Wow that was an early start. Alex and Danny kicked off Gizmodo Australia’s meta-liveblog at 4am AEDT to bring you the best coverage coverage from our amazing friends around the web, along with Australian-specific news, availability and pricing. Here’s how it all went down. How did your predictions go?
Danny [5:45] : OK, so Apple’s iPhone event is finished, and it was pretty disappointing to be honest. But let’s hear what you think. Let us know your thoughts in the comments below and on Twitter by mentioning @giz_au. You can track the live Tweet feed below.
Alex [5:44] : To recap: Apple sold a lot of stuff, launched new iPod Nano and Touch models (the latter of which doesn’t seem to have the A5 chip, not sure what’s genuinely new there aside from ‘it’s white’), iOS 5 and iPhone 4S. No iPhone 5, no LTE. New Pod Nano model ‘today’ — will have to wait and see if that’s Au today — iPhone 4S on the 14th. Finally, iOS 5 arrives October 12th.
More:
– Apple Australia Pricing For iPhone 4S, iPod Nano And Touch
– Apple iPhone 4S: Everything You Need To Know
– What’s So Great About The iPhone’s New Camera?
– iPhone 4S’ Siri Voice Command Is Just As Amazing As We Hoped
– Apple’s Siri Personal Assistant Only Runs On iPhone 4S
– More Details About iOS 5′s Newsstand
No real surprises after all. Image courtesy of gdgt
Danny [5:43] : Thanks again to our friends at Ars and gdgt and everywhere else for their amazing coverage and photos so we could make jokes while sipping delicious coffee. Check out their post-game coverage, along with the full wrap from Gizmodo Australia.
Alex [5:42] : Because if there was sun outside, it would sear my retinas clear off.
Danny [5:41] : Hahaha. I just snorted my tasty caffeine beverage. Why is there no sun outside?
Alex [5:40] : And one more thing… please leave now.
Danny [5:38] : Reading comments….thanks for the positive feedback on the coverage guys!
Alex [5:37] : Place your bets as to which Aussie carrier will announce pricing first. The 14th doesn’t give them much time to dilly-dally.
Danny [5:36] : Still wrapping. Is that it? No iPhone 5? No one more thing?
The lineup. Image courtesy of Ars Technica
Danny [5:35] : That’s the fastest announcement to Australian launch Apple has had yet.
Alex [5:35] : And now they ‘review’ the day’s announcements. Odds of one more thing slipping.. slipping…
Alex [5:34] : 14th also in Australia. Who’s going to start the queue — and outside which store?
Alex [5:34] : US preorders 7th, launching 14th.
Alex [5:34] : Woah. Instant Keanu moment. IP4 $US99, but the 3GS lives! As a free phone! (no doubt, under US carrier plans). Update: iPhone 4 survived the cull, albeit only in an 8GB version, which will cost $679 unlocked in Australia, and the surprise news that the iPhone 3GS also survives means it’s still available too, at $449. More: Apple Australia Pricing For iPhone 4S, iPod Nano And Touch
Alex [5:33] : I could be tempted by a 64GB iPhone4S, though. Hmm…
Alex [5:33] : “Black and white, 16GB for $199, 32GB for $299, and 64GB for $399. 64GB is the first time in an iPhone.” — but those are US carrier subsidised prices…Update: iPhone 4S (outright) will cost Aussies $799 for the 16GB version, $899 for 32GB or $999 for the new 64GB variant. More: Apple Australia Pricing For iPhone 4S, iPod Nano And Touch
Alex [5:32] : That’s also apparently “all” the “great new stuff in iPhone 4S”. So unless there’s a big reveal upcoming, which seems unlikely on this timeframe, we just await pricing, carriers and dates. Most of which will probably be rather US-centric to start with.
Danny [5:31] : He is quite the little doer 😉
Alex [5:30] : And now a marketing video. Tell ’em the price, Schiller!
Danny [5:29] : Confirmed: English voice recognition is Australian-ready! Streuth.
Alex [5:28] : English, French and German to start with. Apple taking a page from Google’s book here; it’s said to be in “beta”. And from the looks of it, iPhone 4S only.
Danny [5:28] : Damn, Siri demo is going on forever.
Another shot of Siri, from Ars. Still not hot. Image courtesy of Ars Technica
Alex [5:28] : I’m reminded of the scene in Futurama where Fry throws away the Japanese toilet. “Sorry — you know too much!”
Alex [5:27] : Suspect it’s true; otherwise it would have been in the iOS bit
Danny [5:27] : Seriously? iPhone 4S and up only would suck. Stay tuned for confirmation.
Andy Inhatko is reporting that Siri will require the iPhone 4S. Sorry, iPhone 4 losers. [Inhatko]
Danny [5:26] : Integrated with Wolfram Alpha intelligent search.
Alex [5:24] : Does Siri save your search terms? I can see it now: “Coming in iOS 6 — Siri Private Mode Searching”
Alex [5:22] : Instant Wikipedia searches by voice? Excellent. Never again will I be stuck pondering what Glenn Medeiros is up to now.
Alex [5:20] : Also wondering how many folk on the train will have Siri talking to them WAY TOO LOUD from now on.
Siri will automatically reply to texts with your spoken messages, set calendar appointments, and make you a sandwich just like Sudo. Image courtesy of gdgt
Alex [5:20] : I’m still pondering the dual-CDMA/GSM thing. Wonder if you can fully disable the CDMA part to save power when switching out of Airplane mode (where it’d presumably search everything)
Danny [5:18] : Lots of applause. Aussie Accents: Will The iPhone 5 Actually Understand Us?!
Phil asked Siri “What’s the weather like today” and it answered him with a forecast. If this thing works, it’s going to be pretty darn amazing. [gdgt]
Alex [5:18] : Again with Siri, if I understand the tech properly, it’s partly cloud based. Telstra, Optus, Vodafone: Don’t let us down here.
Alex [5:15] : Demoing Siri. I keep humming to myself …. “Siri, Sirrah. Whatever will be (said), will be said. The iPhone 4S’s not ours (yet) to see… Siri, Sirrah…” Perhaps I’d better go easy on the coffee from now on
Alex [5:14] : Ah, no, Assistant. Silly me. That coffee’s *still* not kicking in!
Alex [5:13] : Nope…Talking up voice now.
Danny [5:12] : So 4S looks just like current iPhone. Need moar redesign. iPhone 5?
Alex [5:12] : Real time video stabilisation and noise reduction in capture mode. Could be quite nice. Again, the whole post-pub scenario just got a little bit more dangerous…
Alex [5:10] : 4S capable of 1080p video. 1080p’s just a number, though; I’ve seen some great 1080p, and some shocking stuff. Needs testing
Cool chart. Lemme translate the Apple-ese: Every other phone’s camera sucks (according to them) Image courtesy of gdgt
Alex [5:09] : Alex, reckon Jobs might still make a guest appearance for the “one more thing” shtick?
Alex [5:09] : There’s something like 20mins to go. I *think* we can scrub iPhone 5/LTE off the list for today. But I could be wrong. Apple could shock me.
Alex [5:08] : Namedropping other phones (albeit their US models)? Apple only does that when it wants to get nasty. Currently getting nasty with phone camera shooting speeds.
Alex [5:06] : Wide F2.4, 73% more light than iPhone 4 and 1/3 faster. Embarrasing post-pub pics just got a whole lot more detailed, people.
Image courtesy of gdgt
Alex [5:06] : 8MP sensor on the 4S. The 4 managed some decent photos (for a smartphone); wonder if they can push that one a little harder as well.
The 4S now can intelligently switch between antennas for transmitting and reciving, which has never been done before says Phil. [Ars Technica]
Alex [5:04] : A worldphone? Dual CDMA/3G? (not that anyone in Aus would care about CDMA any more, but…)
Alex [5:03] : But there goes a namedrop of 4G. In the states, some carriers are using 4G to describe non-4G technologies, so it’s not shocking that Apple might go down that road too.
Alex [5:02] :14.4Mbps down, 2x faster than previous iPhone. I’m tired, but my brain wants to say that’s just HSPA+. Not LTE… at least, not yet.
Alex [5:01] :iPhone 4S…claimed 8-hrs talk time. That’s nice, although the feature phones of yesteryear are probably sniggering right now.
Alex [5:00] :Infinity Blade 2 sure looks nice… and detailed. Better hurry up with that R18+ rating in Aus, lawyer-type folk!
This is what dual-core CPU + dual core graphics gets you. Hotness, with Infinity Blade 2. Image courtesy [Ars Technica]
Alex [4:58] :Ah, Infinity Blade. Such a family friendly game of revenge and sticking bleedin’ great swords into the stomachs of ogres. Obvious choice for game demos, though.
Infinity Blade 2 is available in December, and only for the iPhone 4S [Ars Technica]
Alex [4:58] :Just realised; those new iPod touches? No mention of A5 processor in those
Alex [4:57] :So a LOT faster than the iPhone 3GS sitting next to me (note: I currently use a Samsung GS2; speed comparison there would be very interesting)
Danny [4:56] : Dual-core CPU, dual core graphics. Up to 7x faster than previous iPhone.
I’m SUCH a sucker for symmetry. Image courtesy of gdgt
Alex [4:56] : A5 chip confirmed. I still think ‘paper’ when anybody says A5. Just me?
Hot chip pixxx, courtesy of Ars Technica.
Danny [4:55] :Meat, eh?
Alex [4:55] : And now, the meat: the new iPhone.
Here it is. I can taste your disappointment from here. It tastes like 4SS. Image courtesy of gdgt.
Alex [4:54] : iPod Touch. Ah, so there’s a new one of those, too, it seems. Japan didn’t spoil that one. “Now the most popular portable game player in the world.”. And with those words, execs at Nintendo and Sony started weeping openly. 8GB US$199, US$299 32GB uS$399 64GB. Now in white. Update: In Australia, the 8GB iPod nano will cost $149, the 16GB $169, while the iPod touch is $219 in 8GB, $329 in 32GB and $439 in 64GB. Apple Australia Pricing For iPhone 4S, iPod Nano And Touch
Black and white iPod Touch. Apple. Not stopping the innovation train, for any color. Image courtesy of gdgt.
Danny [4:51] : 7 colours, US20 bucks cheaper.
Alex [4:50] : Expecting to get Aus prices probably at the end of the presentation. That’s how Apple usually manages that stuff.
Alex [4:50] :iPod nano is 8GB for $129, and 16GB for $149. Available today. (that’s US, though)
Alex [4:50] : Sixteen new clock faces for those who like to wear it as a watch. I don’t think I’d ever wear one as a watch, but somehow, that gets me tempted to buy one. How does Apple do that, exactly? I don’t even NEED a new player!
Using your iPod nano as a watch is an official feature now. NEW CLOCK FACES, DON’T SLOW DOWN APPLE. lol. Image courtesy of Ars Technica
Alex [4:50] : Bigger icons, integrated fitness in Nano. Bigger icons on the same sized screen? Not clear.
Alex [4:49] : Phil Schiller time! “We’re still making iPods”. So probably not killing the line then. First up, iPod Nano update. Again, Apple Japan kinda spoiled this one early. Somebody’s getting fired. Out of a Jon Ive designed cannon, no doubt.
Alex [4:48] : And now, a video demo of iTunes Match. Which I can’t watch. But the coffee pot is *right over there*. ‘Scuse me for a second. GLUGGLUGGLUGGLUGGLUG. Ah. Sweet, sweet caffeine.
Will iTunes Match come to Australia? Hopefully we’ll learn more as the morning continues and Apple’s local reps chime in. Image courtesy of Ars Technica
Alex [4:47] : Wild theory time: Apple’s announced products “on sale today” at some previous events. But if it does that now, how will the media at Cupertino rush out to buy? Oh, yeah, they’re at Apple. But is there an Apple store at Apple?
Danny [4:45] : Hah, you need less coffee Alex!
Alex [4:44] : Also, backup to the cloud. Telstra, Optus, Vodafone: WE’RE GOING TO NEED BIGGER DATA CAPS FOR THIS ONE
Alex [4:43] : Family & Friends: New 4SQ style app. Just don’t think “stalkers” and everything will be OK.
Dannny [4:42] : Thanks Apple for giving me a chance to run to the loo 😉
Alex [4:41] : Cloud, cloud cloud cloud cloud cloud cloud cloud (lovely cloud, beautiful cloud). Etc.
Honestly, the biggest new feature Apple’s talking about today? iCloud. Like it’s going to change the way people do computing. You know, if Apple gets it right. Image courtesy of gdgt
Alex [4:40] : A Free update. Remember when you had to pay for iPod Touch updates? Great times… for somebody. Presumably whoever collected the money.
Alex [4:39] : So, set your servers for meltdown next Thursday morning (allowing for datelines)
Alex [4:38] : iOS 5 available October 12th!
Alex [4:38] : Cloud syncing, Apple admitting that keeping in sync “can be frustrating”. Hence cloud. Like everybody else using cloud, then.
Danny [4:37] : iTunes in the cloud. Listening for Australian availability here. No word yet.
Alex [4:36] : Eddy Cue takes his cue, and starts to talk iCloud.
Can I say that I’m super excited about Newsstand btw? Newsstand will download your periodicals in the background. It’s totally going to save publishing. Or it won’t! Time will tell. Image courtesy of gdgt
Alex [4:35] : PC free iPhone/iPad. Again, this is stuff that’s already been known about for some time. But it’s not yet out, and it’s Apple’s event.
iOS 5 new features include iMessage, which will send messages between any two iOS devices. Reminders are location based reminders that will clue you in to do certain tasks in certain areas (I love this). It added Twitter integration all over the OS. [gdgt]
Alex [4:33] : Talking up Reader. Like many folk, I like Instapaper a whole lot; Apple’s got some serious convincing to do here. Then again, I thought the same about FaceTime.
Alex [4:33] : Game Center “A Huge Hit”. Really? It’s one thing I tend to skip in iOS games, and I’ve got a lot of them. What am I missing?
Alex [4:31] : Ah, no, they’re just talking up the Twitter stuff that everybody already knew about anyway.
Alex [4:30] : Twitter CEO said to be in the house; does this mean that the Zuckerberg won’t intro FB for iPad today?
Alex [4:28] : And now, onto iOS 5. Talking up notifications first. Android users, you may now assume the smug position.
Danny [4:28] : No, heh.
Alex [4:27] : Of note, nobody leaked Cards ahead of launch. Will folks particularly care, though?
Alex [4:26] : US$2.99 in US, $US4.99 worldwide. Presuming those are for US customers sending cards internationally, though.
Danny [4:26] : Ugh
Alex [4:27] : First new product: Cards. Print cards from iPhone or iPod Touch. You know. Paper!
Danny [4:26] : First new product!
Image courtesy of Ars Technica
Alex [4:26] : “Apple has paid developers more than $3b”. Does my early morning 30% math fuzzy head calc mean that it’s taken $1B itself? No, that’s not quite how it works.. is it?
Alex [4:26] : 1 Billion Apps downloaded per month. That’s a lot of very Angry, Angry Birds.
Danny[4:25] : 25 mins in now for those keeping score.
Alex [4:22] : Quarter billion sales mark? Did I read that right? And where’s my coffee got to? iOS time. More than 500K apps, 140k iPad specific. Google would KILL for those kinds of numbers. Especially for Honeycomb.
Alex [4:22] : Cook is talking up iPad education market. Education’s long been an Apple core market, not surprising they’re focusing on that. Pilots replacing 40lbs bags with iPads, “making planes more fuel efficient”. 40 pounds? What the heck ELSE were they carrying? Gold bars?
95 percent of people who own an iPad are satisfied with it. The other five percent also hate things like breathing clean air and heartbeats. [gdgt]
Danny [4:21] : Man, 20 minutes in. We need some product already.
Alex [4:20] : iPad is next. Wouldn’t want to spoil the surprise we probably already spoiled via Japan!
The event today is in Apple’s town hall, where it launched the iPod a decade ago. If it really does kill the classic model today, it will do so in the room where it was born. Or at least, delivered. [gdgt]
Danny [4:20] : Fun fact: iPhone is only 5% of all worldwide phones
Alex [4:19] : 93% of all fortune 500 are “testing or deploying”. That’s a pretty wide term; testing can mean that one bloke in the IT department looked at one phone.
iTunes is the number one music store in the world. Yawn. [everybody]
Alex [4:18] : Woah. iPhone 4 responsible for half of ALL iPhone sales since they launched the brand.
Alex [4:17] :Apple’s claiming it took Sony 30yrs to sell 230k Walkmans. I’ve owned five of those, though. What does that say about me? Apple stating they’ve sold 45 million pods in the year ending june. Bet that’s mostly touches.
Alex [4:16] :Cumulative sales of 300m iPods around the world. That’s a lot of iPods. Excluding phones, I’ve only owned 2…
Alex [4:14] : 10 years ago iPod launched. But will Apple kill the classic today? Awaiting a “buy one, or the classic gets it” moment on stage. Doubt we’ll get it, though.
I love Tim Cook’s voice. It reminds me of home. Did you know I’m from GA?
Courtesy of Ars Technica
Alex [4:12] : “The Air is just a portion of our entire lineup of Macs, which are the best we’ve ever shipped.” — he was a bit unlikely to say that the current run was worse…
Alex [4:11] :Claim that Mac outgrew the PC market by 6x. That’s a trend that’s not entirely new in terms of growth, but seems like a big call.
Alex [4:11] : I need more coffee. How are our readers doing?
Danny [4:11] : Six million copies of Lion downloaded so far.
Alex [4:10] : And as if on queue, Cook’s now talking up Apple’s product lines, starting with Lion.
Alex [4:09am] : Video showing of consumers buying Apple stuff we already knew about. But then again, Apple always starts events in this kind of style.
Well, here we go…. Image courtesy of gdgt
Alex: [4:01am] : Tim Cook’s taken to the stage to announce his first product since becoming CEO. Looks like there won’t be a Steve Jobs appearance, then. Tim Cook showing off Chinese Apple stores. Real ones, I presume
Danny [4:01am] : Tim Cook now on stage. Privilege of a lifetime, etc, etc.
Alex: [4:01am] : To reiterate; there’s no live stream for this one, people
Alex [4:01am] : I’m blaming Apple. One of these days they’ll realise the dateline advantage, and hold one of these things in Australia. Or New Zealand. Either way, I would have had more sleep. And the media in Cupertino have been asked to turn their phones off. Not down, but off. Make the jokes yourself, folks.
This is like when Aragorn was outside the gates of Mordor, I think.
Image courtesy Wilson Rothman/MSNBC.com
Alex [3:55] : For those who like to know every single little detail, apparently the media over in Cupertino are sitting down and listening to the Stones’ “Under My Thumb”. How apt.
Danny [3:54] : Morning Alex. Who’s idea was this again? 🙂
Alex [3:52] : Morning All. In a rare display of a stuff=up (unless you subscribe to the media control theory, not always a bad call when it’s Apple), it looks like the company itself’s gazumped itself, with the Japanese Apple store all but confirming the iPhone 4S for October 14th, along with a possible iPod Nano refresh, according to MacRumors.
Danny [October 4] :
Hi guys! Come back to this very post early tomorrow morning (4am AEDT!), where Giz AU will kick off our meta-liveblog, bringing you the best coverage from our amazing friends all around the web like gdgt live, Ars Technica’s liveblog and more. In the meantime, feel free to post your last-minute predictions for time-stamped bragging rights!
As always guys, we’re looking for constructive comments. If you don’t like them Apples — that’s cool! But please don’t troll.
Alex and Danny will be weeding out any Australian news, while Elly makes sure Gizmodo Australia’s international wire feed is served streaming fresh à la minute. See you then!
Now, can someone pick me up some Red Bull?