Apple event: Upgraded phones, Giant iPad, streaming TV

There were new iPhones of course. But Apple also moved into the living room with an upgraded streaming TV box and unveiled an iPad Pro aimed at reviving the flagging tablet market.

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

An Apple employee demonstrates how to use the new Apple Pencil for the iPad Pro at a media event in San Francisco on September 9, 2015. Apple unveiled its iPad Pro, saying the large-screen tablet has the power and capabilities to replace a laptop computer. AFP PHOTO/JOSH EDELSON

Apple shows off new products

San Francisco, Sept 9, 2015, AFP – There were new iPhones of course. But Apple also moved into the living room with an upgraded streaming TV box and unveiled an iPad Pro aimed at reviving the flagging tablet market.

At Wednesday's media event in San Francisco, Apple introduced two updated iPhones, aiming to build on the success of its large-screen handsets introduced late last year that have dominated the high-end smartphone market.

The iPhone 6S and 6S Plus have the same overall dimensions as the last version, with new technologies under the hood.

Apple CEO Tim Cook speaks during the media event. Apple unveiled its updated iPhones, saying that while they looked the same, they were very different inside. AFP PHOTO/JOSH EDELSON

"They look familiar, but we have changed everything about these iPhones," chief executive Tim Cook said.

One of the key new features is called "3D touch," which responds to pressure exerted on the screen to allow users to look inside messages and applications.

By responding to sensing pressure, the phones enable new "peek and pop" abilities to allow users to dip in and out of content without losing their place. "Press lightly to peek at a photo, email, web page or other content, and press a little deeper to pop into the content itself," Apple said in a statement.

The new iPhones will use the upcoming iOS 9 operating system, which supports new features such as 3D touch.

The new iPhone 6s and 6s Plus . AFP PHOTO/JOSH EDELSON

The 6S has the 4.7-inch (about 12-centimeter) display of its predecessor and the 6S Plus – which updates one of the more popular handsets in the "phablet category" – has the same 5.5-inch screen.

But the devices have more powerful processors that allow for improved graphics, harder glass and a new aluminum body. Pricing will be kept at the same levels as the earlier versions.

Apple will take pre-orders starting Saturday and deliver the phones September 25 in the US, Britain, Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, New Zealand, Puerto Rico and Singapore.

An Apple iPad Pro with a Smart Keyboard attached is seen in the demo area. STEPHAN LAM/ AFP

The new iPad Pro has the power and capabilities to replace a laptop computer, Apple said.

Cook called the device "the biggest news in iPad since the iPad."

The new tablet with a 12.9-inch display also includes a detachable keyboard and stylus, sold separately.

The device features "desktop-class performance" and operates faster than 80 percent of portable PCs that shipped in the last 12 months, said Apple senior vice president Phil Schiller.

"It is thin and light enough to work all day and be taken everywhere," Schiller said of the new iPad, to be available in November starting at $799.

The iPad Pro includes a stylus called Apple Pencil designed for high-precision illustration and 3D design applications. Apple Pencil will be sold for $99 more and the keyboard for $169.

The upgraded streaming Apple TV device includes voice search, touch screen remote control and an app store in a challenge to Google, Amazon and video game console titans.

Apple TV was overhauled as people increasingly stream films and television shows on-demand online and turn to mobile applications for entertainment.

"Our vision for TV is simple, and perhaps a little provocative," Cook said.

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - SEPTEMBER 9: An Apple Tv set-top box. STEPHAN LAM/ AFP

"We believe the future of television is apps."

Apple released a software kit for outside developers, and showed off early versions of Apple TV applications already being crafted by show streaming services Netflix and Hulu, as well as HBO.

Game makers are already working on applications, as are home-sharing service Airbnb and real estate-focused service Zillow, according to Apple executive Eddie Cue.

The new Siri virtual assistant software built into Apple TV will allow for natural language searches for shows – for example, by asking for something funny or a certain actor by name.

The new Apple TV will launch in late October at a starting price of $149.

Apple also said the operating system for its Apple Watch, watchOS 2, would be made available as a free update September 16.

สามารถฝึกอ่านออกเสียงและดูคำแปลได้ที่ : http://www.bangkokpost.com/learning/learning-from-news/688100/apple-event-upgraded-phones-giant-ipad-streaming-tv