鈥淥ne more thing.鈥�
With that phrase, Apple paid homage to its late co-founder Steve Jobs for the 10-year anniversary of the iPhone on Tuesday when it unveiled its latest 鈥� and, at $999, its most expensive 鈥� new version of the device, the iPhone X.
CEO Tim Cook called it 鈥渢he biggest leap forward鈥� since the first iPhone. (鈥淴鈥� is pronounced like the number 10, not the letter X.) It loses the home button, which revolutionized smartphones when it launched; offers an edge-to-edge screen; and will use facial recognition to unlock the phone.
Apple also unveiled a new iPhone 8 and a larger 8 Plus with upgrades to cameras, displays and speakers.
Those phones, Apple said, will shoot pictures with better colours and less distortion, particularly in low-light settings. The display will adapt to ambient lighting, similar to a feature in some iPad Pro models. Speakers will be louder and offer deeper bass.
Both iPhone 8 versions will allow wireless charging, a feature thought to be limited to the anniversary phone. Many Android phones, including Samsung鈥檚, already have this.
Steve Jobs homage
This is the first product event for Apple at its new spaceship-like headquarters in Cupertino, California. Before getting to the new iPhone, the company unveiled a new Apple Watch model with cellular service and an updated version of its Apple TV streaming device.
The event opened in a darkened auditorium, with only the audience鈥檚 phones gleaming like stars, along with a message that said 鈥淲elcome to Steve Jobs Theater.鈥� A voiceover from Jobs, Apple鈥檚 co-founder who died in 2011, opened the event before CEO Tim Cook took stage.
鈥淣ot a day that goes by that we don鈥檛 think about him,鈥� Cook said. 鈥淢emories especially come rushing back as we prepared for today and this event. It鈥檚 taken some time but we can now reflect on him with joy instead of sadness.鈥�
The iPhone X costs twice what the original iPhone did. It sets a new price threshold for any smartphone intended to appeal to a mass market.
New watch
Apple鈥檚 latest Watch has built-in cellular service. The number on your phone will be the same as your iPhone. The Series 3 model will also have Apple Music available through cellular service.
鈥淣ow, you can go for a run with just your watch,鈥� said Jeff Williams, Apple鈥檚 chief operating officer and in charge of Watch development.
Apple is also adding more fitness features to the Watch, and says it is now the most used heartrate monitor in the world. Now, Apple Watch will notify users when it detects an elevated heart rate when they don鈥檛 appear to be active. It鈥檒l also detect abnormal heart rhythms.
The Series 3 will start at $399. One without cellular goes for $329, down from $369 for the comparable model now. The original Series 1, without GPS, sells for $249, down from $269. The new watch comes out Sept. 22.
Apple TV gets upgrade
A new version of the Apple TV streaming device will be able to show video with sharper 鈥�4K鈥� resolution and a colour-improvement technology called high-dynamic range, or HDR.
Many rival devices already offer these features. But there鈥檚 not a lot of video in 4K and HDR yet, nor are there many TVs that can display it. Apple TV doesn鈥檛 have its own display and needs to be connected to a TV.
Apple said it鈥檚 been working with movie studios to bring titles with 4K and HDR to its iTunes store. They will be sold at the same prices as high-definition video, which tends to be a few dollars more than standard-definition versions. Apple said it鈥檚 working with Netflix and Amazon Prime to bring their 4K originals to Apple TV, too.
The new Apple TV device will cost $179 and ships on Sept. 22. A version without 4K will cost less.
Michael Liedtke And Barbara Ortutay, The Associated Press
ashley.wadhwani@bpdigital.ca
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