Apple unveils iPad Pro, Apple TV and iPhone 6S handsets

Apple on Wednesday unveiled two updated iPhones, aiming to build on the success of its large-screen handsets introduced late last year. It also unveiled a larger iPad tablet and a TV box with its own app store. The new smartphones are the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus, keeping the same overall dimensions of the last version. Apple says its iPad Pro has the power and capabilities to replace a laptop computer. Chief executive Tim Cook, speaking at a San Francisco media event, called the device "the biggest news in iPad since the iPad.” The new tablet with a 12.9-inch (32.7-centimetre) display, also includes a detachable keyboard and stylus. The device features "desktop-class performance” and operates faster than 80 per cent of portable PCs that shipped in the last 12 months, said Apple senior vice president Phil Schiller of the device. The new iPad will be available in November starting at $799, with a keyboard option at $169. "It is thin and light enough to work all day and be taken everywhere,” Schiller said. The iPad Pro includes a stylus called Apple Pencil - despite comments from late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs that consumers did not want such an accessory. Cook said he expects the new tablet to offer new possibilities for computing as the original iPad did. "The iPad is the clearest expression of our vision of the future of personal computing,” Cook said. "In just five years, iPad has transformed the way we create, the way we learn and the way we work.” The new tablet has 10-hour battery life, and a "forcetouch” screen which responds to the amount of pressure applied. Apple TV Tim Cook also unveiled a new set top TV box with its own app store and new operating system. The device is controlled by a remote control that features a touch-sensitive panel and a microphone that allows the device to be voice-operated. The new streaming television device with voice search, touchscreen remote control and an app store is a challenge to Google, Amazon, and video game console titans. Apple TV was overhauled as people increasingly stream films and television shows on-demand online and turn to mobile applications for entertainment. "Our vision for TV is simple, and perhaps a little provocative,” Tim Cook said. "We believe the future of television is apps.” Apple released a software kit for outside developers, and showed off early versions of Apple TV applications already being crafted.   Agencies