Live blog: Apple announces Apple Watch, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus and Apple Pay

Courtesy of Apple

We covered Apple’s event live from the Flint Center for the Performing Arts at DeAnza College in Cupertino, just a few miles from Apple’s headquarters, on Tuesday.

This was a big one: sure, there were new iPhones, but the real interest was in Apple’s approach to wearable computing, which we’ll finally get a sense of with the demonstration of the Apple Watch. Apple used the site of two very important events in company history — the original Macintosh launch in 1984 and the iMac launch in 1998 — for the event.

Here are our stories from the event, and you can also find them by clicking on the image below.

Apple event ticker

Tom Krazit 12:01:00 pm

Thanks for hanging out with us everybody! We’re going to go check out the products, hopefully we’ll be able to get our hands on the Apple Watch. More to come later today on Gigaom.

Kevin C. Tofel 12:00:14 pm

It looks like we’re done here. That structure is a hands-on demo, so we’re headed there now. Thanks for following our live blog – more to follow with some impressions later today!

Tom Krazit 11:58:52 am

Kevin C. Tofel 11:58:39 am

Tim is wrapping now, thanking his troops at Apple, which are taking up about half the room. 

Tom Krazit 11:58:27 am

Kevin C. Tofel 11:57:56 am

I already can’t get it out of my head.

Tom Krazit 11:57:38 am

You’re going to hear this U2 song 20,392 more times over the next month. Shake it off, Bono!

Kevin C. Tofel 11:57:27 am

Now we’re getting to see the accompanying ad made by U2 in conjunction with Apple.

Kevin C. Tofel 11:56:23 am

The album is exclusive to iTunes until October 13.

Kevin C. Tofel 11:55:44 am

Tim says that with 500 million iTunes users, that’s the largest album release of all time.

Tom Krazit 11:55:39 am

Kevin C. Tofel 11:55:15 am

And that LP is free. For all. Wow.

Tom Krazit 11:54:15 am

Kevin C. Tofel 11:54:14 am

Songs of Innocence, the LP, is going out to iTunes now. 

Tom Krazit 11:53:14 am

How much do we think U2 is getting paid for this?

Tom Krazit 11:52:46 am

Kevin C. Tofel 11:52:46 am

They have a new LP and Bono is asking Tim how to get it to as many people as possible. 

Tom Krazit 11:52:09 am

“OH ZEN MASTER OF HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE TIM COOK!” Bono is being Bono.

Kevin C. Tofel 11:51:53 am

Bono is speaking now, talking about how it’s been a while since they’ve put out a new album.

Tom Krazit 11:51:41 am

Kevin C. Tofel 11:51:16 am

We just got the one song but it was darn good and loud.

Tom Krazit 11:51:09 am

Tom Krazit 11:50:04 am

Kevin C. Tofel 11:48:55 am

As they play, it reminds me how many leaks there were before this event, from U2 playing to the watch, to the 2 larger iPhones with NFC. Not many surprises, which is interesting.

Tom Krazit 11:48:14 am

Tom Krazit 11:47:38 am

Tom Krazit 11:47:07 am

Kevin C. Tofel 11:47:00 am

Pardon me while I stop to listen for a few. They sound great.

Kevin C. Tofel 11:46:17 am

And here they are, performing live!

Kevin C. Tofel 11:45:39 am

I told you all I wasn’t the musical guest. ;)

Tom Krazit 11:45:38 am

Kevin C. Tofel 11:45:15 am

U2!!!!

Tom Krazit 11:45:10 am

Kevin C. Tofel 11:44:53 am

There are some activities behind Tim. Musical instruments are coming out to the stage. 

Tom Krazit 11:44:16 am

Kevin C. Tofel 11:44:08 am

One more thing to discuss, says Tim. “Our love of music.”

Kevin C. Tofel 11:43:50 am

“Apple Watch will redefine what people expect from a watch.”

Tom Krazit 11:43:46 am

Tom Krazit 11:43:13 am

Obviously, who knows if the Apple Watch actually works. But this is the new product category people have been clamoring for for years, and it looks pretty good.

Kevin C. Tofel 11:42:51 am

Apple Pay will work with Apple Watch. I figured that since only the new iPhones will have NFC.

Kevin C. Tofel 11:42:23 am

Tim is summarizing now, so no other specs on the Apple Watch. 

Kevin C. Tofel 11:42:04 am

Even though Apple will miss the holiday season for delivery, I don’t think it will hurt that much. This looks like the smartwatch people would want to buy and wear. Assuming they have an iPhone that is.

Tom Krazit 11:42:01 am

Tom Krazit 11:41:25 am

Kevin C. Tofel 11:41:12 am

Available in early 2015.

Tom Krazit 11:41:05 am

Kevin C. Tofel 11:40:50 am

Starts at $349

Kevin C. Tofel 11:40:38 am

Battery looks simple to charge “at night” suggesting daily charging.

Tom Krazit 11:40:36 am

Tom Krazit 11:40:14 am

Kevin C. Tofel 11:40:00 am

The watch will work both new iPhones but also the iPhone 5, 5c and 5s.

Tom Krazit 11:39:55 am

Tom Krazit 11:39:36 am

Kevin C. Tofel 11:39:21 am

Tim says that there are tons of other features – control your Apple TV for example.

Kevin C. Tofel 11:39:03 am

Out of the box, the native health / fitness features seem better than Android Wear.

Kevin C. Tofel 11:38:25 am

My wife will love the health aspects of this — she’s going for Yoga training certification now. I suspect I know what to buy her for her birthday.

Tom Krazit 11:37:51 am

Kevin C. Tofel 11:37:37 am

The data can be accessed by third party apps though so I don’t see this as the end of those. 

Tom Krazit 11:37:25 am

Tom Krazit 11:37:03 am

Kevin C. Tofel 11:37:01 am

The Workout app supports running, walking, and cycling. This just took the place of many 3rd party apps that are similar.

Tom Krazit 11:36:35 am

Kevin C. Tofel 11:36:24 am

Throughout the day, you’ll be able to see your progress towards a 30 minute daily exercise goal. 

Tom Krazit 11:35:59 am

Tom Krazit 11:35:49 am

Kevin C. Tofel 11:35:35 am

These apps are for casual exercisers and athletes as well. It looks like the heart rate is a continuous measure which is outstanding and a stand-out differentiator in my opinion.

Tom Krazit 11:35:13 am

Kevin C. Tofel 11:34:25 am

Video time, which I expect will show how this ties in to the Health app.

Tom Krazit 11:34:02 am

Kevin C. Tofel 11:33:59 am

There are native Fitness and Workout apps on the watch.

Kevin C. Tofel 11:33:37 am

The Apple Watch will motivate people to move more, says Tim. He just said that to a thousand people that have sat still for the last 1.5 hours. #Irony

Tom Krazit 11:33:01 am

Kevin C. Tofel 11:32:55 am

Tim is talking about health and fitness with the watch now.

Tom Krazit 11:32:38 am

Kevin C. Tofel 11:32:30 am

So, does this work with Apple Pay like I suspected? No word yet.

Tom Krazit 11:32:18 am

Kevin C. Tofel 11:32:12 am

The BMW app will track where you parked your BMW. Nice. Nike, Lutron and others have apps. More to come, of course.

Tom Krazit 11:31:41 am

Kevin C. Tofel 11:31:40 am

I’m flying American tomorrow…. hmmm…….

Kevin C. Tofel 11:31:18 am

American Airlines has an app for check-ins. Starwood Hotels app lets you open your hotel room door. Sounds like NFC to me!

Tom Krazit 11:31:16 am

Tom Krazit 11:30:53 am

Tom Krazit 11:30:34 am

Kevin C. Tofel 11:30:22 am

Apple Watch apps now. Facebook is there, complete with notifications, as is Twitter. WatchKit is the new tool for devs to make watch apps. 

Tom Krazit 11:30:16 am

Tom Krazit 11:29:29 am

There are a lot of details remaining here. But there is no doubt this is an impressive demo.

Kevin C. Tofel 11:29:20 am

I might use that on Valentine’s Day with my wife, I guess.

Kevin C. Tofel 11:29:00 am

You can even share your heart beat with a friend: They will feel it via their watch. Odd but interesting. 

Kevin C. Tofel 11:28:23 am

One touch access to your friends for calls or messages. Plus there’s that more direct one to one connection if you both have an Apple Watch. You can draw images to share: Kevin drew a fish to represent sushi for lunch.

Tom Krazit 11:28:21 am

Kevin C. Tofel 11:27:09 am

If you search on Maps to get more info, you can get directions or place a call to businesses. Haptics are unique so that you don’t even have to look at the watch for directions: a certain “feel” will be a left turn vs a right turn. Smart.

Tom Krazit 11:27:00 am

Tom Krazit 11:26:29 am

Tom Krazit 11:25:57 am

Kevin C. Tofel 11:25:53 am

You can view photos on the watch. All of the images you fave on your phone will be on the watch. Maps looks pretty nice; love the zoom by digital crown. 

Kevin C. Tofel 11:25:04 am

Lots of duplicate functionality from the phone. I’m not sure we’ve decided what a smartwatch is or should be yet. #RandomThought

Tom Krazit 11:24:36 am

Kevin C. Tofel 11:24:10 am

Siri is built in. Press the digital crown and ask your question.

Tom Krazit 11:23:43 am

Kevin C. Tofel 11:23:22 am

Animated emoji too. Oh yeah! :)

Kevin C. Tofel 11:23:08 am

Kevin just got an iMessage from Craig. There are quick reply options; contextual based on the message content. Or you can speak your reply a an audio recording or dictated message.

Tom Krazit 11:22:54 am

Tom Krazit 11:22:14 am

Kevin C. Tofel 11:22:07 am

When you get a notification alert, you can raise the watch and it will display the information. 

Kevin C. Tofel 11:21:36 am

Aside from the time, you get temperature and next event on some watchfaces.

Tom Krazit 11:21:28 am

Kevin C. Tofel 11:21:15 am

You can store music on the watch itself and control music on your phone or Mac with the watch. 

Tom Krazit 11:20:47 am

Kevin C. Tofel 11:20:46 am

Swipe up to see “glances” which are notifications. Swipe left and right on them for more info. Much like Android Wear in that regard. 

Tom Krazit 11:20:04 am

Kevin C. Tofel 11:20:02 am

Nifty map feature: you can zoom out to the Earth, fly to the moon or travel the solar system in the correct planetary position.

Tom Krazit 11:18:59 am

This is a curious demo. They’re not actually showing Kevin manipulating the watch: we’re being asked to take for granted that they are truly screen sharing.

Kevin C. Tofel 11:18:50 am

You can choose different watchfaces and even customize their color or functionality. 

Kevin C. Tofel 11:18:06 am

The clock is the central app though. Makes sense.

Kevin C. Tofel 11:17:51 am

You can arrange your apps on the watch however you like and pan around. 

Tom Krazit 11:17:43 am

Kevin C. Tofel 11:17:18 am

iPhone is required with Apple Watch. So it’s not a standalone device.

Kevin C. Tofel 11:16:41 am

Kevin Lynch, VP is coming on stage to give us a live demo of the Apple Watch.

Kevin C. Tofel 11:16:05 am

Tim is back on stage now, wearing an Apple Watch, of course.

Tom Krazit 11:16:00 am

Tom Krazit 11:15:29 am

Kevin C. Tofel 11:15:20 am

It does look a little thick from the video. Still no measurements provided.

Tom Krazit 11:14:53 am

AL-LI-MIN-UUUM!

Kevin C. Tofel 11:14:50 am

Two different sizes of the Apple Watch and three collections: Apple Watch, Sport Collection with sweatproof band, Watch Edition is 18k gold. Whoa!

Lots of options here.

Tom Krazit 11:14:31 am

Tom Krazit 11:14:01 am

Kevin C. Tofel 11:13:23 am

Bands are sweatproof and there are magnets in the bands to keep the watch strapped on. There is a clasp on the leather bands. Lots of different bands actually, including stainless steel.

Tom Krazit 11:13:22 am

This is the most Jony Ive video ever. He must have been so disappointed they’re not using aluminum.

Tom Krazit 11:12:59 am

Tom Krazit 11:12:28 am

Kevin C. Tofel 11:12:20 am

The more I see here, the more most of the current Android Wear watches look like “version 1.0″ products where this looks like a v. 2 or 3. Just a first impression. 

Tom Krazit 11:12:05 am

Kevin C. Tofel 11:11:25 am

No mention of the size yet.

Tom Krazit 11:11:18 am

Kevin C. Tofel 11:11:05 am

Of course, there’s a new chip inside as well. The back of the watch can detect pulse rate and there’s definitely a fitness / health aspect here. The watch combines magnetics (mag-safe) and inductive wireless charging. 

Tom Krazit 11:10:55 am

Tom Krazit 11:10:31 am

Tom Krazit 11:09:44 am

Tom Krazit 11:09:20 am

Kevin C. Tofel 11:09:08 am

Not the Star Wars Force…. sorry.

Tom Krazit 11:08:58 am

Kevin C. Tofel 11:08:53 am

This uses a flexible retina display with sapphire. Edges are rounded like the new iPhones. The display senses touch AND force. 

Tom Krazit 11:08:35 am

Kevin C. Tofel 11:08:09 am

You can ping your friends with the Apple Watch – watch to watch for sharing. Interesting.

Tom Krazit 11:08:04 am

Kevin C. Tofel 11:07:38 am

These apps look like iOS of course but they’re newly designed for the square screen. 

Tom Krazit 11:07:32 am

Tom Krazit 11:06:59 am

Tom Krazit 11:06:23 am

Kevin C. Tofel 11:06:01 am

This looks very elegant and premium. More than the Moto 360 I think. 

Tom Krazit 11:06:01 am

Kevin C. Tofel 11:05:11 am

Video time with Jony. 

Tom Krazit 11:04:32 am

Kevin C. Tofel 11:04:30 am

Nice implementing because you don’t cover the screen to zoom. 

Tom Krazit 11:04:23 am

Pushing the crown returns you to the home screen.

Tom Krazit 11:03:53 am

The dial is called “the digital crown,” and it appears to be the key UI feature of the Apple Watch.

Tom Krazit 11:03:34 am

Kevin C. Tofel 11:03:22 am

“We didn’t shrink down the interface.” The crown is a zoom function of sorts. 

Tom Krazit 11:03:05 am

“What we didn’t do is take the iPhone interface and shrink it to fit on a watch,” Tim says.

Tom Krazit 11:02:43 am

Tom Krazit 11:02:16 am

“For every Apple product, a breakthrough in user interface was required.” Tim is going back through the iPod click wheel and the iPhone’s multitouch screen.

Tom Krazit 11:01:48 am

Tom Krazit 11:01:23 am

Tim’s voice is cracking as he introduces the Apple Watch. It’s both a stylish metal (I think) watch and a “health and fitness device.”

Tom Krazit 11:00:50 am

Tom Krazit 11:00:31 am

Tom Krazit 11:00:13 am

Tom Krazit 10:59:51 am

Apple Watch.

Tom Krazit 10:59:20 am

Tom Krazit 10:58:47 am

Its a watch.

Tom Krazit 10:57:14 am

“We’ve been working incredibly hard on a whole new product.”

Tom Krazit 10:56:42 am

Tom Krazit 10:56:11 am

Tim’s back to claim that Apple Pay “will forever change the way we pay for things.” Bold statement.

Tom Krazit 10:55:52 am

Tom Krazit 10:55:09 am

Kevin C. Tofel 10:55:06 am

OpenTable, MLB, and the Apple Store are also using Apple Pay; just a few of many.

Tom Krazit 10:54:31 am

Kevin C. Tofel 10:54:19 am

Retailer apps can integrate Apple Pay as well. Target is doing this as is Groupon.

Tom Krazit 10:53:46 am

Kevin C. Tofel 10:53:33 am

Apple Pay will work with online purchases as well. Take that PayPal!

Tom Krazit 10:53:14 am

Kevin C. Tofel 10:52:59 am

220,000 contactless payment terminals in the U.S. now but lots of partners adding Apple Pay: Macy’s, McDonald’s, Staples, Walgreens and more.

Kevin C. Tofel 10:52:17 am

Apple won’t get transaction data through Apple Pay. Retailers won’t have your credit card number or name either. AMEX, MC and Visa are the partners here.

Tom Krazit 10:51:45 am

Tom Krazit 10:51:13 am

Kevin C. Tofel 10:50:35 am

Device-only account numbers are stored so the iPhone isn’t keeping your payment accounts. You can use Find My iPhone to wipe your credit cards remotely if need be.

Tom Krazit 10:50:13 am

Tom Krazit 10:49:50 am

Kevin C. Tofel 10:49:32 am

If you have a card on file with iTunes, it’s easy to add. Or you can add a new card via the iPhone camera, just like other third-party apps.

Tom Krazit 10:49:13 am

Kevin C. Tofel 10:48:56 am

The NFC antenna is built across the top of the new iPhones. There’s a secure element to store the payment info. Passbook will be the app for your credit cards.

Kevin C. Tofel 10:48:17 am

Here comes Eddy Cue to discuss Apple Pay. Untucked.

Tom Krazit 10:48:16 am

Kevin C. Tofel 10:47:41 am

It uses NFC and Touch ID, so clearly the new iPhones have an NFC chip. 

Tom Krazit 10:47:30 am

Can’t believe not iPay.

Tom Krazit 10:47:21 am

Kevin C. Tofel 10:47:20 am

Didn’t see THAT one coming.

Kevin C. Tofel 10:47:13 am

“We’ve created an entirely new payment process. And we call it Apple Pay.”

Kevin C. Tofel 10:46:43 am

My thoughts from last week on this topic: https://gigaom.com/2014/09/05/how-apple-can-succeed-in-mobile-payments-with-nfc-ibeacon-the-iphone-6-and-iwallet/

Kevin C. Tofel 10:46:18 am

“We’re totally dependent on the exposed numbers, magnetic stripe and security codes.”

Tom Krazit 10:46:06 am

Kevin C. Tofel 10:45:19 am

Video now showing how complicated our many step payment process is.

Tom Krazit 10:44:42 am

My wallet looks exactly like that btw.

Kevin C. Tofel 10:44:41 am

Payments is the focus. “It’s a huge business. We spend $12 trillion every day in the U.S. 200 million times a day we scramble for our credit cards.”

Tom Krazit 10:44:14 am

Kevin C. Tofel 10:44:00 am

“That is iPhone,” says Tim. “Time for an all new category of service and it’s all about the wallet.”

Tom Krazit 10:43:27 am

And some guy named Jimmy Fallon from “teevee.”

Kevin C. Tofel 10:43:18 am

JT and Jimmy Fallon did the commercials for the new iPhones. It’s their voices used.

Tom Krazit 10:43:10 am

OMG JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE IS DOING APPLE ADS OMG

Kevin C. Tofel 10:42:41 am

It’s showing how the iOS 8 apps work better on the larger screen with more space for controls and such. 

Tom Krazit 10:42:34 am

Kevin C. Tofel 10:42:06 am

Looks like another app demo; this one is a video.

Kevin C. Tofel 10:41:38 am

And now Tim is back on stage.

Tom Krazit 10:41:18 am

Crazy that the iPhones are the warm up to the main event.

Kevin C. Tofel 10:41:01 am

iOS 8 downloads start with iPhone 4s and up, iPad 2 and up, iPod 5th gen; beginning on Sept. 17.

Tom Krazit 10:40:59 am

Kevin C. Tofel 10:40:31 am

New phones start shipping on September 19 in the U.S. and 8 other countries. Pre-orders start this Friday. Hope to be in 115 countries by end of this year.

Tom Krazit 10:40:29 am

Kevin C. Tofel 10:40:01 am

iPhone 5c is now free with contract, iPhone 5s to start at $99 now. Standard pricing.

Kevin C. Tofel 10:39:38 am

iPhone 6 Plus costs are $100 more than the smaller models; same storage options.

Tom Krazit 10:39:29 am

Kevin C. Tofel 10:39:15 am

iPhone 6 cost: $199 with contract and 16 GB. 64 GB model is $299, 128 GB for $399.

Tom Krazit 10:39:10 am

Kevin C. Tofel 10:38:40 am

New silicone and leather cases for both phones. Same color choices for the phones.

Tom Krazit 10:38:25 am

Kevin C. Tofel 10:37:54 am

No NFC yet. Hmm…..

Tom Krazit 10:37:54 am

Kevin C. Tofel 10:37:38 am

Phil’s talking about iOS 8 now, but we’ve seen most of that already. 

Tom Krazit 10:37:18 am

Kevin C. Tofel 10:37:13 am

If Apple keeps the base iPhone price of $650 for the iPhone 6 Plus, that would be huge. It could drop the starting price for the iPhone 6 to $550 and still make gobs of money. Let’s see…..

Tom Krazit 10:36:33 am

Kevin C. Tofel 10:36:17 am

New FaceTime HD camera of course. f/2.2 aperture, improved face detection for “killer selfies” and a burst mode too. Single shot HDR photos from the front sensor.

Tom Krazit 10:35:52 am

Speaking of focus…..

Kevin C. Tofel 10:35:22 am

Stabilization works on video as well, making things look smoother. Focus pixels can auto focus continuously with video too. 

Tom Krazit 10:34:40 am

The slow-mo double-dutch video was pretty impressive. Gotta wonder how that was actually shot and (of course) properly lit.

Kevin C. Tofel 10:33:45 am

Phil thinks the iPhone is the world’s most popular video camera now. 1080p at 60fps and slo-mo now at 240fps. Whoa!

Tom Krazit 10:33:27 am

Kevin C. Tofel 10:32:57 am

I’m going to guess the iPhone 6 Plus will cost $100 more than the iPhone 6 due to the differences. No mention yet though.

Tom Krazit 10:32:32 am

Tom Krazit 10:32:09 am

Kevin C. Tofel 10:32:04 am

iPhone 6 Plus has optical image stabilization while the iPhone 6 only has digital stabilization.

Kevin C. Tofel 10:31:20 am

I can vouch for that: these look nice.

Tom Krazit 10:31:00 am

i don’t know if a picture of a picture comes through, but it looked very nice.

Kevin C. Tofel 10:30:54 am

Photo demo time from the iPhone 6. These look nice: crisp, vivid and even some bokeh. Panoramas are now up to 43 megapixel. 

Tom Krazit 10:30:45 am

Tom Krazit 10:30:01 am

Kevin C. Tofel 10:29:51 am

Phil is showing us “focus pixels” now for phase detection autofocus. The new iPhones focus 2x as fast now.

Tom Krazit 10:29:32 am

Kevin C. Tofel 10:29:16 am

Camera time! They’re showing some iPhone photos now, including one for National Geographic. 8 MP sensor with f/2.2 aperture. Larger pixels.

Kevin C. Tofel 10:28:15 am

T-Mobile and EE are the first to support this.

Kevin C. Tofel 10:28:05 am

That’s likely up to carriers although you can do FaceTime audio over Wi-Fi already.

Tom Krazit 10:28:01 am

Kevin C. Tofel 10:27:45 am

802.11ac Wi-Fi finally makes it to the iPhone, and Wi-Fi calling is supported as well. 

Tom Krazit 10:27:22 am

Kevin C. Tofel 10:27:14 am

And it will support VoLTE or Voice over LTE. Huzzah!

Kevin C. Tofel 10:26:41 am

LTE support up to 150 Mbps in the new iPhones, using carrier aggregation. 20 LTE bands in this model.

Tom Krazit 10:26:35 am

Kevin C. Tofel 10:26:14 am

Nike will use this as will the Apple Health app in iOS 8.

Kevin C. Tofel 10:25:50 am

There’s a new M8 sensor / motion coprocessor as well. It can estimate distance and track elevation such as flights of stairs. It has a barometer sensor. 

Tom Krazit 10:25:43 am

Kevin C. Tofel 10:24:56 am

Battery life time: equal or better than the iPhone 5s. Obviously, the iPhone 6 Plus will get more runtime, even with the larger display as it will have a larger battery. 12 hours of WiFi browsing on it. 

Tom Krazit 10:24:48 am

Tom Krazit 10:23:45 am

Kevin C. Tofel 10:23:22 am

Lots of action now; kind of like a World of Warcraft game. It’s darn close to console quality on a handheld. 

Tom Krazit 10:23:04 am

I also suck at multiplayer battle games, though. Kevin and I are waiting for Madden NFL on iOS.

Tom Krazit 10:22:41 am

It’s insane how good mobile gaming has gotten. 

Tom Krazit 10:22:20 am

Kevin C. Tofel 10:22:14 am

1.3 million particles running at 60 fps on this demo. It’s impressive.

Kevin C. Tofel 10:21:48 am

This is a multi-player battle game. I suck at multi-player battle games. 

Kevin C. Tofel 10:21:12 am

Vain Glory is the demo game. Graphics look pretty sweet; lots of detail and texture.

Tom Krazit 10:21:09 am

Kevin C. Tofel 10:20:26 am

Phil’s talking about Metal now; the graphics tech Apple introduced earlier this year. Lots of developers on the list who plan to use Metal: EA, Gameloft, Disney, Ubisoft and more. Super Evil Megacorp (really!) is coming out on stage for a demo now.

Tom Krazit 10:20:24 am

SUPER EVIL MEGACORP!

Tom Krazit 10:19:36 am

Kevin C. Tofel 10:19:11 am

The chip is 50% more energy efficient than the A7, says Phil. “Delivers great performance for a sustained amount of time.”

Tom Krazit 10:18:52 am

Tom Krazit 10:18:11 am

Kevin C. Tofel 10:18:10 am

Both phones use the new Apple A8 chip; 64-bit with 2 billion transistors – double that of the A7. It’s a 20 nanometer process so a smaller chip but up to 25% faster CPU and 50% faster graphics performance.

Tom Krazit 10:17:21 am

Kevin C. Tofel 10:17:07 am

Apps can also be updated for the new features such as horizontal view. 

Kevin C. Tofel 10:16:36 am

1.3 million apps in the App Store, by the way, says Phil. Older apps still “just work” on the new larger iPhones thanks to a “desktop class scaler.”

Tom Krazit 10:16:33 am

Tom Krazit 10:15:39 am

Kevin C. Tofel 10:15:34 am

For one handed use, there’s new a gesture called “reachability”. Double tap the Touch ID button and the app slides down so you can reach it easier. Interesting.

Tom Krazit 10:14:54 am

Tom Krazit 10:14:13 am

Kevin C. Tofel 10:14:04 am

Even the home screen goes horizontal on the Plus. Nice!

Kevin C. Tofel 10:13:47 am

Turn the iPhone 6 Plus in landscape and you get a new horizontal view, like an iPad. Not so on the iPhone 6 though.

Tom Krazit 10:13:14 am

Biz Carson 10:13:13 am

Kevin C. Tofel 10:13:04 am

Higher contrast, deeper blacks and wider viewing angles says Phil.

Tom Krazit 10:12:58 am

Kevin C. Tofel 10:12:42 am

6.9 mm thin and 7.1 mm thin for the two new iPhones; the larger one is slightly thicker.

Kevin C. Tofel 10:12:19 am

185 percent more pixels on the Plus vs. the old 5s. 

Biz Carson 10:12:15 am

Kevin C. Tofel 10:11:42 am

Sizes: 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch, as expected. 1334 x 750 for the iPhone 6, 1920 x 1080 resolution for the Plus.

Kevin C. Tofel 10:10:50 am

These have a thinner backlight and ion-strengthened glass; no mention of sapphire.

Kevin C. Tofel 10:10:23 am

“Retina HD Display” says Phil. “New in every way.” 

Tom Krazit 10:10:21 am

Kevin C. Tofel 10:09:36 am

Phil didn’t get the memo on untucked shirts, by the way.

Kevin C. Tofel 10:09:19 am

Here comes Phil Schiller to share more details of the new iPhone 6.

Kevin C. Tofel 10:08:56 am

Called the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.

Kevin C. Tofel 10:08:38 am

Two sizes: big and bigger!

Kevin C. Tofel 10:08:16 am

And here it is in a video, the new iPhone! It looks like the leaks; rounded with small camera protrusion. And the gray bands.

Kevin C. Tofel 10:07:28 am

“Today we are launching the biggest advancement in the history of iPhone.”

Tom Krazit 10:07:12 am

Kevin C. Tofel 10:06:40 am

He’s starting with iPhone, saying last year they announced 2 new iPhones for the first time. “Top selling smartphone in the world.” Sounds like a set-up for a new pair of phones.

Tom Krazit 10:06:05 am

Kevin C. Tofel 10:05:54 am

Tim says there’s so much to announce, so no updates other than “everything’s great!”

Kevin C. Tofel 10:05:16 am

“It is great to be back in the Flint Center, just down the road from Apple’s birthplace.” Tim is discussing the history of Apple here: The Macintosh intro, for example. And the iMac. 

Tom Krazit 10:04:45 am

Kevin C. Tofel 10:04:02 am

And here comes Tim Cook to the stage! Jeans and untucked dress shirt; the crowd is going wild with applause. This is going to be the Tim show.

Tom Krazit 10:03:01 am

Kevin C. Tofel 10:02:44 am

More of the “think differently” theme. 

Tom Krazit 10:02:15 am

Kevin C. Tofel 10:01:59 am

Bit of a mock as it shows “Where others perceive first is valuable….” it often isn’t. Looks like we’ll see functions that we’ve seen before but done with Apple elegance. 

Kevin C. Tofel 10:00:56 am

OH! We’re starting! It’s a video to get us going.

Kevin C. Tofel 10:00:37 am

While we wait, I’m wondering what, if any, surprises we’ll see. Two iPhones seem a certainty. Updated iPads? I could see it, just to add the Touch ID. Wearable? I’m pretty sure of that as well but I expect it’s more of a sneak peek with availability later. Mobile payments with NFC? Very likely.

Tom Krazit 10:00:30 am

Kevin C. Tofel 9:59:00 am

Before I forget: I already tweeted it but in case you missed it, the rumors are unfounded. I am *not* the musical guest.

Kevin C. Tofel 9:58:22 am

It appears that nearly everyone is inside now, so we could actually start on time.

Kevin C. Tofel 9:57:30 am

I see some balcony box seats here which is nice. (We’re not in those – we got the cheap seats). Lots of Apple VIPs and Guests today, so they must get those.

Kevin C. Tofel 9:56:40 am

Broadcast media is all in the back, which is nice for us, although we’re a long way from the stage as well. Looks like Media is towards to back, likely for a quick exit to “the dome” which is what I’m calling it. Stay tuned for a fall TV replacement show by Stephen King: “Under the iDome.”

Tom Krazit 9:56:11 am

Already we’ve spotted celebrities such as Steve Wozniak and Om Malik.

Tom Krazit 9:55:45 am

Kevin C. Tofel 9:54:50 am

By the way: I saw a BlackBerry handset in the line. And I’m not using the Surface Pro 3 like I did for the last Apple event. Why tempt fate twice?

Tom Krazit 9:54:11 am

Kevin C. Tofel 9:53:16 am

And we’re seated! Still lots of folks waiting to get in yet. The stage is small: this venue doesn’t look that much bigger than the small Moscone location.

Kevin C. Tofel 9:47:00 am

So we’re not going into the temporary structure for the event; that looks to be later. I suspect that’s a hands on area for new products. 

Kevin C. Tofel 9:45:32 am

And we’re finally getting herded in like cattle. Moooo!!!

Biz Carson 9:45:24 am

In case you’re wondering what that line looks like…

Biz Carson 9:42:46 am

Tom and Kevin are still stuck in line, but it looks like they bumped into an old pal. Hi Om!

Biz Carson 9:21:39 am

Laura Hazard Owen 8:55:33 am

Laura Hazard Owen 8:55:22 am

A couple pics as Tom and Kevin wait in a long media line to get into the event.

Laura Hazard Owen 8:55:03 am

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