Highlight reel of the Apple launch: iPhone 6, Mobile payment system and Apple Watch
Steve Jobs introduced the Macintosh to the world at the Flint Center, Cupertino in 1984 and then in 1998, Jobs unveiled the iMac at the same venue. So it was only fitting that in 2014, three decades after Steve Jobs had set things into motion, that Apple with the current CEO, Tim Cook unveiled the company’s latest offerings under tremendous fan fare and aplomb.
Here is a highlight reel of all that was noteworthy.
Two iPhones
Apple unveiled two new models of the iPhone, the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.
iPhone 6
The iPhone 6 has a continuous, seamless design with no distinct edges. As expected it sports a 4.7-inch display, has a resolution of 1334 by 750 with 326 pixels per inch and has over one million pixels and is merely 6.9 mm thick.
Cost: iPhone 6 will start at $199 with a two-year contract. With $199, $299 and $399 respectively for 16, 64 and 128GB variants.
iPhone 6 Plus
The 6 Plus phablet will sport a 5.5-inch display and will have a higher resolution of 1920 by 1080 with 401 pixels per inch, 1080p HD resolution.The iPhone 6 Plus will have over two million pixels and will be 7.1 mm thick, which is 0.2 mm thicker than the iPhone 6
Cost: iPhone 6 Plus will start at $299 with a two-year contract. With $299, $399 and $499 respectively for 16, 64 and 128GB variants.
Common features
iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus will be powered by the Apple-designed A8 chip. The M8 coprocessor will continuously measure motion data from the accelerometer, gyroscope, and compass. It is expected that there will be more than 1.3 million apps available for iPhone. Dual-domain pixels on the photo-aligned IPS display give you a wider angle of view.
iPhone 6 has a barometer that senses air pressure to measure relative elevation. With 802.11ac, iPhone 6 Wi-Fi speeds will be up to three times faster than iPhone 5s.Wi-Fi calling is a new feature that has been added for making high-quality calls when cell conditions are poor. iPhone 6 will have an 8MP iSight camera, 1.5µ pixels, ƒ/2.2 aperture.
iOS 8 to release on September 17th
Apple’s new Operating system iOS 8 will be available on the iPhone 4S and higher variants of the iPhone, iPad 2 and higher variants and also on the iPod touch 5th Generation as a free upgrade from September 27th onwards.
A Health app will be included in iOS 8 that will measure physical activities, like the flights of stairs the user climbs. The Phone will be able to differentiate between a flight of stairs and a steeper incline such as hill, providing more accurate information. Third-party apps will be able to tap into these features
Mobile Payment through Apple Pay.
Apple Pay unveiled its new payment system that will allow users to pay for items at stores. It will be coming to the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus users next month. Users will have to add their credit card information to their phones and then just touch their phones to pay for the items at a bunch of major retailers.
The users identity will be confirmed through the Touch ID sensor and Near Field Communication( NFC). Also to enhance user security an prevent any hacks, the phone creates a device-specific card number so that it doesn't actually store any of the users sensitive information.
The Apple Pay system will also available in-app, so that developers can integrate it into their apps.
Apple Watch
Apple finally unveiled the smartwatch that they had been working on. The watch will come in two sizes and three different models: Watch, Watch Sport, and Watch Edition.
The Watch is the normal version, while the Sport edition for Sport freaks will come with a stronger screen and better strap so that it can withstand extreme conditions during a workout.’ The Edition ‘ the final version is a fancier gold version of the watch, similar to the iPhone 5S.
The watch features a sapphire display and four sensors on the back and has an accuracy of 50ms,.Apple has integrated both pressure and touch input into the watches, making a clear distinction between the two. Apple watches come with a variety of sensors which will track heart rate, motion and GPS. Apple’s Voice assistant Siri will also be supported on the watches. The Apple Watches will be compatible with iPhone 5C, iPhone5S and the two new editions iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.
One major innovation in the User interface is the ‘crown’ . Users will be able to zoom in and out by rotating the crown rather than pinching the surface of the screen with two fingers as they would have done on iPhones or many of the Android devices. Also pressing the crown takes the user back to the Home Screen. Apple considered the small size of the Watches screen and decided to go with this more innovative and intuitive interface.
When it's connected to the iPhone, the watch will have access to a variety of a custom notification options from apps, email, and other features. Developers will also be given access to make apps for the watch, so third-party support will add the ability to unlock doors at hotels, track the users car's location and help one locate their car in a crowded parking lot , and plenty more.
The watch will come in a ariety of different colours and straps depending on the need and kind of use that the user has in mind.
Cost: The watch will cost $349 but will be available for purchase early next year in 2015.
Do let us know what you felt about Apple's latest releases. Are you looking forward to purchasing any of the devices ?