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iPhone 6, Plus and Apple Watch Revealed

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It’s been a busy few weeks in the smartphone industry, with reveals from all the top dogs in the market. Apple rounded things off yesterday with an event of their own, pretty much confirming every rumour and leak about their new iPhone on stage. This year’s was a bit different though, because Apple announced not one, but two iPhones, as well as some Apple love for your wrist.

iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus

Rumours up until yesterday’s event suggested that Apple would be pulling the sheets off to brand new iPhones. That was spot on as usual, with Apple finally conceding that this large screen business maybe has something to it. The iPhone 6 will come in two variants, both of which will be a lot bigger than the iPhone 5s. The regular, iPhone 6 will feature a 4.7″ screen, while the iPhone 6 Plus comes with a 5.5″ display and a horrible name.

Both models will be considerable thinner than the previous iPhone 5s and feature a more rounded design that makes them look like really small iPad Airs. The screen also curves around the front now, and it seems Apple has chucked its Sapphire screen tech out the window for this year. The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus will both come standard with the new Retina HD display, which will hopefully account for the less than adequate resolutions both screens have. The iPhone 6 will push out 1,334 x 750, while the 6 Plus only manages to reach 1920×1080. To put that into perspective, the Galaxy Note 4 has the same screen size, but double the resolution.

Thankfully, that’s where the major differences end. I’m all on-board with manufacturers making smaller handsets that still have the same power as their bigger brothers, and Apple seems to think this is a good idea as well. The guts of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus are identical, with both sporting the new A8 processor and barometer sensors. That means both phones can now measure subtle pressure changes around you, which is supposed to improve things like fitness apps. The only other difference comes into play with the camera. The iPhone 6 features digital image stabilization, while the Plus size will have its own optical image stabilization thanks to a lens that can move up and down and side-to-side.

The rest of the finer details are as follows:

 

  • An A8 processing chip with an M8 co-processor
  • Retina HD Display
  • Variants of 4.7-inches (1,334 x 750) and 5.5-inches (1,920 x 1,080)
  • 8-megapixel iSight camera with phase detection
  • FaceTime HD camera with a new sensor
  • 6.9mm and 7.1mm thick (iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus respectively)

    Apple Watch

    Everyone is getting into the smartwatch game, and it was only a matter of time before Apple jumped onboard. They’ve waited a few years in comparison to Samsung and their Gear range, but it seems like it has been worth it. The Apple Watch, which skips the iWatch naming convention so many thought it would adopt, is one hell of a sexy device. A smaller, rectangular Sapphire glass display with a massive range of interchangeable straps makes the Apple Watch feel like a more personal device than most others in this range. There’s even different sizes for those with daintier wrists that make other smartwatches look awkward.

    The watch itself features a new way to interact with the small screen – the digital crown. Located on the side of the watch, the crown allows you to seamlessly zoom in and out of content on the screen, as well as interact with apps. This makes finer adjustments and actions easier to perform, without the need of touch input on a screen that is almost eclipsed by a single index finger. Or course the screen is still fully touch capable, with touch and force detection allowing the watch to differentiate between user actions.

    The Apple Watch requires a link to an iPhone, from the 5 upwards, so that it has access to GS and Wi-Fi data. This helps track fitness data, maps and social media notifications, because nearly everyone wants all of that on their wrist. One of the weirder features is the ability to send small gestures to other Apple Watch users. Sending hand drawn hearts and custom emoticons is neat, but I have no idea who in the world would want to send their exact heart rate to someone else, unless you’re having cardiac arrest and you happen to have your surgeon on speed dial.

    Unlike other Apple products, the Apple Watch is still far from being released. The watch is coming out early next year, with a starting price of $349. That’s far more expensive than any other smartwatch on the market, making it a bit of a tough sell from the get go. That’s even worse when you take into account that it’s the starting price, meaning it could go way, way higher. The gold Apple Watch Edition, for example, will probably break the bank in your pocket.

    iOS 8

    IOS_8_simple_stock.0_cinema_1200.0

    iOS 8 was formally revealed earlier this year at Apple’s annual development conference, but it managed to squeeze in a little stage time last night. The most notable feature is one that we’ll probably never use locally, but it’s interesting nonetheless. ApplePay is a new way to pay for, well, everything. Using NFC in the iPhone and Apple Watch, you can now pay for anything without the need to swipe your card.

    You confirm payments using Touch ID and a combination of passwords in case security is on your mind. It’s probably on everyone’s mind after the recent iCloud hack, forcing Apple to really punt how your credit card data won’t be stored by them. Instead, your card data will be encrypted and assigned a device specific ID, meaning Apple doesn’t have direct access to your card. Regardless, you can deactivate ApplePay using Find my iPhone in case you lose your device.

    iOS 8 will also offer a new suite of health applications that look like they might render third-party apps useless. Using the new sensor in the iPhone 6, you’ll get even more accurate data about how many steps you take a day, running distance, how long you’ve been standing and more. That’s all baked right into the OS this time, which excites me a little. There’s also updated navigation features so that Apple’s Maps is slightly less useless.

    iOS 8 will be available for download on September 17th, and hopefully it won’t halve your battery life.

    Ultimately, there wasn’t anything too exciting about Apple’s event yesterday, with most of the announcements basically being almost industry standard at this point. There doesn’t seem to be a reason to upgrade immediately if you picked up an iPhone 5S last year, but the new form factor and faster processing might entice some to make the jump. The Apple Watch, on the other hand, seems a little more innovative than past smartwatches and a lot more like a personal device. It’s just a pity that this comes hand in hand with a massive price tag, one that will probably be even higher locally.

    As usual, the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus should be here before the end of the year.

 

Last Updated: September 10, 2014

25 Comments

  1. “with most of the announcements basically being almost industry standard at this point”

    Finally Apple catches up, about time

    😛

    Reply

  2. Gerhard Davids

    September 10, 2014 at 13:16

    Let us not neglect the NFC plat they are making. It shows the impact of NFC payments in Europe which is pretty significant business wise.

    Reply

    • Sir Rants A Lot: On Pandora

      September 10, 2014 at 15:28

      NFC payments etc has been a thing for a while now though. Apple are a bit slow to that bus

      Reply

      • Gerhard Davids

        September 10, 2014 at 15:52

        It has, but adding it to a platform as widely used as Apple in the way they did is big. The uptake for NFC hasn’t been phenomenal compared to conventional card present and card not present forms of payment.

        This might be the push the industry needs to get acceptance to evolve slightly faster.

        Reply

  3. The Adventures of JJ

    September 10, 2014 at 13:19

    What is this? A website for hippies?

    Reply

  4. Johan Fourie

    September 10, 2014 at 13:29

    Welcome to 2012, Apple.

    That iWatch design is hideous. For all the flak the Galaxy Gear got about it’s not so pretty design, the iWatch makes the Gear look like a watch from the Gods.

    And what the actual fuck was Apple thinking when they designed the iPhone 6 Plus. DAT BEZZLES. It has a smaller screen than the Note 4 (it’s phablet competitor) but it’s got a bigger chassis. Also, there’s nothing that differentiates it from the normal iPhone cept for the bigger form factor. No tools to make work out of the bigger screen real estate.

    One can go on and on and on.

    But expect great reviews, with scores trumpeting it’s Android rivals, because Apple Magic.

    Pfft.

    Reply

    • z1n

      September 10, 2014 at 14:08

      I don’t know dude. That Galaxy Gear is a pretty tacky looking device. At least the hipsters have options with the Apple Watch. But who really wears watches anymore other than as a fashion statement?

      I’ll have to get my hands on the 6 and 6 Plus to really see how the size affects them. I would have preferred if they stuck with a 4″ and 4.7″ (as the ‘Plus’ version) or something like that. The proc/m8 seems pretty wicked though. And that image sensor has my loins frothing.

      Reply

      • Johan Fourie

        September 10, 2014 at 15:42

        Never said the Gear was anything good, but the flak it received from tech blogs compared to the praise the iWatch is getting, is hypocritical. Suddenly square/rectangular smart watches are the shizz.

        Save your time getting your hands on them, just check this page for size and spec comparisons:
        mobiledevicesize.com/compare/#474,365,460,473,417;1

        A8 processor is something to behold, but so is the up and coming ARMV8. Heck even the snapdragon 805 is a beast. If only battery performance would get the same treatment as SOCs.

        Reply

  5. The Adventures of JJ

    September 10, 2014 at 13:34

    8 Megapixel camera…

    http://i.lvme.me/cz1xdkx.jpg

    Reply

    • Hammersteyn

      September 10, 2014 at 14:03

      hahahha

      Reply

    • Hammersteyn

      September 10, 2014 at 14:05

      I miss him already, watched the Birdcage last weekend

      Reply

  6. Hammersteyn

    September 10, 2014 at 14:04

  7. Kromas of City17

    September 10, 2014 at 14:21

    Meet John. He has enough money and social standing to be able to get an iPhone. He doesn’t though cause he knows it is shit. 😛

    Reply

  8. UltimateNinjaPandaDudeGuy

    September 10, 2014 at 14:33

    Get a Nexus device and a Pebble watch and you have cheaper and better gadgets. Kthx

    Reply

  9. MakeItLegal

    September 10, 2014 at 14:40

    i want the watch ! NOW

    Reply

  10. CypherGate

    September 10, 2014 at 14:46

    Im no Fanboy in general, but I must admit if i was a fanboy of Apple Devices id be VERY disappointed with the new phones and that disgustingly ugly watch! Holy hell that watch looks bad. This is how it should be done http://i-cdn.phonearena.com/images/articles/126717-image/Moto-360.jpg Even I expected more from Apple in one stage. 1gig of ram? Seriously? Not even 2… Sure the OS will be optimized and run brilliantly like it usually does (For the most part better than Android at times), but I still think its not enough. I remember how they said that the Iphone 5S is the perfect size for a phone and that going bigger isnt necessary… boy were they wrong hey? 8mp Sony camera as well… whats next…

    Reply

  11. Jonah Cash

    September 10, 2014 at 14:47

    What everyone seems to be missing is that what makes apple better isn’t necessarily their phones… Their software is what makes the difference in my opinion(iTunes, App store, iOS)… As soon as the other big guys start to do their own OS systems the industry will grow again. Right now it is iOS(Apple) vs the World almost, but their OS and other software are far ahead of Android… Sorry boys but once you own more than one Apple product and they start working together you will understand!!

    Reply

    • geelslang

      September 10, 2014 at 15:15

      Wait what! iTunes? I own several apple products but iTunes sucks donkey balls.

      Reply

      • Jonah Cash

        September 10, 2014 at 15:18

        I love iTunes!! What do you use?

        Reply

        • geelslang

          September 10, 2014 at 15:39

          iTunes, thats the problem. I only use it to copy files to my ipad and ipod and it sucks. I dont use it often and maybe if I did I would understand it better but I find it a slep to copy my stuff.

          Reply

    • Sgt. M

      September 10, 2014 at 15:33

      Please explain what you mean by “Sorry boys but once you own more than one Apple product and they start working together you will understand!!”

      Reply

      • Jonah Cash

        September 11, 2014 at 08:18

        I own more than 1 and they work so well together!! That is all I meant!!

        Reply

  12. Sir Rants A Lot: On Pandora

    September 10, 2014 at 15:27

    17 comments??? How? iPhone 6 news with all the stuff people can lambast Apple for you you rack up only 17 (18 with mine) comments? How is this possible?

    Reply

  13. Sir Rants A Lot: On Pandora

    September 10, 2014 at 15:30

    I can’t understand why Apple have chosen rounded sides instead of the classic straight sides they always had. Now Apple looks like every other phone on the market.

    Reply

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