Apple iPhone 8, iPhone X, Watch unveiled: As it happened
Apple (AAPL) lifted the curtain on its latest iPhones on Tuesday, introducing three new iPhone models and updated versions of Apple Watch and Apple TV. The technology giant's annual launch event was the first public event held in Apple's Steve Jobs Auditorium, an underground, 1,000-person venue where each leather seat reportedly cost $14,000, at the company's new headquarters in Cupertino, Calif.
Here's how Tuesday's event went down. (Timestamps indicate EDT). And for more Apple coverage, head over to CNET's live blog of the event.
3:07 p.m. -- Reporter Sascha Segan notes the Apple Watch Series 3, even with cell phone service, won't be available without an iPhone. Consumers hoping to avoid paying two bills will be disappointed.
2:56 p.m. -- The presentation ends with Cook inviting attendees to a hands-on room to try out the new products. To recap, here's everything the company introduced today:
2:54 p.m. -- Apple's face recognition technology is getting a mixed reception. Garry Kasparov called it a "real threat in authoritarian states." Others noted its use in places including the U.K. to identify people attending protests or even -- in China -- jaywalkers.
2:51 p.m. -- The presentation closes with a quote from Jobs. "I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been."
"That's what the iPhone X is about," says Schiller.
Here's a summary of all the new phones Apple is rolling out, and prices for existing models:
iPhone X price
2:50 p.m. -- The iPhone X will cost $999 for the baseline model, with 64 GB of storage -- about $70 higher than the Galaxy Note 8, its major competitor. A 256 GB model is also available. Preorders start Oct. 27; the phone ships Nov. 3.
2:48 p.m. -- Time for a video recapping the iPhone X features: water resistance, all-glass screen, FaceID. "Now your iPhone recognizes you, even in the dark. This makes your face your secure password," says a male, British-accented voice.
AirPower
2:45 p.m. -- To deal with the power needs of all these new devices, there's a charging pad that can handle multiple devices -- the Watch, iPhone, and even wireless earbuds. Called AirPower, it will be available in 2018.
2:43 p.m. -- The battery life -- the bane of many an iPhone user. The new battery will last longer, Schiller promises. But there's more.
2:42 p.m. -- To recap, Schiller goes over the iPhone's camera features: a better flash, better low-light performance and stage lighting right out of the box. The selfies, too, will have portrait lighting. "People are going to be blown away with the selfies you can take," he says.
Animojis, AR
2:40 p.m. -- Federighi records a series of messages, which turn into animated talking animals (a fox, and an alien.) Apple stock is about $1.09 below its Tuesday open. Translation: Wall Street is not impressed.
2:38 p.m. -- Working with Snapchat, Apple has introduced face overlays--similar to Snap filters. Craig Federighi, senior VP of software engineering, demonstrates.
2:32 p.m. -- Now, animated emojis that a user controls with their face: "Animojis." They're available inside Messages.
iPhone X
2:31 p.m. -- FaceID also works with password app 1Password, Apple Pay and any third-party apps that already accept TouchID, Schiller says.
2:30 p.m. -- The chance that a random person shares your TouchID is one in 50,000, Schiller says. For FaceID, it's one in a million.
2:24 p.m. -- Apple's iPhone X unlocks by recognizing your face. There's an infrared camera and about eight other sensors that help with the process, Schiller explains. "Face ID learns your face, even if you change your hairstyle, if you put on glasses, you're wearing a hat. Face ID learns who you are." It only works when your eyes are open, he says.
2:22 p.m. -- There is no home button on the iPhone X; instead, you swipe up to go to the home screen.
Apple's stock, which has been going up through the presentation, drops at this point.
2:20 p.m. -- Here it is: the iPhone X (pronounced "iPhone ten.") It's got a bigger display, 5.8 inches, and a glass front and glass back. It's an edge-to-edge display with a resolution of 458 pixels per inch -- the highest for any iPhone. This "super Retina display" supports HDR.
"The point of it is to enable an entirely new experience," says Phil Schiller, Apple's VP of marketing.
2:18 p.m. -- "Our team has been hard at work for years on something that is important to all of us," Cook says, citing the 10th anniversary of the iPhone. The new product, he says, "will set the path for technology for the next decade."
iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus
2:16 p.m. -- The iPhone 8 starts at $699 for a model with 64GB of storage -- the lowest available. It'll be open for preorders on Friday, same as the new Apple Watch. New iOS available starting Sept. 19.
2:14 p.m. -- Two wireless chargers on offer: the Mophi and the Belkin. The iPhone 8 will be glass-backed, allowing it to be charged wirelessly. It's the first iPhone with that feature.
2:12 p.m. -- "It's not just like you're controlling the game--you're in the game," says Sveinsson. It comes out later this month on iOS.
2:11 p.m. -- Atli Mar Sveinsson, CEO of Directive Games, takes the stage to introduce the first multiplayer game designed to be played in augmented reality.
2:08 p.m. -- From cameras on to video. The new iPhone will have a new video encoder that means higher-quality video, for better encoding of tricky repeating patterns (such as grass, sand, water). And now there's a slow-motion mode that makes double the frame rate of previous iPhones.
2:06 p.m. -- Here's another new camera feature, still in beta mode: portrait lighting. With the dual cameras, the iPhone can separate a subject from the background and light the face better. "This is real-time analysis of the light on your subject's face," explains Schiller.
2:04 p.m. -- New camera features in the phones: 12 megapixel camera, deeper colors, and an aperture opening that goes down to 2.8 and 1.8. (Lay translation: that's really, really low -- a standard camera lens with that aperture costs thousands.) What that means the camera will be much better in low light, and can take pictures with a shallow depth of field: focus in the foreground and a completely blurry background.
2:01 p.m. -- The iPhone 8 display is 4.7 inches; 5.5 inches on the iPhone 8 Plus, with a Retina HDR display. It's also dust- and water-resistant, which is undoubtedly welcome news to many, many iPhone owners. Also: the glass is "the most durable ever" in any cell phone.
1:58 p.m. -- It's officially named: the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus. Three colors available: silver, gray and gold. Phil Schiller, head of marketing, takes the stage to explains features.
1:55 p.m. -- Cook is talking about how the first iPhone changed how people interact with technology -- "touching software, instead of buttons."
1:54 p.m. -- "No other device in our lifetimes has had the impact on the world the iPhone has," says Cook. Not many would argue.
Apple TV 4K pricing
1:53 p.m. -- The new Apple TV will start at $179 , says Cue -- $50 higher than the current model.
1:49 p.m. -- There's also a new TV app, and it lets viewers stream live sports -- a huge deal for fans. There's even a feature that shows the score and the time remaining in a game, but it can be turned off for those who find it too anxiety-inducing.
Apple TV 4K HDR
1:46 p.m. -- Apple TV will also be faster, with faster picture quality and HDR versions of Hollywood movies. Standard HRD movies bought through iTunes will be upgraded to HRD for free, Cue says.
1:43 p.m. -- Eddy Cue, Apple's senior VP of internet software and services, takes the stage to demonstrate the difference between HDR and 4K television. "HDR delivers the highest-quality image ever," he says.
1:40 p.m. -- With Cook back onstage, we move to Apple TV. Cook talks about how TV has changed through the years, and introduces Apple TV 4K. "Now we're at the next major inflection point in TV," he says.
New Apple Watch: Series 3
1:39 p.m. -- Apple Watch preorders start Sept. 15 -- Friday -- and the watch will be available on Sept. 22. Series 3 costs $329, or $399 with cellular service. With the new series, the price for the series 1 watch drops to $249.
1:34 p.m. -- Apple partners with Hermes for the new watch, which has a variety of color bands, including some metallic options.
1:33 p.m. -- The new Apple Watch is "darn close to magic," Williams says. It's essentially a new phone, it appears: it's got its own SIM card and cell connectivity, and streams music. Williams demonstrates by making a call with his watch to another Apple exec, which she answers through her Watch (while paddle boarding in the middle of a lake).
1:31 p.m. -- Expect a quad core processor in the new Apple Watch, Williams says. Also, Siri will be able to talk, so you can ask it a question and won't need to look at the watch for an answer.
1:30 p.m. -- Apple's new watch will be connected to the cell network without relying on an iPhone, says Williams. When you're away from your phone and have your location turned on, it'll automatically switch to the watch. It will also include Apple Music streaming, he says.
Apple's new watch will let users "stream 40 million songs right on your wrist," Cook says, eliciting applause.
1:28 p.m. -- As predicted, a new watch OS is coming. Apple Watch OS 4 will be available Sept. 19, says Williams.
1:26 p.m. -- Apple Watch will now alert you when you don't appear to be active and when it's not beating at its normal rhythm, says says Jeff Williams, the COO. Also notes that Apple's heart rate monitor is the most used in the world.
1:23 p.m. -- "Thank you for something that doesn't make me feel old," says an elderly woman's voice in the video.
1:22 p.m. -- The Apple Watch is now the No. 1 watch in the world, Cook says, getting ready to lay out updates. Now here's another video about how people use their Apple Watch. One man has a story of being rushed to the E.R.. Another story from a family whose daughter was diagnosed with diabetes; Apple's glucose monitor helps them manage.
Apple store: Redesigned experience and new Chicago flagship
1:19 p.m. -- Ahrendts closes with a shoutout to 65,000 Apple retail employees. A reminder of how gigantic this company is. At $835 billion, it's the world's biggest.
1:18 p.m. -- Ahrendts announces Apple's newest flagship store: Chicago's Michigan Ave. In New York, Apple's flagship "cube" will reopen next year, Ahrendts says. The plaza will open up to allow light inside, she says. Apple is also restoring a historic building in Paris, on the Champs-Elysees, and the Carnegie Library in Washington, D.C.
1:13 p.m. -- Some of the new features of Apple stores, per Ahrendts: open gathering places and avenues, dubbed "Apple town squares." The company will also invite creative professionals into its facilities, she says, for something called "Today at Apple."
1:11 p.m. -- Angela Ahrendts, Apple's head of retail, takes the stage to talk about the retail situation. Ahrendts came to the company three years ago after eight years at Burberry, where she worked her way up to CEO.
1:09 p.m. -- Apple will start the process of moving into the new campus later in the year, Cook says. He describes some features of the campus: the facility was designed to be "seamless with nature;" it's powered entirely with renewable energy and has one of the world's biggest solar installations.
1:07 pm. -- Cook takes a minute to remember the people whose lives have been upended by Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, noting Apple is working on recovery efforts with Red Cross. Reminds audience that they can donate through iTunes or App Store. "However you choose to give, I hope that you open your heart to this important effort."
1:06 p.m. -- Steve Jobs began work on this new campus over a decade ago, Cook says. "Steve's vision and passion live on here at Apple Park, and everywhere in Apple."
1:02 p.m. -- After introductory audio, Tim Cook comes onstage to loud applause, officially welcoming everyone to the Steve Jobs theater.
"Steve means so much to me and to all of us," he says. "There's not a day that goes by I don't think about him."
12:55 p.m. -- Here's another shot of people coming into the event. It's packed. Note almost everyone isn't looking ahead...but at their phone.
12:50 p.m. -- Ten minutes until the event, the lights have gone down and the music is up. People filter into the auditorium. (On the livestream it's currently country, which Twitter is not happy about.)
12:39 p.m. -- Disney CEO Bob Iger is spotted in the audience, leading some to speculate that this means some sort of content deal will be announced. If Apple starts producing its own shows or movies, that's a big boost to Apple TV fortunes (and a threat to Hollywood).
12:33 p.m. -- Here's a glimpse of one of the 1,000 leather seats inside the Steve Jobs auditorium (seats that reportedly cost $14,000 each)
12:20 p.m. -- Here's a look at how some of Apple's products have changed over the past 30 years.
12:04 p.m. -- With almost an hour to go until the live stream begins, the photos are coming in of the corporate campus that reportedly cost Apple $5 billion.
Called Apple Park, it takes up 175 acres of land, with the building itself measuring 2.8 million square feet. Apple says the energy it uses is 100 percent renewable.
11:35 a.m. -- CEO Tim Cook tweeted a photo of the Steve Jobs theater ahead of the event.
Architecture buffs (and Apple fans) are eager to see the venue on the new Cupertino campus. Its appearance has been kept tightly under wraps until Tuesday morning.
Here's an aerial view of the campus under construction in January.
