eXtensions - Monday 15 September 2025
By Graham K. Rogers
The Apple event last week was pretty much as expected with the new iPhones. The locations of separate parts of the announcements added some spice to the event. As well as iPhones, other products - AirPods, AppleWatch - were also announced. All introduced welcome updates. The US pricing as announced seemed reasonable in the face of the recent economic vandalism. Thailand was again in the first wave of releases with pre-orders opening last Friday. I was, however, disappointed in the unusually high prices here. A comparison table shows why.
Rumor had it that eight new products were to be released at the Apple event. As well as the iPhones, and the Apple Watch variants, new AirPods were also predicted. As for other hardware, it was wait and see. Around 6pm reports online told us that the Apple stores were offline. I was pleased that earlier in the day I took screenshots of some Apple devices so that I might think about any rises in the price. I noted that I would be annoyed if tariffs on goods to the USA from India and elsewhere are added here. I am fed up subsidizing US users when users here never have the full set of features: Siri, Exercise, News, satellite, and more. Even in the minutes before the event started, more rumors were appearing online, some about colors of the new products. Not wasting time early the next morning, I skimmed the headlines, made quick notes, then spent the weekend filling in some of the gaps.
The reality was. . .
1. AirPods 3 (rumored before the event, this product update was expected). The features were noise cancellation, heart rate monitoring, a translation mode (limited languages), better fit, and upgraded water resistance
Comments: The translation feature on the AirPods will also be available on older versions, Ed Hardy writes. However, as the translation is done on the iPhone, the user will need the iOS 26 update on the handheld device.
Well . . . if I think I am hard done by because there is no Thai translation, pity those in the EU, eh? Tim Hardwick (MacRumors) reports that Live Translation with AirPods won't be available if both the user is physically in the EU and their Apple Account region is in the EU." It is all about EU regulations again, Hardwick explains. The way they think they are being smart about protecting data and privacy sure means that some good features are left out of reach.
Just joining some dots here (and bringing in the recent UK request for access to iCloud), Zack Whittacker (TechCrunch) writes that the French authorities have revealed that Apple warned some individuals of hacking attacks on their phones. EU regulations may not always be viable if you want security from some of those attacks on smartphones, with the way tech companies design their systems.
2. iPhones. There is little that was unexpected here: iPhone 17, Air (not iPhone 17 Air - thinnest phone ever, eSIM only, MagSafe battery bank). Thinness seems to be an obsession at Apple. iPhone 17 Pro (48MP camera, 200mm zoom, aluminum case and vapor chamber cooling), 120Hz display, A19 chip, camera upgrades, Pro Motion displays for all iPhones.
Comments: Once again, Thailand is among the 63 countries in the first wave of iPhone releases. Ordering started on Friday (12 Sep) and delivery begins 7 days later. I expected the orange version of the iPhone 17 Pro to be a hit. Within a short time of orders opening on Friday, the delivery times for this began to be extended into October.
That longer battery life will not be seen in some countries, and the reason is the eSim. iPhones, such as those sold in the USA, are eSIM only. In other countries, for regulations and/or carrier requirements, the iPhone may need to have a SIM tray option (all have the eSIM and I have been using this since the iPhone 13 here). As Benjamin Mayo (9to5Mac) explains, the space that the tray would use is given over to a larger battery in the eSIM-only phones. The eSIM is causing some problems in China as the authorities there are not happy about this, perhaps because it limits their control.
While the iPhone Air uses titanium, the iPhone Pro and Pro Max use aluminum. This is lighter than titanium and has better heat dissipation. Although I had not experienced any overheating on my iPhone 15 Pro, others did report this and Apple has decided to change the material to cover this point. Like the icon for the Awe Dropping event, Apple showed heat spectra images in the presentation
Ryan Christoffel (9to5Mac) also comments on the design innovation he found in the thin iPhone Air, comparing the USB-C port in the M4 iPad Pro. In the new device Apple has gone to unusual lengths to redesign the USB port in the titanium housing. He writes that this is "a pretty fascinating example of the lengths Apple has gone to in its quest to make the thinnest iPhone ever." Also commenting on this, David Snow (Cult of Mac) writes that this uses a "3D-printed titanium USB-C port".
Later, Tim Hardwick (MacRumors) reported on a new feature that had not been announced at the event: a new memory security feature. The "feature targets spyware tools like Pegasus that exploit vulnerabilities" adding, "MIE provides comprehensive, always-on memory-safety protection covering the kernel and over 70 userland processes, built on the Enhanced Memory Tagging Extension (EMTE)." I wondered if this should actually be UserLAnd technology: an app for running Linux on Android; but this is more likely to refer to code that leverages PHP extensions and the core, as neither Linux nor Android are used on iPhones as far as I know.
As I was watching the iPhone 17 and iPhone Air presentations at the event, I was certain that either would be good enough for my purposes. Then I saw the iPhone 17 Pro and thought instead that this may well end up as my choice. I noted that unlike previous years, all of the phones this time have variations on the A19 chip. Ryan Christoffel (9to5Mac) comments on this.
When I looked at the Thai online store, the prices, particularly for the iPhone 17 Pro began to nag at me. The previous model, the iPhone 16 Pro started at 39,900 baht. In the presentation it seemed that Apple were keeping the prices low: the iPhone 17 Pro in the USA (before tax) at $1099. Adding 7% to that, to take into account VAT here, gives $1175.93. At current rates, this converts to 37332.64 baht, so the 43,900 price of the device here, seemed somewhat overpriced. Normally prices follow a degree of parity (say 500 baht or so) but this is over 6,000 baht ($189): almost 2.5 times the 7% VAT. I am aware that the markets have been disturbed by the arrival of tariffs, but the US price looks as if the iPhone 17 Pro has ducked any price increase because of tariffs from goods made in India, while (paradoxically) there are no tariffs in Thailand from trade with India.
Although I had done a quick calculation on the iPhone 17 Pro and saw it to be higher than the US price, this nagged at me, so I did a breakdown of the entry-level iPhones (256GB storage) and their relative prices:
| Model | US Price before taxes | Conversion to Baht | Add 7% VAT | Price in Online Store | Difference ± |
| iPhone 17 | $799 | 25384 Baht | 27160 Baht | 29900 | +2740 Baht |
| iPhone Air | $999 | 31738 Baht | 33959 Baht | 39900 Baht | +5941 Baht |
| iPhone Pro | $1099 | 34915 Baht | 37359 Baht | 43900 Baht | +6541 Baht |
As someone who takes a lot of photographs using cameras (and iPhones), I far prefer landscape mode for most of my shots, although the Hasselblad I have takes 6 x 6 images, and square is square. I use a square view on the iPhone as well as the Noir filter. In editing iPhone photographs, I can easily switch to color, and if there is a need for a wider view, I can edit that as well. The selfie is a different matter. Although I take few of these, I am aware that my friends, family, my students and plenty of others do take selfies: according to Apple, some 500 billion selfies were taken last year.
As with video clips, the preference for many users is to hold the phone in portrait mode. It is easier, and safer, especially if using one hand. But the group photo really needs landscape mode. Lewis Wallace (Cult of Mac) reports on the solution that Apple has come up that uses AI to take a landscape mode photo while holding the iPhone 17 in portrait mode.
3. Apple Watch (11, Ultra 3, 5g, satellite connectivity [another feature not for here], Watch SE: Hypertension detection [Watch 9 and 10 will also have this], Sleep score, 5G, improved battery.
It was initially reported that the hypertension feature was awaiting FDA approval, but Chance Miller (9to5Mac) reported on Thursday that this had now been granted. Arrival here needs local approval.
4. iOS 26 release, 15 September (+macOS, watchOS). Back up, back up, back up.
5. Cases and accessories. As usual there is a wide range of cases and accessories. After previous criticisms of materials used, the new TechWoven cases look fairly nice (2,390 baht here). There are other materials, like silicone and plastic (including a clear case). A new Crossbody strap was announced (2,390 baht). While the tech press hated this, users apparently do not.
6. As well as the C chip (see below) Apple announced the N1 chip (Benjamin Mayo, 9to5Mac). This is to manage Bluetooth, wifi and threads. Joe Rossignol discusses the WiFi 7 limitations of the N1 chip that mean users will not be able to access the full bandwidth of the standard, so speeds will be limited, although he notes that "real-world performance is typically already bottlenecked by internet service providers and other factors."
7. The C1X chip (a new modem) was announced - Ryan Christoffel (9to5Mac) reports on this surprise release. The new chip is reported to double the speed of the C1
Related to the iPhone releases, was news that Ookla had tested the speed of the C1 modem on the iPhone 16e. I have the Ookla speed test installed on my devices and use it often. Joe Rossignol (MacRumors) reports that the C1 performed well, although was slower than the Qualcomm modem when using some carriers. Although much of the testing was with US carriers, performance in several countries was tested, with Thailand showing not the best and not the worst performance. It compared well with the iPhone 16 using the Qualcomm modem here. Jason Cross reporting on the same findings, writes that it is the carriers that are the problem. I hope Ookla now has a look at the C1X chip.
Other Notes
Apple announced Final Cut Camera 2. This works on the iPhone or iPad although some features will only work on the iPhone 17 (like the 200mm telephoto lens). I currently have version 1.2 installed and the version 2 update is due later this month.
The iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus have been discontinued along with the iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max.
Graham K. Rogers teaches at the Faculty of Engineering, Mahidol University in Thailand. He wrote in the Bangkok Post, Database supplement on IT subjects. For the last seven years of Database he wrote a column on Apple and Macs. After 3 years writing a column in the Life supplement, he is now no longer associated with the Bangkok Post. He can be followed on X (@extensions_th). The RSS feed for the articles is http://www.extensions.in.th/ext_link.xml - copy and paste into your feed reader. No AI was used in writing this item.
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