In this special episode of the AppleInsider podcast, Daniel Eran Dilger reports from the floor of Apple's 2015 iPhone event where he went hands on with iPhone 6s, iPad Pro, Apple Pencil, Apple TV and new Apple Watch products.
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The event, staged earlier today at San Francisco's Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, was a chock-full of new hardware announcements, much more so than Apple's usual September galas. Along with expected iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus devices, Apple unveiled new Apple TV hardware, a 12.9-inch iPad Pro tailored to professionals and an expansion of the Apple Watch lineup.
Starting with Apple Watch, the company announced new gold and rose gold color options for the aluminum Sport model, as well as a "fall color" lineup of Sport Bands. For well-heeled users, Apple is partnering with luxury leather goods maker Hermes to introduce a line of straps, though pricing has yet to be announced.
As for iPad Pro, Dilger found the device somewhat akin to Microsoft's Surface. Like Apple's most recent portable products, the Pro is extremely lightweight but packed with cutting edge technology. For example, the screen is integrated tightly with Apple Pencil, a pressure- and motion-sensing stylus designed to maximize utility but minimize lag. With a Smart Keyboard, Apple Pencil and extremely large and crisp display, Pro is positioned to dominate the enterprise market.
iPhone 6s, the star of today's show, also received a healthy dose of advanced tech in 3D Touch, which can be described as an evolution over Apple Watch's Force Touch input system. With 3D Touch, users are able to invoke "Peep and Pop" modes. Light pressing on on-screen content activates a preview without entering into a full-blown app, much like Apple's Preview feature on Mac. Pressing more deeply "pops" open the content's corresponding app.
Finally, Apple TV was updated to its fourth generation with a souped up A8 processor capable of supporting an App Store and all-new user interface powered by Apple's Siri Remote. The remote control features a built-in microphone for full-fledged Siri interaction -- limited eight countries at launch -- including cross-service searches, system commands, queries and more.