Dive Brief:
- Apple revealed its latest iPhone and announced the release date of iOS9 at today’s signature fall event in San Francisco.
- The iPhone 6S and 6S plus will debut with numerous spec upgrades, including a better camera, faster processer, more RAM and better battery life.
- Apple TV, Apple Watch and the iPad also made debuts with varying degrees of scope.
Dive Insight:
UPDATE:
The biggest but most expected announcement: the new iPhone 6S and 6S plus. One of it's new features, 3D touch, is largely being heralded as “right click” for iOS. 3D touch allows you to access parts of an app without fully opening it by using new and improved gestures called Peek and Pop, according to Cook. The camera also received a typical boost (12 megapixels) and new "live photos" that move.
iOS 9, which these phones will come loaded with, will be ready for download on September 16.
Also as expected, Apple made a push for enterprise uses of iPad with the iPad Pro, a 12.9 inch display that Apple says will provide “desktop performance.” iPad Pro is “faster than 80 percent of the PCs that shipped in the past six months,” Cook said, and has graphics capabilities to match, with a “buttery smooth 60 FPS rate.”
Leaders from Microsoft and Adobe also made a showing, displaying the Pro’s smooth integration of Microsoft Office and Adobe apps, including TypeKit. Battery life hovers around 10 hours. The Apple Pen (a glorified stylus) and a keyboard cover also debuted alongside the iPad pro.
Another expected offering: an upgrade to Apple TV. While the UI is largely the same, the remote gained a touchpad and a particularly smart Siri made her debut. The demo showed that Siri responds to intuitive commands – including “Find me that episode of Modern Family with Edward Norton in it” – to elegant success.
Games will also play a key role in the future Apple TV, which a large chunk of the TV presentation focused on the set-top's access to games and playability via the remote and other controllers.
Apple Watch also had an update. The biggest news here that wasn’t already at WWDC: new bands and watch designs, including leather options from Hermes.
