Recap of September 10th Apple event

AppleApple CEO Tim Cook once again took to the stage today to unveil the latest from Apple. Below is a summary of today’s event:

  • iOS7
    • Apple putting the final touches on the latest version of iOS
    • Cook promised it will become the world’s most popular operating system with hundreds of millions of people to download it
    • 700 millionth iOS device to ship next month
    • New and improved features like multitasking view, Control Center, Notification Center and improved camera software
    • iTunes Radio, described as  “the best way to experience new music” with channels much as Pandora and other streaming services already do
    • Compatible with iPhone 4 and later, iPad 2 and later, iPad mini, and iPod touch (5th generation).
  • iWork
    • Cook: “the best-selling mobile productivity apps on any platform”
    • Includes iPhoto and iMovie
    • Will be free on new iOS devices (any new iPad, iPhone, or 5th-gen iPod touch)
  • Apple iPhone
    • Apple replacing iPhone 5 with two new designs: Apple iPhone 5C and Apple iPhone 5S
    • Apple iPhone 5C to be available in green, white, blue, pink, and yellow with back and sides made of a single piece of hard coated polycarbonate with a steel frame that doubles as the antenna
      • 4-inch Retina display with integrated touch
      • Apple A6 processor
      • iOS 7
      • Higher capacity battery
      • 8MP rear camera with BSI and five-element lens
      • Improved FaceTime front camera
      • LTE with support for more bands “than any other smartphone in the world”
      • Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n (dual band) and Bluetooth 4.0
      • US$99 for 16GB model and US$199 for 32GB model with two-year contract
      • Phil Schiller: “Yes, and Android free.”
      • New silicon rubber case with pattern of holes to show iPhone colour beneath to sell for US$29
    • Apple iPhone 5S lineupApple iPhone 5S to be available in “space gray”, gold and silver
      • Made of high-grade aluminium with chamfered edges
      • New 64-bit Apple A7 SoC: A first for smartphones
        • Native 64-bit kernel
        • Can run both 32-bit and 64-bit apps
        • Runs OpenGL|ES 3.0
        • Significant performance improvement over previous SoCs
        • To come with M7 motion co-processor which focuses on motion data (eg, accelerometer)
      • Battery life: 10 hours of 3G talk time or LTE browsing
      • New camera with a five-element Apple-designed lens with f/2.2 aperture, two LED flashes (clear and amber) and larger pixels (1.5 microns).
        • Improved software to take advantage of the new sensor.
        • Burst mode able to take up to 10 shots per second.
        • Slo-Mo mode able to capture 720p video at 120FPS.
      • New Touch ID puts a biometric fingerprint scanner in the Home button. Capable of reading in any direction and able to sense 500 ppi and scan sub-epidermal skin layers. Can also be used for other functions such as iTunes purchases.
      • Home button now made of sapphire glass
      • US$199 for 16GB model, US$299 for 32GB model and US$399 for 64GB model (with two year contract)
      • New cases available in multiple colours for US$39
    • Apple to continue to offer iPhone 4S in 8GB configuration. Will be free with contract.
    • Pre-orders begin on September 13th and sales on September 20th in Canada, U.S. and a number of other countries including Australia France and the UK.
    • New iPhones to be available in over 100 countries and 270 carriers by December 2013.

And that’s it… Time for the rumour mill to get fired up for the iPhone 6 – Oops, that’s already started.