Dear Friends,

Autumn is really in the air as the trees are beginning to change colors and the ridge lines have hints of orange and brown. Apples are replacing sweet corn at the farm stands and I hear geese honking their way south. It is one of my favorite times of the year even though it is the harbinger of a winter to come.

Tuesday, I managed to go home to watch Tim Cook’s keynote on the Apple TV. I will talk some about the event and the announcements and I am sure that Mike will give you more details below. (editor’s note: I will!) The streaming video of the event had some glitches in the beginning, including frequent freeze-ups and an audible second audio stream in Chinese. I was keeping track of the event on some of the blog sites as well as reloading on my Mac and Apple TV. Fortunately, that cleared up about halfway through. Of course, that was enough for Samsung to quickly cough up a commercial poking fun at Apple for video stream failure.

That glitch does not tarnish the very significant announcements at this special event with the new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, Pay and of course the Watch. Apple seems to be ready to switch out the “i” for “” which is a smart move even if it takes three keys to make that Apple logo (Shift-Option-K). I am impressed with all three of the new announcements from Apple and I think that they do answer the question of whether Apple can innovate after Steve Jobs.

I never wear a watch. I pride myself on being able to guess the time within a reasonable margin of error or simply look at any of the myriad of electronics devices that surround my life. But the Watch is something very different and I am just going to have to check it out. It is clearly a companion piece to the iPhone but adds some interesting features, specifically its emphasis on health tracking, Pay and quick communications with friends. I am sure that ultimately HomeKit features will also be incorporated so that you can open your door, turn out your lights, and adjust your thermostat just by wearing the watch.

With the watch not being released until early 2015, there is time for Apple to fine-tune the features. While there have not been any official indications, rumors say that the battery life is about a day long so it will need to be charged each night and I know Apple would like that to be better and some question as to just how water resistant the watch will be. I really think that the biometric sensors and integration to iPhone, HealthKit and HomeKit will make this new product category a huge success.

I think that the most significant announcement, however, may be Pay, the new electronic payment system. Apple has already lined up some big players to support the system, like Macy’s, McDonald’s, Target, and many more. Also, with their alliance with American Express, VISA and MasterCard, I think there will be widespread acceptance and this may be a big threat to other electronic payment systems such as Paypal. Even our behind-the-scenes electronic credit card processor, Cybersource, has indicated that they will be supporting Pay. We have some development work to do within our database but we are committed to taking this form of payment in our stores and website as soon as possible. While Apple will undoubtedly make some money via transaction fees, it is more likely that they will sell quite a few more iPhone 6 and Watch as a result of this new secure way to pay.

Ah, the iPhone 6! While I was sort of rueing the notion of a larger iPhone (I like the size of my iPhone 5s just fine) I think that the slimness of the new iPhone 6 and the new features make it a very compelling buy. Yes, I’ll be getting one. The iPhone 6 Plus adds some more landscape, digital image stabilization and a bigger battery and while the battery and better camera action is interesting, I think the iPhone 6 will serve my needs best. But, there are an awful lot of folks that want that really big iPhone and now the 6 Plus is there to fit the bill. I love the new feature that allows you to make voice calls over WiFi using your own phone number and how it will seamlessly transition to VoLTE. I wonder if this will also allow you to receive calls over WiFi which would mean we could eliminate the microcells that we have at home and here at the office.

The combination of the Apple A8 and M8 processors provide 64-bit power that is simply unmatched in any other phone. In addition to the M8 motion chip it also incorporates a barometer which senses air pressure to determine elevation. So, as you move, you can keep track of the elevation you have gained. It can even measure stairs climbed or hills conquered. The accelerometer and gyroscope combine to make the iPhone 6 a powerful exercise and health tool.

Another milestone quietly came with the announcements on Tuesday when Apple discontinued the iPod Classic. The last click-wheel spinning hard drive iPod is gone with its 160 GB capacity. I still have one that I primarily use in my shop but they are gone now. Interestingly, Apple also bumped the storage up on the iPhones to a maximum of 128 GB which is plenty for most music libraries.