Everything from Apple event: iPhone 6S, Apple TV with Siri, iPad Pro

Sep 9, 2015 04:41 PM ET

Reuters

Apple Inc. unveiled a suite of product upgrades at its hardware event on Wednesday, including a pair of new iPhones, an Apple TV that collaborates with Siri and an enterprise-grade 12.9-inch iPad Pro.

Shares of Apple fell 1.2% to $110.89 in late afternoon trade.

Live Blog Recap: Apple debuts iPhone 6S, new Apple TV, and professional-grade iPad

iPhone 6S, iPhone 6S Plus

Apple  introduced two new iPhones: iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus. As analysts expected, the look and feel mimic their predecessors, the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, but with fresh updates under the hood.

The new iPhone 6S, with a 4.7-inch display, and iPhone 6S Plus, with a 5.5-inch display, will feature Apple’s 3D Touch technology — an earlier version is known as Force Touch on Apple Watch — that offers varying functionality based on how lightly or firmly the screen is pressed. Phones will also come equipped with the 64-bit A9 chip and upgraded Touch ID — the fingerprint-enabled security feature that powers Apple Pay — as well as a new 12-megapixel rear-facing camera that can capture 50% more pixels than its predecessor.

The iPhone 6S will retail for $199 with a carrier contract, while the iPhone 6S Plus will sell for $299 – the same price as the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus when they launched a year ago. The price of those older-model phones will be reduced by $100.

Interestingly, Apple also announced its own installment program for purchasing iPhones, mimicking similar programs by major carriers like T-Mobile  and Verizon  , which will put users on pace to buy a new iPhone annually.

Another new feature of the iPhone is “Live Photos,” pictures that start to move as though it were a video when a user presses down for a few seconds. Apple’s Phil Schiller, senior vice president of marketing, said they aren’t actual videos (though the phones do shoot in 4K), but long-exposure photos that show movement similar to GIFs.

iPad Pro

Apple made a big push into the office with the unveiling of the iPad Pro, Apple’s professional grade and largest iPad. The tablet, which has a screen measuring 12.9 inches diagonally, was displayed running important professional software from Microsoft Corp.   and Adobe Systems Inc.  

This backpacks of off Apple’s partnerships with IBM Corp.  and Cisco Systems Inc.  that also target the enterprise market, as the company works to get more iPads in the hands of executives and offset decelerating iPad sales to consumers.

The company will now also offer two accessories for the tablet: A stylus, which it calls Apple Pencil, and a new keyboard that hooks up to the iPad Pro similar to the way Microsoft’s Surface keyboard attaches to its tablet. The stylus retails for $99, while the keyboard goes for $199. The iPad Pro starts at $799 and exceeds $1,000 for higher-storage models.

Apple TV

The Cupertino-based company unveiled a new Apple TV, which will retail from $149 to $199 based on the level of storage. That’s more than double the price of the previous-generation TV, which is currently selling for $69 after Apple reduced the price from $99 in March.

This upgraded device, which will be available late next month, comes equipped with Siri compatibility and a small remote control with motion sensors. Siri interacts with the on-screen footage based on viewer cues (such as automatically rewinding or adding subtitles if requested). Interestingly, Siri will search through a number of streaming video apps, including Hulu, HBO, Netflix  and Showtime, to find programs to watch. The device also will allow users to play video games on their televisions.

The new Apple TV is also launching with its own operating system, tvOS, which enables developers to build native apps for the television. An MLB At Bat app, for example, lets users interact in real time with games: checking scores, comparing game stats and watching multiple events simultaneously.

Apple Watch

The company kicked off the event by touting new native apps for Apple Watch, such as the health care enterprise app Airstrip, which allows doctors to keep tabs on patient vitals from afar, as well as a GoPro  app that lets users watch a live video feed from their camera.

In time for the holiday season, the company said it also plans to roll out new leather watch bands through a partnership with luxury Parisian brand Hermes.