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As it happened: Say goodbye to wired earphones: Apple

Series 2 of Apple Watch, partnering up with Pokémon GO and Super Mario, a sleek iPhone without headpone jack, Apple lays out its wares.

September 07, 2016 09:11 pm | Updated November 01, 2016 09:19 pm IST

It's September. And time, once again, for the tech geeks to get their geiger counters out and nitpick the pros and cons of the latest Apple gizmos. Hello and welcome to The Hindu 's live blogging of Apple's iPhone event 2016, in collaboration with in-house tech writer Sooraj Rajmohan.

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0048 hrs: What flutters will this game-changing event cause in the market and at homes? Here's a guess...

0043 hrs: Apple has also made its stance clear that the Watch is targeted more towards fitness-enthusiasts than productivity.

0042 hrs: It seems the company, which has often been panned for their premium pricing, has made an effort to catch up to the Android competition in terms of outright features. Stereo speakers, and the IP67 certification, along with the much improved camera, and the black shades, should dispel doubts that the iPhone 7 can hold the fort till the much anticipated tenth anniversary edition arrives next year.

0039 hrs: India availability is still in question, though Schiller said Apple was working hard to ensure a faster global rollout this year.

0038 hrs: And it's a wrap. The iPhone 7 and 7-Plus are now official, the headphone jack is gone, we have new colours, and the most powerfully species of iPhone yet.

0032 hrs: And no word on the iPad Mini 5. And that's that, it appears, as Sia's doppelgänger Maddie Ziegler is ushered out of the stage most respectfully.

0029 hrs: ... followed by 'Chandelier'.

0027 hrs: Highlighting the venue's connection to music and Apple's own support for the art-form, Alternative Pop artist Sia comes on stage to perform her new song 'The Greatest'.

0022 hrs:

iPhone 7 — $649 onwards

iPhone 7-plus — $769 onwards

0020 hrs: The phone will be available all around 50 countries within a month.

0019 hrs: Orders start Friday September 9, deliveries one week later.

0018 hrs: As expected, storage has been doubled, with 32gb is now base storage with the black variants only available in 128 and 256 GB.

0017 hrs: Pricing remains the same as the same as the iPhone 6s, with the iPhone 7 Plus Costa 760 dollars.

0016 hrs:

Quick takeaways

~ Five colours

~ A10 Fusion processor

~ iOS 10

~ Stereo speakers

~ Water and dust resistance

~ A seriously beefed up camera and battery life that is claimed to be up one hour from the iPhone 6s Plus (for the 7 Plus).

0009 hrs: This phone is 240 times faster than the first iPhone. Schiller says the GPU is powerful enough to run F1 2017, and replicate 90 percent of the editing prowess of the desktop version of Adobe Lightroom.

0008 hrs: For all the power users out there, here's the low down. The iPhone 7 runs a four-core A10 processor.

0007 hrs: Apple Pay and Transit on Apple Maps will be made available in Japan starting October. The phones and the Watch support the FeliCa technology used in Japan.

0001 hrs: Move over EarPods. Apple just announced AirPods. Wireless earphones that use infrared sensors to detect when they are inserted, work with Siri, and use a one-step setup for all Apple devices.

2356 hrs: "The courage to move on and do something new betters all of us," says Schiller, as the world rises in collective shock.

2355 hrs: The phone ships with Lightning headphones, but a Lightning to 3.5mm adapter will be included in the box.

2354 hrs: And that's that folks, Apple's EarPods now connect to the phone via the Lightning connector.

2353 hrs: The iPhone 7 gets stereo speakers. Our gravest fears have been confirmed. This is the end of analog earphones as we knew them.

2352 hrs: The phone gets a wide gamut Retina HD display. But Schiller now wants to talk about audio.

2351 hrs: Apple has often been criticised for producing great cameras but often leaving them without updates for multiple generations. But they've definitely thrown the kitchen sink at it this time.

2349 hrs: And history in the clicking...

2347 hrs: The image-processing uses a combination of machine learning to identify people, and the extra depth-perception offered by the second camera to produce shallow depth-of-field bokeh effects ( the visual quality of the out-of-focus areas of a photographic image, especially as rendered by a particular lens ), which is usually a hallmark of high end DSLRs with large sensors.

2344 hrs: The second camera allows optical zoom of up to 2x and then some software gimmickry afterwards to enable software zoom up to 10x. The image is real sharp and focussed, like HD focussed. Like a Hans Zimmer soundtrack.

2342 hrs: Phew, thankfully Apple didn't completely neglect the front camera like on the 2015 12-inch MacBook, famously dubbed a potato. The iPhone 7 plus has two cameras — the normal 12-MP and a second telephoto lens .

2341 hrs: The front camera is a 7MP version.

2338 hrs: The camera has received a massive overhaul. Optical image stabilisation, wider aperture, six element lens, new 12mp sensor, four led truetone flash with flicker sensor. The image processing can detect the perfect settings for a picture, claimed to perform a 100 billion operations in 25 milliseconds.

2335 hrs: It's not just the Watch, the iPhone 7 is also water and dust resistant, thanks to IP67 certification.

2334 hrs: The rumours about the home button turn out to be true as well. The button is now force sensitive and uses haptic feedback. Haptics, says Google, is the "use of the sense of touch in a user interface design to provide information to an end user".

2332 hrs: Jet black, black, gold, silver and rose gold are the colours available. The iPhone is now available in black, (finally!) both glossy and a more matte version.

2328 hrs: Here it is. It's the best iPhone that we have ever created. This is the iphone 7. Phil Schiller takes the stage to explain it. And says there are ten major features to discuss.

2328 hrs: Apples home kit home automation suite can be accessed from the control center and Siri in iOS 10. He also discusses all the new features available on messages on iOS 10.

2324 hrs: And Captain Cook is back. He announces that Apple has sold over a billion iPhones and begins a breakdown of iOS 10.

2320 hrs: Both versions of the watch are priced at $369. The original Apple Watch will still continue to be sold, called Series 1. But get this, it gets the new processor used in Series 2.

2315 hrs: Apple has also worked with Nike to make a special edition Watch for runners, the Apple Watch Nike Plus, with a perforated band. (Why do all sports gadgets have to be so bright?)

2313 hrs: Heres the hardware breakdown — 50-percent faster — Dual core processor — 2x faster graphics performance —a 1,000-nit display to ensure clarity even in bright sunlight. The rumours about built in GPS also turn out to be true. GPS helps map pace and and distance.

2310 hrs: Besides aluminium and stainless steel, the Series 2 also comes with a white ceramic casing. Like last year, the Series 2 also comes with Hermes bands.

2305 hrs: Jeff Williams has just announced the next generation Apple Watch, dubbed Series 2. Improved water resistance is the highlight. Series 2 comes with 50 metres of water resistance. Apple has redesigned the speaker system to withstand and even eject water at the end of a swim.

2304 hrs: The Pokémon Go app for the Apple Watch records activity data as a workout. It also displays distance left to hatch an egg, experience required for next level, and alerts for Pokéstops and new wild Pokémon, reducing your chances of crashing into poles. Or getting run over.

>via GIPHY

The app is expected before the end of the year, and the interface has most of the functionality of the actual game. Which makes us think the still unreleased Pokémon Go Plus wrist accessory will now be rather redundant.

2300 hrs: John Hanke, CEO of Niantic, says that Pokémon trainers have collectively walked 4.6 billion kilometres while playing the game.

2258 hrs: And Pokémon GO too joins the Apple party. Now, you'll see youngsters gazing into the depths of Time itself — well, their Apple Watch — and chasing imaginary Manga characters. Apple getting big on nostalgia this evening.

2255 hrs: And it's time now for some tidbits on the Apple Watch, as the products section of the keynote starts off. "Were just getting started," says Cook, inviting Jeff Williams on stage, who begins by providing a refresher course on the new features introduced in WatchOS 3, which was previewed in June.

2254 hrs: Tim Cook is back on stage, and the word 'products' echoes around the hall. And it's a bonanza for students — over 50,000 of them will get donated iPads.

2251 hrs : Now, Susan Prescott, Apple's VP for worldwide app products marketing, is now on stage explaining improvements to the iWork productivity suite, which now features real-time collaboration.

2250 hrs: And Nintendo is bound to be over the moon here with this worldwide endorsement. So, check this out...

2245 hrs: iOS 10, which will feature support for stickers in iMessage, will have super Mario stickers as well. Apple and Nintendo have obviously woken up to the power of mobile gaming. After the success of Pokemon Go, having Mario come to smartphones first on iOS, and starting off the event with that announcement, indicates that.

2244 hrs: Super Mario Run will be released with a fixed price, in holiday season 2016. Pricing to be announced later.

2243 hrs:Super Mario Run is a simple side-scroller designed to be easy to play on the go, even one handed. The game also features a multiplayer battle mode, that lets players compete against each other, collecting... well...toads. Good ol' Mario.

>via GIPHY

2241 hrs: Super Mario is Apple's latest playmate. Shigeru Miyamoto, creator of the late 80s cult game, is giving a live demonstration. I never had this much fun watching a demo at Show-and-Tell at school.

2233 hrs: And thanks to Corden's expertise behind the wheel, Mr. Cook is able to strut onto the stage right on time, with his custom stream of "Hello"s.

2232 hrs: And after a few minutes of questionable elevator music, we're into a carpool karaoke with James Corden and Tim Cook himself. Pharrell Williams joined in midway, and they drive up to the venue singing 'Sweet Home Alabama' like they're Spotify artists, wearing light-wear.

2212 hrs:The Hindu 's tech writer Sooraj Rajmohan says there's a lot of hype about next year's iPhone and it's edge to edge screen with integrated touch ID. So this one has a tough job to come across as a worthwhile proposition

In case you're more the watch-and-learn type, you can tune into the live stream from the event >here . It is scheduled for 10 a.m. PDT (Pacific Daylight Time), which translates to 2230 hrs IST.

The stream uses Apple's HTTP Live Streaming optimised for Safari on iOS devices. Windows 10 users can view the stream on Microsoft's Edge browser. The full keynote should be available on YouTube post launch.

What to expect from Tim Cook's merry men this time around? Well, as always, a few feature tweaks and product upgrades are expected. >Read more

Apple will look to infuse some new life into its products after having experienced an unprecedented decline in sales over the past year. A 13-percent drop in revenue, from $58 billion to $50.8 billion for 2016's second quarter, will have goaded it to look to revive growth.

The iPhone 7 is set to roll out; possibly with a few additions: better battery, faster processor etc; and a few subtractions: rumour has it, the conventional headphone jack is going to be chucked out (what's up with that, Cook?). The audio circuitry is expected to be moved into the device itself, and we'll need to use wireless Bluetooth headphones and Lightning-connector headphones that can be hooked up to the battery port.

Question is, can I love the iPhone 7's sleekness and water-resistance enough to dispense with my trusty earphones?

Some sources say, also the latest in the iPad's diminutive avatar — the iPad Mini 5 , or the iPad Pro Mini ...

And then there is the wearable Apple Watch 2 . It should be interesting to see what new surprise this 'open beta' product development will spring on us unwitting lab rats.

Also, expect an update on iOS 10 , which will hopefully come out of its beta cocoon. Expect it to supercharge iPhones, with 3D Touch allowing users to perform frequent tasks from the lockscreen.

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