Apple: New phones and a watch

As predicted, Apple unveiled iPhone 6 models with bigger screens and a "smartwatch" at its much-anticipated event held near Apple headquarters in California on Tuesday.

Please join us on our Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/bangkokpostlearning

Apple Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing Phil Schiller announcees the new iPhone 6 during an Apple special event at the Flint Center for the Performing Arts on September 9, 2014 in Cupertino, California. Apple unveiled the two new iPhones the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. Justin Sullivan /AFP

Apple charts new course with large iPhones, smartwatch

SAN FRANCISCO, AFP – Apple moved to recapture its role as a tech trend-setter on Tuesday with its first smartwatch and two large-screen versions of the iPhone.

With the debuts of Apple Watch and iPhone 6 models stretched to fit a hot "phablet" trend, the California company delivered what rumours had predicted leading up to the event.

The Apple Watch, a sleek wrist device which links to the iPhone, "will redefine what people expect from this category," chief executive Tim Cook said at a carefully staged presentation in Apple's hometown Cupertino, California.

A crowd stands outside of the large white structure built ahead of the Apple event at the Flint Center for the Performing Arts at De Anza College on September 9, 2014 in Cupertino, California. Justin Sullivan/AFP

The iPhone 6 models boost screen sizes in what some see as the company catching up to a "phablet" trend combining features of smartphones and tablets.

The iPhone 6 will have a screen of 4.7 inches and the 6-Plus will be 5.5 inches, allowing Apple to adapt to consumers' apparent preference for bigger displays.

Cook said the new handsets represented "the biggest advancement in the history of iPhones."

Apple said the devices would be available in at least 115 countries by the end of the year and that it will begin taking orders for iPhone 6 models on Friday.

Apple added a mobile wallet that will allow consumers to simply tap their phones or Apple Watch devices to pay retailers.

Tim Cook shows off the iPhone 6's bill paying capabilities in which customers simply touch their phones to a payment terminal. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/AFP

Cook said the Apple Pay system would replace an "antiquated payment process" with "an entirely new payment system" that allows consumers to touch their phones to retail terminals.

The new payment system will be built into the new iPhones and the upgraded Apple's operating system called iOS 8.

Cook showed a video of a consumer tapping a phone on a payment terminal, commenting, "it's so cool."

Cook introduced Apple Watch with the "one more thing" introduction that was a trademark of iconic Apple co-founder Steve Jobs.

Using the "one more thing..." line made famous by Steve Job, current Apple CEO Tim Cook announces the Apple Watch. Justin Sullivan /AFP

"It is the next chapter in the Apple story," Cook said of the first new product category to be entered by the company since the death of Jobs in 2011.

"We invented intimate ways to connect and communicate directly from your wrist; it works seamlessly with iPhone and it is also a comprehensive health and fitness device."

The watch comes in two sizes and an array of interchangeable wrist straps.

Apple watch will start at $349 when it is released early next year, according to Cook. The smartwatch will work with iPhone 5 models and newer.

While Apple Watch has touch-screen capabilities, many controls were designed into a "digital crown" button so fingers do not block screens.

Sensors can detect a wearer's pulse, and the devices synch with location-sensing features in iPhones to provide a "comprehensive picture of activity" and help work toward fitness goals, according to Apple senior vice president of design Jonathan Ive.

Applications for the watch include map software that guides people to destinations with gentle "taps" on the wrist.

Apple showed off programs for checking into American Airlines flights, unlocking Starwood hotel room doors, and even controling home lighting or temperature.

สามารถฝึกอ่านออกเสียงและดูคำแปลได้ที่ : http://www.bangkokpost.com/learning/learning-from-news/431466/apple-new-phones-and-a-watch