Pretty much everything Apple announced during its “Wonderlust” event on Tuesday was already leaked months in advance, leaving some fans disappointed despite the new titanium-bodied iPhone Pro models offering some genuine improvements. No doubt Apple’s pre-recorded event was somewhat formulaic but some overlooked moments might not look or feel like what most people would consider “game-changing”, but these particular features did break the mould and shake the table. From Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2’s Double Tap feature to iPhone 15 Pro’s “spatial video” capture, here are two moments that impressed us. Beginning of something new Probably the greatest moment during Apple’s keynote event was when its Chief Operating Officer Jeff Williams introduced a new gesture control feature called Double Tap for the Series 9. With the new Double Tap feature on the Apple Series 9 (also coming to the Watch Ultra 2), Apple is testing a new way to use your hands as input. Some may find it gimmicky at first but it’s a clever way to control certain features on the Apple Watch hands-free. All you need to do is tap your index finger and thumb together twice, to answer or end phone calls, play and pause music, or snooze alarms without touching the Apple Watch screen. For years, gesture-based controls on devices have been a hit-and-miss. Google made a big deal when it introduced a series of gesture interactions—a pinch of the fingers, or a wave of the hand—without the user ever needing to touch the screen with the Pixel 4. But it never worked as promised. Apple’s way of using the movement of your hand as an input is not only different but it feels more intuitive on the Apple Watch (at least based on the presentation). Apple said the Double Tap feature is enabled by an enhanced neural engine that processes data from sensors and machine learning, and by monitoring the change in blood flow when two fingers are tapped together. Since the launch of the iPhone, we have been interacting with our devices using the touchscreen. Now with Apple Watch’s Double Tap feature, the Cupertino-based company is giving us a glimpse of a touchless future. And it starts with the Apple Watch. But Apple’s ultimate aim in bringing its gesture technology first to the Apple Watch is to make average consumers familiar with and get used to users' gestures before making the Vision Pro mixed-reality headset available on the market next year. That headset uses eye-tracking, hand gestures, and voice to control every interaction. Not only Apple wants to train us how to adapt to a new kind of interaction but the move also benefits developers by bringing hands-free pinch gestures to apps before the wider availability of the Vision Pro. Film “spatial videos” on iPhone 15 Pro When Apple announced the Vision Pro headset earlier this year, one of the underrated features that barely got attention was the headset’s ability to take photographs and record videos in three-dimensional and view them in an immersive setting. At that time, many wondered if all the iPhones would ever get a 3D camera. Now, we have the answer. Both the newly launched iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max can capture spatial videos, making the iPhone doubles as a 3D camera. During its “Wonderlust” event presentation, Apple's Greg Joswiak explained that the new Pro models are using the main and ultra-wide cameras to create a “three-dimensional video". "Spatial video lets you feel like you’re right back to that moment in time," Joswiak said. 3D cameras on smartphones are not a norm, but Apple is already seemingly exploring new ways to capture content in three dimensions. It tells two things: the iPhone is still the easiest and more natural way to film spatial videos on the go, and secondly bringing 3D cameras to the iPhone will help mainstream 3D photography - if not now but in the future. This is despite the Vision Pro being a better device to capture 3D photos and 3D videos as it is designed to immediately let wearers view the 3D content in an immersive way. Apple has confirmed that users can find spatial videos on the iPhone and watch them on the Vision Pro headset. However, Apple hasn’t clarified if users will be able to watch those spatial videos in 3D on any other devices or whether it will be possible to take spatial 3D photos. Still, it is a big deal for those who are planning to buy both the iPhone 15 Pro and the Vision Pro headset, especially film-makers, content creators, and YouTubers.
