Just Announced: Apple Introduces 2 New iPhones -- And The Apple Watch

The Apple Watch

APPLE CEO TIM COOK eschewed the usual litany of sales figures when he kicked off APPLE's highly anticipated new product showcase in SAN FRANCISCO earlier today. He quickly introduced the iPHONE 6 and the iPHONE 6 PLUS, featuring 4.7 and 5.5-inch screens, respectively. COOK segued into the "mobile wallet" known as APPLE PAY before unveiling the much-anticipated APPLE WATCH.

iPhone Generation 6

The new iPHONES feature a glass front, curves around the side, an aluminum back and a next-gen Retina Display HD. The PLUS offers double-paned landscape view. Both contain a new generation A8 chip, 2 billion transistors and 64-bit support, which provides 25% faster CPU performance. The A8 is 50 times faster than the original iPHONE.

There's also improved battery life. You get 14 hours of 3G talk time for the 6, and 24 for the PLUS, with 10 days standby for the 6 and 16 for the PLUS. You get 11 hours of video for the 6; 14 for the PLUS.

It has an 8MP iSight camera, with True Tone flash; large, 1.5-micron pixels; and f/2.2 aperture. It also has Focus Pixels, which can tell if an object is in or out of phase. The front-facing FaceTime HD camera brings in 81% more light, improved face detection, and continuous autofocus. 

The iPHONE 6 comes in gold, silver and space gray, retailing for $199 for 16GB (on contract), $299 for 64GB and $399 for 128GB, while the 6PLUS will go for $299 for 16GB, $399 for 64GB and $499 for 128GB. Concurrently, The iPHONE 5C is free, while the 5s is $99.

THE 6s start shipping  SEPTEMBER 19th in several countries; pre-orders begin SEPTEMBER 12th.

Apple Pay Debuts

Speaking of cost, APPLE CEO TIM COOK  returned to the stage to explain how the iPHONE 6 models are also the consumer's "mobile wallet" with APPLE PAY. It's tied in with AMEX, MASTERCARD and VISA, and will be accepted at 220,000 locations -- including "DISNEYLAND/DISNEY WORLD in time for CHRISTMAS."

'One More Thing'...

After the iPHONE presentation concluded, the backscreen announced "One More Thing" -- and COOK introduced the APPLE WATCH. It comes in three collections -- stainless steel, aluminum casing or 18k gold, a sapphire screen and six interchangeable bands, with leather, polymer, metal mesh and stainless steel strap options.

A "Digital Crown," a wheel on the side of the watch, enables the user to choose the function. A range of watch faces enables the user to personalize the appearance and capability. SIRI provides messages with voice dictation.

Not surprisingly, the iPHONE is required with APPLE WATCH -- specifically the 6 or 5 models. It'll be available in early 2015. Cost? It starts at $349 ... which can be paid through, you guessed it, APPLE PAY.

The showcase concluded with a live performance by U2.

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