At a company event in San Francisco Tuesday morning, Apple is expected to announce new models of the iPad and iPad mini, the new Mac Pro, and the release date and pricing for OS X Mavericks.
But CEO Tim Cook kicked off the highly anticipated event in traditional Apple fashion, by talking about the success Apple has seen this year.
Nine million iPhones sold last month made it Apple’s biggest iPhone launch to date. The company released two new designs, the iPhone 5S and 5c, which could be the reason for the historic sales.
Cook also talked about iOS 7, Apple’s controversial new operating system. Users have complained, especially about how it runs on older iPhones, but they don’t seem to have balked at installing the new software, as 64 percent of iOS devices now run iOS 7, Cook said. (That’s lower than some third-party estimates.)
The company also boasted the success of iTunes Radio, Apple’s alternative to music players like Spotify. Cook said over 20 million users listen to iTunes Radio, and pop megastar Justin Timberlake debuted his album on the service. Since its release last month, in the United States alone, users played one billion songs on the service.
The App Store has seen tremendous growth and scope as well, and now over one million apps are available for download, and users have downloaded over 60 billion times. Cook presented a fake check that demonstrated how much Apple developers have made off the App Store, totaling 13 billion dollars.
In anticipation of the new tablet updates, Cook talked about the popularity and accessibility of the iPad. The iPad is used four times more than any other tablet, and Cook said the company has sold 170 million devices.
