Tech major Apple launched two models of its new smartphone, the iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 Plus, on Wednesday in front a packed crowd at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco, United States. The phones will be sold in India from October 7 at a starting price of Rs 60,000 for models with storage capacity of 32GB. According to a statement released by Apple, India will be the second country to get the new models.
Thousands of people were present at the event, while millions of others watched it streamed live online. Amid the grand unveiling of the phones' specifications, however, the company left several amused after its official Twitter account accidentally tweeted out a list of features before the launch was made official.
The gaffe took place when Apple's Twitter account decided to put out a video about the phone even before Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook began talking about it at the event. The tweet disappeared soon after.
Other than this little hiccup, the launch went as planned. It was revealed that new iPhones are modelled after the iPhone 6 series, with similar rounded features, and will be water-resistant, a major change from the previous models. They will also feature a dual camera system and stereo speakers. As expected, they come without a headphone jack. They will have a glossy, mirror finish, and the home button will be force-sensitive.
Among his other major revelations, Cook announced that popular videogame Super Mario was coming to the app store, sending the blogosphere into a tizzy. The new Mario designed for Apple will be called "Super Mario Run", a sidescrolling game that users can play with one hand, for ease of "eating a burger".
Cook also unveiled the new Apple Watch OS 3, saying it is faster, has more faces and is waterproof. It comes with an SOS button, which will help people contact friends or relatives in emergencies, and more importantly, can now provide access to Pokémon GO.
Till minutes before the launch, guessing the two phones' features remained the internet's favourite pass-time. There were even reports that Amazon.com had accidentally revealed the supposedly top secret specifications of the phones by posting it on their product page. No one could confirm this, however, and it went largely unnoticed.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!