Apple’s most anticipated event of the year ended and it didn’t disappoint. In addition to it’s yearly iPhone upgrades, the company also revealed to major new products this year, Apple Pay and Apple Watch.
Let’s start with the iPhone. This year, Apple decided to throw in 2 new iPhones, completely redesigned with larger displays (Yep Apple joins the phablet war).
iPhone 6 & iPhone 6Plus
The iPhone 6 ( 4.7-inches) and the iPhone 6 plus (5.5-inches) are both powered by Apple’s “next-generation” 64-bit A8 chip which brings a 25 percent speed boost over the iPhone 5s’ A7 chip and a 50% better at handling energy, which should translate to better battery life over last year’s model. Apple has also introduced a 128GB storage option on both models, and dropped the 32GB option for good.
Design wise, The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus are thinner at 6.9mm and 7.1mm thick, respectively, compared to the iPhone 5s (7.6mm).
The displays have been upgraded to Retina HD with the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 now holding a resolution of 1334 by 750, with a pixel-density of 326 pixels per inch (ppi) and the 5.5-inch 6 Plus going full HD with a 1920 by 1080 display at 401 ppi.
Both devices now offer advanced wireless capabilities with up to 150 Mbps LTE (compared to 100Mbps on previous models), and support 802.11ac Wi-Fi.
NFC makes an appearance too on both device to support its new Apple Pay (which we will talk about next).
On the Camera front, Both phones sport an 8 megapixel iSight camera on the back with True Tone flash, 1.5 micron pixels, f/2.2 aperture and an all-new sensor. The iPhone 6 has digital image stabilization, while he iPhone 6 Plus adds optical image stabilization.
The iPhone 6 Plus will be available in three colors — gold, space gray and silver and will be available on Sept. 19 in nine countries. Apple is pricing the iPhone 6 Plus at $100 more than the iPhone 6.
Pre-orders begin Friday 12th.
http://youtu.be/RS5mzvqWM-c?list=UUE_M8A5yxnLfW0KghEeajjw
Full details about the new iPhones here.
Apple Pay
Apple has come up with a whole new way for people to pay, and they call it “Apple Pay”. The new feature that was introduced today allows iPhone users to pay with the card they have on file with iTunes or any card added to pay for purchases by one simple touch of the TouchID sensor. Apple Pay makes use of the Passbook app, the Touch ID, NFC, and a secure encryption to process payments.
Card numbers are kept hidden from merchants and instead uses a one timer token number to process the payment.
The service will debut in the US and has already a number of merchants onboard like Uber, Disney, Sephora, Starbuck, Groupon, Target, Staples, Tickets.com, Panera Bread, and more.
More info on Apple Pay here.
Apple Watch
Apple’s first attempt into the world of wearables is born.
A square shaped smartwatch with inductive charging, sapphire glass, swappable bands, heartbeat sensor, a rotating digital crown, NFC and Apple Pay….it’s the Apple Watch.
The watch will come in two different sizes and three different collections: Watch, Watch Sport and Watch Edition and will only work with an iPhone (5,5S,6 and 6Plus).
Users will have the choice to customise the watch with six different straps, like a sport band, a leather loop, a classic leather buckle or a stainless steel strap.
The little dial on the side, which Apple calls a “digital crown” can be used to zoom in and out, while pressing the dial will take you to the watch’s home screen.
The watch interface focuses on notifications and will feature the ability to send quick preset replies based on the text received without the need to actually type anything.
Apple also said that developers will be able to create apps for the watch and showed examples of brands already on like American Airlines, BMW and Nike.
Another feature cool feature that Apple introduced with the watch is “digital touch” which allows you to quickly share a sketch you draw on the watch face with other Apple Watch users.
Health wise, Apple has introduced two different fitness apps for the watch. The “Activity” app which is meant to track your daily movements and the “Workout” app which focuses more on sports and other activities.
Apple’s new “Apple Pay” will also be available on the Watch to enable users to pay for purchases using smartwatch.
http://youtu.be/ktujsc4ZUTo?list=UUE_M8A5yxnLfW0KghEeajjw
http://youtu.be/CPpMeRCG1WQ?list=UUE_M8A5yxnLfW0KghEeajjw
The Apple Watch starts at $349 and will be available “early next year.”
More details on Apple Watch here.
