Steve Jobs Would Have Been Proud – Apple Lights It Up

Apple lit up the Internet and media outlets worldwide with one of their biggest, most ambitious product launches in history even my Steve Jobs standards. Apple unveiled two completely re-designed, larger iPhones, the much anticipated smartwatch and fooled everyone by simply calling it the Apple Watch. Not only that Apple also announced a new mobile payments platform called Apple Pay. Quite a day. Steve Jobs would have loved this as it was right up his alley.

My fearless prediction is that the Apple Watch will be huge – like the iPhone

The iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus are bigger, rounder and faster. The Apple Watch does more than any smartwatch on the market today. Now, the big question was “how will the public respond?”  The answer wasn’t long in coming as Twitter just exploded following the big Apple Watch announcement with tech lovers around the world totally freaking out about this new device. Late into the night the Apple Watch was still the #2 trending topic on Twitter. People are willing to sell their prized possessions to get this watch, which starts at $349.

As for me, I liked the new iPhones but their still just iPhones and they’ll continue to evolve from smaller to bigger and then who knows?  Maybe back to small? I can easily wait until my current iPhone 5S contract runs out to get a new iPhone 7.  Now, the Apple Watch? I love it. I’d even start wearing a watch again after 15 years with this baby. Below, are some basic facts about the new iPhones and Apple Watch. It’s not comprehensive by any means but I hope I’ve covered the highlights. 

iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus

  Size comparison of iPhone 5S to the new iPhone 6

A brand new design: The new design is rounder, smoother and has a continuous form. It is the thinnest iPhone yet. Even though both iPhone 6’s are bigger they are still thinner and lighter than the iPhone 5. The new phones are made with beautiful anodized aluminum, stainless steel, and glass. The iPhone 6 has a Retina HD display, about two times the resolution of the iPhone 5 display.

  These iPhones are becoming real computers – I mean powerful!

64-bit A8 chip and M8 co-processor:  Both new iPhones feature an A8 chip built on second-generation 64-bit desktop-class architecture. Its incredible power is enhanced by an M8 motion coprocessor that efficiently measures your activity from advanced sensors, including a new barometer without draining battery life. The M8 co-processor is designed for fitness and activities.

More and more the iPhone camera is taking over the point-and-shoot market

An improved 8MP camera with 1080p HD Video

Every day, people take more photos with iPhone than with any other camera. The iSight camera doesn’t only take great photos. It lets you shoot stunning 1080p HD video at 60 fps, capture more dramatic slo-mo video, and for the first time, create time-lapse videos. Continuous autofocus provides constant focus as you capture your footage. And cinematic video stabilization keeps your shots steady, even when you’re not. This is a camera that will put a real dent in the point-and-shoot camera market as well as the big, expensive DSLR’s.

Better battery: Apple claims the new devices will be as good as, if not better than, the iPhone 5s. According to their specs we can expect about 11 hours of video watching and Wi-Fi browsing, and about 14 hours of video and browsing on the iPhone 6 Plus.

 

Faster LTE and WiFi:  LTE speeds are now up to 150 Mpbs, compared to 100 Mbps in previous models. The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus also come with 802.11ac networking for faster home and office speeds. This means with new support for 802.11ac, you’ll experience up to 3x faster Wi‑Fi than with 802.11n.

Apple Pay – you’re wallet without the wallet

Apple Pay: A new mobile payment system, using the iPhone 6's new NFC chip, will allow users to pay for low-priced products from their device. Integrating with Touch ID and Passbook, users can add a new card from iTunes or by scanning their card with the camera.

There are quite a few other improvements to the iPhone 6 that I could mention but I think the ones above are the most relevant for most of us.  Oops…what about the cost?  The basic iPhone 6 will sell for $199 on a 2 yr. contract while the iPhone 6+ will cost $299 for 2 years. The phones come in gold, silver, and space gray. One more thing – iOS 8 will be released for free on September 17 and will be available on the iPhone 4S and later, iPad 2 and iPad mini and later, and the fifth-generation iPod touch.

Finally, is this enough to make me want to upgrade from my iPhone 5S?  But, if I had an iPhone 4S or earlier this would be a no-brainer for me. I’d go for the new iPhone 6 Plus in a flash. But, since I have about 18 months to go on my phone I’ll just wait for the iPhone 7 or 8 to come along. Or, will it be called simply the Apple Phone 7 or 8?

Apple's new watch may not have been the most-hyped gadget of all the time, but it's pretty close as Apple has teased Apple fans for a few years now about this new device. Now it's here and Apple's simply calling it Apple Watch. It will be available in early 2015, starting at $349. Everyone expected it to be called the iWatch but Apple appears to be moving towards name-branding much like Google so it’s Apple Watch.

There are 3 different styles and prices with the basic watch at $349

The Apple Watch still relies on the iPhone to operate, which means it can't be used on its own, much like smartwatches from competitors like Samsung and LG. The watch requires an iPhone 5 or higher as a companion device. Like the iPhones, Apple Watch comes with voice-activated assistant Siri, which can be accessed by holding down the digital crown to activate. It will also work with Apple Pay, which allows users to pay for items from a fast growing list of retailers.

The Apple Watch features:

• A wireless charger that clips to the back of the Watch magnetically.
• A sapphire crystal display, the same extremely hard material used for the iPhone's camera.
• A "digital crown" on the side of the watch to scroll through items, zoom, and return to the home screen.
• A wide range of bands and finishes, including an 18-karat gold edition.
• A heart-rate sensor, accelerometer, gyroscope and the ability to send vibrations to your friends by touching your Apple Watch.
• Turn-by-turn directions that lets users know which direction to go by vibrating in a certain way.
• The accuracy of the watch is no more than 50 milliseconds off at any time.
• It also comes with a “TAPTIC engine” that provides tactile feedback with the apps and functions of the watch
• the watch senses when you’re wearing it, and turns on the display
• There are IR lights and sapphire lenses on the back of the watch for heart rate
• The Watch is compatible not only with the new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, but the iPhone 5, 5C and 5S.

From Apple: High-quality watches have long been defined by their ability to keep unfailingly accurate time, and Apple Watch is no exception. It uses multiple technologies in conjunction with your iPhone to keep time within 50 milliseconds of the definitive global time standard. And it can automatically adjust to the local time when you travel. Apple Watch also presents time in a more meaningful, personal context by sending you notifications and alerts relevant to your life and schedule.

A more immediate way to connect

Over the next few weeks, I’m sure we’ll be hearing much, much more about these new Apple devices. This will be especially true with the new iPhones hitting the market this September 19th. I’ll keep you posted on developments good and bad.

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