Apple has unveiled a larger iPad
tablet, a TV box with its own app store and new iPhones that can detect
how firmly their screens are being pressed.
The firm suggested the iPad Pro was suited to work tasks, video games and both editing and watching movies.
Sales of the company's earlier iPads had been on the decline.
Apple
said the "3D touch" feature of its new phones "transformed" the
experience of using them by making it easier to use and switch between
apps. Image copyrightAppleImage caption
The iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus come in a new colour as well as offering 3D Touch
Huawei demonstrated its own version of the feature - which it called "force touch" - at its own launch event last week.
Bigger iPad
The iPad Pro has a 12.9in (32.8cm) display, making its shortest edge the length of its earlier iPad Air 2's height. Image copyrightAppleImage caption
The iPad Pro's bigger screen may appeal to people wanting to work in split-screen modes
Apple sold 19% fewer iPads between the start of October and the end of June as it did during the same period a year earlier.
One expert suggested that the new model could reinvigorate sales.
"As
much as the iPad is experiencing some challenging times, it's vastly
more successful than any other tablet on the market and it's still a
multi-billion dollar business," said Geoff Blaber from the CCS Insight
consultancy.
"Moreover, what's happened is there's been cannibalisation from larger screened iPhones.
"A larger-screened iPad should definitely breathe some life into the category. But the price will be a barrier for many." Image copyrightAppleImage caption
Apple announced a new stylus and keyboard cover for the larger iPad
Apple said the new tablet offered similar processing power to 80% of the portable PCs that were sold over the past six months.
The
iPad Pro will be launched alongside an optional magnetically-connected
keyboard - which resembles a similar accessory for Microsoft's Surface
tablet.
In addition, the firm announced a stylus called the Apple
Pencil, which has sensors in its tip to help mimic the effect of using a
real pencil on paper. Image copyrightAppleImage caption
One demo showed how the pressure-sensitive stylus could be used to edit anatomy images
The announcement is notable since the firm's ex-chief executive Steve Jobs said in 2010: "If you see a stylus, they blew it."
Apple
said the iPad Pro should run for 10 hours of use between charges and
would be available in November and range from $799 to $1,079 (£520 to
£702) depending on its level of storage and 4G connectivity.
The Pencil costs $99 and the keyboard $169.
Analysis: Dave Lee, North America technology reporter
Image copyrightAppleTablet computing is great, but it could be said that
the iPad's Achilles heel was that it was great as a consuming device,
but if you wanted to really do something, get work done, it wasn't
ideal.
Apple is trying to address that with the iPad Pro. It's
enormous, but not bulky, even if it does come in heavier than the
original iPad at 1.67lbs (0.76kg).
Crucially, it has some intriguing input devices.
It's
easy to scoff at Apple making a crowd cheer and whoop at a "pencil",
but it's a big step forward for the most popular tablet on the market.
Making the iPad a "doing" service makes it a really formidable product, and one that should eat into netbook sales.
Apple TV
Image copyrightAppleImage caption
The new Apple TV can play video games controlled via the new remote
Chief executive Tim Cook also unveiled a new set top TV box with its own app store and new operating system.
The device uses a remote control that features a touch-sensitive panel and a microphone that allows it to be voice-operated.
It
uses the firm's Siri virtual assistant to let owners ask what shows or
movies based on their desired themes or favourite actors are available,
and can bring back results from a range of services.
In addition, it can play video games. Image copyrightAppleImage caption
The Apple TV can be controlled by voice or a swipe of the controller's touch surface
"The future of TV is apps," declared Mr Cook. The firm had previously described its TV boxes as a "hobby".
Apple
was one of the first tech companies to offer an internet-connected TV
box, but Amazon, Roku and several smart TV-makers beat it to offering an
app-focused experience.
Mr Cook acknowledged it had taken his company several years to introduce a TV app store.
"I don't think they have missed an opportunity by waiting until now," commented Ian Maude from Enders Analysis.
"There's
a lot of people out there who want to watch content that is only
available online from the TV, and if Apple can show its device does
things better than the alternatives you would expect them to start
winning market share pretty quickly."
Apple did not unveil a
rumoured TV shows and movies subscription package of its own for the
box, but Mr Blaber suggested that might follow next year.
"Broadcast
content remains the challenge but growth in Apple TV will ultimately
leave content providers with little option," he said. Image copyrightAppleImage caption
The new Apple TV offers an alternative to dedicated video game consoles
Much of the Apple TV presentation was dedicated to
the video games it can play. The remote is motion sensitive, and works
in a similar fashion to Nintendo's Wii controllers.
The US firm has already had huge success with video game sales on its iPhones.
But one industry watcher questioned how disruptive the new box would be as a gaming device.
"There
are already plenty of examples of set-top boxes and micro-consoles that
play games, but none of those has had a dramatic impact on the market,"
commented Piers Harding-Rolls from IHS Technology.
"That's not to say that Apple entering the market won't be significant.
"But
when you think of what the high-end consoles can do - allowing things
like Sony's forthcoming Morpheus VR headset - what they offer can't be
replicated in terms of power."
Apple in numbers
(As of June 2015)
773.7m
Total iPhones sold
14.6%
Share of global smartphone sales
282.2m iPads sold
112% annual rise in sales to China
$203.4bn of held assets
92,600 full-time employees
The TV box will cost either $149 or $199 depending on how much storage the user wants.
iPhone upgrade
Image copyrightAppleImage caption
3D Touch allows menus to be activated by firmly pressing the handsets' screens
The idea behind the new iPhone's 3D Touch feature is
that users can call up different functions by pressing the handsets'
screens firmly.
Examples of how it can be used include:
previewing an email or photo
swapping weapons in a video game
quickly switching into selfie photo mode
The handsets also gain the ability to shoot 4K videos - which
means four times the amount of pixels of 1080p high definition video.
In
addition, their back cameras have been upgraded to offer 12 megapixels
rather than eight - Apple said it had ensured the extra resolution had
not come at the cost of more noise.
The iPhones also get a processor boost. They will go on sale in a fortnight's time.
One
expert remarked that the upgrades were not as big as had been seen in
some years, but were likely still enough to continue year-on-year sales
gains.
Manufacturer
Handset shipments between July 2014 and June 2015
Year-on-year change
Apple
222.45 million
+35.9%
Samsung
310.02 million
-6.9%
Huawei
87.02 million
+38.2%
Xiaomi
67.72 million
+91.8%
Lenovo (incl Motorola)
85.35 million
+11.1%
LG
45.09 million
-13.6%
Source: IDC
"In developed markets Apple has a huge
potential to sell to existing iPhone users who were not able to upgrade
when the iPhone 6 launched because they were tied to contracts and then
decided to wait until now," commented Francisco Jeronimo from the
research firm IDC.
"But in markets like China it's about attracting new users.
"Those who were not attracted by the iPhone before will probably continue not to be interested.
"For
the others, the new features themselves will not make a significant
difference - it's more important for Apple to grow awareness of its
products."
Watch update
Apple also announced an upgrade to its smartwatch operating system that will be released on 16 September.
Watch OS 2 will allow third-party apps to run natively on the device rather than relying on a linked smartphone's processor.
Image copyrightAppleImage caption
Apple announced new versions of its smartwatch and a software upgrade
In addition to loading faster, the apps will also gain the ability to play video and access the Watch's microphone and sensors.
GoPro is taking advantage of this to allow users to see live streams from its action cameras on Apple's wearable.
Facebook also revealed it is bringing its Messenger app to the platform.
CUPERTINO, Calif. -- Apple unveiled a thinner iPad
Thursday with a faster processor and a better camera as it tries to
drive excitement for tablets amid slowing demand. The company also
released an update to its Mac operating system and introduced a
high-resolution iMac model that might appeal to heavy watchers of
television over the Internet.
The new iPad Air
2, at a quarter of an inch "thin," also adds many of the features
previously available on iPhones. That includes the ability to take burst
shots and slow-motion video, and unlock the device with a fingerprint
ID sensor instead of a passcode.
Meanwhile,
Apple made its new Mac operating system, Yosemite, available as a free
download starting Thursday. The new 27-inch iMac - which Apple is
dubbing the "Retina 5K" model - went on sale Thursday as well.
The
company also said Apple Pay, its new system for using iPhones to make
credit and debit card payments at retail stores, will launch on Monday.
Much
of the emphasis at Thursday's product-launch event centered on how
Apple's devices work well together because the company makes both its
hardware and software.
"They're designed to be
incredible products individually but they're also designed to work
together seamlessly," CEO Tim Cook said. "This is our vision of personal
technology, and we are just getting started."
---
NEW IPADS:
It's
been a year since Apple came out with a lighter, thinner full-size
model called the iPad Air. Apple refreshed that with a device that is
skinnier by 18 percent at 6.1 millimeters. The rear camera is boosted to
8 megapixels, matching what's found in iPhones. Previous iPads had a 5
megapixel camera.
The iPad Air 2 will start at
$499. Apple also updated its iPad Mini device, with a starting price of
$399. The new devices will begin shipping next week, with advance
orders starting Friday.
Thursday's event comes
as sales of Apple's iPads have dropped. Through the first half of this
year, Apple had shipped 29.6 million iPads, a 13 percent drop from the
same time last year. Apple plans to issue results for the latest quarter
on Monday. Apple has been facing competition from cheaper tablets
running Google's Android operating system. Google announced Wednesday
that an 8.9-inch Nexus 9 tablet is coming next month at a starting price
of $399, $100 less than the 9.7-inch iPad Air. It will run a new
version of Android, dubbed Lollipop.
Besides
competition, there's been an overall slowdown in tablet demand. This
week, research firm Gartner projected worldwide shipments of 229 million
tablets this year. Although that's up 11 percent compared with 2013,
it's far less than the 55 percent growth seen last year and the more
than doubling in sales in 2012.
Cook sought to
address those concerns by pointing out that the 225 million iPads sold
cumulatively since 2010 is more than any other product Apple has sold in
the first four years after launch. He also said Apple sold more iPads
in the past year than many manufacturers have for personal computers.
The
step-up models of the new iPads will have double the storage of
previous models. (Just like Apple's new iPhones). So the $599 iPad Air 2
will come with 64 gigabytes instead of 32 gigabytes, for instance. The
$499 base model remains at 16 gigabytes.
Addressing
competition from Android, Apple is also cutting the price of its 2012
iPad Mini model to $249. It had been selling for $299.
---
MAC UPDATES
The
company unveiled new iMacs with a sharper display, following what Apple
has already done on its mobile devices and MacBook laptops. The company
says the new iMacs have seven times the pixels found on standard
high-definition television sets. The new 27-inch iMacs have a starting
price of $2,499. Apple will continue selling standard-screen models
starting at $1,799 for 27 inches and $1,099 for 21.5 inches.
Apple
also released its new Yosemite operating system for Macs as a free
download. The Mac update includes aesthetic changes as well as new
functionality, such as the ability to make phone calls with an iPhone
nearby and a one-stop search tool for both locally stored documents and
online resources.
Apple has been releasing Mac
updates more frequently, in part to time them with annual changes to
the iOS system for iPhones and iPads. Many of the new Mac features will
complement what's found in iOS 8, including the ability to start tasks
such as email on one device and finish on another.
During
a demo, Apple executive Craig Federighi made a phone call to Stephen
Colbert from his Mac and connected with the comedian. The call was
actually being made through a nearby iPhone. Federighi also used Apple's
upcoming Apple Watch as a remote control to control a Mac presentation
being projected onto a big-screen set via Apple TV.
---
APPLE PAY
Apple
had already announced its new payments system, Apple Pay, but the
iPhone feature wasn't made available right away. In announcing a Monday
launch date, Cook said deals have been made with hundreds of additional
banks since the service was announced last month. Cook also said
additional merchants plan to accept Apple Pay by the end of the year.
With
Apple Pay, iPhone 6 and 6 Plus owners will be able to make payments at
brick-and-mortar stores by holding their phone near a card reader. The
new iPhones have a wireless chip to transmit the information needed to
complete the transaction. Owners of older models won't be able to use
Apple Pay, even with the software update.
Consumers
aren't likely to abandon plastic credit cards until a majority of
retailers, especially smaller merchants, accept contactless payments
such as Apple Pay. But Apple Pay may spur transactions over mobile Web
browsers and apps this holiday season, since it lets consumers avoid
typing in credit card information each time.
The new iPad Air 2 will be able to make browser transactions, but not payments at retail stores.
---
APPLE WATCH
Apple
says it will release tools next month so that developers can begin
making apps for the upcoming Apple Watch wearable device.
Rival
smartwatches running Android have suffered from not having many useful
apps from the start. Apple is hoping to have a strong app store in place
when Apple Watch debuts next year.
