Episode Summary
Executive Summary: The episode analyzes Apple’s September 2016 event in depth, praising the Apple Watch Series 2, the Series 1 upgrade strategy, and the iPhone 7’s camera, battery, and water resistance improvements. The hosts are divided on Apple’s removal of the headphone jack, but agree Apple made a deliberate, future-facing bet. They also discuss Nintendo’s move into iOS, synthetic portrait bokeh, and Apple’s diversity improvements on stage.
Main Topics: Apple Watch Series 2 and Series 1 strategy: The hosts strongly endorse Apple’s watch update: GPS, better waterproofing, brighter display, and a faster CPU for the new Series 2, while the older watch becomes Series 1 with a CPU upgrade and lower entry price. iPhone 7 industrial design and Jet Black finish: Discussion centered on the largely unchanged exterior, the new Jet Black color, grip vs scratch concerns, and whether Apple’s revised design is a meaningful improvement or mostly a cosmetic refresh. Headphone jack removal and Apple’s ‘courage’ framing: The hosts debate whether removing the 3.5mm jack is justified. One side sees it as a consumer-unfriendly forced transition; the other argues it enables design, battery, and water-resistance improvements and will become normal over time. Camera upgrades and dual-lens bokeh on iPhone 7 Plus: They praise the improved single-camera optics, optical image stabilization, wider aperture, and RAW support, but are skeptical of Apple’s software-generated portrait blur as a substitute for true optical depth of field. Wireless audio, AirPods, and Bluetooth replacement: The conversation weighs Apple’s AirPods and W1 chip against standard Bluetooth, with one side arguing Apple is solving real pairing/charging pain points and the other warning that a universal port is being replaced by a narrower ecosystem solution. Nintendo on iOS and app-store monetization: Nintendo’s presence in the keynote is treated as a major cultural moment, but the hosts view the announced Mario game as conservative and likely monetized via a fixed unlock rather than endless in-app purchases. Apple’s presentation style and diversity improvements: The hosts praise the event’s pacing, Tim Cook’s Carpool Karaoke intro, Phil Schiller’s delivery, and Apple’s improved on-stage diversity, though they note progress still relies heavily on third-party faces and imagery.
Key Arguments: The Apple Watch update is the most practical part of the event because both Series 1 and Series 2 are good products, and Apple finally removed the need to warn buyers away from the original slow model. Apple’s decision to keep the same watch form factor while upgrading the internals is smart because it lowers entry price, improves performance, and preserves compatibility for developers and buyers. The iPhone 7’s water resistance, better battery life, and improved camera are meaningful because they reduce common failure modes and improve everyday use more than a redesign would. Removing the headphone jack is controversial, but Apple’s rationale is that the port consumes valuable space and the company believes a wireless future is better; the hosts disagree on whether that tradeoff is worth it. The new portrait blur effect is innovative but still synthetic; real optical bokeh is preferable, and software blur may look artificial in many scenes. Apple is likely to win on AirPods and other wireless accessories because convenience, ecosystem integration, and better pairing may overcome Bluetooth’s historical friction. Nintendo on iPhone is important strategically, but the Mario title shown is conservative compared with the riskier and more successful Pokemon Go model. The event’s improved diversity is a positive signal, though much of the visible diversity still comes from guests and external footage rather than Apple leadership itself.
Data Points: Apple Music subscribers: 17 million - Mentioned during the keynote segment pushing Apple Music as a growing service. Apple Watch Series 2 starting price: $369 - New default Apple Watch price after the update. Apple Watch Series 1 starting price: $269 - Older model retained in the lineup at a lower price. Previous Apple Watch starting price: $399 - Referenced as the pre-update baseline for the main watch model. Apple Watch water resistance: IP67 - The Series 2 is rated for immersion up to 1 meter for 30 minutes. iPhone 7 water resistance: IP67 - The phone is described as dust- and water-resistant to the same standard. Maximum immersion depth: 1 meter / 3.2 feet - The device should survive submersion at this depth for about 30 minutes. iPhone 7 camera aperture: f/1.8 - Improved lens aperture for better low-light performance. Light-gathering improvement: 50% more light - Apple’s claim for the iPhone 7 camera over the prior model. A10 high-performance core improvement: 40% faster than A9 - Apple’s stated CPU performance gain. A10 GPU improvement: 6-core, 50% faster than A9 - Graphics performance claim for the new chip. Low-power cores: 2 cores at 20% of the power of the high-performance cores - A10’s heterogeneous CPU design for efficiency. Battery life gain: 2 hours more than iPhone 6S - Claimed improvement for iPhone 7 battery life. Battery life gain on Plus model: 1 hour more than iPhone 6S Plus - Claimed improvement for iPhone 7 Plus battery life. Jet Black storage options: 128 GB and 256 GB only - The glossy black finish is positioned as a premium variant. AppleCare screen replacement price: $30 - Quietly reduced from a higher price, encouraging case-free use. Apple Watch Series 2 thickness increase: about 1 mm thicker - Noted as a tradeoff for the larger battery and GPS hardware. AirPods charging claim: 3 hours from 15 minutes of charging - Used in the Bluetooth vs wireless discussion.
Pivotal Quotes: "we thought it was great" — Host: Reaction to Tim Cook and James Corden’s Carpool Karaoke opener. "It was holding us back from a number of things we wanted to put into the iPhone" — Dan Riccio (quoted in discussion): Used to justify removing the headphone jack and reclaiming internal space. "We felt like it" — Host paraphrasing Apple’s reasoning: Summarizing Apple’s core explanation for removing the headphone port.
Implications: Apple is betting that convenience, ecosystem integration, and hardware simplification will outweigh short-term backlash. If these updates work well, they strengthen watch adoption, camera-driven upgrades, and wireless audio norms across the industry.