Apple launches new watches, AirPods and foldable iPhone

Apple has unveiled its most extensive product refresh of the year at its "Surprise and Shine" event, introducing the Apple Watch Series 12, Apple Watch Ultra 4, AirPods 5, the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, and its first foldable iPhone, the iPhone Duo. Preorders for the watches and earbuds opened on September 10, with retail availability across the United States, India and the United Arab Emirates beginning September 18. The Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 are built on Apple's new S11 chip, which the company describes as its most powerful wearable processor. Both watches measure heart rate every five seconds and track heart rate variability more frequently, and both introduce a readiness score, a daily figure from zero to 10 that draws on activity, training load, vital signs and sleep data to indicate whether users should rest or push forward. The Series 12 comes in 42mm and 46mm sizes with aluminium, titanium and ceramic finishes, and Apple claims up to 24 hours of battery life, up to 10 hours during workouts and up to 12 hours from a 15-minute charge.