At a special event at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco, Tim Cook showed off a raft of products, which also include new colours and straps developed with Hermes for the Apple Watch.

The new iPhones, called the 6s and 6s Plus, include a new rose gold option and a new screen technology called 3D Touch.

The 3D touch screen allows users to press harder on the screen to access extra menus and even a special selfie feature.

'Along with traditional gestures, the iPhone now recognises force,' said Sir Jonathan Ive.

Pushing down on the screen allows users to access a new 'peek menu'. 

The iPhone 6S and 6S Plus come in four finishes - silver, gold, space grey and rose gold - and come in two sizes that match last year's handsets measurements. 

The phone also has a new, much faster chip Apple's Phil Schiller says is the 'fastest ever in a phone'. 

It will cost the same as the iPhone 6 and 6Plus, from $199, and go on sale on September 25th.

Apple has also boosted the camera to a 12 megapixel iSight camera to boost picture quality, and it can now record video in 4K. 

There is also a new 5mp front facing camera to boost selfie quality, which uses the screen as a flash.

It also revealed a new 'live photo' which mixes a still and video image. 

Pressing on the picture causes video to show and audio to play. 

The pictures are created automatically.

The new chip also has a new 'always on' Siri feature, and an improved fingerprint sensor the firm says is twice as fast as previous version.

The much rumoured 'monster iPad', officially called the iPad Pro, was first to be revealed. 

'iPad is the clearest expression of our vision of the future of personal computing,' said Cook. 

'We asked ourselves how we can take it further - and we have the biggest news in Pad since the iPad.'

Apple's Phil Schiller showed off the device, which has a 12.9inch screen.

'This is an amazing display, he said. 

Apple has a new 9x chip to power the device, described as 'desktop class performance'.

It has four speakers, and is 6.9mm thin, and has a case with keyboard built in, similar to Microsoft's Surface tablet.

It also comes with an optional stylus called Apple Pencil. 

'To enhance what's possible and allow a new level of precision, we've designed Apple Pencil,' said Sir Jonathan Ive.

Microsoft showed off its Office software on the device, and Adobe showed off its image software.

Cook also revealed a new TV box.

The new remote has a glass-touch surface that lets viewers control menus with their fingers.

It additionally features a 'Siri' button that lets viewers search using just their voice.

Prices start at $149 for 32GB model and $199 for a 64GB device.

It will go on sale in October.

All of the screens have been redesigned to 'focus on the content' and Siri will search across every app - including Netflix, iTunes, HBO, Showtime and Hulu - to find this content. 

Apple showed off new apps for the TV, including a special multiplayer version of the hit game Crossy Road, and a version of the Gilt shopping site.

'Apple's master plan is to be ubiquitous,' said Jordan Edelson of software firm Appetizer Mobile, explaining why Apple is increasingly designing its iPhone and Siri to interact with cars, televisions and 'smart' home systems.

It isn't a sure bet: Apple rivals like Google, Samsung and Microsoft are building their own technology for Internet-connected cars and homes. 

Apple sold a record 183 million iPhones in the nine months since releasing the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, which have bigger screens than earlier models. 

That has allowed the company to remain highly profitable, even as Samsung and other phone makers struggle. 

Some analysts question whether these features will inspire the same type of consumer demand that propelled last year's iPhone success story. 

But research firm Kantar Worldpanel says a substantial number of iPhone owners are still using older, smaller models, which makes them likely candidates to upgrade.  

Analysts say the new TV box is part of Apple's broader strategy to carve out a bigger role in the home. 

For instance, the new Apple TV could serve as a hub for Siri to control lamps, thermostats and other 'smart' appliances, using Apple's HomeKit technology.

It could also set the stage for Apple to later introduce a streaming video service aimed at competing with Netflix and other Internet entertainment services.

Even without an Apple TV, new iPhone software will make it easier to set up automated homes, including having lights turn on and window shades go up when you tell Siri on the phone, 'Time to wake up.'

With the new software for iPhones and iPads, Siri can also offer recommendations, such as nearby restaurants, before you even ask. 

It might even launch apps for you, based on your past habits, when you attach headphones or connect to a Bluetooth speaker in a car. 

Siri will also offer to add calendar and contact entries based on your incoming email - something Google already does with its competing services.

New iPhones will come with this new software, known as iOS 9. 

Apple also plans to release it as a free update for existing iPhones and iPads, likely next week. 

After major software updates over the past two years, the new software for iPhones and iPads is mostly about refinements, including a different font, a new way to scroll through photos and behind-the-scenes tweaks to improve battery life.

But there will be a few new features beyond a smarter Siri. 

For instance, major cities will get transit directions, addressing a major shortcoming with Apple Maps. 

In some cities, including New York and London, Apple sent teams to map out subway exits and entrances. 

That way, users getting to the subway are guided to the closest entrance, while those getting off are told which exit signs to look for. 

The first suggestion of a supersized tablet came just weeks after claims that the large screen size of the iPhone 6 Plus was impacting on iPad usage.

The release of Apple's iPhone 6 Plus means there is now only a 2.4-inch difference between the size of the phablet's screen, and the display on its iPad mini.

Analysis has revealed that as phones become larger, more people are using them for watching videos or reading - making their tablets almost redundant. 

A study by Pocket - an app that lets users save webpages, videos and other content for reading - recently found that people who upgraded to an iPhone 6 Plus use their tablets 36 per cent less than before. 

(dailymail.co.uk)