Apple announced a deluge of products at its Cupertino campus this morning. The iPhone- and iOS-centric event naturally focused on the company's smartphone lineup, from its new flagship iPhone 5S to the mid-range iPhone 5C to the forthcoming iOS 7. But it wouldn't have been an Apple event without a few surprises tossed in, which included free iWork apps and the end of the iPhone 5.
Here's what went down at the Apple headquarters and what company executives had to say about it.
iPhone 5S
Much like the upgrade between the iPhone 4 and the iPhone 4S, the S in iPhone 5S signals an incremental, rather than dramatic, change from the iPhone 5. On the surface, it looks incredibly similar to its predecessor. It has the same shape and size, with a few key visual changes including a ring around the Home button and new metallic colors of gold, silver and space gray (see below).
The major upgrades are found inside -- specifically a new 64-bit A7 processor. Since iOS 7 is completely re-engineered for 64-bit, the iPhone 5S is totally optimized for the coming mobile operating system. It also means the phone's CPU and GPU are 40x and 50x faster than the original iPhone. In layman's terms, the A7 delivers about twice the performance of the iPhone 5, according to Apple. A new M7 motion co-processor works alongside the A7 chip to continuously measure motion from the accelerometer, compass, and gyroscope. It offloads the work from the A7 chip for power efficiency, which new fitness and health apps can build on.
Battery life only got slightly better compared to the iPhone 5. Apple says you'll be able to get 10 hours of talk time or LTE/Wi-Fi browsing, or 250 hours of standby time.
For the iPhone 5S camera, Apple went the HTC route, opting for larger, rather than more pixels. In fact, the new sensor has pixels that are 15 percent larger than the ones on the iPhone 5. The LED flash also got a major upgrade with what Apple is calling "True Tone Flash." It's made up of two LEDs, one white and the other a warm amber color. You can adjust the type of flash you need for the photo setting. Apple claims there are more than 1,000 variations. The iOS 7 camera app will take advantage of the new camera with several software upgrades, including a burst mode feature and a slow-motion video capture.
One of the most anticipated new features is the Touch ID sensor -- a touch-capacitive fingerprint scanner built into the Home button that's able to read your fingerprint for security purposes. Instead of tapping in a password, just place your finger on the button and it will know when it's you, versus a nosey friend or a thief. It can read your fingerprint in any direction, and you can use it to log into the phone or as the password for iTunes purchases. Apple claims that all fingerprints are encrypted and secure, never uploaded to Apple's servers to backed up to iCloud.
"This is our most forward-thinking phone yet," Phil Schiller said at the event.
The 16GB iPhone 5S will be available for $200, the 32GB model will cost $300 and the 64GB will be $400 on a two-year contract. The phone will be available September 20.
Metallic iPhones
The iPhone 5S will come in three new metallic shades, so you can look like you're talking into a brick of gold, silver or lead. Though most rumors pointed only to a gold iPhone, Apple actually revamped all the colors of its handset lineup.
iPhone 5C
The iPhone 5C is Apple's low-cost handset wrapped in bright polycarbonate. There are five color options: white, pink, green, blue and yellow. The 16GB model costs $100 and the 32GB model costs $200 on a two-year contract. The phone comes with all the specs you'd expect to see in a mid-range smartphone, or you know, a high-end smartphone from last year. It has the same A6 chip and 8-megapixel rear camera as the iPhone 5, and the same 4-inch Retina Display as the iPhone 5S.
It does have some new features as well, including an front-facing HD FaceTime camera with backside illumination. The iPhone 5C also supports the most LTE bands than any other currently available smartphone, according to Apple. For the power-hungry, the iPhone 5C also has a slightly larger battery than its predecessor. Apple trotted out a series of custom silicon cases made especially for the 5C. They feature small perforations that expose the original color of the phone. Think of the 5C as a bright plastic, slightly more advanced version of the iPhone 5.
"iPhone 5C is beautifully, unapologetically plastic," Jony Ive said in a video shown at the event. You can pre-order the iPhone 5C starting September 13; it will be available in stores on September 20.
iOS 7
Apple showed off its totally revamped mobile operating system, dubbed iOS 7, at its developer conference this summer. It features a completely new look -- with fresh, flat fonts and all -- along with 200 new features like Control Center, a refreshed Notification Center, better multitasking, and AirDrop.
The OS has been in beta for the last several months, and Apple officially announced its public release for September 18. iOS 7 will be available for the iPhone 4 and later, iPad 2 and later, iPad mini and iPad touch (5th generation).
Free iWork Apps
"We think that iWork is a really key advantage for our customers' productivity, and iPhoto and iMovie are great for their creativity," CEO Tim Cook said at the event. To that end, Apple is making all of its iWork apps -- Pages, Numbers and Keynote -- along with iPhoto and iMovie free to people who purchase new iOS devices. Yay?
No More iPhone 5
In a somewhat surprising move, Apple quickly killed off the iPhone 5. It is replacing it with the iPhone 5C and the iPhone 5S. The company didn't put an end to all of its old iPhone lineups, however -- the iPhone 4S will still be available in an 8GB model for free with a two-year contract.
Sales Stats
It wouldn't be an Apple event without some big number bragging. Cook said that Apple will sell its 700 millionth iOS device next month. "iOS 7 will quickly become the world's most popular operating system," he said. He also highlighted this year's iTunes Music Festival, which is in its seventh year. More than 20 million people applied for the free tickets to the event that featured artists are Lady Gaga, Justin Timberlake, and Elton John.
To top today's event off, Elvis Costello came out to serenade the audience.
For a play-by-play of everything that happened at the event, check out WIRED's live coverage.
