Update: Apple Introduces New 'Apple Watch' and iPhones

By Alfred Branch (Patch Staff)

Update at 2:50 p.m. Eastern on Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2014: No one does big like Apple.

During a massive live event today near its headquarters in Cupertino, Calif., the company unveiled its latest – and much larger – iPhones, the 6 and 6 Plus, and also showed off its highly anticipated Apple Watch.

The new watch places the venerable technology company into a new consumer category, wearable devices. The product has elements of a smartphone but with new a new user interface and components unique to Apple Watch.

“We’re now at a compelling beginning — designing technology to be worn, to be truly personal,” said Apple Senior Vice President Jony Ive in a video presentation.

Whether consumers will buy it is another question, because such wearable devices have yet to completely click with the public. But Apple created a beautiful-looking watch with various bands, clasps and faces. The watches are highly customizable and are chock full of personal data and health and fitness information.

Apple Watch will start at $349 and will be available in early 2015.

The new iPhones feature a host of improvements and a sophisticated mobile payment system, in addition to better internal processors and screen resolution.

Called Apple Pay, the new payment system is billed as secure and easy, with one-touch purchasing that could make carrying a wallet a thing of the past.

The new iPhones will start at $199 for the 16GB iPhone 6 and $299 for the 6 Plus.

These are the best iPhones we’ve ever made,” said Apple CEO Tim Cook during the event, which also featured a closing performance by U2. Apple and the band also gave away a free copy of the band’s latest album, “Songs of Innocence,” on iTunes.

Original story: Technology and consumer electronics giant Apple is holding a huge product launch event today, and the press coverage over the last several weeks has been extensive. Here’s what you can expect, and be sure to check back with Patch today as details emerge.

According to The Wall Street Journal and other media outlets, the strongest speculation is that the company will release two new iPhones, one with a 4.7-inch screen and one considered a “phablet” with a 5.5-inch screen. The larger-screen phones - currently, the iPhone 5s has a 4-inch screen - are designed to compete with large-screen phones by Samsung and HTC, among others. Consumers can also expect improvements to the iPhone’s processors and other potential features, such a new mobile payments system and health-related applications.

Those health-related applications represent an important new direction for Apple, which has been working with the Mayo Clinic on HealthKit, a suite of software programs to help doctors care for patients, and patients to better track their own health, according to Forbes.

The New York Times writes that Apple also will launch a smartwatch to compete in the growing market of wearable devices. Such watches, which offer some of the functionality of smartphones, have not quite caught on with consumers, but Apple is betting that that could be because it has yet to debut such a device.

The iWatch, which may or may not be its official name, is not expected to hit stores until 2015, and it could cost as much as $400, writes technology news site Re/Code.

Apple’s launch event is scheduled for 10 a.m. Pacific Time, 1 p.m. Eastern, from the Flint Center for the Performing Arts in Cupertino, Calif., near the company’s headquarters.

Photo: Apple Watch. Photo credit: Apple

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