Apple today revealed the iPhone 4S to feature a retinal display and A5 dual core processor that is up to two times faster.By Ed Baig and Brett Molina, USA TODAY
Apple unveiled the next step for its signature smartphone -- the iPhone 4S -- during a press event Tuesday at its Cupertino, Calif., headquarters.
The device will feature a retina display and dual-core processor that makes the phone twice as fast as its predecessor.
Follow our live coverage below for more details.
2:14 p.m.: Now Schiller is talking about the camera system. The iPhone 4 alone has passed all other cameras and phones to take more pictures and post on Flickr.
"We set our sites on competing against many point-and-shoot cameras," he says.
The new camera inside iPhone 4S has a 8-megapixel sensor, 3264 x 2448 to print out an 8 x 10 glossy, and 60% more pixels than in the iPhone 4 sensor.
The new sensor, though permits 73% more light, yielding much richer colors. It's also about 33% faster. There''s a hybrid IR filler, allowing for better color accuracy and universal color. There are also five element lenses, 30% more sharpness and f/2.4 aperture.
Inside the A5 chip is an Apple signal processor for things like face detection, which can tell if up to 10 people are in a photo. It adds better white balance, too.
Schiller is showing handsome photos taken with iPhone 4S, including macro photos of a squirrel close up. There's a lack of distortion in these images.
He's now using the same camera system for video recording. For the first time, it is now 1080p HD video.
The video image stabilization is in real time, and adds temporal noise reduction (helps in low light scenarios). Schiller is showing some edited home movies taken with iPhone 4S.
2:06 p.m.: Mike Capps, President of Epic Games, has been invited on stage to demo Infinity Blade II, which launches Dec. 1.
Schiller is back. He says iPhone 4S will offer 8 hours of talk time on 3G of 14 hours of 2G talk time.
Apple has also intelligently switched between the two antennas to transmit and receive, which Schiller says has never been done. It is supposed to lead to improved call quality and faster speeds for downloading data. Previously with iPhone 4, you could upload 5.8 megabit/second up and 7.2 down. Now 5.8 up and 14.4 down. "This is what majority of our competitors claim when they talk about 4G performance. We're not going to get into a data of what's 4G and what isn't."
Next, a world phone. The iPhone 4 of course came in two flavors, GSM and CDMA. The 4S is a world phone that has both GSM and CDMA, letting you roam across the other network when you're traveling.
2:01 p.m.: Apple executive Phil Schiller comes on stage to talk iPod.
Last year, we introduced an all-new Nano, Schiller says, reminding the audience of its compact design, multi-touch navigation and other features. Among the new updates: easier navigation. And out of the box, you can go not on a walk but a run as well. It tracks walks and runs, and users can connect to a PC to upload your fitness data through Nike+.
He's talking about a Nano watchband. It adds new clock faces to Nano, including one color coordinated with the color Nano you picked. And there's a Mickey Mouse Nano watch face (or Minnie Mouse). New prices: $129 for 8GB and 149 for 16GB Nano.
Now moving to the iPod Touch, which of course runs iOS 5. He mentions iMessage, Game Center, etc., which "make perfect sense" on iPod Touch, says Schiller. Through iCloud, you have access to all your music, books, etc. It will be available in black and a brand new white version. It's now $199, $299 and $399 for 8GB, 32GB, 64GB. Available on Oct 12.
There's also a new iPod Shuffle 2GB device, starting at $49.
There was no mention of the Classic iPod. Is it disappearing? Again, no mention.
Schiller is now moving onto iPhone. Finally. (This is what this event was announced to cover, after all.)
Yes, there will be an iPhone 4S, with a thinner body and retinal display. "Don't be deceived. Inside, it is all new." Schiller says. How? First, Apple's A5 dual-core processor is included, which makes the phone twice as fast. It also has dual-core graphics, which are seven times as fast. It's a big deal for games, Schiller says.
1:55 p.m.: Eddy Cue from Apple's Internet software and services division is talking iCloud now.
Over one-third of the music in the iTunes store is purchased on iOS devices. Now, if you buy an album from iTunes on an iPad, it starts the download on that device and to the iPhone, and Mac or PC. If you have songs previously purchased on iTunes and want to listen on another device, you can tap a new purchased area and it downloads at no cost.
With Photo Stream (part of iCloud), photos you take are pushed to all of your devices. It's built in a new PhotoStream album. It even downloads to iPhoto on Mac, and you can see it on Apple TV.
When you create a new document on the Pages word processor on iPad, it is automatically saved in iCloud. You can open and start editing right where you left off across all of your devices. Apple is making this available to developers. For now, it works in Apple's own Pages, Numbers (spreadsheet) and Keynote (presentations). They are all available on Oct 12.
The same process will apply to Apps and Books, Cue says.
Another iCloud feature is Backup, which makes it easy to restore your device right form iCloud. It's the same with Contacts and Calendars: updated across all of your devices. Find My iPhone (which I recently used to find a lost iPhone) is part of iCloud too.
Cue unveils a new app called Find My Friends. When you launch it, you see a list of family and friends sharing location with you, like when you're in Disneyland, or to check if your son or daughter made it to school today. Parents can prevent their kids from turning the feature off.
Sometimes, Cue says, you may choose to share location just for a few hours a day. You can share your location through a temporary sharing option, and deciding when it will end.
iCloud is free, and will feature unlimited storage for the media you purchased, as well as 5GB for Mail, documents and backup.
Apple has over 20 million songs in its iTunes store. The company will scan and match each song in iCloud with the 20 million available and users can scan for the few songs you own that are on iTunes. Using a new feature called iTunes Match, you can see your entire iTunes library and stream every song by tapping it. It also sees your playlists. It will cost $24.99 a year.
iCloud will ship Oct. 12, same date as iOS 5, and iTunes Match ships in U.S. at the end of the month.
1:44 p.m.: The Apple Card is $2.99 mailed in U.S. (including postage) and $4.99 elsewhere in world. It will be a free download on on Oct 12.
Moving on to iOS 5: Apple has seeded more than 100,000 developers.
The top features include Notifications (and Notifications Center). For example, if you're playing a game and Notification comes up, it subtly appears on top without interrupting the game.
iMessage is a new message service between iOS users, and supports iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch. Users can send text, photos, videos, pushed to all your devices so you can pick up on one device where you left off on another. It works on 3G and WiFi and messages are encrypted.
Reminders include location-based reminders, as in "remind me to pick up my dry cleaning when I leave work.."
Twitter will be integrated right into OS. Twittter is also integrated into other apps like Photos or websites from Safari, Maps, etc.
Newsstand adds subscriptions like New Yorker, Martha Stewart Living, etc., and gathers all your subscriptions to newspapers and magazines in one place, all downloaded in background.
Also, iOS 5 makes it easier to take a picture. A new camera button takes you right to the camera app, even from the lock screen. You can add optional grid lines, or use the rule of thirds. Also, you can pinch to zoom right in the viewfinder, and edit photos from an iOS 5 device.
Game Center has only out for a year but been a huge hit: 67 million people have signed up through Game Center. Apple is adding "Achievement Points", game discovery/recommendations and more.
Apple has added a new Reader button to the Safari web browser. Whatever you're reading is formatted perfectly to that device. It works great on the iPad and on the iPhone, Forstall says. If you don't have time to read the story now, you can add it to a reading list that is synced to all your iOS devices. Apple also added full tabbed browsing.
Apple's Mail application will add "rich text formatting," flaggable addresses and messages, and you can now search the entire body of a message.
It used to be the case that to own an iOS device you had to own a computer. Now, you don't need one. When you take it out of the box, you can set it up without a computer. Wireless system updates are also supported.
Overall, there are more than 200 new features in iOS 5. It will be available Oct 12, next week.
1:30 p.m.: "Despite everybody and their brother trying to compete with iPad, three out of four tablets sold in the U.S. are iPads," Cook says.
We have passed 250 million unit sales market for iOS devices, Cook says. "Today we're taking it to the next level." He invites Scott Forstall, senior VP for iOS software, to the stage.
Forstall says iOS has 43% of market share compared to 33% for Android, 17% for RIM on mobile devices. There are 500,000 apps on the App Store, 140,000 of which are made for the iPad. The App Store is the number one store for mobile apps, Forstall says.
Customers have downloaded more than 18 billion apps, with more than 1 billion apps downloaded each month. And Apple has paid more than $3 billion to developers for apps in App Store.
Forstall is tailing about a new app called Cards. It lets you create and mail beautiful, customizable cards from your iPhone or iPod Touch, and print them out on high-quality cotton paper.
You can choose from 21 different designs in 6 categories -- holiday cards, thank you cards, birth announcements, travel, etc. You create the card on your iPhone and Apple does the rest: print it, affix postage and mail it. If you mail it to an address in the U.S., they'll add a postage barcode at the bottom and send you a push notification days after it's delivered. Very cool.
1:25 p.m.: Cook is talking about how iPads in schools are helping kids learn. Every state in the U.S. now has an iPad pilot program or deployment in place. Almost 1,000 K-12 schools have a 1-to-1 program.
It is not just happening in K-12, but higher education too. About 1,000 universities in the U.S., including Stamford, Notre Dame, University of Chicago all have iPad programs.
Cook continues, adding how airline pilots are using iPads to make planes more fuel efficient. "Yes, it's true," Cook quips with a dry understated sense of humor.
Cook says over 80% of the top hospitals in U.S. are testing or piloting iPads. "From the board room to the back room and everywhere in between, iPad is showing up," he says. Also, according to Cook, 92% of the Fortune 500 companies -- "and this is a stunning number" -- are testing or deploying iPad in less than 18 months.
1:23 p.m.: On to the iPhone, which has become the top smartphone in the world with momentum rising in the second calendar quarter: 125% year-over-year growth compared to 74% for other smartphones.
Cook says 93% of Fortune 500 companies are testing iPhone.
The iPhone is pummeling the competion, Cook says. It has 70% mobile phone satisfaction, compared to runner-up 49% for HTC. He also adds J.D. Power recognized the iPhone as #1 in the smartphone category for the 6th consecutive time.
However, iPhone has only a 5% market share among the worldwide mobile phone market, not just smartphones.
1:19 p.m.: Cook is giving product updates. First is Mac.
OS X Lion has generated over 6 million copies, 80% more than Snow Leopard, the previous edition. Accoriding to Net Applications, it took Windows 7 20 weeks to reach 20% of their installed base. Lion took two weeks.
Cook is saying Mac outgrew PC market by almost 6 times during last four reported quarters. Every single quarter for the last 5 years, Mac has outgrown the PC market. 58 million users around the world have Macs.
In U.S. retail, Macs are selling at 23% in store, according to NPD. Not long ago, the number was in single digits. "We have a lot to go," Cook says, pointing out that 77% are somebody else's computer.
Now he shifts to Music. The iPod launched in 2001, Cook reminds us, and became the number one music player in the world. Market share is 78% for iPod, he adds. Cumulatively, Apple has sold over 300 million iPods around the world. Adding some perspective, Cook notes it took Sony 20 years to sell 200,000 Walkman players.
"The MP3 market is a mature market ... but iPod is still a large and important market." Cook says Apple sold 45 million iPods last year ending in June. Many are going to people, he says, who are just being introduced to Apple through the iPod.
Cook moves on to iTunes, which started in 2003 with 200,000 songs in its music library. Now, it has 20 million songs. It is the number one music store in the world and over 16 billion songs have been downloaded. "It's mind-boggling."
1:11 p.m.: In Hong Kong, Cook says Apple sold more Macs on opening day than any other store.
Cook is quiet, gentlemanly. He seems comfortable on stage. But he of course doesn't have the charisma of Steve Jobs. However, it is in many ways unfair to compare him to Apple's iconic former CEO.
1:09 p.m.: Ten years ago, Apple launched original iPod, Cook says, and just one year ago launched the new MacBook Air. Today "we'll remind you of the uniqueness of this company as we announce innovations for our mobile operating system to applications to services to hardware and, more importantly, the integration of all of these into a powerful yet simple integrated experience."
Here come some updates:
"Apple has enormous momentum and nowhere is that more evident than in our retail stores," continues Cook. Last weekend, company opened two new stores in Shanghai and Hong Kong.
1:04 p.m.: Rolling Stones' Jumpin' Jack Flash is playing in the background.
The music fades and Apple's Tim Cook walks on stage. "This is my first product launch since being named CEO -- I'm sure you didn't know that."
"I love Apple. I consider it the privilege of a lifetime to have worked here for almost 14 years."
1:01 p.m.: From Ed Baig: "It's the calm before the storm. The crowd is all settling in their seats. Normally, Steve Jobs walks on stage at events like this. In a moment, I would expect it to be Tim Cook or Phil Schiller or some other Apple executive."
Update at 12:53 p.m. ET: USA TODAY's Ed Baig just entered the room where Apple will host its iPhone event.
"AT&T CEO Ralph de la Vega is sitting in the row in front of me," he says.
Follow this post for the latest updates from Apple on the iPhone.
Our original post
It's clear Apple has big plans Tuesday for its popular iPhone. The question is what exactly can tech consumers expect from today's event at Apple's Cupertino headquarters?
Be sure to visit this post for updates from Apple's iPhone event as they become available. The show starts at 1 p.m. ET.
Meanwhile, let's round up some of the notable rumors and reports:
iPhone 5 or iPhone 4S? Most of the speculation suggests Apple will unveil the iPhone 5, but several recent reports claim the next update might not be as drastic as many think.
Mashable neatly wraps up some of the reports that Apple will unveil the iPhone 4S, which sounds similar to the company's shift from the 3G to 3Gs models. However, the reports appear light on details about what a 4S model would feature.
STORY: What we know about the new iPhone
Last month, the New York Times reported the device would receive notable upgrades, including a faster processor and 8-megapixel camera. Also, Bloomberg -- citing Piper Jaffrey analyst Gene Munster -- reports the iPhone will add overhauled voice controls, allowing users to set appointments, surf the Web and send text or email messages by voice.
Sprint. Several outlets suggest AT&T and Verizon won't be the only homes for the next iPhone. A recent Wall Street Journal report (subscription required) says the wireless carrier will make a "multibillion-dollar gamble" to snag rights to sell the new iPhone. Citing "people familiar with the matter," the report claims Sprint wouldn't start profiting from their Apple arrangement until 2014.
iOS 5. Apple's website says the update arrives this fall, so it's highly possible we'll hear more about the latest upgrades to the iPhone operating system (also for iPad and iPod Touch). Among the key features this update will add: a notification center for alerts, iMessage for iPad and iPod Touch, a to-do-list style Reminders app, Twitter integration, camera tweaks, photo enhancements and the ability to set up and update devices without tethering it to a PC or Mac.
Readers, what do you want from the next iPhone?
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