We all knew that Apple was going to announce something big today on September 9th, and we thought it was going to be the new iPhone and the iWatch. So what did they announce? It started off with Apple saying they had lots of products (plural) to report, and while they had a new smartphone and smartwatch, it was not quite what expected.
Apple began with the new version of the iPhone, which is actually two versions with the iPhone 6 (4.7 inch display) and the iPhone 6 Plus (5.5 inch display). These are pretty thin at 6.9mm for the 6, and 7.1 mm for the Plus. There are curves around the side, which is an entirely new design. Each have a new generation A8 chip, a next generation Retina display.
Besides the difference in size, the iPhone 6 Plus has a landscape mode. If you double-touch the Touch ID, stuff moves to the lower half of the screen. To tap it again will move things to a full-screen mode.
As for the battery life, it is 14 hours of 3G talk time for the iPhone 6, and 24 hours for the iPhone 6 Plus. As for the standby, it has 10 days for the 6 and 16 days for the Plus. The video time for the 6 is 11 hours, and 14 hours for the Plus. There is some kind of new sensor, which can estimate distance and has a barometer too. Both of these two phones will have WiFi calling, and there is a New improved FaceTime HD that Apple states: “your kids are going to do that”.
So what about the camera? There is an 8 Megapixel iSight camera, with Panorama with 43 MP. The video has 1080p at 30 fps or 60 fps, up to 120fps on the 5S, which makes them both capable of super slo-mo.
As for the price, the iPhone 6 is on $199 or $399 for the largest model. It starts with 16GB and goes to 64GB, all the way up to 128GB. As for the iPhone 6 Plus, it starts at $299. It will ship on September 19th.
After unveiling the new version of the iPhone, the gears shifted to a new software, an Apple payment system known as Apple Pay. Apparently, you use it by holding the user’s thumb on the TouchID button, and it is on both the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. As the presentation says, “Cashier doesn’t see your card number” and “Apple doesn’t know how much you paid for it”. This could easily change the way iPhone users pay, and I’m certain that this will change the way smartphone users will pay.
Then the gears shifted again with a “One more thing”. Apple knew people would be looking forward to it, and it had some huge buildup. This is the Apple Watch, and you will note that the “i” is missing. The Apple Watch is stainless steel with a sapphire screen with a dial on the side known as the Digital Crown, and it got thunderous applause with standing ovation.
Apple says this is “the most personal device we’ve ever created”. It has an incredible new operating system/interface. It can sense what you’re doing on the wrist, and it has a gyroscope and accelerometer. It has six different straps and can make those straps interchangeable. Then there is the feature like Glances, to swipe up from the bottom to see meetings, weather, stocks, or music. It is a comprehensive health and fitness device.
Okay, I’m not going to say more about Apple’s new smartwatch, because I will talk about it more on Smartwatch Reviews. I can’t honestly analyze Apple’s this move without using the word “takeover”. Not only do they have a smartphone which could easily become number one, but their Apple Pay can change how smartphones could pay. I’m probably going to write about that later.
The Apple Watch is easily a huge play on the company to reign the smartwatch industry. Just like they created the ultimate smartphone and tablet.
Oh Apple, what will you do next?
Leave a Reply