In the wake of the launch of two new iPhones and also the Apple Watch, many would say that Apple CEO Tim Cook has brought the company he took over from Steve Jobs into a new era. In an extensive interview with Businessweek, Cook and several other Apple executives talked about the ways in which the company has changed in the last three years, and what's going to happen going forward.

Some of the details that come out in the interview are already well known - for instance, the fact that Steve Jobs' office has been left untouched after his death in 2011. "It felt right to leave it as it is," Cook told Businessweek. "That's Steve's office."

The interview also reveals a company that's more reactive to the market. The iPhone 6 Plus in particular is a big departure for Apple, and a clear reaction to the popularity of phablets. But the Apple Watch could also fall into the same category. A lack of new product lines had been dogging Apple since Cook took over, and things could have reached a breaking point with the company's stock dropping by 40 percent last year. According to Businessweek, this made Cook "accelerate the Watch project." Apple's Jony Ive told Businessweek, "It's probably one of the most difficult projects I have ever worked on."

There is also a lot of interesting detail about the changing culture at Apple. From the small, "renegade" teams that made the Macintosh and the iPhone to a large team that blends various disciplines together to make the Apple Watch, the company has gone through some clear changes.

"We would never have gotten there in the old model," Cook said. These new products are reminders "of why we exist. The things we should be doing at Apple are things that others can't."

The Watch is just one of the big new changes that Apple has brought in. The other one is Apple Pay, an NFC-based mobile payments service. Users will be able to pay for their shopping by holding a finger against the Touch ID fingerprint scanner, instead of having to take out their credit cards. The idea isn't exactly new - the concept was first extolled by Sony as far back as 1989, and NFC was approved as a standard as far back as 2003. The technology came to Android in 2010, with the Nexus S.

But Apple has been able to garner large scale support for its payment system and this could be a game changer in a way that technology alone can't be. Apple has secured at least 200,000 retail locations in the US for the launch of Apple Pay, including including Bloomingdale's, Duane Reade, Macy's, McDonald's, Sephora, Staples, Subway, Walgreens and Whole Foods Market. With support for credit and debit cards from American Express, MasterCard and Visa, issued by banks including Bank of America, Capital One, Chase, Citi and Wells Fargo, Apple has accounted for 83 percent of the credit card purchase volume in the US.

Apple is famous as a company that finds its own way, so to see the company working towards joint solutions, both inside and outside, is a big change. As Businessweek points out, this was not how Apple functioned under Jobs. Businessweek writes:

The company Cook inherited was broken up into specialized groups devoted to hardware, software design, marketing, and finance, all working separately and sharing little information with each other; they didn't need to because the overarching vision resided in Jobs's head.

Under Cook, this would change, and he told Businessweek of some of the benefits of this change - it's made it possible for features like Continuity, where you can take a call on your iPad or send messages from your Mac, seamlessly switching between your different devices.

"We would never have gotten there in the old model," Cook said. These new products are reminders "of why we exist. The things we should be doing at Apple are things that others can't."

Of course, these culture changes also brought culture clash. As Businessweek reports, some senior people left Apple because of the changes:

To one former senior designer, accustomed to spitballing sessions with Jobs to go over details as minute as the look of screen icons, the company no longer has the same allure. He says he left because Apple grew too large and that products once created in small groups are now done in sprawling teams. Others chafe at Cook's insistence on financial discipline; in meetings once devoted to the hallowed act of reviewing products, he asks managers pointed questions about spending and hiring projections, says a person involved. Staff from finance and operations now sit alongside engineers and designers in product road map sessions with key component partners.

Team Cook

The biggest changes that have emerged, it is clear, lie in the personality of the organisation. Apple might not have let go of its secrecy or high end products, but in other ways, Businessweek reports that the company has gone through a lot of change.

You can see this in the kind of responses that people outside Apple gave Businessweek for the article. Ginni Rometty, IBM's chief executive, called Cook the "hallmark of a modern-day CEO. It's all about clarity of vision and knowing what to do and what not to do." Carriers say there is more of a personal touch. "Tim's a tough negotiator," said Glenn Lurie, CEO of AT&T Mobility, who's been working with Cook since before the release of the iPhone in 2007. "He's a very consistent guy, and that makes it a lot easier to do business with him."

Cook "is comfortable enough to say 'we need help here,' and then he goes out and gets it," said Jimmy Iovine, who became a part of Apple when it acquired Beats Electronics.

The tone inside the company is equally positive. Phil Schiller, Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing at Apple, told Businessweek that the core Apple team is not likely to fragment. "A lot of us at Apple are here because we love the products," he said. "We think we are making the best products we have ever made as a company." Other executives shared similar sentiments with Businessweek.

"I feel damn proud to be working as a part of Tim's team," said Eddy Cue, Senior Vice President for Internet Software and Services. "If he gets a little bit of recognition from the outside world, that is great. He deserves a lot more than he is going to get."

Apple has finally made the Apple Watch official. The long-rumoured wearable, originally expected to be called the iWatch, was revealed on stage during the company's iPhone 6launch event in Cupertino, signalling Apple's move into wearable technology for the first time.

It might not have a circular display like Motorola's eye-catching Moto 360, but the Apple Watch is still a beautiful looking wearable; depending on the model, the square chassis is either built from stainless steel or 18 karat gold, with curved edges and interchangeable wrist straps.

The screen uses a flexible retina display, laminated to sapphire glass to protect it from scratches and scrapes. It can sense force for the first time in an Apple device, detecting the difference between a tap and a press, but Apple says controlling a wearable by touchscreen alone isn't exactly ideal as you're covering the tiny display. Little is known about screen resolution yet, as Apple hasn't made anything official.

The Apple Watch gets around this with the Digital Crown, which turns rotary movements into digital actions onscreen. Turning the crown when looking at maps will zoom in and out, but when you're reading a list you'll scroll up and down instead. It also doubles as a home button, sending you back to the home screen with a press.

On the underside, four IR and LED sensors protected by more sapphire glass can detect the wearer's pulse, then feed the data back into the Health app on iOS 8. You can also share your heartbeat with other iWatch owners, although we aren't yet convinced many people will find a use for this niche feature. The button below Crown, which shows friends to contact, seems much more useful.

The back of the watch is made from tough zirconia, but doubles as a charging plate. With a combination of inductive charging and magsafe magnetic locking, there's no need to align charging pins or carry a bulky charging cradle with you. Apple hasn't yet revealed battery life, and with no firm details on battery capacity it remains the Watch's biggest mystery. The company was rumoured to be unhappy with battery life in prototype Watch models, but we're hoping Apple manages to squeeze at least two days from a single charge.

The Watch is powered by a custom-built Apple S1 system-on-chip, paired with what Apple is calling a Taptic engine - essentially a vibrating motor that provides physical feedback on receiving notifications.

The brand new UI doesn't look anything like iOS, with a series of circular icons letting you jump into any app from the one screen. The Apple Watch has Siri onboard for voice control and dictating messages, notifications for all supported apps and maps for walking navigation. According to Apple, it can also be used to control an Apple TV, act as a remote viewfinder for a paired iPhone camera, or pay for goods at participating stores with Apple Pay support. It will also support the iOS 8 Handoff feature, meaning you can dismiss a notification on your wrist and have it vanish from your other devices.

Two health and wellness apps, Fitness and Workout, will track your daily movement and measure your performance when out on a run or cycling, using a paired iPhone to track GPS location.

It will also be possible to completely customise the watch face with different colours, designs and features. Apple will include a range of its own watch faces, but expects third party developers to add many more. It will be launching the WatchKit SDK soon to see what they can come up with.

The Apple Watch will be launching in two different sizes, with a smaller watch that should be a better fit for smaller wrists, as well as three distinct versions. The standard Apple Watch will arrive in stainless steel, the Sport Collection will use a 60% tougher metal alloy, and the Apple Watch Edition will arrive in 18 karat gold.

You'll get different glass to protect the watch face display depending on the model you choose. The standard Apple Watch and Gold Apple Watch Edition both use sapphire crystal glass, which should be able to withstand serious scrapes and scratches, while the the Apple Watch Sport uses Ion-X Glass instead. Because sapphire glass isn't particularly resistant to drops, ion-strengthened glass makes more sense in a watch that will be worn during vigorous exercise.

Apple has designed six different straps, along with a mechanism for making it easy to swap between them. The Sport band is made from sweat resistant plastic, but you'll be able to choose between a leather quilted loop, stainless steel link bracelet and milanese loop.

You'll need to have an iPhone in order to use the Apple Watch, as it won't pair with anAndroid device, but it will work with the existing iPhone 5s, iPhone 5c and iPhone 5 as well as the newly announced iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 plus.

Customers will be able to get their hands on an Apple Watch early next year, with prices set to start from $349 for the standard model in the US. We'll just have to wait for a UK release date.

Apple Inc's embrace of wireless charging for its new Watch may be a defining moment for a technology that's languished for years amid competing standards and consumer confusion.

Supporters of wireless charging see a future where people no longer worry about topping up their gadgets; are free from tangled power cords and low-battery warnings and where terms like "outlet" and "plugged in" will be as anachronistic as "dialling" a phone.

(Also see: Apple Watch Unveiled as 'Comprehensive Health and Fitness Companion')

Users seem to like the idea too: in a recent survey by technology consultancy IHS, 83 percent were interested in wireless charging; in China, the figure was 91 percent.

But, while the technology is largely there to do this, competition to set a global standard is getting in the way of delivery. It's reminiscent of the Betamax vs VHS videotape wars of three or four decades ago, or the more recent battle between Blu-ray and HD DVD for supremacy in high definition optical disc format.

For now, there are three alliances, but not much to show. Last year, fewer than 20 million phones were shipped with wireless charging built in, according to IHS - less than 2 percent of the billion smartphones shipped around the world.

"There are a lot of bees around the hive," said Omri Lachman, CEO of Humavox, an Israeli start-up with its own wireless charging technology. "Up to now we've not seen a mass aggregation of wireless charging in devices. There's a good reason for that: three standards for the same form of technology."

While users clearly see wireless charging - where mobiles, tablets and other devices are charged by laying them on a mat or other surface - as a natural next step, some industry leaders have cautioned that having to still plug in the charging device may prove fiddly for some. "Having to create another device you have to plug into the wall is actually, for most situations, more complicated," Apple senior vice president Phil Schiller said just two years ago.

(Also see: Everything You Need to Know About the Apple Watch)

Beam me up

Maybe, but others say the wireless vision remains compelling. "Look at Star Trek," says Geoff Gordon of the Alliance for Wireless Power (A4WP), one of the three competing alliances. "They never talk about their batteries dying on any of their devices. If you look far enough into the future we're looking at a world where you don't even think about power."

But to catch on, wireless charging has to work seamlessly. That means a user can easily find a wireless charging zone and not have to worry whether their device is compatible, or properly connected or even secure from theft.

Intel Corp, a member of A4WP along with the likes of Samsung Electronics andQualcomm Inc, says wireless charging is a lot like wireless computing. Just as the world has largely ditched network cables for wireless hotspots, so we will leave chargers and cables at home as we'll never be far from a charging pad.

But getting there, the chipmaker argues, will require someone with its clout to set the global standard for wireless technology. "History will tell you it's what it takes to get mainstream lift-off," said Intel's Leighton Phillips.

Among the competing standards, A4WP uses something called magnetic resonance, while the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC) - which includes tech names such as Nokia and Philips - champions its Qi standard using inductive charging, a method which is also used by the Power Matters Alliance (PMA).

They are all variations of the same technology: a coil inside the device picks up an electrical charge from a transmitter coil in the charging surface. Apple, which sits outside the alliances, appears to have used a version of induction charging in its Watch, further muddying the waters.

$8.5 billion market

Sparring in a battle for leadership in a market that IHS reckons will be worth $8.5 billion by 2018 - as the technology is incorporated into devices, furniture, cars, restaurants - the alliances fling accusations at one another.

The WPC accuses its rivals of trying "to benefit from intellectual property they think they own," in the words of WPC vice president for market development John Perzow, instead of "what benefits the consumer."

The WPC's Qi brand is the only one to have made any real headway on the market, doubling its annual shipments to 20 million devices last year. The PMA has a couple of products out, while the first devices carrying the A4WP's Rezence brand are expected to be shipped this year.

A4WP supporters say the WPC has had its chance and blown it. "Very quickly the momentum behind A4WP will dwarf anything that Qi has accomplished," says Alex Gruzen, CEO of U.S.-based WiTricity.

The PMA, meanwhile, has focused less on the hardware and more on the application programming interface that would allow others to connect to it. Its main backers are companies like Procter & Gamble and Starbucks Corp , which promises to roll out charging surfaces in its U.S. outlets by the end of next year.

The groups all agree on one thing: squabbling over standards has kept smartphone manufacturers, furniture designers and car makers from building wireless charging technology into their products as much as they might if the technology's future were clearer.

The Jeep Cherokee , for example, includes a wireless charging pad, and Cadillac has announced plans to add wireless charging in 2015 models - but drivers will only be able to use the feature if they have compatible phones.

There are signs of progress: the A4WP and the PMA in February agreed to ensure their two standards work well together.

But for wireless charging to take off, Intel says, it not only needs compatible devices and charging mats in homes and offices, but also a broader public infrastructure - coffee shops, hotels, malls.

"The vision we have and that Starbucks has is that it becomes part of the slipstream of your life," says Powermat president Daniel Schreiber. "How do we make power come to you rather than have you think about power?"

"Nothing's happening"

There are other issues. One is that the technology still needs to be easier to use. In some cases, a device can't just be dropped anyhow onto a charging pad - it needs to be aligned or it either won't charge, or will charge more slowly.

Also, fitting charging coils into devices isn't as simple as it may sound. "Coils have a physical limitation that won't change with size," said Humavox's Lachman. "A lot of people have been trying to fit that into the device."

"All the companies are working around the clock to figure out how to pull in that technology and make sure it works," says Pavan Pudipeddi, CEO of PowerSquare, which in July launched a charging pad using Qi which allows users to recharge multiple devices. Pudipeddi welcomed the launch of Apple's Watch with wireless charging. "Others will feed off that and it's good for the technology in general," he said.

Meanwhile, the dithering over an industry standard is opening up opportunities for others.

Some companies like uBeam, for example, use ultrasound, converting electricity to sound and sending that over the air as ultrasound. Others, like Humavox, use radio frequencies, where the coils are replaced by antennae.

"Our decision to build this technology from the ground up is proving the right choice," said Lachman. "Wireless charging has been out there for five years and nothing's happening."

As computerized wristwatches go, the upcoming Apple Watch looks impressive.

I like that it will come in two sizes, so the watch won't feel giant on smaller hands, as some competing watches do.

I also like that Apple will offer a variety of straps and materials, so fitness buffs can get a strap that's stronger and sweat-proof, while those seeking a fashion accessory can opt for an 18-karat gold edition.

Beyond looks, it's great that the Apple Watch isn't simply adopting the smartphone way of doing things. The operating system, Watch OS, was designed specifically for the watch, and its interface relies heavily on the dial to the right, known as the digital crown. Competing watches tend to emphasize the voice and touch controls found on phones.

(Also see: Apple Watch Unveiled as 'Comprehensive Health and Fitness Companion')

Of course, it's premature to conclude that you need an Apple Watch. I had only about 45 minutes with the Apple Watch and other new products announced Tuesday. The watch I was allowed to try on was running in a demonstration mode. It'll take more time with the watch - beyond a controlled environment - to make a solid conclusion.

What I'm seeing so far, however, points to another winner for Apple.

The home screen has all your apps, arranged in rows like a honeycomb. You use the dial to zoom in and choose one. The touch screen lets you slide the honeycomb around to see different portions of your app collection. I find this easier than swiping on a small screen to scroll through pages and pages of apps. With the Apple Watch, you can even rearrange apps so that your favorite ones are toward the middle.

App developers will be able to decide what types of notifications appear on the watch and let you take actions such as replying to messages. That's an improvement over existing smartwatches, which largely replicate the notifications sent to your phone. To be compelling, the watch shouldn't duplicate your phone. It should enhance it. Apple seems to get it.

As for using the dial to zoom in and out, Apple says that improves usability because you're not blocking maps and other content on the screen the way pinching in and out would. That makes sense, though I'll need more time with the watch to assess how well the dial works on its own. With your home screen, for instance, you still need the slide apps around.

(Also see: Everything You Need to Know About the Apple Watch)

Another question mark is what kinds of apps will be available for it.

Apple announced a few useful ones, including the ability to unlock your Starwood hotel room with a tap of your watch. That's easier than pulling out your room key from your wallet. BMW also promises one to help you find your parked car in a crowded lot. If it works, that beats walking around in circles.

Apple does have a good track record in getting software developers to make good apps for its systems. Many apps come to iPhones and iPads first, and some have bonus features unavailable on Android. If that trend continues with the Apple Watch, I have no doubt customers will find more useful things to do with it than the smartwatches already out.

Apple Watch will require an iPhone 5 or later and will have a starting price tag of $349, higher than rival watches. Expect to pay even more for the 18-karat gold edition and other premium models. You'll also have to wait until early next year, as Apple won't have Apple Watch available in time for the holidays.

(Also see: iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, Watch Price Revealed; 128GB iPhone Now a Reality)

As for products and services that will be available sooner.

iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus

Apple's new 4.7-inch iPhone 6 and 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus are both larger than the current 4-inch models. They neutralize a key advantage Android phones have had: size.

(Also see: Apple Launches iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus)

And Apple managed to make its new phones thinner, with edges that are curved and fit nicely in the hands. Gone is the glass back, reducing the chances of breakage. The back will now be made of aluminum and feel more like an iPad.

To improve one-handed use, both new models will have a feature called reachability. With two light taps of the home screen button, the icons, controls and content on the top half of the screen snap to the bottom, so you can reach them with the same hand. Once you make your selection, everything snaps back to the top.

The iPhone 6 Plus also has new horizontal layouts to take advantage of the larger size.

Of course, apps have long worked either horizontally and vertically. On the Plus, horizontal viewing extends to the home screen, and apps will be able to arrange content in two columns.

When texting, for instance, contacts appear on the left and messages appear on the right. On smaller phones, including the regular iPhone 6, you get one or the other, not both side by side.

It's a small touch, but it shows that larger doesn't necessarily mean making everything bigger. Windows phones also make use of larger screens by squeezing in more content, but with Android phones, text and images just get blown up.

Mobile payments

Few people use their phones to pay for goods and services at retail stores. That's because it's not difficult to pull out a plastic credit card, however insecure that technology might be. Apple is trying to change that with Apple Pay, which will come to the new iPhones in October and the upcoming Apple Watch when it's out.

(Also see: Apple Unveils 'Apple Pay' Mobile Wallet and Payment System)

Apple improves over existing systems in a few ways:

Apple already has your credit card information from iTunes, so setting Apple Pay up with your first credit card is easy. To add additional cards, you can either enter the details or snap a photo.

In my brief tests, the phone grabbed my credit card numbers correctly, though I sometimes had to enter my name and expiration date myself because of poor lighting conditions. But grabbing those numbers is a good start, as I'm prone to make typos with 16-digit numbers otherwise.

Apple uses the phone's fingerprint identification system to authorize purchases. Other wallet apps require passcodes, which can make mobile payments take longer than simply pulling out your credit card.

Apple stores card information on a secure chip on your device, not on its servers. And it's not even your real card number. Rather, Apple verifies your card information with your bank and then stores an alternative card number.

That way, if a merchant's system gets hacked, only the alternative number is compromised, and that number would require one-time security codes available only with the physical possession of your phone.

The system works with credit cards issued by a variety of banks, including all three of mine. A payment system called Softcard, formerly known as ISIS, doesn't support any of my three banks. Amazon's Fire phone has a wallet app, too, but it doesn't even do credit cards, which is surprising for a retailer. It works only with gift cards.

Apple Pay's usefulness will be limited until more merchants install the necessarily equipment, but many chains already do and more are coming.

Apple strapped computing to the wrist Tuesday with Apple Watch.

"Apple Watch is the most personal device we have ever created," Apple chief executiveTim Cook said, while announcing the hotly-anticipated move into wearable computing.

The watch comes in two sizes and an array of choices of interchangeable, fashionable wrist straps.

Cook introduced Apple Watch with the "one more thing" introduction that was a trademark of iconic Apple co-founder Steve Jobs.

"It is the next chapter in Apple's story," Cook said of the first new product category to be entered by the company since the death of Jobs in 2011.

(In comparison: iPhone 6 Plus versus iPhone 6 versus iPhone 5s versus iPhone 5c)

"We invented intimate ways to connect and communicate directly from your wrist; it works seamlessly with iPhone and it is also a comprehensive health and fitness device."

Apple watch will start at $349 when it is released early next year, according to Cook. The smartwatch will work with iPhone 5 models and newer.

(Also see: Apple Launches iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus)

Apple has been working on Watch for a long time, and didn't just shrink the iPhone and strap it to the wrist, Cook told a rapt audience in a performing arts center in Silicon Valley where Jobs introduced the Macintosh computer 30 years ago.

While Apple Watch has touch-screen capabilities, many controls were designed into a "digital crown" button so fingers do not block screens.

(Also see: Apple Unveils 'Apple Pay' Mobile Wallet and Payment System)

Sensors can detect a wearer's pulse,and the devices tap into motion sensing features in iPhones to provide a "comprehensive picture of activity" and help work toward fitness goals, according to Apple senior vice president of design Jonathan Ive.

Applications for the watch include map software that guides people to destinations with gentle "taps" on the wrist.