Apple kicked off its press event this morning in San Francisco by announcing its thinner, lighter, and taller iPhone 5 with 4G LTE. Also making debuts were a new iPod Touch and iPod Nano. Click on for photos of the event as it unfolded.
Here, Apple CEO Tim Cook greets the crowd by wishing everyone a good morning. "We've got some really cool stuff to show you," he says.
Here's an early morning shot of the scene outside the Lam Research Theater at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco, where the action took place.
After greeting the crowd, Cook talks iPad, saying it's driving the post-PC revolution at a breathtaking pace. Some 84 million iPads have been sold through June, he says.
Cook says every app seems to have its fans. Ninety percent of apps are downloaded every month, he says. The average customer is using more than 100 apps.
Moving on to iPhone. The name of the new device is the iPhone 5, says Apple marketing exec Phil Schiller. The iPhone 5's features include a taller display, LTE, an A6 chip, camera improvements, a new dock connector, and iOS 6.
Schiller says the iPod 30-pin connector, which launched in 2003, has served the company well for almost a decade. "A lot's changed and it's time for the connector" to evolve. The new one is called Lightning.
Cue introduces a new version of iTunes, with iCloud built in. The new interface has no source list on the left. Albums expand out like folders in iOS and OS X.
Like the iPhone 5, the new iPod Touch is longer and thinner. And it's taken the A5 chip from the iPhone 4S. Joswiak says it's seven times faster than the previous model when it comes to graphics.
Apple has contributed more than $50 million to Product Red with these models, Joswiak says. Product Red is a global fund to fight AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria.
"Whenever we have a music event, we like to remind ourselves and our customers of why we do what we do, and there's no better way to do that then to have one of our favorite musical artists to perform," Cook says.
"One of the great things about being here is beging able to meet all the people, the great people that are shaping our future," lead singer David Grohl says. "And just like when you get to meet someone like Little Richard, or Tom Petty, or Jimmy Page, you realize these are just people who took it upon themselves to do something different and change our world. ... they're just flesh and bone, they're just people, and it's totally inspiring."
