Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+

The 5.7-inch Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+ isn't just a larger version of April's 5.1-inch Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge, but it's close. A tiny upgrade over the smaller model, the Edge+ -- whose screen also curves over on both sides -- adds a shortcut menu to the edge screen for quickly opening apps, in addition to the existing menu for contacting your favorite people.

Otherwise, the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+ shares hardware guts with the Samsung Galaxy Note 5, including a strong 16-megapixel camera, 4GB of RAM and an octa-core processor of Samsung's own design (that means it has eight computing chips for completing tasks). Like its brethren, the Note 5, S6 and S6 Edge, the Edge+ shows off a snazzy metal-and-glass construction and loses the removable battery and microSD card slot for add-on data storage -- two points of pride for Samsung prior to its design turnabout in 2015.

The Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+'s presence in Samsung's smartphone quiver is significant because it capitalizes on demand for Samsung's smaller S6 Edge, this time in a larger footprint. Samsung is rapidly pulling ahead of LG in creating curved-screen phones that stand out among typical, blocky rectangular smart phone slabs. For Samsung, the Edge line represents its innovation in creating consumer choice. However, the Edge+ marks the fourth similarly appointed handset released in four months, which could confuse shoppers and dilute the sales of any single Samsung device -- a real problem Samsung faces amid an ongoing sales slide.

Besides its snazzier design, though, the Edge+ lacks the Note 5's signature stylus. That leaves potential buyers having to choose between the Edge+'s inviting curves or the Note 5's scribble-friendly practicality. Maybe next year Samsung can bring those two aspects together into one do-it-all design.

Nevertheless, the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+ is a seriously cool-looking phone that belongs in the canon of top smartphones despite its staggering price (see below). Serious buyers who crave those waterfall sides will be rewarded with a large, bright screen unlike most others. For everyone else, there are plenty of other good, large-screen phones out there that you can buy for a lot less.

Design and build

• 5.7-inch display; 2,560x1,440 pixels (518 pixels per inch)
• Metal and glass construction
• 6.1 by 3 by 0.3 inches (154 by 76 by 6.9mm)
• 5.4 ounces (153 grams)

If you're familiar with the Galaxy S6 Edge's curved screen and thin edges, you already know this supersized Edge+'s shapely silhouette. The glass (and display technology underneath) wraps around the left and right edges and meet along the back of the spines.

What's more important than the interesting shape is the fact that the curved sides look beautiful, and seems to make this feel like an entirely different, far more sophisticated, phone than a straight-sided one. The screen seems more immersive than the Note 5's, the curvature pulling you into the action of what's on the display. Maybe it's still some of the novelty, maybe there's a deeper psychology at play. Strangely, the effect is more pronounced on the smaller Edge+, possibly because this phone is personally a little large for my hand.

At any rate, the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+ feels slimmer than most at its narrowest part (the middle), but a little inherent sharpness along the sides makes it easy to grip. The comparatively thicker corners round out to help carry through the themes of curviness and physical dimension.

Despite the wraparound sides, the screen measures a full 5.7 inches, all of which is fully usable and viewable (unlike the original Note Edge, which had an always-visible strip of navigation screen that you couldn't turn off). Above the screen, you'll see the 5-megapixel front-facing camera and a cluster of sensors. Below it sits the physical home button and integrated fingerprint reader, with its two touch-sensitive sidekicks, the Recent and Back buttons. Press and hold the home button to launch Google Now.

Flip over the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+ to find a smooth, reflective backing and 16-megapixel camera mount, flash and heart-rate reader. The camera module does slightly pucker out, but that's also because the rest of the phone is so thin and flat.

Buttons and ports dot the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+'s metal frame, starting with the power/lock key on the right, the micro-USB charging jack and headset jack down below, volume rocker on the left, and SIM card tray along the top. There's no removable backing (or battery), and no space for a microSD storage card.

What you can do with the edge+ screen

• Android 5.1 Lollipop
• New Apps shortcut
• Customizable position for "edge screen" tab

Those curved sides are fun to look at, but they aren't merely for show. Two previous designs -- 2014's Galaxy Note Edge and the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge from earlier this year -- gave Samsung the chance to experiment with things you can do on a narrow vertical display. It's forced functionality, but one that makes more sense this time than before.

First, let me reiterate that the special display hides from view until you pull it out, so most of the time, you don't see it. When you do want to summon the edge display (which you can now do from any screen, not just the home screen, as was the case with the original Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge), you grab a slim onscreen tab that tastefully lies low on whichever side you put it, and swipe to reveal the full menu.

There are now two revolving screens to swipe through by default. The first is a shortcut hub for five of your go-to contacts. You can see their missed calls and texts, and tap their names to reach them by phone, text or email. Swipe again and a different shortcuts menu appears, this time one you can customize for your favorite apps.

The settings menu also lets you turn on a newsfeed, so you can see various alerts and news headlines in the sidebar as well as through the customary notifications tray up top. The benefit here: the edge screen's longer window lets you see more text, without expanding the alert the way you would with the notifications shade.

Flexibility means you can place this edge display on either left or right sides of the screen, and can now also position its menu-opening tab anywhere along that strip. I put mine near the bottom of the screen to make it easier for my shorter thumbs to grab.

The Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+ also keeps one of my favorite secondary features in this curvy family: the night clock that dimly glows from the strip to tell you the date and time.

Get to know the hardware inside

Samsung bestowed the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+ and Note 5 with the same internal specs, all laid out below. For full details and camera test, read my Note 5 review.

• 16-megapixel camera
• 5-megapixel front-facing camera
• 4K video resolution
• Samsung Exynos 7 octa-core processor (2.1GHz quad-core, plus 1.5GHz quad-core chips)
• 32GB/64GB storage options
• 4GB of RAM
• 3,000mAh battery (nonremovable)
• No microSD expansion slot
• Wi-Fi: 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
• Automated content-syncing to other screens

Do we need a bigger S6 Edge?

The Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge is expensive, and it's that curved screen you're paying for. That already limits buyers, and rightly so. The Edge display, while neat, doesn't offer anything novel or ultraconvenient that you can't live without.

Do we even need a larger S6 Edge version? Sure, why not? But I'm not sure we need it right now alongside the Note 5 and only a few months after releasing the S6 Edge and S6. I see this bigger Edge+ as Samsung's way of trying to turn around a period of slumping sales, especially since it couldn't keep up with Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge demand.

If you're intrigued by a curved-screen phone, the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+ has all the hardware you need to take great photos and enjoy viewing videos, pictures and articles on that extra-sharp, clear screen. It's fast and that edge display does give you features you won't find on most phones.

However, if saving money is a priority, and if you couldn't care less about fancy design, skip the Edge+ and shop for something else instead.

There's no shortage of competition for handsets whose screens measure over 5.3 inches, and many are priced a lot better than the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+, creating fierce competition. In this landscape, the curved Edge+ is a novelty.

Apple's iPhone 6 Plus and LG's G4 -- both with 5.5-inch screens -- are the logical comparisons. The G4 shares the Edge+'s Android version and camera and battery specs, though it has a hexa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor (that's six cores, by the way). Unlike the Samsung phone, LG's big phone can boast a removable battery and a microSD card slot that can accommodate cards of up to a mammoth 2TB (terabytes) of data.

Samsung Galaxy Note 5

Samsung Galaxy Note 5 is the smoothest, sleekest stylus-equipped jumbo-screen smartphone that the company has ever made. And it could have been even better.

On the plus side, it's ablaze with slim, shiny, large-screened luster, a strong camera, a retooled stylus and killer battery life. But the Note 5 only incrementally improves upon last year's Note 4, while also sealing in the battery and doing away with the expandable storage slot (there is, however, free cloud storage). These last two omissions could hurt Samsung by opening the door to less expensive rivals, from the likes of LG, HTC and Motorola, which continue to equip devices with removable batteries and/or a storage slot for saving movies, games and apps.

The Note 5, while eye-catching, is also the least distinctive of the Note line. It's still Samsung's only phone for 2015 with a stylus (and a good one at that), but at a glance it looks pretty much the same as the Galaxy S6 Edge+ -- which features a dual curved-edge screen, but otherwise near identical specs. Meanwhile, both the Note 5 and S6 Edge+ are basically supersized versions of the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge models that Samsung debuted back in March.

In essence, the stylus (Samsung calls it the "S Pen") is just about the only thing that makes this device truly different. In contrast, 2014's Note 4 leap-frogged the Galaxy S5's hardware capabilities, even when you took away its S Pen.

This slowdown in the smartphone industry's release of evermore powerful hardware specs doesn't affect Samsung alone, but it does apply extra pressure on a company that's steadily losing ground to its biggest challengers: on the high end, Apple with the "Plus" model, and on the low end, much cheaper, slightly stepped-down "flagship" phone-makers like Motorola (Moto X Pure), Xiaomi (Mi Note Pro) and OnePlus (OnePlus 2).

Still, even if the Note 5 doesn't blow us away with newness, its flaws are few and its stylus makes it a more feature-packed phone than any other large-screen device. Just be prepared to pay.

Design and build

• 5.7-inch display; 2,560x1,440 pixels (518 pixels per inch)
• Metal and glass construction
• 6 by 3 by 0.3 inches (153 by 76 by 7.6mm)
• 6 ounces (171 grams)

Like the Galaxy S6, the Note 5 has straight sides and a flat face, but then it does something interesting. It adds the Edge+'s frontal curves to the back of this phone. From what I can tell holding them side-by-side, the curves look the same. Checking out its profile, these comfortable rear arcs cause the Note 5's top and bottom edges to flare out thicker than its middle. It'll still fill your hand -- this is a large device -- but the overall sensation is still of slimness, especially compared to the relatively bulky Note 4.

Although that AMOLED display still measures 5.7 inches, Samsung has shaved down the Note 5's dimensions, making the handset feel overall sleeker and slimmer than last year's Note 4. That's good news for one-handed phone jockeys, who get the same screen real estate in a more streamlined package. The 2,560x1,440-pixel resolution (515 pixels per inch) holds steady from last year, lending a lot of crisp detail to the screen, possibly even more than we strictly need.

Below the display, the usual two soft keys (recent apps and back) sandwich the physical home button, which also serves as the phone's fingerprint reader and Google Now call-up (press and hold for Google Now, the search giant's voice-command answer to Apple's Siri). You'll find the power/lock button on the right and volume rocker on the left. Along the bottom are the standard micro-USB charger (alas, not USB-C as we had hoped), headset jacks and S Pen holster, with the SIM card tray up top.

On the flipside, you'll see the 16-megapixel camera lens, flash and heart-rate reader. A unibody device, there's no removable backplate or battery and you won't find an expandable storage slot anywhere. Prepare for your smudgy fingerprints to bloom all over that mirrored surface, and keep a micro-fiber cloth nearby.

One last, infuriating thing I've noticed in all these years of testing: that power/lock button on the right likes to turn itself on in my purse's interior phone pocket, leaking battery willy-nilly. I keep hoping Samsung will work this out, but so far no dice.

All-new S Pen stylus

• Click-in holster
• Slightly recessed button
• Way smoother S Note app (with auto-save!)
• Dimensions: 4.4 by 0.2 by 0.1 inches (111 by 5.3 by 3.6mm)

The Note S Pen stylus, which is made of polycarbonate plastic, changes a little bit every year. This time around, the stylus audibly clicks into place inside the Note 5's chute like the crown of a retractable pen. It's kind of fun, but the fit is so snug, you have to really tease it out. The plastic pen has long, flat planes to keep it from rolling away on a tabletop. Its single button slightly recesses from the surface to tone down the mispresses, which I've found common in previous S Pen designs.

Important tip: That S Pen can only be inserted in the holder pointy end first. It is not meant to holster on the non-business end. If you try it, bad things will happen, as some users report when their S Pens got stuck with the square end wedged, possibly irretrievably, deep inside the phone.

The S Pen continues to act as a writing implement, pointer and navigational accomplice. You can use it to pull up a menu dialog box, or photo or video preview when you hover over it with the pen. It also works with those touch-sensitive menu buttons and the physical home button. Dragging and dropping text, and capturing the screen are two other tricks.

Samsung claims that its pen writes a lot better this time around, more fluidly, and with decreased latency times. I didn't notice that, even writing with the same pen and ink "weight" on the Note 5 and Note 4 side by side. I did notice that the 5's S Pen feels a touch lighter, which made for slightly cleaner, easier writing, compared to the Note 4's slightly heavier pen. My handwriting is still barely legible on both.

The S Note app itself is greatly simplified, with extra features tucked into the More menu. You can also download a ton more tools, like a chart helper and an extension pack that includes advanced tricks like a heartier toolbar and shape recognition, handwriting "transformation" and the ability to record sketches.

In the app itself, you can customize everything from the way you select color to the way you save favorite combinations of pen tips and ink thickness. As with previous versions, the pen stays sensitive along the corners of the page, and on-screen controls will momentarily disappear so you can continue to write and draw "below" them.

New features

Compared to 2014's Galaxy Note 4, the new Note 5 has some additional tricks up its sleeve:

Redesigned shortcuts wheel: Called Air Command, this floating icon hangs out on any screen and opens up to reveal a circular menu of most frequently used apps -- say, the S Note app, the browser or your photo gallery. It's always on by default, but you can turn that off in Settings. You can also customize this by adding up to three apps of your choice.

Air Command responds faster these days, which means that if you accidentally click the S Pen button, you can quickly click again to dismiss it without too much interruption. The floating icon doesn't get much in the way, because it only interacts if you tap or click with the S Pen, not your finger.

Instant memo: Called "screen off memo" in the settings, this feature lets you create an "action memo" (more like a sticky note) even when the screen is turned off. One caveat: it works only just after pulling out the S Pen, not if the pen has been out for a while. I like this feature -- it adds to the S Pen's ability to really quickly jot a note. You'll reed to dip into the settings to toggle it on.

PDF writing: Yep, you can now annotate PDFs by handwriting all over them, just as you can do with a screenshot.

Scrolling capture: Instead of taking several screenshots of a long piece of text, the Note 5 will prompt you to capture more of the whole screen. You'll be able to annotate right on the screenshot too, of course.

Android and apps

• Android 5.1 Lollipop
• Easy mode, Private mode
• Two power-saving modes
• Latest S Health app

The Galaxy Note 5 runs Android 5.1 Lollipop, bolstered by Samsung's own TouchWiz layer. That means the phone will be able to tie into Google's wide array of services, such as Google Now, turn-by-turn navigation and access to Google Drive files. But it can also tap into Samsung's own software, all of which customizes the display's look and feel -- like those quick-access toggles in the notifications shade and anything that has to do with the S Pen. Microsoft's One Drive cloud storage app is also onboard.

Alas, while Android 6.0 Marshmallow is just around the corner, its due date to these new Samsung phones is anyone's guess. With the exception of promised monthly security updates, more substantive software updates are on a notoriously slow boat.

In addition, Samsung's apps include Note mainstays like S Note and S Health, though the company has really pulled back on its preloaded apps. You'll find a cornucopia of optional add-ons tucked away in various spots throughout the phone, like Galaxy Gifts and Galaxy Essentials.

A quick skip through the settings menu turns up a whole bushel of extra modes and options, like a simplified home screen (Easy mode) and a vault for photos and files you don't want anyone else to see (Private mode). There are also two levels of battery-saver, several gestures and themes to freshen up the look and feel. You'll even find a user manual.

Likewise, pull down the notifications shade for quick access settings, including a flashlight. You can edit to reorder these. From the home page, swipe right to reveal Flipboard, which you can use to read headline news about your pet topics.

The camera situation

• 16-megapixel camera
• 5-megapixel front-facing camera
• Up to 4K video resolution
• Double-press home button to launch
• Live YouTube streaming

If you look at the megapixel count alone, not much has changed with the Note 5's camera. Samsung has adopted a wider aperture lens (f1.9 instead of the Note 4's f2.2), the same one that's used in the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge. Why is this "good"? A bigger aperture lets in more light, and more light leads to better photos, specifically low-light pictures. The image processing capabilities make a huge difference too, of course, but the bottom line is that the overall photo quality should incrementally improve from the Note 4, and is on par with the S6 and S6 Edge.

What you get with the camera app

The phone also gets a few more editing and shooting modes and guides -- little things, mostly, but these are always fun to discover.

As with the Galaxy S6 and many other phones, the Note 5 here has optical image stabilization (OIS), which will help keep shaking hands from blurring shots, and an array of modes and tools. There's auto-HDR right on the screen (this helps keep photos looking true to life) and panorama and selective focus as separate modes within.

Brand new is a live broadcasting feature that lets you record to YouTube. There's intentionally a 30-second delay between when you start recording and when the footage hits YouTube. This is essentially Samsung and YouTube's take on Twitter's Periscope tool. (The live broadcast feature is appearing first on the Note 5 and S6 Edge+, and is currently exclusive to those phones -- though how long that will last is anyone's guess.)

What else is new? Tap to focus and an exposure control appears that lets you slide to brighten or darken the scene. Take a photo in Pro mode, and you'll have the option to save it as a raw file, one that the phone hasn't automatically processed, say into a JPEG format, first. This option gives photographers much more post-processing control. You can record a collage of four 6-second videos, to which you can add background music and share, share away (the file saves as a 720p MP4). If you're hungry for more modes (like the rear-cam selfie shot), it's easy to download more from the camera app.

New in the features-packed editor is a way to create an animated GIF, which can be a fun way to make use of a series of shots, like a developing look of surprise or an action sequence. The Note 5 also lets you annotate photos by writing on them (not an option on the Edge+).

Image quality

So, how does the camera do? What I wanted were clearer, brighter, low-light photos and night shots in addition to all those juicy, saturated daytime images. That's mostly what I got, though the Note 5 still struggled with an automated night mode that robbed the downtown New York skyline of its high-contrast drama and turned it into low-contrast mush compared with real life. A few other indoor scenes also came out a little soft, while well-lit scenes stayed crisp.

And now for photos! Most were taken in automatic mode (which sometimes kicked on HDR or night mode), with the noted exception of a manually focused macro shot using Pro Mode (I miss the automatically focusing macros).

Apple iPhone 6s spec

Apple just announced the iPhone 6s and... it's pretty much exactly what we expected. Staying true to tradition, the iPhone 6s looks practically indistinguishable from last year's device (there's a new iPhone 6s Plus as well). It's built out of the same 7000 series aluminum as the Apple Watch Sport (which should allay bending fears), and it includes an even stronger glass display. The iPhone 6s also brings over the Watch's "Force Touch" feature, except now it's called "3D Touch." It allows you to press down on the screen to open up new options throughout iOS 9, and it offers a bit of tactile feedback as well thanks to a revamped "Taptic Engine."

In the Mail app, for example, you can hold down on a message for a quick preview, or you can peek at directions in Maps by holding down your finger. Third-party apps like Facebook and Dropbox are already taking advantage of 3D Touch, and we also caught a glimpse of it in an upcoming game called Freeblade. Basically, it's a feature that has the potential to fundamentally change how we interact with iPhones.

Under the hood, the iPhone 6s is powered by Apple's new A9 processor, which it says is 70 percent faster than the A8 at CPU tasks and 90 percent faster at graphics work. The new chip also has an upgraded M9 motion co-processor built right on (before it was a separate chip), and this time it's always on. There's also a second-gen Touch ID fingerprint sensor, which should be faster and more accurate than the last model.

Apple also upgraded the camera to a new 12-megapixel shooter, which marketing head Phil Schiller says packs in 50 percent more pixels than the last camera. All those pixels should make for far more detailed photos -- at least, judging from the shots Apple showed off. And yes, as we expected, the new camera can shoot 4K video (good luck shooting that on the entry model's piddly 16GB of storage). The iPhone 6s front-facing camera also got a few upgrades: It's now using a 5MP sensor, and it has a selfie-flash capability that lights up the phone's screen briefly.

3D Touch also makes its way into photos: A new "Live Photos" feature lets you hold down on pictures to play video clips. It looks like the phone is basically shooting a bit of video every time you take a shot, similar to the way HTC's Zoe feature worked. You can also set a Live Photo as your home screen on the Apple Watch. Third-party developers will be able to take advantage of the feature, too -- Apple says Facebook has a Live Photos-capable app coming later this year.

Pricing-wise, there aren't any surprises. The iPhone 6s starts at $199 on-contract for the 16GB model, with 64GB and 128GB options available for $299 and $399, respectively. Pre-orders begin this Saturday, September 12th, and it'll be available starting on September 25th. The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, meanwhile, get discounted by $100. It's a shame to see Apple stick with a 16GB entry model when Android phone makers have been squeezing in 32GB of storage for a while now. Basically, it just makes many people upgrade to the 64GB model, which means better margins for Apple, but a worse user experience for people stuck with only 16GB.

Apple also announced a new iPhone Upgrade Program, which allows you to get an unlocked iPhone every year starting at about $32 a month. That price also includes Apple Care, which might make it a better deal than signing another contract or paying monthly installment fees to your carrier.

As with all of the "S" iPhone models, the 6s is more about refinement than massive design leaps. It's not exactly a device meant to entice existing iPhone 6 owners; instead it's meant more for people stuck with older iPhones, or those whose cellphone contracts didn't allow them to upgrade over the past year. And for those who've waited, it looks to be worth it.

The New iPhone 6S

SAN FRANCISCO — As it nears a size and scope never before approached by a technology company, Apple is doing things its executives said it never would.

Apple’s co-founder, Steven P. Jobs, once announced that using a stylus with a computing device was passé. But guess what? The company is now offering a stylus, called Apple Pencil, for $100.

And in a move sure to make Apple old-timers squirm, the newest version of the iPad, which has an optional keyboard that attaches to the tablet, is even imitating some of the features of Microsoft’s competing product, called the Surface.

Together, the tablet, stylus and keyboard make for a combination computing device that Apple executives had long said that they wouldn’t create, perhaps indicating the people running the company today are willing to forget about the past as they try to cater to shifting consumer tastes.

But the center of this ever-expanding Silicon Valley giant is still the iPhone, which accounts for 56 percent of Apple’s profits. And in a presentation that lasted more than two hours on Wednesday at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium here, Apple executives emphasized several new iPhone features that — despite other announcements, ranging from an improved version of the company’s television controller to chic watchbands — are still the key to Apple’s success.

“Investors have been rewarded by assuming Apple can continually push the envelope on what a phone and the company can do,” said Michael A. Sansoterra, the chief investment officer at Silvant Capital Management, which owns Apple stock.

Because of the first iteration of the larger-screen iPhone 6 introduced last year, Apple’s fourth quarter of fiscal 2014, when the company had an $18 billion profit, was the most profitable quarter ever for a publicly traded company.

But meeting expectations is becoming a bigger challenge. In its most recent quarter, Apple posted quarterly revenue of $49.6 billion and a $10.7 billion profit; iPhone revenue was up 59 percent from the previous year. But those results still fell short of Wall Street estimates, and Apple’s share price tumbled 4 percent in the following day of trading.

Apple will hit this holiday shopping season with the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus, which include an upgraded, 12-megapixel camera and a new capability called 3D Touch. It can sense how hard a user is pressing a button, allowing for easier access to different menus and information. It also gives users tactile feedback when they touch their screens. Pressure-sensitive touch screens are already available on the Apple Watch and in the trackpad of the new MacBook.

The new iPhones will also come in a rose-gold finish, with a new glass that the company describes as the strongest in the industry.

The phone’s touch ID sensor has been upgraded, and the phone will feature iOS 9, the newest version of Apple’s mobile operating system.

The new iPhone 6S will cost $200, and the iPhone 6S Plus will cost $300 with a phone contract. Prices for previous versions of the iPhone will drop by $100.

Apple introduced its own payment plan. Starting at $32 a month, customers can upgrade their phones every year if they buy them through Apple. The new phones will be available in 12 countries, including the United States, on Sept. 25. They will be available to order starting Sept. 12.

But as was clear in the presentation on Wednesday, Apple is aggressively courting customers with other product lines as it competes with competitors like Microsoft, Samsung and Google to become the centerpiece of Internet-connected home entertainment systems.

“Apple gets a lot of credit for being innovators, but it’s about how they execute and improve on what already exists,” said Tuong Huy Nguyen, a Gartner analyst. “Everyone uses the same ingredients, but a great chef can use them to make a better meal.”

The makeover of the iPad is reminiscent of Apple’s decision last year to introduce the larger-screen phones, a move that many also had said the company would never make.

Timothy D. Cook, Apple’s chief executive, called the new iPad Pro “the most capable” tablet the company has ever created. With a larger screen and optional keyboard, it becomes a device that is meant to be useful for both the creation and consumption of content.

“It makes sense for Apple to reveal a new keyboard along with new, larger-screen iPads with faster processors,” said Toni Sacconaghi, an analyst at Sanford C. Bernstein. “The message being that Apple is trying to push the iPad to be more of a PC replacement, a converged device of a tablet notebook that has broader computing powers.”

But starting at $800 (not including the optional $170 keyboard and the $100 stylus), it is much more expensive than earlier iPads.

Mr. Sacconaghi added that Apple had long rejected the idea that it would create such a device, but now some of the pieces are in place. The new iPad runs Microsoft Office software and has a faster processor so it can handle more complex computing tasks.

Mr. Cook also presented a new, enhanced Apple TV, which represents the company’s most ambitious effort yet to become the focal point of home entertainment systems. Apple TV already streams videos and music. Now it is set to offer video games, shopping and travel tools through an expanded array of apps.

“Our vision for TV is simple,” Mr. Cook said. “We believe the future of television is apps.”

The new version of Apple TV also includes a remote control that could be used as a video game controller. The product now comes with a higher price tag that starts at $150, up from $70, indicating that the company is betting that consumers will think all of the new features are worth the higher price.

Jeff Williams, Apple’s senior vice president of operations, also talked about improvements to the Apple Watch, including a number of new apps like Facebook Messenger and AirStrip, a health care app that lets doctors coordinate patient care and monitor health data.

Drawing all of these devices together is Apple’s voice assistant technology, called Siri, with improved search capabilities that were prominently displayed throughout the event, especially on the new Apple TV.

“The market will decide whether it’s a good idea for Apple to do things that it has said it wouldn’t or that people don’t think it should,” said Mr. Nguyen. “So far the market has liked it.”


Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/10/technology/apple-tv-iphone-6s.html