Apple kicks off star-studded event with larger iPhones

Apple Inc unveiled two new iPhones on Tuesday with sharper and larger displays, moving into a market segment dominated by arch-rival Samsung Electronics.

The 4.7-inch iPhone 6 and 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus will support more than 200 telecoms carriers worldwide, including all three in China - a key growth market for the company.

Apple is expected to introduce its first new product since the iPad in 2010, a smartwatch, later on Tuesday.

Bernstein Research analyst Toni Sacconaghi estimated on Tuesday that if Apple were to sell 30 million iWatches at $250 each, it would add about $7.5 billion to its revenue.

Rival

electronics giants such as Sony Corp, Samsung, LG Electronics Inc and Qualcomm Inc have already launched smartwatches, albeit without much success.

The pressure is on for the world's largest tech company to wow at its "special event" in Cupertino. The prospect of Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook unveiling the first device developed under his reign attracted a broader swathe of attendees than usual, with celebrities, fashion industry editors and even healthcare executives rounding out the mostly tech-industry crowd.

In a rare move for the company, Apple had planned on livecasting its event online, with a simultaneous translation in Chinese. But the livestream went down for many users about a half-hour in, prompting many to take to Twitter to express their frustrations.