Speaker 1: This is the new Apple Watch series nine, which Apple just announced today at its event. And what stood out to me the most is how big of a role the new processor plays in this watch. Usually the chip kind of feels like it takes a backseat in some of the health sensors, but this year it's driving a lot of new features like on device processing for Siri. And of course double Tap, which is the big new feature in the series nine. Double Tap is exactly what it sounds like. You just tap your thumb and your index finger [00:00:30] together twice and it should work instantly. So you can use this feature to essentially do almost anything you would do with a tap on an Apple Watch. You can dismiss a call, answer a call, some in your widget stack, scroll through your widget stack, stop a timer, start a timer.
Speaker 1: There's lots of things you can do with it. And the idea behind this feature is to make it easier to use the watch with one hand. So if you're wearing your watch but you also have something in your other hand and you can't use that hand to actually manipulate [00:01:00] the display to dismiss a timer or answer a call or something like that, you should be able to do that with double tap. Now, I had a few minutes to check this out in the demo room at Apple's event, and I have to say it did work, but it didn't always work. And part of that could be it's just a learning curve and I need to kind of get used to the motion, but it is a very deliberate motion that you have to make when you're performing the gesture. However, when it did work, it was pretty cool to be able to use it to just scroll through the watch without actually having to touch [00:01:30] it.
Speaker 1: So again, I'll have more thoughts on this when I actually review the watch, but it is promising to see Apple coming up with new ways to make the Apple watch easier to use. The other big thing that we're seeing that's also a result of the new SS nine chip is on device Siri processing. So that means when you ask Siri a question, if it's a request that doesn't require using the internet, like if you just want to start a workout or start a timer or something like that, it'll just process that request directly on the watch. And that can go a long way [00:02:00] in making the watch easier to use and just faster in general. I can't tell you how often I find myself using Siri to do basic tasks just like that, like setting an alarm or starting a timer or something like that because I'm busy with my hands.
Speaker 1: Either I'm cooking or maybe stretching before a workout. So having Siri work that much faster, it could go a long way in making the watch feel more useful. Now, there's another big reason why this is a big deal because the data is being processed on the device itself. Instead [00:02:30] of accessing the internet, the Apple Watch or Siri rather, can actually answer questions about your health data. So let's say you want to know how well you slept last night or something like that, instead of having to hunch through the health app to try to find those tidbits of information, you can just ask Siri to pull them up. And again, I think a part of why Apple is doing this is because it's more secure having all the processing be done on the device, but it could make the Apple watch that much more useful as a virtual assistant, which is something I've been waiting for [00:03:00] a long time because on a screen that's that small, any extra tap or swipe or gesture can kind of feel like a burden.
Speaker 1: You want the information that you need right there on your wrist when you need it. So I think there's been a bigger opportunity for Siri to really shine on the Apple Watch, and this could be it. Another big thing to mention here is that this is also Apple's first carbon neutral product. So that's a big deal in terms of design. And the other thing, and this is a smaller feature, but one that I think could be really interesting [00:03:30] down the line is that the series nine has a second generation ultra wide band chip. Now, if you don't know what ultra wide band is, it's that little chip inside newer iPhones and newer Apple watches that make your devices better at proximity sensing. So with the series nine, you should be able to use it to find your iPhone more easily. And if you have a home pod, you can also use it to more easily view media that's playing on your home pod and kind of have handoff work a little bit better.
Speaker 1: The series nine starts at 3 99, just like the series eight, and it launches [00:04:00] on September 22nd. Overall, the series nine is a modest upgrade over the series eight, but what's really interesting about this watch is how Apple is paying attention to making it easier to actually use the device. We have that with Double Tap with faster Siri responses and combined with Wato S 10, it feels like the Apple Watch is just getting faster and easier to use. Of course, we'll know more when we've actually had time to test it and use it in our full review. So don't forget to keep calling CNET for more Apple coverage [00:04:30] and let me know what you think of the series nine in the comments. Thanks for watching and I'll see you next time.
