Apple enters new AI era with unveiling of iPhone 16, introduces hearing aid capability for AirPods [Video]

Apple’s ubiquitous iPhone is about to break new ground with a shift into artificial intelligence that will do everything from smartening up Siri to creating customized emojis on the fly.

“The next generation of iPhone has been designed for Apple Intelligence from the ground up. It marks the beginning of an exciting new era,” CEO Tim Cook said at a product launch at the tech giant’s headquarters in Cupertino, Calif.

Apple has sold billions of iPhones since late co-founder Steve Jobs unveiled the first such device in 2007, helping create about $3 trillion US in shareholder wealth.

But in the past decade, there have been mostly minor upgrades from one model to the next — which has caused people to hold off on buying a new iPhone, and has in part led to a recent slump in sales of Apple’s marquee product.

The iPhone 16 is generating a bigger buzz …