At 10 a.m. this morning, thousands of people crowded into the Flint Center for the Performing Arts in Cuppertino, CA to watch Apple unveil their new products. In between thunderous applause and hushed anticipation, Apple CEO Tim Cook and the gang introduced several new products and a completely new mobile payments system.
iPhone 6 & 6 Plus
Screen Size, Resolution and Body Style
In regard to screen size, the prevailing iPhone 6 rumors were true. The iPhone 6 has a 4.7-inch screen, while the 6 Plus boasts a 5.5-inch screen. Apple also significantly thinned-down the new iPhones. The iPhone 6 is 6.9mm thin, while the 6 Plus is 7.1mm. The new body-style is similiar to that of the iPad Air and iPad Mini - featuring a more curved design than previous iPhone models and a more "seamless transition of glass and metal." Not only are the new iPhone displays bigger, they are better. The iPhone 6 has a 1334x750 resolution and the 6 Plus has a 1920x1080 display resolution.
Speed and Performance
The prevailing rumors were also right about Apple's inclusion of an upgraded processor in the new phones. The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus will feature the A8 chip and M8 motion coprocessor chip. The new chips are faster and more energy-efficient than the A7 chip featured in the iPhone 5s, iPad Air and iPad Mini with Retina Display. Apple advertises the A8 as being 50% more energy-efficient than the A7.
The A8 Processor vs. Previous iPhone Processors
In addition to faster speed and effeciency, the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus boasts the best battery life of any iPhone yet, especially the larger 6 Plus. Here is a breakdown of battery life for the new iPhones, directly from Apple.
Battery Breakdown of iPhone 6 and 6 Plus
Improved iSight Camera
Shutterbugs will love the new iSight Camera of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. While Apple kept the camera at 8 megapixels with an f/2.2 aperture, the camera and camcorder technology recieved some exciting upgrades and additions. One new technology Apple introduced is called Focus Pixels. Focus Pixels provides the camera with more sensor information about your image, which vastly improves the camera's autofocus capabilities. The new camera has a time-lapse video option, which will snap photos at dynamically selected intervals and stitch together a high-quality, cohesive time-lapse video. The new iSight camera shoots 1080p HD video at 60 frames-per-second and is capable of taking slow-motion videos at an astounding 240 frames-per-second. The front-facing camera recieved improvements to facial recognition, image stabilization and the inclusion of burst mode - meaning better looking selfies and FaceTime video calls.
Pricing
Apple did make a surprising change to the iPhone price structure. For the iPhone 6, the introductory 16GB model is Apple's usual $199 on a two-year contract. However, Apple eliminated the 32GB iPhone model and is instead offering a 64GB iPhone 6 for $299 on a two-year contract and a 128GB model at $399. The larger iPhone 6 Plus mirrors the same storage options as the iPhone 6, but it is $100 more at each storage level on a two-year contract.
The iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus will be available on September 19th.
Apple Pay
In addition to the new iPhones, Apple introduced a contactless mobile payment system dubbed Apple Pay. Apple Pay takes advantage of the new NFC (near-field communication) chip in the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. With the ability to store card information and top-of-the-line security features, Apple Pay users will be able to forget about their pesky, fumblesome wallets and plastic cards. Apple Pay is only available on the iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus and Apple Watch line.
How it Works
Apple Pay uses the Passbook app built into iOS in order to securely store credit and debit card information. Simply use the iPhone's iSight camera to take a picture of the card you wish to add to Passbook. You also have the option to manually enter card information. In order to protect user data, Apple does not store your card number directly, nor is the merchant able to see it. Instead, Apple Pay uses a unique device account number per card which is encrypted and securely stored in Apple's new Secure Element, a chip in the new iPhone line. If you lose your iPhone, you can easily put your phone in Lost Mode through Find My iPhone at icloud.com in order to protect your data .
In addition to encryption, Apple does not save any transaction information created through Apple Pay. Only you, the merchant and your bank have access to this information. When you go to make a purchase with a vendor that supports contactless payment systems, you select the card you want to use in Passbook and simultaneously hold your finger over the Touch ID scanner while tapping your iPhone on the merchant's contactless payment hardware - and that's it. Touch ID plays a crucial role for Apple Pay, verifying your identity each time you make a payment.
When Apple Play rolls out in October, it will support Visa, Mastercard and American Express credit and debit cards from most major banks such as Bank of America, Capital One, Chase, Citi and Wells Fargo. Apple Pay contactless payment will also be accepted at over 220,000 major retailers and stores upon launch such as McDonald's, Nike Outlets, Macy's and Subway. Apple Pay also extendes to certain major ecommerce platforms and applications such as Groupon and Target online.
Apple Pay: Summary
Apple Watch, Watch Sport and Watch Edition
By far Apple's biggest announcement of the day was the confirmation of an Apple-manufactured smartwatch running iOS, called Apple Watch. The Apple Watch line, which requires an iPhone in order to operate, is positioned as an extremely customizable and personable iOS accessory for communication, organization and - of course - an incredibly reliable time piece.
Overview
There are three models of the Apple Watch - the Apple Watch, Watch Sport and Watch Edition. There is also two different case sizes for each watch model - a 38mm height size and a 42mm height. Below are the 6 different alloy options that make up the Apple Watch line.
The Apple Watch lineup also features 6 styles of easy-to-change bands:
Considering the variety of Apple Watch designs and styles, it's easy to see that the Apple Watch will be the most customizable iOS device to date.
Technology
The Apple Watch features a Sapphire touch-screen with a mechanical turnwheel dubbed the "Digital Crown." The Digital Crown is a mechanical button that provides digital input to the Apple Watch in order to replace certain jestures and interface options inherent on other iOS devices that would not make sense on such a small screen. For instance, instead of the pinch-to-zoom jesture, the Digital Crown serves as a zoom scroll-wheel for the Home Screen and within certain applications such as Maps. The Apple Watch will also integrate with Apple Pay, allowing users to use their wrist as a means of transacting via contactless payment systems.
The Apple Watch, like any good watch, is an extremely reliable time piece. It checks its clock against the definitive global time standard regularly and automatically adjusts for different time zones and daylight savings time. Along with hardware customization with the watch alloys and bands, Apple also allows users to customize their digital watch face - adding customized background photos, setting certain display widgets such as calendar dates or location data and even changing the color of the watch face display.
Intimate Communcation
In addition to keeping great time, Apple hopes that the Apple Watch will provide a more intimate way of communucating with each other. Sensors on the underside of the watch vibrate for certain notifcations and even for turn-by-turn directions using the Maps app. In addition to sending traditional text messages, the Apple Watch allows users to send customized Emoji's and Digital Touch drawings - where a user draws an image on the Apple Watch display which is then sent off to the recepient. Users can even share their heartbeat with friends and loved ones via heartrate photo sensors on the underside of the watch.
Health & Fitness
Fitness is a huge trend for Apple this year and, not surprisingly, the Apple Watch seems poised to be the most fitness-friendly iDevice yet. The Activity App within the Apple Watch "provides a simple and powerful graphic of your daily activity, with three rings telling you everything you need to know. The Move ring shows how many calories you’ve burned. The Exercise ring shows how many minutes of brisk activity you’ve done. And the Stand ring shows how often you’ve stood up to take a break from sitting. The goal? Sit less, move more, and get some exercise by completing each ring every day."
In addition to the Activity app, the Workout app provides a more detailed measurement of your fitness progress and activity. "It shows real-time stats such as time, distance, calories, and pace. It lets you set goals for each workout, encourages you to meet or beat those goals along the way, and gives you a summary of what you’ve achieved. And your workout is included in your Activity app measurements for the day."
The fitness data collected by the Apple Watch integrates seamless with iPhone in order to track fitness and health progress over time via Apple's new Health app.
Pricing & Availability
The Apple Watch will start off at $349 and will be released early 2015. This was merely a brief overview of the Apple Watch and its many features. For a more comprehensive overview, check out the Apple Watch features page.