Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, speaks as product images are shown behind him during a launch event in Cupertino, California, US, Sept 12, 2017. [Photo/Agencies]

Flashy new campus

Cook opened the event at the Steve Jobs Auditorium on Apple's new campus with a tribute to the company's co-founder and former CEO Jobs, who died in 2011.

The Apple building itself was considered to be Jobs' final product, and Cook spent a few minutes boasting about the design, energy-saving features and public spaces at the new campus, including a flagship Apple Store.

The theater, never before open to the public, features an expansive glass-enclosed lobby, with two massive white stone staircases leading down to the auditorium. Inside, the decor is similar to that of Apple's stores, with hard maple flooring and tan leather seats.

The company has sold more than 1.2 billion iPhones over the past decade as it ushered in the era of mobile computing.