Apple unveils latest products

AppleApple has unveiled its new water and dust-resistant iPhone 7 with high-resolution cameras and the company says a Super Mario game is coming to the new phone and Pokemon Go would feature on its upgraded Apple Watch.

The excitement at the Bill Graham auditorium in San Francisco was not matched on Wall Street, where Apple’s stock was down 0.3 per cent. However, Nintendo Co Ltd’s US-listed shares, jumped more than 20 per cent to trade around $US35 ($A46) on hopes its games would reach a new audience.

The world’s best-known technology company said the iPhone 7 would have one, zooming 12-megapixel camera and the ‘Plus’ edition would feature two cameras.

It also removed the analogue headphone jack, as was widely expected. The new headphones supplied by Apple with the phone will plug into the same port as the recharging cord, but it will also work with Apple’s new wireless headphones, called Air Pods.

In a tweet that was subsequently deleted, Apple said the phones would be available from September 16.

The company typically gives its main product, which accounts for more than half of its revenue, a big makeover every other year and the last major redesign was the iPhone 6 in 2014. The modest updates suggest that this cycle will be three years.

Apple said its Apple Watch Series 2, with a swim-proof casing, will be available in more than 25 countries starting on September 16.

Neil Saunders, CEO of analyst firm Conlumino said Apple has, once again, presented a set of product advancements which are more akin to a refresh than a radical overhaul.

The refresh is however “a fairly comprehensive one with a number of upgrades and enhancements that should appeal to consumers and help to speed the purchase cycle.”

Saunders was less enthusiastic about the Apple Watch developments, which altough benefitting from useful additions and upgrades, “is an unnecessary accessory and one that comes at a price point way in excess of simpler solutions such as Fitbit. There is a sense that the Watch is still trying to find a reason for its existence,” he said.

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