Apple unveils new iPhones, iPads, AppleTV in product refresh

Apple has announced a revamped TV set-top box, a larger iPad and improvements to the larger iPhone.

Apple Inc unveiled new iPhones today, offering improvements to the larger-screen phones that have propelled the company to record profits.

Before unveiling the iPhones, the company also announced a revamped Apple TV set-top box with a new voice-controlled remote control and updated software, as well as a larger iPad that further blurs the line between tablets and laptop computers.

The new products are part of Apple’s push to refresh major product lines ahead of the crucial year-end shopping season. The iPhone remains Apple’s most important product, accounting for almost two-thirds of company revenue and an even larger percentage of profits.

The new smartphones, called iPhone 6S and 6S Plus, have an improved camera and a new “3-D Touch” feature that allows people to interact with smartphones in new and different ways.

Apple emphasised that while the new iPhones are the same size as the current iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, they are a step up from the existing models.

Apple CEO Tim Cook speaks about the new iPhone 6s and 6s Plus in San Francisco.

“While they may look familiar, we have changed everything about these iPhones” Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook said. The new iPhones will be available starting Sept. 25.

It is unclear whether the new features will be enticing enough to attract customers to the new phones at the blistering pace set by their predecessors. The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus were smashing successes. In the three full quarters that the phones have been available, iPhone revenues have grown more than 50 per cent from the same period a year earlier.

Apple said the new phones have a sharper camera capable of shooting higher-resolution images and video, an improved fingerprint sensor and faster Wi-Fi capability. Apple also highlighted “3-D Touch,” which can function like a preview pane or right click on a mouse depending on how hard a user presses on the screen.

The company said the new phones will maintain the same pricing as the current models. The iPhone 6S starts at US$199 with a two-year contract, and the iPhone 6S Plus starts at US$299 with a carrier contract. Apple lowered the prices of its iPhone 6 and 6 Plus by US$100.

The company also announced a new phone-upgrade plan, starting at US$32 a month, that allows users to get the newest iPhone each year.

The new Apple TV will be available starting in November at a price of US$149 for the model with 32 gigabytes of storage and US$199 for one with 64 gigabytes of memory.

Apple said the new Apple TV remote has a touchpad and responds to voice commands with Siri, the digital assistant found in the iPhone. The company said it would allow users to search for TV programs across a range of videostreaming options.

The company also said it would allow outside developers to create apps for a new App Store for Apple TV. By adding an app store to Apple TV, many popular iOS apps will come to the big screen.

Apple: all you need to know

“We believe the future of TV is apps,” said Apple CEO Tim Cook.

The new iPad, called the “iPad Pro,” has a 12.9-inch screen, which is a significantly bigger screen than the existing 9.7-inch model or 7.9-inch iPad Mini. The new iPad weighs about 1.5 pounds, similar to the first iPad and despite the larger screen.

The company also showed off a pressure-sensitive stylus and a new keyboard cover to work with the larger tablet, positioning the device as business-friendly.

“iPad is clearest expression of our future of personal computing,” Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook said Wednesday before unveiling the new iPad.

Together, the base iPad with the keyboard and stylus will cost US$1067, more than the starting US$999 price of Apple’s 13-inch MacBook Air.

Apple is hoping that the new features will help revive slumping iPad sales, particularly among business customers. iPad sales have declined for six straight quarters.

The iPad was a sensation when it was introduced in 2010 but has languished more recently. It isn’t as essential as a smartphones, nor as useful in the office as a laptop. What’s more, the more recent iPads — while thinner and lighter — haven’t offered a compelling reason for many early iPad adopters to replace ageing models.

Apple also said the new iPad Mini starts at US$399.

Shares of Apple, down 12 per cent over the past three months, recently slid 1.2 per cent to US$110.96.

Apple started the event by offering updates on its Apple Watch, highlighting new designs, new apps and new healthcare uses.

Specifically, Apple and Hermès International announced an agreement that marries bands made in Hermès’ signature leather with a specially designed user interface. Apple said the new watch will go on sale next month but didn’t announced the price yet.

Apple also said the watch will get native apps — apps that run directly on the watch itself, instead of paired to the iPhone. Native apps should run faster on the watch and ease complaints by current watch users that programs run slowly.

Apple started selling Apple TV in 2007. Former CEO Steve Jobs called the product a hobby — fitting considering that very few people streamed video content to their television at the time. However, Netflix, Hulu and other video services have become mainstream options for watching TV shows and movies, creating demand for set-top boxes.

Apple Chief Executive has said the device, and content sales, had generated a billion dollars of revenue in 2013, making it “hard to call it a hobby anymore.” But Apple left the door open for living room rivals from Google Inc, Amazon.com Inc and Roku Inc

The Wall Street Journal