Apple CEO Tim Cook showed off two new iPhones at a heralded Apple event Tuesday morning that is also expected to include the debut of Apple?s smartwatch.
?Today, we are launching the biggest advancement in the history of iPhones,? Cook said.
Apple will sell a larger iPhone than before, the iPhone 6 Plus, along with the iPhone 6, with Cook describing them as ?the best phones you have ever seen.? As expected, the iPhone 6 Plus will be a larger iPhone, increasing to the size of a ?phablet,? a size in between a smartphone and tablet that has proved especially popular in Asia.
Ahead of the event, throng of reporters and invited guests amassed outside near a gleaming white structure Apple built, snacking on breakfast burritos and juice as Apple employees in crimson shirts with tiny, black Apple logos directed them. Among the VIPs photographed outside the event were Apple cofounder Steve Wozniak and Twitter CEO Dick Costolo, while No Doubt lead singer Gwen Stefani tweeted a picture of herself and rapper Dr. Dre and said they were on their way to the event.
Anticipation for Apple?s event has been higher than even the heavily hyped debuts of the past few years, amid expectations for Apple?s first new product category since the iPad.
?They might be rewriting the history books, as they did for tablets and smartphones,? Matt Margolis, an analyst at PTT Research, said.
The consensus is that Cook and crew will unveil the first new product of his tenure, a smartwatch already dubbed the ?iWatch? by the media. According to some reports, the watch will come in two sizes and will be shielded with a sapphire screen.
Analysts predict that the device will be pitched as a tool for monitoring health and fitness. In addition, the watch reportedly will be equipped with near-field communication technology so users can make payments in retail stores without reaching for their wallets.
Apple is also expected to showcase two new cloud-based platforms, HealthKit and HomeKit. The programs, announced earlier this year at Apple?s Worldwide Developers Conference, give developers tools to create new applications for monitoring health and building so-called ?smart homes.?
Investors excited for Apple?s latest gadgets have pushed the company?s stock to new heights in the past month, topping records set amid the release of the iPhone 5 in 2012. Ahead of Tuesday?s event, Apple pushed closer to the $100 mark, adding 1.1 percent to $99.48 in the morning session on Wall Street.
Source: MCT Information Services
