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Apple announced iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus

Apple introduced the next-generation iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus at its media event in San Francisco today on September 9. The new iPhones feature an A9 chip and M9 motion coprocessor, 3D Touch, 12-megapixel rear-facing camera, 5-megapixel front-facing camera, stronger glass and Series 7000 aluminum, faster Touch ID, Live Photos and a new Rose Gold color option.

iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus are powered by an Apple A9 chip and embedded M9 motion coprocessor that deliver up to 70% faster CPU performance and up to 90% faster graphics compared to the A8 chip inside the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.

3D Touch on iPhone is similar to Force Touch on Apple Watch, enabling users to make “peek and pop” gestures on the screen to access actionable shortcuts or preview content, such as text messages, flight information, calendar appointments and more. There’s also a new Taptic Engine inside of the iPhone 6s that enables haptic feedback so you get touch-based responses when using 3D Touch.

The smartphones feature an improved 12-megapixel rear-facing iSight camera with 4K video recording and 5-megapixel front-facing FaceTime camera with true tone Retina Flash — in low light, the front display will flash for a split second instead of using a traditional LED flash.

iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus also have a second-generation Touch ID fingerprint scanner that is up to two times faster compared to Touch ID on previous iPhones.

The iPhones are crafted from Series 7000 aluminum and come in a new Rose Gold color, alongside Silver, Space Gray and Gold. Otherwise, the handsets look virtually the same as the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, but they are slightly thicker and heavier.

Pricing and Availability:

iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus start at $199 and $299 with a new two-year contract respectively. Alternatively, the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus will start at $649 and $749 respectively when purchased outright.

Financing and lease programs that break the full price down into monthly installments are available from AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile and many other carriers. Apple also introduced a new iPhone Upgrade Program aimed at customers who upgrade their iPhone each year.

The prices listed below are in U.S. dollars.

iPhone 6s
16GB: $199 (On Contract), $649 (Full Price)
64GB: $299 (On Contract), $749 (Full Price)
128GB: $399 (On Contract), $849 (Full Price)

iPhone 6s Plus
16GB: $299 (On Contract), $749 (Full Price)
64GB: $399 (On Contract), $849 (Full Price)
128GB: $499 (On Contract), $949 (Full Price)

iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus pre-orders begin on Saturday, September 12 at 12:01 AM Pacific ahead of a Friday, September 25 launch in the United States, Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, Singapore and the United Kingdom. The new iPhones will be available in over 130 countries by the end of the year.

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Today Apple previews larger iPad Pro: 12.9-inch display, A9X chip, 10-hour battery

 

That’s right: Apple has just announced the iPad Pro, and it’s definitely the biggest iPad yet. It has everything the iPad Air 2 offers, and a little extra on top. Rather than talking about their similarities, though, let’s look at the differences.

 

 

The iPad Pro has a giant 12.9-inch display with 2,732 x 2,048 pixels. To put that size into perspective, that means the screen is almost exactly the same width as the regular iPad’s is tall. It’s also, in case you didn’t run the math, got the same familiar 4:3 iPad aspect ratio and a functionally identical pixel density to the iPad Air. Apple says it’s so big the on-screen keyboard is “full-sized,” like on its laptops.

The larger panel, Apple hopes, will be ideal for the new multitasking additions to iOS 9, which let you run apps side by side, or in a split view and “pop-over” video. Of course, you can do that on an iPad Air 2, but thanks to the larger screen, the apps will look more like they do on a regular iPad in full-screen mode. It also frees up some extra space around the display, which Apple has decided use to include four speakers up front. Hopefully they sound good, and this’ll be a great high-def movie machine.

Elsewhere, this is very much an iPad. It’s super thin (6.9mm) and super light (1.59 pounds). You’ll find a 1.2-megapixel FaceTime camera up front and an 8-megapixel iSight camera at the back. It has Touch ID built into the home button, 10 hours of battery life and multiple color options (silver, gold and space gray). Essentially everything else you’d expect of an Apple tablet.

So. What’s the price for all of these additions? Brace your wallet: The iPad Pro will start at $799. That’s for a 32GB WiFi model. The 128GB WiFi model will cost $949, while the LTE 128GB model costs $1,079.