Apple Launches 10th Anniversary iPhone and More: Live Blog

Technology

Published: September 12, 2017 1:21 pm

Last Updated: January 12, 2020 8:16 am

The 10th anniversary of the iPhone and a moment we’ve all been waiting for has finally come. Apple is dropping the newest iteration of the iPhone among other devices in its Fall Product launch. Analysts and investors alike have been clamoring for this day since Apple released its last iPhone, and word is that this 10-year anniversary will be revolutionary.

The event is being held at the Steve Jobs Theater in Apple’s new campus, Apple Park, and began, fittingly enough with a tribute to Steve Jobs. CEO Tim Cook also talked about the opening of Apple Park, including a visitor center with an augmented reality (AR) experience presumably built with ARKit.

Cook introduces senior vice-president Angela Ahrendts, head of the company’s retail operations, to describe changes to the company’s Apple Stores, which she referred to as Apple Town Squares. Ahrendts talked about new features available at the stores and new stores in New York, Paris, Milan, and Chicago.

Tim Cook took over and started the new product intros with Apple Watch.

Apple Watch is sales grew 50% year over year and Cook noted that it is now the best-selling watch in the world. The heart rate app now shows right on the watch’s face and detects when your heart rate may be elevated even when you are inactive. Apple WatchOS 4, the operating system behind the features, will be available September 19.

COO Jeff Williams introduced the new Apple Watch Series 3, which as expected, comes with its own LTE capability built-in so it can be used without a nearby iPhone. The phone number is the same as the iPhone’s. Works with ear pods and Apple Music. The Series 3’s price starts at $329 for a non-LTE version and $399 with LTE. The Watch Series 1 remains available at $249. Apple will begin to take orders n September 15 and the Watch will begin shipping on September 22.

Apple TV was next on Cook’s agenda. He introduced the expected Apple TV 4K and turned the presentation over to senior vice-president Eddy Cue. This is a catch-up product for Apple and includes HDR as well as 4K. The device uses a new chip and a new version of tvOS. The bigger news is that 4K movies will be available at the same price as HD movies and that previous purchases will be upgraded to 4K HDR automatically at no cost.

Cue introduces Jenova Chen, CEO of thatgamecompany, to show off new Apple TV games, including a romantic adventure game called “Sky” that can be controlled “with one finger on the Siri remote.”

The price for a 32GB version of Apple TV 4K is $179 and the 64GB version is $199. A 32GB version of the HD version continues to be priced at $149.