Coverage of the Apple Let's Talk iPhone Event
*iPhone Update 11:00am | The new iPhone will be called the iPhone 4S and will have an A5 processor, dual-core CPU and dual-core graphics that are 7x faster than the iPhone 4. The case looks identical. Despite improved power, the battery life has actually improved. Data can download twice as fast. Yes that means it supports 4G. The 4S can "intelligently switch between antennas" for superior call quality.
The camera is 8 megapixels, up from 5. It gets better light in a shorter period of time and also has a top-notch IR filter for greater accuracy and uniformity. Face detection and auto-white balance are also now enabled. Wide, five-lens element included (f2.4). Phil says the iPhone takes the best pictures the fastest among smartphones. Video recording is 1080p with real-time image stabilization and temporal noise reduction.
Siri, rumoured to be called "Assistant," is a major new feature for the iPhone 4S. It is much better and reocognizing commands outside of very limited Voice Control lingo. Phil says "Wake me up tomorrow at 6am" and Siri sets the alarm clock for this time. He also asks what the weather is, and is shown. And he asks "How the NASDAQ is doing today" and is shown the stock market. "Find me a great restaurant in Palo Alto," Phil says. Siri shows them and sorts them by rating. Siri can also read new notifications aloud to you. You can also search Wikipedia and Wolfram Alpha: "Define 'mitosis.'" Sir defines it. How about this: "How long until Christmas?" Siri says 82 days. Siri will start with English, French, and German support.
The iPhone 4S will start at $199 for 16GB. The iPhone 4 will now be available in Black and White for just $99. The 8GB iPhone 3GS will be free. (All on full-term contracts). The iPhone 4S will take preorders on the 7th and will ship on the 14th.
*iPod Touch Update 10:55am | Next up is the iPod Touch. "It's our most popular iPod," Phil says. "And the most popular portable game player in the world." iMessage and Game Center are coming to the Touch. 8GB is now $199, 32GB for $299, 64GB for $399 and will be available October 12th. Wil come in a White option.
*iPod Nano Update 10:50am | Phil Schiller steps on stage. "I'm really pleased to talk to you about the iPod," he says. New iPod udpates: Nano first. Multi-touch display is improved. Fitness experience is improved (no sensors or devices needed anymore). New clock faces added so it can be worn as a watch. 7 colours available. 8GB to cost $129, 16GB for $149.
*New iCloud app 10:45am | "Today we're launching a new app called Find My Friends," Eddie says. It's similar to Foursquare and comes with iCloud for free.
10:40am | Photo Stream is like iTunes in the Cloud but for photos. Still nothing breaking.
10:35am | Eddie Cue talks iCloud. Nothing new.
10:30am | Scott goes over the iOS 5 updates. "Notifications," he beams. "iMessage. We've integrated Twitter … improved Camera … adding a number of things to Safari." iOS 5 will be avaialable October 12th.
10:25am | iPad can't be ignored. "92% of Fortune 500 companies are testing or deploying the iPad," Scott Forstall says. "Hospitals them, Pilots use them … we have 500,000 apps in the App Store and 140,000 of these are specifically for the iPad."
10:20am | Onto the iPhone, which people love. "It's consistently rated #1 in every customer satisfcation ranking I can find," Time declares.
10:15am | Tim brings up music. "The iPod revolutionized the whole music industry," he says. "We've sold 300 million iPods around the world … 45 million in the last year. And almost half those people are buying their first iPod."
10:10am | Shifts talk to desktop. Lion has been sold 6 million times and the Mac outgrew the PC market by 6x. "This is incredible," Tim states. "Every single quarter for 5 years, the Mac has outgrown the PC market."
10:05am | Tim discusses Apple's retail success. "Apple has enormous momentum," he says, "and nowhere is that more evident than in our retail stores." The company's latest store, in Shanghai, had a staggering 100,000 consumers visit it on opening weekend.
10:00am | Tim Cook takes the stage (no standing ovation). "I love Apple," he says. "I consider it a privelege to have worked here for 14 years … and am excited about this new role."
