Here it is, gang. The long awaited, long rumoured, and very much vaunted unveiling of Apple‘s next generation foray into the smartphone market it helped pioneer finally occurred last night, ending months upon months of speculation.
The tech giant officially lifted the lid on it’s new line of portable products – the iPhone 6, the iPhone 6 Plus, as well as the long rumoured Apple Watch. The company expects both versions of the new iPhone to be on sale on September 19th.
What’s changed? Heaps! For starters, Apple is increasing the size of the iPhone’s screen, bringing it up to speed with its gargantuan Android competitors. The iPhone 6 will have a 4.7 inch screen, while the iPhone 6 Plus will sport a whopping 5.5 inch display, marking huge increases on the screens currently offered on the iPhone 5 range.
The phones will also be sporting technology known as Near Field Communication. In essence, you’ll be able to utilise your phone as your credit card, with the whole “digital wallet” thing now a virtual reality, thanks to some improved software known as Apple Play. By using Touch ID at point of sale, you’ll be able to use your phone as a PayWave device, enabling digital, secure, and on-the-go management of your bank and credit cards. Pretty darned neat, huh.
Combine this with a thinner shell than any previous iPhone, improved cameras – including the ability to capture video in full HD 1080p resolution – battery life that is at least equal to, or better than, previous models, and a version of the phone that offers 128GB of memory for the first time, and I dare say Apple’s found themselves another winner.
But the presentation from Apple boss Tim Cook didn’t end there. The long awaited Apple Watch finally saw the light of day. The watch works in tandem with your iPhone – and is compatible with the iPhone 5 too – and requires no extra apps; notifications from your phone are shunted across to the watch.
The watch also has Near Field Communication, meaning you can pay for stuff with a simple swipe of your wrist instead of going through the hassle of getting your phone out of your pocket.
It’s the health aspects of the watch that really make it an interesting prospect. The watch can measure your movement via an accelerometer, whilst also measuring your heart rate and your distance covered on a grander scale than the ordinary iPhone can. It can tell how long you’ve been sitting or standing, how long you’ve been doing “brisk” activity, and combines data from all three to help push you to reach daily exercise goals.
Unlike the iPhones, the watch won’t be shipping until next year. But when it does, it’s a game changer.
Look out for the new iPhones to hit your local Apple Store shelves from September 19th.
Photo: Justin Sullivan via Getty Images.
via Gizmodo.
