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Apple rolls out TV system, new iPhones

Phil Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of worldwide marketing, talks about the pricing of the new iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus during the Apple event Wednesday at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco. (Associated Press)
Brandon Bailey Associated Press

SAN FRANCISCO – Apple staked a new claim to the living room on Wednesday, as the maker of iPhones and other hand-held gadgets unveiled an Internet TV system that’s designed as a beachhead for the tech giant’s broader ambitions to deliver a wide range of information, games, music and video to the home.

CEO Tim Cook and other executives also showed off two new iPhone models, a plus-size iPad with detachable keyboard and updated software for the Apple Watch during an exhaustive, two-hour event in San Francisco.

Apple is counting on sales of the new iPhones to maintain its position as one of the most profitable, and valuable, companies in the world.

But it’s the new Apple TV system that some analysts point to as an important step for the company as Cook attempts to build a business that doesn’t rely so heavily on the iPhone.

“Apple is laying the groundwork for a broader living-room strategy,” said analyst Ben Bajarin from the research firm Creative Strategies. Apple wants to make the already-important TV screen into an essential hub for communication and entertainment, he said.

“TV plays a huge role in our lives and it occupies an important place in our homes,” Cook said during his presentation. He added that Apple believes “the future of television is apps” that deliver streaming video, games and other services.

For now, however, the iPhone is still Apple’s most important product. Sales of the iconic smartphone contributed more than two-thirds of the Cupertino, California, company’s $107 billion in revenue during the first half of 2015.

Apple announced Wednesday that it will sell two new iPhone models, dubbed the 6s and 6s Plus, starting Sept. 25. They’re roughly the same size and will cost the same as the record-selling 6 and 6 Plus models introduced last year, which will now sell for $100 less.

The new iPhones will have more memory and faster processors, along with a new 12 mega-pixel camera.

Perhaps the most noticeable upgrade, however, is the addition of “3D Touch,” a feature that uses added screen sensors to detect the difference between a light tap and extended finger pressure, triggering different menus and functions for apps made by Apple and outside developers.

The new TV box is a significant upgrade from older versions the company has sold since 2007. The new device has a more powerful processor and updated software for running Internet apps and games on TVs, along with streaming music and video. It will start at $149 and will be available in late October.