- Not surprisingly, the 4.7" iPhone 6S and 5.5" 6S+ (AAPL -0.6%) look similar to their predecessors on the outside, save for the addition of a rose gold color. On the inside, haptic 3D Touch sensors have been added (in-line with rumors). They enable tactile feedback for actions, as well as pressure-sensitive controls (i.e. pressing hard on a screen brings up content/menu options that don't appear if one presses lightly).
- The Mail, Music, Camera, Maps, and Messages apps support 3D Touch, as does the Home screen. Facebook/Instagram, Dropbox, and Tencent are among the developers initially supporting it.
- iPhone 6S/6S+ specs: As expected, the 6S/6S+ run on an A9 CPU: Apple promises up to 70% higher CPU performance, and up to 90% higher GPU performance, than the A8. An M9 motion co-processor is now built into the CPU, and always on - NXP (NXPI -1.1%) has been manufacturing standalone motion co-processors for Apple. The cover glass - possibly Corning's (GLW -0.7%) Gorilla Glass 4 - is declared to be the industry's strongest.
- The rear camera's pixel count has been upped to 12MP, and the front camera's to 5MP; Apple promises no related dropoff in pixel quality. 4K video support has been added for the rear camera (also as rumored), and autofocus performance and color accuracy improved. A feature called Live Photos (leverages 3D Touch) plays a short video clip when a user hard-presses a picture.
- Pricing/availability: Subsidized pricing matches that for the iPhone 6/6+ at launch time, as do the 16/64/128GB storage tiers; 6/6+ models have received $100 price cuts . An upgrade program (a new iPhone per year, starts at $32/month) will be sold at Apple Stores. 6S/6S+ pre-orders start on Sep. 12; the phones officially go on sale on Sep. 25. iOS 9 launches on Sep. 16.
- More Apple TV details: The set-top runs on an A8 CPU (found in the iPhone 6/6+), and supports 802.11ac Wi-Fi. Its remote communicates via Bluetooth, and has built-in motion sensors (enables Nintendo Wii-like gaming). Apps from Zillow, Gilt, the MLB, and indie game developers have been demoed. 3rd-party Bluetooth gaming controllers are supported.
- A 32GB version of the new Apple TV set-top will sell for $149, and a 64GB model for $199; the devices launch in late October. The current Apple TV will continue to be sold for $69.
- Apple livestream. Live blogs: The Verge, Engadget.
- Prior Apple coverage