San Francisco: Apple Inc unveiled its new water and dust-resistant iPhone 7 with high-resolution cameras at its fall product event on Wednesday, and said a Super Mario game was coming to the new phone and Pokemon Go would feature on its upgraded Apple Watch.
The excitement at the Bill Graham auditorium in San Francisco was not matched on Wall Street, where Apple's stock was down 0.3 percent. However, Nintendo Co Ltd's US-listed shares, jumped more than 20 percent to trade around $35 on hopes its games would reach a new audience.
The world's best-known technology company said the iPhone 7 would have one, zooming 12-megapixel camera and the 'Plus' edition would feature two cameras. It also removed the analog headphone jack, as was widely expected.
The new headphones supplied by Apple with the phone will plug into the same port as the recharging cord, but it will also work with Apple's new wireless headphones, called Air Pods.
Apple said the phones would be available on September 16. The company typically gives its main product, which accounts for more than half of its revenue, a big makeover every other year and the last major redesign was the iPhone 6 in 2014. The modest updates suggest that this cycle will be three years.
The iPhone 7 starts at $649 for 32GB, other variants are 128GB and 256GB. The iPhone 7 Plus starts at $769 for 32GB, other variants are 128GB and 256GB.
Both iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus will be launched in India on October 7.
Apple said its Apple Watch Series 2, with a swim-proof casing, will be available in more than 25 countries starting on September 16.
"I predict Watch sales will improve dramatically," said Tech analyst Patrick Moorhead.
"Most of the current Watch owners are early adopters and the next wave could be 10 times the size of that market.”
Major announcements from the event
» iPhone 7 has just one camera but it has optical image stabilisation (OIS). iPhone 7 Plus also has this.
» It has a pristine mirror-like surface
» iPhone 7 has a new finish called Jet Black. Also available in just black, gold, silver and rose gold.
» The home button has become force sensitive, and has a new-generation taptic engine.
» The new iPhones will be water- and dust-resistant. IP67 standard.
» Dual lense on the iPhone7 plus. One is a telephoto lense
» Two 12MP cameras built-in on iPhone 7 Plus. One is wide-angle and the other is a 56mm telephoto.
» AirPods cost $169 and will start shipping in October.
» iPhone 7 and 7 Plus have stereo speakers.
» The AirPods have a W1 Apple-designed chip. No cable to connect them. They only play when you're ready to listen.
» The battery life is around 5 hours on a single charge.
» iPhone 7 lasts 2 hours longer than the 6S.
» iPhone 7 starts at $649 for 32GB. Other variants are 128GB and 256GB.
» iPhone 7 Plus starts at $769 for 32GB. Other variants are 128GB and 256GB.
» Apple Watch series 2 introduced. It's water resistant upto 50 meters. There is no change in its design.
» Apple Watch 2 has a built-in GPS, a boon for runners.
» Apple Watch Series 2 has cases in aluminium, stainless steel and ceramic
» Apple Watch Series 2 will start at $369
» The older Apple Watch to have the new Series 2 processor. It's priced at $269
» Partnered with Nike, Apple makes Apple Watch Nike+ – a watch designed for runners
» Apple Watch Nike+ will also be priced at $369
(With agency inputs)