Apple took the wraps off Apple Watch Ultra — describing the sports-oriented smartwatch as the most rugged and capable Apple Watch yet — during Wednesday’s Far Out event. Big, bulky and beautiful, it delivered on everything the rumor mill predicted and more.

Apple Watch Ultra is huge, with a bulky exterior, chunky buttons and a massive display. It boasts a tougher case, designed to withstand knocks from extreme sports, and a battery that can last the distance for endurance races. It features a new Depth Gauge app for scuba and free divers, improved GPS for running and cycling, a redesigned compass app for exploring, and even an 86-decibel siren to let people know if you get lost. Like the new Apple Watch Series 8 models, the Ultra comes with a temperature sensor.

Retailing at $799, Apple Watch Ultra is the Apple Watch that hardcore fitness fans have long been craving. But will its quirky, uncompromising looks catch on with mainstream audiences? Or is the Ultra destined to occupy a niche in the lineup?

Apple just unveiled the Watch Series 8 with a focus on women’s health, including a body temperature sensor that can help with advanced cycle tracking.

The new watch, available to pre-order today and shipping September 16, also features car crash detection, a new low-power mode, international roaming and new faces and bands.

Pricing starts at $399 for GPS, and $499 for cellular.

Apple’s online store went down Wednesday morning, a few hours ahead of the iPhone 14 event. The company typically makes its store inaccessible a few hours before any event or new hardware launch.

Besides the iPhone 14 series, Apple is expected to announce three new Apple Watch models and the AirPods Pro 2.

A recent leak of CAD renders revealed the possible design for the rumored Apple Watch Pro, a high-end smartwatch reportedly designed for extreme athletes. An artist subsequently turned those basic renders into images that show what the wearable might look like in future Apple adverts.

With Apple’s Far Out event set for Wednesday morning, we’re also hearing plenty of chatter about accessories for the company’s top-tier wrist computer, which is likely to be unveiled.

The iPhone 14 is expected this week, but you don’t have to wait until Wednesday – most of the details have leaked out already. We know about the new Plus version, the higher-res camera, the always-on display and much more.

So why wait? Here’s all the leaked details on the 2022 iPhone.

When Apple Watch got a larger screen last year with the Series 7 update, most commentators just yawned. Apparently screen size isn’t everything. It’s what you do with your watch that counts.

So I was surprised to read recent rumors of an Apple Watch Pro with an even bigger screen. Supposedly, this larger model, with its tougher titanium case, will be ideal for extreme sports. But does a bigger screen really help when you’re bungee jumping? And could titanium ever be rugged enough to withstand whitewater rafting?

Something about all this doesn’t add up. Instead, I suspect Cupertino will position the Apple Watch Pro model as a wearable for endurance sports. A bigger watch means a bigger battery. And in endurance sports, you really need that extra juice.

One of the more surprising features in iOS 16 is the ability to cut out people from a picture (or a dog, a car, whatever’s in focus) and copy it into another app. You can send it in iMessage, paste it in a photo editing app, or use Universal Clipboard to paste it on a nearby iPad or Mac.

What’s it for? Well, it’s great for making stickers for WhatsApp and Snapchat, plus it’s a hell of a lot of fun. If you’re putting together a YouTube thumbnail or making memes, it can significantly cut down the time you spend precisely cutting out edges, but it’s by no means precise enough to use professionally.

Apple seeded iPadOS 16 beta 7 to developers on Monday, and its build number confirms that the release of this new version has been pushed back several weeks. This is in-line with an earlier leak that iPads wouldn’t see an update until October.

In addition, there has now been no new macOS Ventura beta for over two weeks, showing it’s also not close to release. That’s not surprising, however.

iOS 16, watchOS 9 and tvOS 16 are in the final stages of beta testing, and are expected to become debut in September, as expected.

Apple is getting ready to ship iOS 16 in September and has reportedly finished the development of the first public release. Apart from iOS 16, the Cupertino giant will also seed watchOS 9 to the public next month.

iPadOS 16 and macOS Ventura will reportedly arrive a month later in October.

Australia’s national swim team uses Apple Watch, iPad and a combination of apps to improve performance, helping the team in the most-successful period in its history, Apple said Wednesday.

As if you needed another thing to make you feel bad about skipping the lap swim at the Y this morning.