Apple event - as it happened: iPhone 11 details revealed, as new Apple Watch and TV streaming service unveiled
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Your support makes all the difference.Apple held the biggest event of the year, during which it revealed a whole host of its most premium products.
The company unveiled not one but three iPhones, all with upgraded cameras and a variety of new colours. They are called the iPhone 11, the iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max, making them the first handset to finally get the "Pro" name that is present across Apple's line.
But the iPhone wasn't the only new device, with updates to the Apple Watch, its variety of online streaming services, and other products also revealed during the event.
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With the soaring costs of flagship smartphones, some people have been thinking about what they could buy instead of a $1,099 iPhone 11 Pro Max.
Suggestions include 8 years of Netflix, 200 Big Macs or 200 Whopper burgers.
A quick online search shows you could also get a round-trip from London to Sydney, with enough spare change to pick up a new Nokia 3310 feature phone.
The cleaning crews are out in full force at the Steve Jobs Theater.
Another suggestion for the rear camera arrangement, this one from Vipul Mittal (@vipulmittal09)
Having pioneered the smartphone industry more than a decade ago, Apple has opted for a more cautious approach in recent years when it comes to new innovations.
As rivals like Samsung and Huawei have tried (and failed, and tried again) to launch folding phones, Apple has been happy to sit back and let others take all the risks.
A new camera lens will probably be an exciting development, but it's hardly breaking the pattern of incremental updates.
But beyond folding phones, what major innovations are left to make in a saturated market? 5G is the obvious one, but there's another trends quietly happening among some of the world's biggest phone makers.
Last week, Samsung unveiled a cryptocurrency version of its Note 10 smartphone, integrating decentralised apps and allowing customers to store and spend bitcoin on their phones.
It follows on from the HTC Exodus 1, described by its maker as the "world's first blockchain smartphone".
Speaking ahead of the iPhone 11 launch, the phone's lead developer, Phil Chen, explains to The Independent why such phones may be the future.
Smartphones as a business segment has peaked and now plateaued. We’ve already seen the best camera, the best screen and the best audio – which is why we’re seeing smartphone sales slow down. Top brands are struggling to find the next gimmick that would push an upgrade. However, what we need are not gimmicks, but real productivity gains to jump to the next curve of innovation. For example, the inclusion of the rest of the world that currently don’t have access to basic financial tools. Initially considered a gimmick by some, crypto technology is the next frontier of smartphone innovation.
Just 30 minutes to go now until things get going at the Steve Jobs Theater in California.
Apple CEO Tim Cook has already been there for hours.
David Phelan, The Independent's roving tech correspondent, has snuck into the Steve Jobs Theater to give us our fist look inside.
We have another entry for what that rear camera setup looks like on the iPhone 11.
Some Apple royalty in attendance today, with co-founder Steve Wozniak posing for selfies with YouTube star Marques Brownlee and other attendees.
I wonder what the red Apple logo means on Wozniak's lanyard? Come to think of it, why does The Woz even need to wear a lanyard?
(Photo courtesy of Safwan AhmedMia, @SuperSaf)
Speaking of The Woz, a friend of mine who interviewed him a few years ago showed me his business card. It's made of metal and photochemically etched with his details.
Unique - but not as unique as his Nixie tube watch.
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