Apple's special September event just wrapped up with the company unveiling several new products, including the iPhone 6S, iPhone 6S Plus, iPad Pro, and the new Apple TV set-top box. In addition to hardware, Apple also discussed a couple of its latest software platforms, iOS 9 and watchOS 2. Check out everything that Apple unveiled below.
iPhone 6S & 6S Plus
Last to be unveiled, Tim Cook introduced the newest Apple smartphones: the iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus. As expected, these new "S" models are almost identical in size to their predecessors, with a small fluctuation in thickness and weight, thanks to the introduction of the 7000-series aluminum that was first used on the Apple Watch Sport.
Pricing & Availability
With multi-year contracts on phone carriers slowly being phased out in favor for low monthly installments, Tim Cook introduced the prices for the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus in both manners, with prices starting at $27 a month.
Additionally, Apple themselves will "lease" the phones to you directly from their retail locations. At a fixed price of $32/month, you'll be able to upgrade on a yearly basis and receive some exclusive bonuses.
And if you'd rather stick with carrier-subsidized two-year contract agreements, the price of the new phones will start in the standard $199 to $299 range.
Both the iPhone 6S and the iPhone 6S Plus will be available for pre-order on Saturday, September 12th, and they'll be released to the public on September 25th.
There's a New Rose Gold Color
In addition to Space Gray, White/Silver, and Gold, the two new iPhones will be available in Rose Gold, similar in color to the one that was first available on the iPhone 5S and is currently featured on the $10,000+ Apple Watch Edition.
Comes Equipped with 3D Touch
The iPhone 6S and 6S Plus' biggest feature is by far 3D Touch, which will allow you to get previews into apps through a pressure-sensitive display. Just press down on an app and a small window will appear, with shortcuts to take a selfie through the Camera app or play a certain station in the Music app. You'll also be able to peek into emails and messages without having to open them, get previews and quick actions in apps (Instagram is already on board), and more.
There's an Improved Camera
Another big change is the vast improvement of both the front-facing and rear cameras on the iPhone. The front camera now comes with a 5-megapixel sensor that sports Retina Flash, a feature that'll allow for a faux-flash using the screen.
On the back there is now a 12-megapixel sensor that can record in ultra high definition 4K quality, joining a handful of Android devices like the Samsung Galaxy S6 and Galaxy Note 4 in that arena.
Live Photos on the Lock Screen
Finally, the new iPhones will come with the ability to take animated photos, similar to GIFs, that are a few seconds long and can be placed on the lock screen. Support for these photos is already available in the Facebook app, with other apps sure to follow soon after.
Apple TV
The new Apple TV model was finally revealed today, sporting mostly the same external look while rocking a new remote and a massive OS overhaul.
There's an App Store with Games
Dubbed tvOS and heavily integrated with Siri, Apple TV will rock an App Store with games and content apps like Netflix, Hulu, HBO Now, etc., with sections for Apple Music, Photos, TV Shows, and Movies. You'll also be able to play games, shop, order food, book hotels, and more. If there's an app for it, you'll be able to take full advantage.
Ask Siri for Very Specific Queries
Siri will allow for deep context-aware commands. Start just asking to see "action movies," then ask for "only the ones starring Jean-Claude Van Damme." Siri will interpret the series of commands as related to show you only action movies with that star. You can similarly qualify commands by director, production date, and more.
Search Across All Apps
Additionally, when you search for content, tvOS will search major providers to take the guesswork out of who is streaming what. Search for "New Girl" and episodes from Hulu and Netflix will be shown. This advanced search will work out of the box with HBO Now, Hulu, Netflix, and iTunes, with other services being added in the future.
Get Updates on Weather, Sports, & More
Going a step further, ask Siri to show you weather or sports scores while you're watching content. Information will be presented along the bottom of the screen with an option to swipe for more info.
There's Finally a New Remote
And speaking of swiping, the all-new remote should make for easy and seamless navigation through tvOS. With a built-in trackpad, swiping through content will feel effortless and intuitive. With Bluetooth technology, the remote will work without direct line-of-sight.
Pricing & Availability
The new Apple TV will launch in October with you options: a 32 GB model for $149 and a 64 GB model for $199.
iPad Pro & iPad Mini 4
Apple not only unveiled an updated version of the iPad mini today (rather unremarkably), but also introduced a completely new version of their popular tablet—the iPad Pro.
Coming in at 12.9 inches (diagonally), the Pro is by far the biggest and most powerful iPad in Apple's history. It comes with a 2732 x 2048 display featuring 5.6 million pixels, as well as 10-hour battery life, and a four speaker audio system, producing the best sound system on any iOS device for watching movies and TV.
Apple also unveiled two new accessories specifically for the iPad Pro: the Smart Keyboard and the Apple Pencil, with the latter making quite a ripple on social media (and it's likely something Steve Jobs would have hated).
The iPad Pro will ship in November and will be available for between $799 to $1099.
iOS 9
Along with all the new hardware, Apple also briefly touched on the release date for iOS 9, which will be September 16th. You can check out all of the new features that iOS 9 has to offer in our comprehensive guide linked below.
Apple Watch
Coming off a strong second quarter of sales, Apple continued their push to catch the Fitbit as the most popular wearable in the market today by announcing the first ever watchOS update, as well as a partnership with Hermes for a new leather band and a slew of other colorful Apple bands.
WatchOS 2 will have several new features, including a nightstand mode to help with alarms, native apps on the Watch, activation lock, several new watch faces, an interactive lock screen, and more.
If you have an Apple Watch, be on the look out for the update on September 16th, 2015.
What was the most exciting news for you from this year's Apple event? Let us know in the comments below.
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Just updated your iPhone? You'll find new features for TV, Messages, News, and Shortcuts, as well as important bug fixes and security patches. Find out what's new and changed on your iPhone with the iOS 17.6 update.
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