Gather Round: We're Live Blogging Apple's iPhone Event!

[Update: Commentary: iPhone, Watch, Operating Systems Bringing Enhanced Awesomeness]

The day of one of the biggest Apple Event in years has arrived, and we’ll be following all along the way. Be sure to check back as we live blog today’s event to fill you in on everything Apple unveils.

Tim Cook takes the stage
Apple’s CEO Tim Cook is the first to grace the stage where he discusses the new direction of Apple stores and the company’s nearing of its 2 billionth shipped iOS device. But he didn’t spend much time on this, quickly moving to the Apple Watch.

Apple Watch
Jeff Williams, Apple COO, takes the baton from Cook to go deeper into Apple Watch – specifically Apple Watch Series 4. Series 4 brings a stunning new larger display, with more than 30 percent more screen size in an even smaller package than previous Apple Watches. The watch brings new and more complications including one-tap connection with contacts.

The Digital Crown also gets an upgrade with haptic feedback. The speaker is now 50% louder, making for better phone calls, Walkie-Talkie capabilities, and Siri access. The rear side is made entirely of black ceramic and sapphire crystal; radio waves can now pass through front and back for better cellular reception; and now Apple Watch can determine falls. After detecting a fall, the watch initiates an alert and can automatically make emergency calls if needed.

The heart sensor gets an upgrade and a new electrocardiogram (ECG) sensor in the back of the watch, which is the first over-the-counter ECG product offered directly to customers. Results from these sensors can be saved as PDF and shared with doctors. New sensors are also FDA approved.

Even with these updates, Series 4 gets the same 18-hour battery life as before. Series 4 will be available in three aluminum finishes and stainless steel finishes. All bands and from previous generations still work with Series 4.

Apple Watch Series 4 starts at $399, with cellular it will be $499, and Series 3 will be available for $279. You can order Friday and shipping will begin Sept. 21. watchOS 5 will be available Sept. 17. Series 3 is available immediately after the show.

iPhone Xs
“By far the most advanced iPhone we have ever created!” Phil Schiller takes the stage to talk about the newest iPhone: The iPhone Xs.

The iPhone Xs is made of surgical grade stainless steel with a new gold finish. It features the most durable glass ever in a smartphone and comes in three finishes: gold, silver, space gray. IP68 protects against water up to 2 meters for up to 30 minutes – against even saltwater and beer!

iPhone Xs has a 5.8″ Super Retina OLED display in a smaller design, but the even larger screen comes in the new iPhone Xs Max. The Max has a 6.5″ Super Retina 2688x 1242 display with 3.3 million pixels. Both have HDR displays and 120 Hz touch sensing with 3D Touch, tap to wake, True Tone, Wide color features also included. Stereo and Face ID also get upgrades.

The iPhone Xs is packed with 6.9 billion transistors, a 6-core CPU, 4-core GPU, and neural engine. The phone’s CPU has two high performance and four high-efficiency cores. The GPU is up to 50% faster than the previous generation and it features an 8-core dedicated machine learning engine with smart compute to determined where to run a task.

According to Schiller, the previous generation A11 chip could process 600 billion operations per second and the A12 can process 5 trillion! Apps will launch 30 percent faster with the A12 chip and next generation games will run better than ever. ARKit also sees minor enhancements such as a measuring tool and new apps such as a basketball instruction app called Homecourt.

Battery life for the iPhone Xs is up to 30 minutes more than iPhone X while the iPhone Xs Max is up to 90 minutes longer than iPhone X. The iPhone Xs also features dual SIM capabilities: Two numbers, two plans.

iPhone Xs available in 64/256/512 GB configs that start at $999. iPhone Xs Max in same configurations starting at $1099. Pre-ordering starts Sept. 14, and shipping Sept. 21. The second wave comes just a week later on September 28.

iPhone Camera
Schiller takes the stage back to talk iPhone camera. Here are some of the highlights:

12MP wide-angle with all-new sensor
12MP telephoto
Improved True Tone flash
Front TrueDepth 7MP camera has new sensor
Image signal processor works with CPU to set exposure, white balance, focus, noise reduction, etc.
Better face detection, facial landmarking with instant red-eye reduction, and better segmentation for portrait mode
1 trillion operations per photo
New Smart HDR feature: A12 shoots a 4-frame buffer and interframes to bring out details.
Long exposure for better shadow detail
2x faster sensor for video
Records stereo sound
Depth slider in portrait mode allows you to adjust the depth of field after taking photos

iPhone 10R
This is new. The 10R brings a new line iPhone similar to the iPhone X with 7000 series aerospace grade aluminum and white, black, blue, coral, yellow finishes. It features a new “Liquid Retina” display and is smaller than the iPhone 8 with a bigger display.