Lee Suckling: Apple launch report

Apple CEO Tim Cook, left, greets Bono after they preformed at the end of the Apple event this morning. Photo / AP

Watches, phones and Bono - Lee reports from this morning's Apple launch experience in California

Flint Centre for the Performing Arts. Cupertino, California. 5AM-7AM NZT.

The location hadn't been used by Apple since the launch of the iMac in 1999, so we knew it was going to be a big one. But none of us expected Bono.

Tim Cook, Apple CEO, began by announcing the iPhone 6; then, confirming all rumours true, the larger iPhone 6 Plus. Next came Apple Pay, the new payment system incorporated into every new device. Finally - or so we thought - was the Apple Watch: a pioneering new device that will likely see wearable technology finally reach widespread adoption.

Over an hour and a half had passed and we, 500 or so journalists sitting at the back of Cupertino's Flint Center for the Performing Arts, thought it was time to wrap up. Until a drum kit was rolled on stage.

U2 has over a decade's worth of history in collaboration with Apple, so it was entirely fitting to see the world's most famous band perform live with the world's most famous brand. Belting out the brand new song 'The Miracle (Of Joey Ramone)', Bono and co. jumped on stage and executed the first single from the new album Songs Of Innocence with undeniable energy.

Then came the final surprise: Cook and Bono conversed on stage over the release of Songs Of Innocence, deliberating whether it was possible to instantly make it available across the globe. "U2's Songs Of Innocence is going out to half a billion people for free," announced Bono, before he counted down, "in five, four, three, two, one".

With the press of a button, U2's new album was launched on the iTunes store across 119 countries, making it freely available to the 500 million people with iTunes accounts. According to Cook, that makes it "the largest album release of all time" he said, confirming the music history that was made. The free download is available until 13 October.

See a photo gallery from the Apple launch here:

Prior to U2's appearance, it was the Apple Watch that enticed the biggest audience "wow" moment. Rumoured for over a year, Apple's entry into the wearable technology market has been anticipated by millions.

Cook has saved the device for so long because of the significant development that has gone into it, and said it would "refine what people expect". The audience leered forward as the venue went dark and we were teased with video close-ups of the Apple Watch: sleek, stainless, and ultimately wearable. Apple employees, sat in the front section of the theatre, stood to ovation and cheered as years of hard work was finally made public.

Cook emphasised that the Apple Watch was not a one-off, but a new product range that would join Apple's line-up of revolutionary devices, in the same manner as the iPad (launched 2010) and iPhone (launched 2007).

We were then privy to its many apps and features, called "faces": from walkie-talkie mode and expression instant messaging (via emojis) to instant heartbeat replication that can be sent to the ones you love. Candidly, Cook revealed the astronomy face, which is "perfect if you wake up and don't know where you are," he joked in reference to Apple customers who party hard and find themselves in unknown beds the next day.

Of course, the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus were also nothing but spectacularly received. This is the first time Apple has launched iPhones in two sizes, and gives 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch options to consumers. The specs exceeded expectation: thinner than ever before at 6.9mm and 7.1mm, Retina HD display, an A8 64-bit chip that is 50 times faster than the original iPhone, and screen resolution improved up to 185 per cent on the previous 5S model (at 1920x1080, or two million pixels, in the iPhone 6 Plus).

The audience was wowed moreover at the iPhone 6/6 Plus's inclusion of Apple Pay, a contact-less payment system that uses NFC technology. Those of us from New Zealand familiar with payWave might not see it as revolutionary, but the innovation was welcomed with cheers by Americans, who are stifled by a lengthy credit card and ID verification process whenever they go shopping.

Apple Pay is only launching in select US stores in the near future, so Kiwis can expect to wait a while before the technology is advanced into the New Zealand shopping experience. Thankfully, however, we have a new U2 album to listen to while we wait.