis; conceptually similar schemes have already been implemented by Microsoft (in Windows 11) and Arm (supported, for example, by Google beginning with the Pixel 8 series). That said, as The Verge notes:

Apple says its implementation goes a step further, with the ability to protect all users by default and by designing its A19 and A19 Pro chips for enhanced security, while still adding memory safety changes for older hardware that doesn’t support the new memory tagging features. The company also says its new mitigation for Spectre V1 leaks works with “virtually zero CPU cost” — as performance hits have been an issue for memory integrity and other security features — with all of the changes making “mercenary spyware” even more expensive to develop.

Time will tell, I suppose.

The iPhone 17s

(iPhone 17)

(iPhone 17 Pro Series)

Nearly 1,500 words in, and I haven’t even gotten to the products themselves yet? Oh, bother. Let’s speed things along for the remainder of this piece by switching to bullets where possible:

• There are three of them this time: the baseline iPhone 17, the high-end iPhone 17 Pro, and the Pro Max.
• The iPhone 17 runs the baseline A19 SoC, while both “Pro” models embed the six-GPU-core variant of the A19 Pro.
• iPhone 17 capacities start at 256 GBytes, for the same $799 price tag that the 128 GByte iPhone 16 sold for a year ago. That same 128 GByte iPhone 16, now selling for $100 less ($699), is the only capacity variant of that particular 16th-generation model still offered by Apple for purchase (along with both 128 GByte and 256 GByte versions of the iPhone 16 Plus, interestingly, as well as the more recently introduced iPhone 16e, of course). And of course, the iPhone 15s have been expunged from the company’s product line.
• Turn to the Pro variants, and things get even more interesting. Again, there’s no 128 GByte 17th-generation option. But no iPhone 16 Pros (or Pro Maxes, for that matter) are being sold any longer, either, so $1,099 (in fairness, matching what the 256 GByte iPhone 16 sold for a year ago) is now your lowest-priced 17 Pro entry point (therein explaining the “touched by tariffs” nuance in this post’s title). And hey, if you’ve got $2,000+ sitting around begging to be burned, you could instead spend it on a 2 TByte iPhone 17 Pro Max…
• I find this quite interesting; all three phones are sold in both physical SIM (only in some countries) and eSIM-only options. What did Apple do with the internal space freed up by the removal of the physical SIM tray and other hardware bits? They instead devoted it to higher-capacity batteries, at least for Pro models; eSIM-only phones spec longer between-charges operating life.
• In today’s example of “insincere feature set restrictions in order to encourage purchase upgrades”, the USB-C port on the iPhone 17 only runs at USB2-compatible 480 Mbps data transfer rate speeds. Should you wish to shoot video on one of them, you’ll quickly run out of internal storage and then realize that the tethered external-storage bandwidth isn’t up to snuff, either…or you could just proactively buy an iPhone Pro model instead. And before you point to the A19-vs-A19 Pro differentiation as the root cause…the other just-released iPhone (which I’ll discuss next) is A19 Pro-based, but is USB2-only, too.
• Speaking of video (and image capture more generally); both rear cameras on the iPhone 17 now have 48 Mpixel image sensors (vs 12 Mpixels for the ultrawide in the iPhone 16). The same goes for the three cameras on the Pro models (on the 16th generation predecessors, the telephoto was 12 Mpixels). And all three models’ front cameras not only bump up the resolution from 12 Mpixels to 16 Mpixels but also support Center Stage AI-enabled algorithms that dynamically crop and interpolate to keep subjects centered in the frame.
• The displays are now protected by next-generation Ceramic Shield 2 coatings; the back panel on Pro models now has prior-generation Ceramic Shield protection, too. As for sizes and such, the iPhone 17 makes the biggest jumps; from 6.1” diagonal to 6.3” (along with generationally shrunken bezels), now also supporting dynamically switching (to optimize for at-the-moment application need vs battery life, which Apple brands as ProMotion) refresh rates up to 120 Hz (and down to 1 Hz).
• The Pro devices’ frames are now once again aluminum-fabricated, fundamentally (presumably) to simplify the fabrication process and otherwise reduce cost (of the raw material, along with allowing for reuse of scrap) vs titanium. Tariffs strike again…
• And whereas the baseline iPhone 17 RAM capacity is generationally unchanged at 8 GBytes, the Pro variants bump it from 8 to 12 (reportedly) GBytes. AI strikes again…
• Oddly, there’s no black (or near-black) color option offered for either of the Pro models
• All three models continue to rely on Qualcomm cellular subsystems, presumably (if for no other reason) to afford them with optional mmWave 5G support.
• And last, but not least: does that new backside-spanning “camera bar” arrangement for the iPhone 17 Pro models remind you at least somewhat of a Google Pixel, or what?

The iPhone Air

Apple sells “Air” laptops. And “Air” iPads. So, you had to know an “Air”-monicker iPhone was going to arrive sooner or later, right? Right.

A quick aside, once again with the big-picture theme of tariff-counteracting moves to preserve profits. Keen-eyed readers might have noticed that there’s no 6.7″ “Plus” iPhone version in this generation. Granted, the baseline iPhone 17 display is a smidge bigger than it was before, as already noted. But want something brand-new and even bigger, and you’ll need to jump all the way up to the $1,199-or-higher 6.9” iPhone 17 Pro Max…or make a lateral move instead, to the $999-or-more 6.5” iPhone Air.

What do you get for paying $200 more than a baseline iPhone 17 of the same capacity?

• The aforementioned slightly larger display
• The aforementioned more powerful CPU (although this version of the A19 Pro is only “binned” for five active GPU cores, and I’m betting it’s also comparatively underclocked for thermal and battery life reasons)
• A 1 TByte capacity option (for “only” $1,399)
• 09 inches/2.16mm less thickness (0.34 inch/8.75 mm for the iPhone Air, versus 0.31 inch/7.80 mm for the iPhone 17)
• 42 ounces/12 grams less weight (5.82 ounces/165 grams for the iPhone Air, versus 6.24 ounces/177 grams for the iPhone 17)
• And a titanium-based frame. Apple apparently was loath to have another “Bendgate” on its hands…bad pun intended:

And what do you lose, beyond an extra $200? Well…

• A second backside camera
• mmWave 5G cellular data connectivity (this is the “mystery model” mentioned earlier, based on Apple’s C1X chip, if you hadn’t already figured it out)
• Battery life: a 3,149 mAh battery for the iPhone Air, not counting the $99 Air-only MagSafe external battery, versus 3,692 mAh for the iPhone 17
• Slower charging speeds: 20W-max MagSafe and USB-C charging on the iPhone Air, again presumably due to thermal concerns, versus 25W MagSafe and 40W (60W burst) USB-C charging on the iPhone 17
• A physical SIM option, at least in some countries (the iPhone Air is eSIM-only, to squeeze as much battery capacity inside as possible for operating life reasons, presumably)
• And no “17” generational qualifier (which makes me wonder just what the company will call the next one?)

But hey, just like the iPhone 17, the iPhone Air also supports only USB2 480 Mbps-max wired data transfer rates (as I hinted at earlier), so…sigh.

The Apple Watches

(Apple SE 3)

(Apple Series 11)

(Apple Watch Ultra 3)

Nearing 2,500 words. Oh, d-d-d-dear! Apple’s newest-generation watches are modest-at-best upticks from their precursors, truthfully. The SE 3 and Ultra 3 have migrated from the S9 to S10 SoC internally…that said, it’s long been rumored that Apple’s kept its smartwatch SoCs pretty-much-to-completely identical the past few generations, only altering the name stamped on top. Befitting this potential reality, the S10 stays the same from the Series 10 to the new Series 11.

All three watches gain new health-monitoring and -analysis capabilities, which Apple admittedly, surprisingly, also plans to retrofit to recent past smartwatch generations. The entry-level SE 3 also inherits the previous mainstream-and-above-only always-on display option. At the high end, the Ultra 3 gets direct-connect satellite communications capabilities…nearly three weeks later than the notably more affordable (roughly half the price, in fact) Google Pixel Watch 4, and nearly a week behind Garmin’s also-satellite-cognizant fēnix 8 Pro. Oh, and dual-band GPS. See earlier versus-Google Pixel Watch 4 comment.

The AirPods Pro 3

Last, but not least, new-generation high-end Bluetooth earbuds (following their year-ago updated mainstream siblings). Y’know, when references to an unannounced product show up in released (albeit beta) software, my general rule of thumb is that the product won’t stay unannounced for long, capisce?

Here’s what Apple claims about the AirPods Pro 3:

AirPods Pro 3 deliver unbelievable sound quality and the world’s best in-ear Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) — removing up to 2x more noise than the previous-generation AirPods Pro, and 4x more than the original AirPods Pro.

Independent rumors and ears-on analysis admittedly back up the company’s comparative-ANC claims, but are more reserved in their audio-quality improvement assessments (then again, when I want to do critical music listening, Apple earbuds are not what I’d think to grab first…or second…or…). The H3 SoC upgrade-enabled inclusion of heart-rate detection is interesting; I just hope that lightning doesn’t strike twice, re Apple-owned Beats’ Powerbeats 2 inability to walk and chew gum at the same time (more accurately: play music while tracking heart rate on gym equipment). I mean…isn’t listening to music the fundamental point of these things?

Live language translation (and live broadcast of that translation to another AirPods set wearer) is something I very much look forward to trying out..and I will, because ever-generous Apple is backfilling the feature to the AirPods Pro 2, too (Q: Did you say AirPods Pro 2, Brian? A: Yes, I did, and genuine ones too; a story for another day). The transition from silicon to foam ear tips is interesting, too. And generally-generous Apple now includes five different-sized tip sets for optimal user fit purposes. But generosity has limits. No bundled USB-C cable (any more) for you. Have I yet mentioned tariff costs leading to counterbalancing cost reductions elsewhere?

Miscellany

Speaking of wireless earbuds, shortly before the launch event, a teaser video of Beats’ latest Powerbeats Fit appeared on Apple’s own YouTube channel:

But as I write these words, they’re not yet officially announced. My theory: Apple intentionally held them back, wanting to showcase earbuds that only work with Apple devices versus (also? Instead?) introducing ones that were cross-platform, including…insert ominous pipe organ sound…Android.

Other tidbits:

• Much as I’ve needled Apple versus Google in this writeup, I’m compelled to point out that all the products that Apple announced on Tuesday will be available for preorder on Friday, September 12, with in-store sales (and shipments) commencing the following Friday, September 19. In contrast, a notable chunk of what Google announced three weeks ago won’t be available until next month.
• Speaking of dates, the various “26” operating systems unveiled at WWDC in June will all “go gold” on Monday, September 15. That said, I’ve already got the “gold” versions of Google’s Material 3 Expressive revamps running on my Pixel phones and Pixel Watch and am lovin’ em, so….
• And one final bit of evidence of Apple’s (sometimes) generosity: the company has extended its free satellite connectivity promotion to iPhone owners for another year.

So, there you go: an as-usual mix of the impressive, the mundane, and multiple points in between. That said, who am I trying to fool? “It’s all for naught;” Apple will sell everything it’s got (yes, especially the iPhone Air). Having passed through 3,000 words a few paragraphs ago, undoubtedly spiking poor Aalyia’s blood pressure in the process, thus concludes today’s Winnie the Pooh-themed post. Let me know your thoughts in the comments!

—Brian Dipert is the Editor-in-Chief of the Edge AI and Vision Alliance, and a Senior Analyst at BDTI and Editor-in-Chief of InsideDSP, the company’s online newsletter.

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