Apple unveils new iPhone lineup

Actress Octavia Spencer took the stage as a very skeptical Mother Nature in a new ad boasting Apple’s environmental track record.

In a fast-paced, witty clip, the company announced plans to phase out leather in iPhone cases plus all plastic packaging by next year. Spencer's Mother Nature grilled nervous Apple's executives, including a muttering CEO Tim Cook, about the company's plans to reduce its carbon footprint.

Apple said it has reduced electricity and transportation emissions, and it used 100% recycled aluminum in the enclosures of MacBooks, Apple TVs and Apple Watches.

In 2020, the company pledged to be completely carbon neutral by 2030, and Apple said it is on pace to meet that goal.

"We've innovated and retooled almost every part of our process to reduce our impact on the planet," CEO Tim Cook said. "By 2030, all Apple devices will have a net zero climate impact." 

The company said it will achieve that goal by shipping by ocean and using carbon credits to offset the rest of the emissions. Carbon pledges, however, are difficult to track, and offsets have been widely criticized as insufficient.

At the end of the ad, Spencer was satisfied -- but said she'd be back next year to hold Apple to account, urging the company not to "disappoint your mother."

The company showed off its next-generation Apple Watch, the Series 9, featuring a custom S9 chip for faster processing and the promise of using a hand gesture to control the watch.

A new gesture control called Double Tap will allow users to tap their index finger and thumb together twice, to answer or end phone calls, play and pause music, or snooze alarms. The hand gesture can also scroll through widgets, much like turning the digital crown.

The company said this is enabled by an enhanced neural engine that processes data from sensors and machine learning. It is available starting next month.

"It will become one of those magical experiences you rely on everyday," the company said.

A similar hand tap will be used to control the Vision Pro mixed reality headset when it launches next year.

Other Apple Watch Series 9 updates include the ability for Siri to take requests, such as asking it to start a workout, and a new edge-to-edge display that double the brightness than the Series 8 watch. It also comes in a new pink color.

Apple’s keynote September event started with a short video featuring the voices and stories of people who say the technology saved their lives.

"We're so excited you could join us today for some big announcements about two essential products: Apple Watch and iPhone," CEO Tim Cook said during his opening remarks. "Like we just saw, nothing's more important than helping save lives, and it's amazing to see all the ways people use Apple Watch and iPhone everyday."

Apple CEO Tim Cook kicked off the iPhone event by greeting attendees and promising a big day ahead: "It's going to be a huge day," he said. "One I've been very personally looking forward to."

The focus of day, Cook said, will be around two products: the iPhone and Apple Watch.

Good morning from the Steve Jobs theater in Cupertino, California, where members of the press are now entering the space for Apple's annual keynote event.

Executives like Greg “Joz” Joswiak, who oversees marketing for the iPhone, are milling about the outdoor space, greeting attendees.

Apple staffers cheer and clap as everyone pours into the main hall. A video plays on screen of an animation of the Apple logo seen in the event’s invitation, with colors blue, silver, gray and white — a potential nod to the iPhone 15 lineup’s colors.

These events have become formulaic over the years, with updates usually expected on better battery, faster processor and enhanced camera capabilities, but everyone is buzzing this morning about the potential switch to USB-C chargers.

The iPhone redefined the term “cell phone.” Apple’s trademark product revolutionized the mobile phone industry, shifting from flip phones and keyboards to large screens and powerful cameras.

Here is a look back at some of the big changes the iPhone has seen over years:

2007: The original iPhone, a phone with internet: The much-anticipated device combined an iPod, phone and what then-company chairman Steve Jobs calls an “internet communicator.” Jobs unveiled the new $399 product, a 16 GB phone with a relatively terrible 2.0 megapixel camera and relatively large 3.5” screen.

2008: iPhone 3G, meet the App Store: With the second version of the iPhone, Apple introduces the App Store and 3G connectivity. The new device, half the cost of the original iPhone, sold more than 3 million within a month, far outpacing its predecessor and expectations.

2010: iPhone 4, selfie time: A thinner and sleeker phone hits the shelves with a better battery, camera and screen. The iPhone 4 starts to resemble the phone many of us use today. And with the addition of a front-facing camera, selfies and FaceTime calls enter into the chat.

2011: iPhone 4S, Hello, Siri!: Apple introduces the world to Siri, its now-iconic voice assistant, and the iMessage feature that allows iPhone users to message each other freely. Users are also given iCloud, making it possible to automatically sync all Apple devices.

2012: iPhone 5, the Lightning cable arrives: With the iPhone 5 comes the Lightning cable, a shift away from the larger charging port used in Apple’s original iPhones and iPods. The 5 also gets a larger screen and LTE connectivity, making the phone much faster than its predecessors.

2013: iPhone 5S, fingerprint for entry: The 5S added the Touch ID feature, Apple’s first foray into biometric data usage as a replacement for passwords. Apple iPhone fans are also offered gold versions for the first time.

2016: iPhone 7/7Plus, Goodbye, headphone jack! Hello, two cameras!: In traditional Apple fashion, the company does away with the traditional headphone jack, forcing customers to buy dongles that adapt older headsets or Lightning-plug earbuds. The 7 is also the first water-resistant iPhone. It features a more static home button that cannot be pressed down, only touched, and the first dual camera lens with portrait mode.

2017: iPhone X, a new era: Goodbye home button, hello notched screen. The X revolutionizes the Apple product once again for its 10th anniversary, turning the iPhone into something that looks very similar to today’s versions. An extra lens also added portrait mode to the front facing camera, a fan favorite for iPhones to come.

2020: iPhone 12 series, the death of the in-box charger: Apple continued to upgrade its camera and display, plus introduce its proprietary MagSafe charging options. The 12 has two camera lenses, while the Pro and Pro Max have three plus night mode and enhanced zoom range. The 12 and the 12 Pro are the same size, while the Pro Max is significantly larger. The 12 series also marks the end of Apple including an in-box charger with each iPhone purchase.

2022: iPhone 14 series, goodbye, Mini- and SIM cards: Doing away with the iPhone Mini for the Pro, Apple brings back the larger Pro and adds a slew of safety features like emergency SOS via satellite. The Pro and Pro Max feature a “Dynamic Island” top notch that free floats from the top of the phone to better integrate into whatever is going on onscreen, as well as a better camera and display. A physical SIM card tray is also gone with the 14, pushing users towards eSIMs only.

Read here for the full list of all iPhones ever released.

Apple's original iPhone was released in 2007. CNN's Jeanne Moos hit the streets of New York at the time to hear why Apple-lovers were lined up for days to buy one for $599.

The iPhone 15 is heavily rumored to ditch Apple’s proprietary Lightning charger in favor of USB-C charging, marking a milestone for the company by adopting universal charging. The change could ultimately streamline the charging process across various devices — and brands.

It’s currently unclear if the shift to USB-C will happen for all new iPhone 15 models or only for Pro devices. The move to USB-C won’t likely be a sole incentive for people to upgrade, but it could sway some consumers who have been resistant to the iPhone over its charging limitations, according to Thomas Husson, a vice president at Forrester Research.

The iPhone 15 devices are expected to ship with a new cable in the box, but considering many mobile devices already use USB-C, including Apple’s own iPads and MacBooks, access to charging wires shouldn’t be too hard or costly.

“Given how widely USB-C has been used in other devices, it’s hard to imagine that customers will be totally caught out by this switch, and in the long term, it’s likely to benefit them, with a universal charging system having some very obvious upsides,” Wood said.

Apple could also bypass wired charging altogether to make way for wireless charging but not anytime soon because “wireless charging is currently so much slower than wired,” according to David McQueen, a director at ABI Research. “We’ll have to wait and see on that.”

The iPhone 15 is heavily rumored to ditch Apple’s proprietary Lightning charger in favor of USB-C charging, marking a milestone for the company by adopting universal charging. The change could ultimately streamline the charging process across various devices — and brands.

Apple introduced the Lightning charger alongside the iPhone 5 in 2012, replacing its existing older 30-pin dock connector with one that enabled faster charging and had a reversible design. It also ignited a related accessories business, requiring users to buy a $30 Lightning adapter to connect the device to older docks, alarm clocks and speaker systems.

It also takes a financial cut from the third-party accessories and cables that go through its Made For iPhone program. “Moving to USB Type C would take away this level of control as USB-C is a much more open ecosystem,” McQueen said.

In addition, Apple could create its own branded USB-C cable to perform “better with an iPhone,” such as allowing for greater wattage to support faster charging while minimizing risk and damage to batteries, he added.