by: CHENG Lingnan
update: Sep 10, 2015 10:35 GMT+8
Apple updates product lineup
Apple Inc. updated its product lineup Wednesday, focusing on its tablet computer with a larger screen and its online video box with a remote control capable of taking voice command.
The new tablet, known as iPad Pro, features a 12.9-inch display that is larger than those with previous iPads and a more powerful central processing unit (CPU) chip that is likely to deliver performances expected by corporate and professional customers.
"Microsoft's Surface is quite successful in this field and Apple had to develop something new, that is very powerful, that you can use for, let's say, designing airplanes for example, or cars, or playing really powerful games or watching television or videos on a really big screen," said Henning Steier, a tech editor of The Neue Zürcher Zeitung, a newspaper based in Switzerland.
The online video box, Apple TV, is redesigned to include a new operating system, working with Apple's Siri voice recognition search and control engine and around entertainment applications, or apps.
"It's always great to see how Apple innovates. I think it's very important that you can use games right now, you can use online-shops right now on TV. And Siri is a very good one on Apple TV because it finds your favorite shows on all channels," said Steier.
Apple Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook boasts the box as "the future of TV."
"I think honestly I will buy Apple TV because i-Phone is pretty decent to use, but TV's aren't. As I said, it's very complicated and I want to make my TV set smart at home," said Steier.
The company, headquartered in Cupertino, south of the U.S. west coast city of California, introduced the new lineup in what it called a "special event" in San Francisco.
However, iPhone, Apple's flagship product for years, has little changes, or improvements, since the rollout of iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus last year. Starting later this month, two new models of the smartphone will be available in 12 countries, including the United States, United Kingdom and China.
With a new CPU chip and other new hardware components, and working with improved software, the new iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus offer pictures and videos with enhanced clarity.