Apple has unveiled its highly anticipated iPhone 15 series, which now come with USB-C connectivity, kicking off a new transition for the device that has redefined personal communications.
As expected, four new devices – the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max – were introduced at the “Wonderlust” event, which was streamed from Apple's Cupertino headquarters in California on Tuesday.
The base iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus now have Dynamic Island, the shape-shifting digital space that replaced the notch. Its dual-lens cameras now have a main 48MP sensor.
The top-end iPhone 15 Pro Max, meanwhile, now comes with the long-rumoured periscope camera, giving it 5x optical zoom, a hardware-based method to magnify images compared to the software-based digital zoom.
The Pro models' USB-C connection is at par with USB 3.0 standards for speeds up to 10Gbps, making it the first iPhones to use this innovation.
Apple did not raise prices on the new iPhones, with the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus and iPhone 15 Pro remaining at $799, $899 and $999, respectively. The iPhone 15 Pro Max starts at $1,199 for the 256GB model.
“Since the very first iPhone, we've focused on giving our users a device that's incredibly powerful, remarkably easy to use and beautifully designed,” Tim Cook, chief executive of Apple, said at the event.
“Today, we're pushing what users love about iPhone even further.”
Apple's iPhone launches are must-see events, as they typically set the direction for the smartphone industry. The company is known to have its own versions of technologies that are already in the mainstream; Lightning was one of them, which was essentially Apple's version of USB-C.
It also uses AirDrop over Bluetooth for wireless transfers between its devices.
The switch to USB-C is the company's biggest hardware change since 2016, when it removed the 3.5mm audio port on the iPhone 7 in favour of headsets using its proprietary Lightning technology. That was the same year the original AirPods were introduced.
Rumblings of USB-C on iPhones began in 2018 when the company decided to, for the first time, use a USB-C port in that year's iteration of the iPad Pro. This gained further momentum when the EU started pushing for a common charger for technology devices in September 2021, which was eventually approved by the European Parliament in October 2022.
A few weeks after this decision, Apple senior vice president for worldwide marketing Greg Joswiak said Apple would comply, but did not give any specific time frame.
Apple is known to be very protective of its proprietary technology, but it would not want to risk legal complications, particularly with the EU, as well as disruptions to its supply chains and customer base.
There were initial reports that Apple would only use USB-C on iPhones to be distributed in the EU, but that could have posed a supply chain problem and created confusion among its users.
The company is also not afraid to go against the grain when it comes to killing off hardware parts previously deemed essential.
It removed the floppy disk drive from 1998's iMac G3, then ditched the optical drive – those that read compact discs – in the 2008 MacBook Air, before completely discontinuing its use in 2016.
And, of course, it did away with a physical keyboard on the original iPhone in 2007.
USB-C on the new iPhones, particularly in the Pro models, “enables new workflows not possible before”, said Sribalan Santhanam, vice president of Apple's silicon engineering group.
With the switch, Apple has completed the transition of its mainline categories to USB-C, which has already been in MacBooks since 2015 and iPads since 2018.
That leaves only the entry-level AirPods and AirPods Max still using Lightning, as an upgraded AirPods Pro with USB-C was also announced at the event. Bloomberg previously reported that USB-C would be coming to the base AirPods and AirPods Max next year.
Apple also unveiled Watch Series 9, which is Apple's first carbon-neutral product. It still comes in 41mm and 45mm sizes and comes with enhanced health and metrics features. It has been reported that Apple is preparing a major revamp for the Watch for its 10th anniversary next year.
The company also released an updated version of the high-end Watch Ultra. The premium wearable now comes with up to 3,000 nits of brightness, advanced metrics and GPS.
It's designed for extremes, “from the lowest valleys to the highest peaks”, said Daniela Deschamps, a product design engineer for the Apple Watch.
Shortly after Wonderlust concluded, Apple announced the second generation AirPods Pro, which was expected to be introduced at the event.
The wireless headset, also with a USB-C port, is now compatible with MagSafe wireless charging and has up to double the active noise cancellation capabilities of the original AirPods Pro, an advanced transparency mode and an expanded range of ear tip sizes, Apple said in a release received by The National.
Who was Alfred Nobel?
The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.
- In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
- Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
- Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
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Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
A timeline of the Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language
- 2018: Formal work begins
- November 2021: First 17 volumes launched
- November 2022: Additional 19 volumes released
- October 2023: Another 31 volumes released
- November 2024: All 127 volumes completed
Name: Peter Dicce
Title: Assistant dean of students and director of athletics
Favourite sport: soccer
Favourite team: Bayern Munich
Favourite player: Franz Beckenbauer
Favourite activity in Abu Dhabi: scuba diving in the Northern Emirates
Last-16
France 4
Griezmann (13' pen), Pavard (57'), Mbappe (64', 68')
Argentina 3
Di Maria (41'), Mercado (48'), Aguero (90 3')
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Match statistics
Dubai Sports City Eagles 8 Dubai Exiles 85
Eagles
Try: Bailey
Pen: Carey
Exiles
Tries: Botes 3, Sackmann 2, Fourie 2, Penalty, Walsh, Gairn, Crossley, Stubbs
Cons: Gerber 7
Pens: Gerber 3
Man of the match: Tomas Sackmann (Exiles)
My Cat Yugoslavia by Pajtim Statovci
Pushkin Press
Evacuations to France hit by controversy
- Over 500 Gazans have been evacuated to France since November 2023
- Evacuations were paused after a student already in France posted anti-Semitic content and was subsequently expelled to Qatar
- The Foreign Ministry launched a review to determine how authorities failed to detect the posts before her entry
- Artists and researchers fall under a programme called Pause that began in 2017
- It has benefited more than 700 people from 44 countries, including Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Sudan
- Since the start of the Gaza war, it has also included 45 Gazan beneficiaries
- Unlike students, they are allowed to bring their families to France
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
SPECS
Nissan 370z Nismo
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Transmission: seven-speed automatic
Power: 363hp
Torque: 560Nm
Price: Dh184,500
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Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sept 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
The specs: 2019 Mercedes-Benz C200 Coupe
Price, base: Dh201,153
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Power: 204hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 300Nm @ 1,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.7L / 100km
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
ZAYED SUSTAINABILITY PRIZE
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The specs
Engine: 2.4-litre 4-cylinder
Transmission: CVT auto
Power: 181bhp
Torque: 244Nm
Price: Dh122,900
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Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
