Dual cameras, weather resistance and no headphone jack. The rumors were true.
Though widely anticipated as a rather boring update to the iPhone, Apple's September 2016 announcement event actually revealed some nice, if not unexpected, products. It started with James Corden driving Tim Cook to the event as part of Carpool Karaoke. Turns out some episodes of the show will premiere on Apple Music next year. (Corden hosts "The Late Late Show" on CBS, which owns CNET.)
The new version of its mobile operating systems announced at WWDC in June will be gradually rolling out to devices. Its phone and tablet OS, iOS 10, will be available starting September 13, as will the new Apple watch operating system,WatchOS 3. Here's what we knew about both new Apple OSes before Tim Cook even took the stage on Tuesday.
As usual, we were treated to all the big numbers: 17 million paid Apple Music subscribers, 140 billion apps downloaded from the App Store and so on.
iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus
The ditching of the dedicated headphone jack in favor of a Lightning connection came as no surprise: here are our recommended wireless headphones and four ways to get your audio without the jack. Also no surprise: the elimination of the starter 16GB option, making the cheapest iPhone 7 a 32GB model. Even better, there's now an iPhone upgrade to a minimum of 32GB. However, Apple prematurely announced water resistance, stereo speakers and longer battery life on Twitter just as the event got underway. Oops.
Both phones have a new Retina HD display that supports cinema and wide color gamuts.
To take advantage of the new wireless W1 chip in the phones -- and the lack of a headphone jack -- Apple revealed new wireless AirPod earbuds that automatically connect to devices, as well as Beats Solo 3 Wireless and Powerbeats 3 wireless. Also cheaper Beats X.
Both new models also get a shiny black finish and other redesigns, including a new Home button with taptic feedback. There's also an upgrade to a 7MP Facetime camera. And Apple is incorporating Japan's version of NFC, Felica, and transit information for Japan in Apple Maps.
Meanwhile, under the hood there's a new generation chip, the A10 Fusion, a 64-bit quad-core that's faster than the previous A9 in each core. It has both high-power and low-power cores to manage battery life. Apple claims longest battery life ever in an iPhone.
Where they differ: The 4.7-inch iPhone 7 gets a new 12MP camera with optical stabilization and and f1.8 lens, new supporting silicon for better performance, and a quad-tone LED flash. The 5.5-inch iPhone 7 Plus, as expected, gets dual cameras -- one with the same 28mm camera module as that of the iPhone 7, and the other with a 56mm lens, in addition to what's in the iPhone 7. It will receive a software update to enable the depth-of-field simulation Apple demonstrated.
But despite all the emphasis on external design, should you really care what the iPhone 7 looks like?
They'll start shipping on September 16, starting at $649.
Apple Watch
We welcomed the next generation of the Apple Watch, the Apple Watch Series 2, which is all about activity (notably running and swimming). It's rugged, submersible to 50 meters (water is ejected via the speaker) and added calorie burn for swimming to fitness lab. On the inside, it's got a new dual-core system and graphics-acceleration chip, and on the outside it has a brighter, higher-resolution display for better visibility in sunlight. Also new: a built-in GPS, a ceramic version and new Hermes and Nike+ editions.
Apple recapped the wunnerful features WatchOS 3 is bringing to its smartwatch, as well as announcing Pokemon Go for the Apple Watch and a Pokemon Go Plus wearable band that allows heads-up playing in conjunction with your iPhone. It also showcased the Watch's ability to share data between the game and your fitness apps.
Pricing: $369 for Apple Watch Series 2. But Apple's also upgrading the original Apple Watch design, called Series 1, with a dual-core processor for $269. They'll be available September 13.
Other updates
For more, read our archived version of the live blog, and check out all of our coverage of theSeptember 2016 announcements.
Apple Music hits 17 million subscribers
Apple added 2 million customers in the last three months, the company says at its iPhone event Wednesday morning.
Apple Music has recruited another 2 million subscribers, hitting 17 million people, the gadget giant said Wednesday.
Spotify said last month it has 39 million subscribers, and it had more than 100 million total listeners as of June.
Competition between streaming music services has grown bitter this year. Services like Apple Music, Spotify and Tidal are battling for supremacy in the fast-growing subscription market, even as the music industry has largely insisted all services offer the same overall catalog for the same general price. Spotify has a leg up on rivals, the only service permitted to offer a free, ad-supported version.
In June, Apple Music said it has hit 15 million subscribers, half the number of bigger rival Spotify.
Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook also said Wednesday that Apple Music would be broadcasting episodes of "Carpool Karaoke," a recurring comedy sketch by late-night talk show host James Corden early next year. (Corden hosts "The Late Late Show on CBS, which owns CNET.)
He touted Apple Music's exclusive releases, calling the service "the premiere destination for new artists and existing artists to launch their exclusive music." He said Apple Music has had 70 great releases from stars like Taylor Swift, Frank Ocean and Drake.
High-profile music exclusives have emerged as the weapon of choice among streaming services competing to dominate the growing market. Apple Music and smaller competitor Tidal -- owned by rapper Jay Z and a host of other big-name artists -- have turned to exclusives to combat Spotify's advantage on price.
During Apple's June presentation to developers, the gadget giant unveiled a redesign of the subscription music service "from the ground up." The update is expected to roll out later this month when Apple would typically release its new operating software for mobiles, iOS 10. The changes include making it easier to get to your own downloaded music with a "Recently Added" section, a music player that shows lyrics, and a "For You" tab that also offers up songs tailored to each listener.
Later in the presentation Wednesday in downtown San Francisco, Apple is widely expected to unveil its new phones, the iPhone 7 and a larger 7 Plus.
The iPhone is the most popular device Apple has ever made and remains its biggest moneymaker. The company gets more than two-thirds of its sales from the iPhone, and in July, it confirmed it sold its billionth iPhone since Steve Jobs introduced it to the world in 2007. The device has spawned entire new industries, like apps, and changed the way we live.
But there are signs the iPhone phenomenon is slowing down. In April, Apple reported its first ever drop in phone sales and continued that trend the following quarter.
This is a developing story. Follow our live blog for real-time commentary, and check out all of today's Apple news.
-- Shara Tibken contributed to this report.
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