Live Blog: Apple's September 9, 2015 'Hey Siri' Event

By AppleVis, 7 September, 2015

Member of the AppleVis Editorial Team

Below is the AppleVis live blog for the September 9, 2015 special event. Information has been taken directly from the @AppleVis Twitter timeline, as well as quoted from the Twitter timelines of [Mac Rumors LiveLive](http://www.twitter.com/Mac Rumors Live). All external information is indicated as such with a source name, and all external tweets are in quotes.

Apple Watch

  • Tim Cook: Apple Watch customer satisfaction is 97%.
  • There are over 10,000 Watch apps in the App Store.
  • Mac Rumors Live: "AirStrip lets physicians see details on upcoming patients and get data like lab results right on their wrists."
  • Mac Rumors Live: "Can get live cardiac waveforms and watch them over time using Time Travel in watchOS 2."
  • Mac Rumors Live: "Can send HIPPA-compliant messages right to a patient's care team from the watch. It's all secure because it's still on the wrist."
  • Mac Rumors Live: "Apple is partnering with Hermes for a new Apple Watch band collection."
  • New finishes available for Apple Watch: Gold, Rose Gold, and anodized Aluminum. Will be available at same price as rest of Sport lineup.
  • Space Black stainless steel Watch now available with a black Sport band.
  • Stainless steel Watch also available with a Product (RED) band.
  • New Watch models shipping today to 24 countries.
  • watch OS 2 to be released on September 16th

iPad

  • Apple announces the NEW iPad Pro.
  • iPad Pro screen is 12.9 inches diagonal.
  • Mac Rumors Live: "New iPad Pro is 12.9 inches diagonal. 5.6 million pixels."
  • Mac Rumors Live: 2732 x 2048 pixels. More pixels than a Retina MacBook Pro.'It's the most advanced display we've ever built.'"
  • iPad Pro has an A9X processor. 1.8 times faster than the A8X it replaces. "Desktop-class performance."
  • Mac Rumors Live: "Graphics performance has doubled with the A9X over the A8X in the iPad Air 2."
  • iPad Pro is faster than 80% of the portable PCs that shipped in the last 12 months.
  • Mac Rumors Live: "iPad Pro will support Split Screen multitasking, was built for it."
  • iPad Pro will include a 4-speaker audio system. Left/right automatically balanced depending on device orientation.
  • iPad Pro has twice the audio volume level of an iPad Air 2.
  • iPad Pro just 1.5 pounds, 6.9MM thick.
  • Apple introduces the Smart Keyboard, exclusively for the iPad Pro.
  • iPad Pro will have a "Smart Connector" for power, data, and keyboard connections.
  • Apple introduces the Apple Pencil, a new drawing tool for iPad Pro.
  • Mac Rumors Live: "The Apple Pencil is pressure sensitivity with a ton of built-in sensors."
  • Mac Rumors Live: "When using the Pencil, the iPad detects position twice as fast. Pencil detects position, force and tilt."
  • Mac Rumors Live: "It charges via a Lightning connector on the bottom, which plugs into the iPad Pro."
  • Apple Pencil can be used with built-in apps in iOS; Notes, Mail (markup feature given as examples). New apps on from developers on the way.
  • iPad Pro to come in silver, gold, and Space Gray.
  • Mac Rumors Live: "iPad Pro, keyboard, and pencil will be available in November."
  • Mac Rumors Live: Pricing starts at $799, 32GB. iPad Pencil is $99, Smart Keyboard is $169."
  • Apple announces iPad Mini 4. Power and performance of iPad Air 2 in an iPad Mini package.

Apple TV

  • Over 60% of paid streaming TV video is consumed on an Apple device.
  • Interactions with the new Apple TV are via voice and touch.
  • Mac Rumors Live: "Siri will search across multiple content apps and give all your viewing options on a single screen."
  • Mac Rumors Live: "Apple TV includes an App Store. Interface looks similar to existing interface, but revamped and cleaner."
  • Mac Rumors Live: "New Apple TV has animated screen savers Apple created exclusively for the Apple TV. 'Stunning locations around the world.'
  • Siri seems very robust on the Apple TV. Has huge potential for #blind users with VoiceOver. ^MH
  • Mac Rumors Live: "If you ask Siri 'What did she just say?' Siri will skip back 15 seconds and temporarily turn on captions. Awesome!"
  • Mac Rumors Live: "'Show that Modern Family episode with Edward Norton' is an example of how you can search for content on the new Apple TV."
  • Mac Rumors Live: "Siri understands contextual requests. 'Show me some action movies.' 'The James Bond ones.' 'Just the ones with Sean Connery.'"
  • MH: Sounds like the remote is touchscreen. Would expect a full set of customized VoiceOver gestures if the past is any indication.
  • New Apple TV operating system: tvOS; it's based on iOS.
  • Mac Rumors Live: "'The future of the Apple TV is apps.' We're talking about the Apple TV App Store and tvOS now, which is the new OS for the Apple TV."
  • Mac Rumors Live: "All of the Apple apps for the Apple TV have been redesigned, and there's now an Apple Music app."
  • Mac Rumors Live: "Some developers have already been working on apps and games for the Apple TV. Hulu, Netflix, GBO, Galaxy on Fire, Rayman Adventures."
  • Mac Rumors Live: "Multiplayer Crossy Road is coming to the Apple TV. Can play using iPhones or iPads as controllers."
  • Mac Rumors Live: "With Beat Sports, you can hold the Apple TV remote and move your arm to hit a ball. Remote has a built-in accelerometer to detect movement."
  • Mac Rumors Live: "Gameplay looks a lot like a Wii game, with lots of swinging to hit balls back and forth."
  • Mac Rumors Live: "Full HD video, streamed at 60FPS. Can click remote to get live data when watching TV broadcasts."
  • Developers can create universal apps; one purchase for access on iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV.
  • Mac Rumors Live: "New Apple TV is thicker than the existing model, with Power, HDMI, and Ethernet ports."
  • Apple TV will have a Lightning connector on the bottom.
  • 32GB Apple TV sells for $149, 64GB $199.
  • tvOS will be available for developers today.
  • The new Apple TV will be released in over 80 countries in October.

iPhone

  • The new iPhones are named the "iPhone 6S" and "iPhone 6S Plus."
  • The new iPhones will be made of 7000-series aluminum.
  • iPhone 6S/6S Plus comes in silver, gold, Space Gray, and Rose Gold.
  • Mac Rumors Live: "Incredibly durable with new ion-strengthened glass."
  • Mac Rumors Live: "New iPhones have 3D Touch, the "next-generation of multi touch." It recognizes force to enable new gestures."
  • Mac Rumors Live: "Works on home screen to get short cuts to the things you do frequently. Press lightly and it gives you a peek at the content."
  • Mac Rumors Live: "3D Touch offers distinct tactile feedback. Lets you know what you've done and what to expect."
    • Mac Rumors Live: "New haptic feedback engine for shorter, more distinct feedback events. A mini tap, a full tap."
  • Mac Rumors Live: "In Mail, 3D Touch lets you preview a message with a touch. Longer press opens the message."
  • Facebook, Dropbox, Instagram (and probably others as yet unannounced) appear to have support for 3D Touch.
  • Mac Rumors Live: "In Messages, you can press on a time to open up your Calendar, or press on a flight number to get flight details. All within Messages."
  • Mac Rumors Live: "If you get a Safari link in Messages, pressing it will preview it and doesn't require opening Safari."
  • Mac Rumors Live: "Can press on apps to take actions without opening them. For example, force press on Phone to call a specific person."
  • Mac Rumors Live: "Force press on the camera to open the front facing camera for a selfie."
  • iPhone 6S / 6S Plus will have a new A9 chip.
  • The A9 processor in the iPhone 6S / 6S Plus is 70% faster at CPU tasks than the A8.
  • The M9 motion coprocessor is built right into the A9 chip.
  • iPhone 6S will have a new second-generation Touch ID sensor.
  • iPhone 6S will have a 12MP iSight camera.
  • Mac Rumors Live: "M9 motion coprocessor is always on, which enables a "Hey Siri" feature that lets "Hey Siri" be used any time, even when not plugged in."
  • Mac Rumors Live: "All new iSight camera. 12-megapixels. 50% more pixels than before, enabling increased detail."
  • Mac Rumors Live: "Autofocus is even faster and more accurate."
  • Mac Rumors Live: "Includes deep trench isolation technology to keep color accurate."
  • The new iPhones can shoot 4K ("incredibly detailed") video.
  • The new iPhones will also have a new 5MP FaceTime camera.
  • Mac Rumors Live: "8 million pixels in every frame. Incredibly detailed."
  • Mac Rumors Live: "There's a new Live Photos feature. Press on your photos and you can see a quick animation."
  • Apple is creating new developer APIs for Live Photos.
  • New iPhones have LTE Advanced, twice as fast. 23 bands of LTE networking. WiFi also twice as fast.
  • iPhone 6S and 6S Plus will run iOS 9.
  • Apple is launching a new app to help people switch from Android to iOS.
  • There are new charging docks for iPhone 6S/6S Plus; also new leather and silicone covers.
  • The iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus will be priced at the same prices and configurations as the 6 and 6 Plus were previously.
  • The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus are now $100 less expensive.
  • Mac Rumors Live: "New iPhone each year, choose your carrier, unlocked phone, includes AppleCare+, starts at $32/month."
  • Pre-orders for the new iPhones start Saturday, September 12, 2015; the phones will be available on Friday, September 25, 2015.
  • iOS 9 will be released on Wednesday, September 16, 2015.
  • New pricing for iCloud: 50GB of storage $.99 per month, 200GB storage $2.99 per month, 1TB storage $9.99 per month.

Options

Comments

By Pavel Ondra on Thursday, September 24, 2015 - 00:19

I vould like to see Siri in more languages, of course my own especially, also i am curious about new iphone and its supposed force touch capabilities. And lastly, i am interested in new ios9 and when it will be released.

By Patrick Hurst on Thursday, September 24, 2015 - 00:19

Yes, I would also be very excited to know what ForceTouch can do. I'm sure it would certainly add a bunch of new possibilities to VoiceOver. But it may even serve in navigation: One of the BlindSquare developpers told in one of their podcasts that iPhone 6 and 6Plus is able to detect tiny altitude pressure changes...

By Patrick Hurst on Thursday, September 24, 2015 - 00:19

Apple usually schedules the new iOS release one week after the September event; so this year, it should be Wednesday September 16. around 6PM GMT (10 AM Pacific).

By Ken Downey on Thursday, September 24, 2015 - 00:19

I clickg on the link and nothing happened. It showed that the event is scheduled, it showed the requirements, but I can'! Get the stream. I'm using an iphone 6 with 8.4.1. Please help!

Ken, the stream won’t be available until just before the event begins.

Saqib, there is a dedicated channel on the Apple TV for Apple events which will be streaming this one.

By Wahid Raza on Thursday, September 24, 2015 - 00:19

Hey their,
the countdown has begaine,
as the subject line says,
how to streem the live event on desktop through VLC,
I know that we can watch on apple devices, but how to streem on VLC
on desktop just forgot it
thanks.

By Justin on Thursday, September 24, 2015 - 00:19

Not thru VLC. You'll need the edge browser or safari on desktop OS.

By TheBlindDragon on Thursday, September 24, 2015 - 00:19

You can subscribe to the Apple Keynotes podcast to listen to the event

By splyt on Thursday, September 24, 2015 - 00:19

Do you know if they tould us something about IOS 9 in general other than the release date ?

By Ken Downey on Thursday, September 24, 2015 - 00:19

All we were told was that the older devices will still run it fine: There was literally nothing said about accessibily at all, which was a bummer.