Apple

Apple’s iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV event is finally over and we’ve got a lot to say about it. From 3D Touch to the iPad Pro’s Apple Pencil, there’s a lot to cover that happened during the event. Let’s get into a recap of the event as well as our first impressions of Apple’s latest product announcements. The Happy Hour podcast is available for download on iTunes and through our dedicated RSS feed.

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With Apple’s introduction of its new iPhone 6s and 6s Plus going on sale later this month, the company will discontinue the gold color option for the previous generation iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus and iPhone 5s.
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Following months of rumors, Apple today officially unveiled the 4.7″-screened iPhone 6s and 5.5″-screened iPhone 6s Plus, the “S”-series sequels to last year’s hugely successful iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus — billed by Apple as the most popular iPhones ever. Preserving their predecessors’ physical sizes and glass-and-metal industrial designs, the new models have been updated with a collection of enhancements, including:

• 3D Touch, force-sensing technology that adds new gestures “peek” and “pop,” which bring up modal windows and things hidden under panes.
• A9 processor promising 70% increase on A8 speed and 90% faster graphics (“console class”), enabling games to offer all sorts of special effects and frame rates better than A8.
• M9 motion coprocessor, always on, along with always-on Siri.
• Second-generation Touch ID, twice as fast as before.
• All new 12MP iSight camera. 50% more pixels than before, more accurate autofocus. They decided they would not add pixels over the 6/6 Plus camera until they wouldn’t compromise image quality. 4K video support has been added, as well.
• New 5MP FaceTime HD camera, including “Retina Flash” (screen) with True Tone ability. Screen can light up three times brighter than usual for this.
• Support for Live Photos, pictures you can save and watch animate (with sound) as you press with 3D Touch. They’re mini videos automatically created as you take pictures. But they’re not videos, a series of frame-to-frame compressed videos that work on all devices.
• Wi-Fi and LTE Advanced with “up to” 23 LTE bands, 2X faster LTE, and 2X faster Wi-Fi (866Mbps).

New leather, silicone, and dock colors have been announced as well. Photos and many more details are below. We’re still updating, refresh for more…

Today is notably the last day to lock in Gazelle’s guaranteed cash trade-in prices for older iPhones ahead of the iPhone 6s launch, as well as NextWorth’s special 9to5Mac reader bonus adding 10% to any iPhone trade-in (use promo code 9TO5MAC). Amazon is still offering aggressive trade-in values, assuming you want Amazon store credit rather than cash.

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Apple’s just unveiled fourth-generation Apple TV will become available starting at $149 this October. That $149 will get you an entry-level 32GB model of the new Apple TV, while a 64GB version will be available for $199. The previous third-generation Apple TV will stick around for $69.

For the fourth-gen Apple TV, Apple is introducing upgraded hardware with a brand new remote control, an App Store, and an all-new operating system that includes an updated user interface and new features for users. Some of the highlight features include a new remote control with a touchpad for navigating and a built-in mic for Siri voice commands.

We have all of the details on specs and features of the revamped Apple TV here.
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Apple today officially announced its long anticipated revamped Apple TV set top box, marking one of the biggest jumps forward for a product category the company previously classified as a hobby project. Prior to today’s event we reported extensively on Apple’s development of the new Apple TV and the features it planned for the device and developers.

While proclaiming that “The future of TV is apps,” Tim Cook and team highlighted the key areas of the updated hardware and software: new powerful hardware, a modern OS, an all-new user experience, developer tools, and an App Store.

Head below for all the details…
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iPad mini barely got a mention on stage last year as Apple only added Touch ID and a gold option plus 128GB models to what was in every other respect the same 7.9-inch tablet that it released in 2013. iPad mini with Retina display was renamed iPad mini 2 while the new iPad mini 3 model kept the same exact chip and specs aside from the finger print sensor. Nearly a year later the smaller tablet form factor is back with the more powerful version.

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Apple’s monster iPad Pro is coming, but exactly how much will it cost you? It ranges from $799 to $1079 and will be available in November. Details below:

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Alongside the highly anticipated iPad Pro, Apple also revealed a variety of new accessories designed to be used with the new tablet.

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Years of rumors and speculation met with an iPad market that has faced growth issues in recent quarters has finally led to this: iPad Pro. The long-awaited, larger iPad is here and it’s real.

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9to5Mac has been saying for a while that Apple’s Hey Siri event today will be a product blitz of announcements, with at least three major new products set to be shown off: the new iPhone 6S, the new larger iPad Pro and a revamped Apple TV with a new remote. There’s also likely to be a new iPad mini and some updates for Apple Watch — you can read it all in our roundup.

Some people were confused about why Apple is stuffing so many announcements into one event. Having called a single event “not logical” earlier in the day, Daring Fireball’s John Gruber now agrees with our prior reports: breaking tradition, there won’t be an October event this year.

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We have reported many times that the new Apple TV is getting an App Store. The new A8-powered box combined with a revamped software interface will enable developers to make apps and games for the new hardware, set to be announced at tomorrow’s iPhone 6S/Apple TV/iPad event. TechCrunch is reporting, via sources, that Periscope, the video live streaming app for iPhone and Android, is working with Apple in advance of the unveiling to create a custom Periscope app for the new Apple TV.

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Now that Android Wear is officially compatible with iOS devices there’s a lot more smartwatch love to go around, at least for Apple fans. Android users have had a taste of the first generation, but Motorola’s new Moto 360 is one of the many new options available for both sides for the fence. The question is, should you give Motorola your money?

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One of the cornerstone features of the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, to be announced next Wednesday, is a screen based on the Force Touch technology from the latest MacBook trackpads and the Apple Watch. However, as we noted in previous articles such as our event expectations roundup from yesterday, the Force Touch feature in the new iPhones will actually be a next-generation version of the technology. According to sources familiar with the new iPhones, the new pressure-sensitive screen will likely be called the “3D Touch Display”…

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A new rumor floating around the web today indicates that Apple may have recently purchased FaceShift, a Swiss tech company specializing in real-time markerless facial motion capture. It wouldn’t be Apple’s first purchase in the area of facial motion capture or gesture control, though outside of the new Apple TV, it’s unclear what they might be using it for.

While Apple and FaceShift haven’t yet confirmed the buyout, there are some interesting details that seems to point to that being the case.

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Apple’s Wednesday, September 9th event is shaping up to be one of the largest in the company’s history. The Cupertino-based company is planning to unveil several major new products on stage, including a pair of new iPhones with revamped internals, a sequel to the Apple TV, a larger version of the iPad Air, a refreshed iPad mini, and new Apple Watch accessories. The company is also likely to discuss at least two of its latest software platforms: iOS 9 and watchOS 2. We’ve reported the lion’s share of what is to come at next week’s event, so this article outlines everything we’re expecting and adds some new details…

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Following confirmation from Philips that it plans to support Apple’s HomeKit platform for its popular iPhone-controlled Hue lighting system, images of a bridge device that will let existing Hue products work with Apple’s platform have leaked online (via iCulture).
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Samsung’s latest Gear S2 smartwatch is about to go up against one of the top tier smartwatches in the game. Today we’re doing a brief comparison between the Gear S2 and Apple Watch to find out which one you should buy…

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Apple officially confirmed its Apple Music Festival two weeks ago, announcing that the event will take place from September 19th through September 28th in London. At the time, the company announced artists such as One Direction,  Disclosure, Pharrell, and Florence + The Machine would be performing at the event. This evening, however, Apple has announced a handful of new artists for its annual festival…

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Users of Apple Pay in the UK can now spend an extra £10 per contactless transaction, bringing the limit up to a total of £30, thanks to new contactless policy. Until today, the maximum spend on almost all Apple Pay transactions was £20. The £30 total now exceeds the average cost of a supermarket trip making it possible for UK Apple users to take advantage of Apple Pay at more places.

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