Apple unveils new smartwatch, nears 2 bn devices

 

Apple COO Jeff Williams discusses Apple Watch Series 4 during an event on September 12, 2018, in Cupertino, California. The watch lets users take electrocardiogram readings.
New iPhones set to be unveiled Wednesday offer Apple a chance for fresh momentum in a sputtering smartphone market as the California tech giant moves into new products and services to diversify.Apple was expected to introduce three new iPhone models at its media event at its Cupertino campus, notably seeking to strengthen its position in the premium smartphone market a year after launching its $1,000 iPhone X.
/ AFP PHOTO / NOAH BERGER

CUPERTINOUnited States (AFP) —  Apple unveiled a redesigned smartwatch on Wednesday as the California tech giant said it was nearing its two billionth device for its mobile operating system.

“We are about to hit a major milestone, we are about to ship our 2 billionth iOS device,” Apple chief executive Tim Cook said as he opened a media event expected to unveil a new lineup of iPhones.

“This is astonishing, iOS has changed the way we live.”

Cook said that with its fourth generation of the market-leading smartwatch, “we’re going to take Apple Watch to the next level.”

Chief operating officer Jeff Williams said that “everything about (Apple Watch) has been redesigned.”

He added that its screen is “over 30 percent larger” than the previous generation.

One of the new features enables the watch to detect when a person falls, important for elderly users.

“Fall detection is a feature we hope you never need, but it’s really nice to know it’s there,” Williams said.

© Agence France-Presse