What an Apple Event Looks Like
We Take You Behind the Scenes of Apple's iPhone Launch
Apple has perfected the art of the product launch (so much so that it's been imitated by tiny humans), and we went to discover the magic for ourselves during this year's September Spectacular, where Apple announced two new phones and a smartwatch. Turns out, the fanfare from the annual Fall event in Cupertino, CA — the company's hometown — is not an exaggeration.
There were standing ovations, hollers, and whoops for the magical unveilings during the keynote by CEO Tim Cook and team. Apple has been making these kinds of keynotes for about 30 years, so they're boiled down to a science. Stay tuned for our hands-on with the new gadgets in the next episode of The Sync Up, but first read on to find out what ingredients are required to make a highly anticipated Apple event.
Photo: Nicole Nguyen
The most important piece of plastic you'll ever get.
There's always something big and mysterious.
The lines are one big nerd hug.
Apple DJ knows wassup.
Rumors abound.
Hi, Tim!
And then . . . the announcement we were all expecting!
When the unthinkable happens.
And then, the announcement we weren't sure about.
Apple Watch reveal!
The live demo.
Wait, another surprise?
It's U2!
After the presentation, everyone rushes out to the white box.
There was a literal human barricade.
Yes, Gwen Stefani.
Will.I.Am. was also present.
There were iPhones on skewers.
There were iPhones on mats.
There were Apple Watches on full display.
A Hands-On Look at Apple's New Smartwatch and iPhones
We were on the ground during Apple's Fall gadget extravaganza, where the company unveiled its latest tech from Cupertino, CA. In this episode of The Sync Up, we touch all the new gadgetry in the three-story product showcase Apple built just for the event. Get up and personal with the new iPhones and decide for yourself: is it "the most beautiful phone you've ever seen" like CEO Tim Cook claims?
New iPhones vs. iPhone 5S and 5C
The new phones are significantly larger but also thinner.
iPhone 6 Plus in Hand
The iPhone 6 Plus is like a mini Mini iPad. It's more narrow than popular phablets like the Galaxy Note 4 (which has a 16:10 aspect ratio vs. the iPhone's 16:9 display size), which makes it comfortable to hold. The larger phone definitely requires a two-handed operation, as shown. The "reachability" feature (double tap the homescreen) pushes all content down to the lower half of the screen so it's within a thumb's reach, and it's really effective. Typing with that enhanced large-screen keyboard is pretty fun, but it's still too big for me personally. If you didn't already own a tablet or read a lot of articles and books on your phone, I'd recommend the 6 Plus.
iWatch Close-Up
We tried the Apple Watch (not the Sport or the gold luxe Apple Watch Edition), and it was a great fit. The smaller 38mm size was the exact width of my wrist. Apple wasn't letting anyone besides the Apple reps touch or record the live demo watch's screen, but from what we saw, the display was very high resolution and the animations looked clear and beautiful. Not a pixel in sight.
Our iWatch Demo
Here's a run-through of the preprogrammed demo Apple installed in the Apple Watches on display. This is the only footage of the watch we were able to record.
Go behind the scenes of the special event, then get all the details about Apple's new gadgets with our comprehensive yet simple breakdown of this week's biggest news.
