by Chase Streetman
Tim Cook took the stage today at the Flint Center, site of
the historic unveiling of the first Macintosh, to hold his first hardware event
as CEO of Apple Inc. The event centered on 3 major announcements, one of which
will mark Cook’s first product line launch: The iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus,
Apple Pay, and the brand new Apple Watch.
The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus
“(These are) the best iPhones we’ve ever made," said Cook.
First and foremost, the iPhone 6 is a beautiful looking
machine. It features a continuous, seamless design that is markedly different
that the previous, more boxy iterations of the iPhone. Additionally, both
versions are thinner than any iteration of the iPhone to date, measuring in at
6.9 mm and 7.1 mm, respectively.
The iPhone 6 boasts a 4.7-inch display, while the Plus
features a 5.5-inch display: .7-inches and 1.5-inches larger than the iPhone
5’s screen, respectively. The iPhone 6 has a resolution of 1334x750 with 326
pixels per inch, meaning a display resolution higher than 720p. The Plus has a resolution
of 1920x1080 with 401 pixels per inch, meaning full 1080p HD.
Under the hood, the new A8 chip allows for 25% faster
processing power and 50% faster graphics. Game developers that have announced
they are developing titles for the iPhone 6 include Ubisoft, EA Games, Disney,
CD Projekt Red, Square Enix and many more.
There was a brief demo of a MOBA titled “Vainglory” that
appeared to be perform at 60 fps and 1080p.
Eli Hodapp of TouchArcade tweeted “The iPhone 6 Plus will play games in higher resolution than
next generation consoles. Think about that for a minute.”
The iPhone 6
will also now measure elevation, allowing the iPhone to tell when you are
ascending or descending stairs, a must for those who will be using the new
suite of health-based apps.
As a phone,
the most interesting new feature is Voice over LTE and Wifi Calling, both
allowing for clear calls even when cellular reception is lacking. With Wifi
Calling, if you leave the range of the Wifi signal, the phone will instantly
transfer you over to a cellular call without dropping the call.
The newest
version of the iSight camera appears to show improvements in nearly every way,
boasting sharper pictures, easier panoramas, better stabilization, slower
slow-mo, and added time-lapse and burst pictures. Burst pictures is simply an
option that takes several pictures in a row, identifies smiles and blinking,
and recommends which picture to keep.
The iPhone 6
and 6 Plus come in the colors gold, silver and space gray.
The iPhone 6
comes in 16GB, 64GB and brand new 128GB models, priced at $199, $299 and $399,
respectively. The 6 Plus comes in the same memory sizes, each $100 more than
its iPhone 6 counterpart.
iPhone 6 will
be available on September 19, and iOS 8 will be available free on September 17.
Apple Pay
“Apple Pay is
easy, secure, and private," said Apple Senior Vice President Eddy Cue.
This year,
Apple seeks to replace the physical wallet with its brand new IP, Apple Pay.
Apple Pay is
a system that uses the NFC antenna, like many new wireless payment methods, and
Touch ID to keep your credit and debit cards more secure than ever.
To put your
credit cards onto Apple Pay, you simply add them into Passbook and then Apple
will verify with your bank that this is in fact your card.
Past that,
the only interaction that you need to have with Apple Pay is using the Touch ID
at the time of purchase.
Under the
hood is a very impressive security measure called the Secure Element. The
Secure Element assigns a temporary account number and security code to each of
your cards that makes it so the cashier never sees the information on your
card. These codes change with every purchase, meaning that your card
information will stay secure.
Additionally,
if you were to lose your phone, all transactions made from your iPhone can
simply be suspended through Find My iPhone, removing the hassle of having to
terminate your actual debit and credit cards.
Apple Pay
will also be usable in many apps due to the new access third-party developers
have to iPhone systems thanks to iOS 8.
Apple Pay
will be available in the US in October of 2014.
Apple Watch
“Apple Watch
is the most personal device we’ve ever created," said Cook
The Apple
Watch is a wholly different beast from the other products Apple produces, with
each aspect of its navigation tooled specifically to fit its size and access.
This is
primarily shown in the Digital Crown, a modernized version of the tool used to
wind analog watches. This tool is used to zoom and scroll in ways that the hand
simply couldn’t do on such a small screen. The Crown also acts as the Home
button, pulling the user out into a more radial app screen.
Additionally,
the screen senses the difference between a brief tap and a continued push,
allowing for many more navigational options that have never been available
before.
The Apple
Watch is extremely customizable, allowing you to change the clock face’s color,
functionality and major design elements. Additionally, the face of the watch
can be switched by a simple swipe.
The Apple
Watch also offers an abundance of interchangeable wrist straps, made of a
variety of materials.
Other key
features included messaging, checking your calendar, finding directions, using Siri
and many more.
Another new
feature specific to the Apple Watch is haptic feedback, allowing you to feel
your own heartbeat, or something as simple as a light tap from a friend who
also has the watch.
The two
fitness apps that come with the watch are the Activity app, for movement
throughout the day, and the Workout app, to track dedicated workouts. It
features an accelerometer to measure body movement, a custom sensor to measure
heart rate, and GPS to track your distance.
The Apple
Watch will come in three different versions: Apple Watch, Apple Watch Sport and
Apple Watch Edition. The only differences between them that have been announced
at this point is the materials that go into them.
Curiously,
there was no mention of battery life throughout the presentation.
The Apple
Watch starts at $350 and will be available early next year, though no
information is available in regard to the pricing of the Sport and Edition.
Check back regularly with Byte for all the latest Apple news.
