Apple Watch Adds AI That Recaps Your Conversations

Apple unveiled the Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 on Wednesday at its "Surprise and shine" event in Cupertino, pairing modest hardware changes with AI features that listen to what happens around you.

Apple introduced the Watch Series 12 and Watch Ultra 4 Wednesday in Cupertino, built around a new set of "Audio Intelligence" features that transcribe recent conversation and take notes on your day.

Neither watch is a hardware overhaul. Both get a new health-sensing array and, in the Ultra 4's case, Apple's S11 chip with a quad-core Neural Engine that enables the new Siri out of the box, according to CNET and The Verge.

TechCrunch reported the move is aimed squarely at the growing field of AI wearables.

What Audio Intelligence Does

Live Rewind — a double press of the Digital Crown shows the previous 15 seconds of a conversation as a text snippet, which you can ask Siri about or save to the new Siri app, per TechCrunch.

Siri Recap — uses ambient listening to take high-level notes of conversations, such as takeaways from a team meeting or a parent-teacher conference. When it is switched on, Apple Intelligence automatically generates a title and key points in the Siri app.

Sound Recognition — listens for sirens, alarms, doorbells and a baby crying, aimed at people who are hard of hearing.

Apple says these features do not create or store audio recordings, and CNET reported Apple's position that nothing is stored on the watch or in the cloud.

The Numbers

The Series 12 starts at $399, TechCrunch reported. The Ultra 4 starts at $799 — the same price as last year's Ultra 3, according to CNET. (TechCrunch listed a $499 figure for the Ultra 4; the two accounts conflict.)

Background heart rate readings are now taken every five seconds all day, which Apple says is 60 times more frequent than before. Heart rate variability is checked every five minutes, per CNET.

The Ultra 4 measures 14.4mm thick and 49mm diagonally, weighs 61.6 grams, and is built from 3D-printed recycled titanium in black or natural titanium. Apple promises more than two days of battery life, 18 hours with regular use and 45 hours in extended mode.