The long wait is over and it’s finally arrived!
Today, Apple proudly introduced the new iPhone 6 and its bigger brother, the iPhone 6 Plus.
There are a whole host of new features to be found, from small tweaks to outright new designs and interface options available to you almost from the start.
We all knew the larger screen sizes were coming. Images of the Sapphire Glass display were leaked months ago, but to actually see the new product in action was very pleasant. The 4.7 inch screen of the standard iPhone 6 handily competes with what’s almost become a standard size for all smartphones, while the 5.5 inch of the 6 Plus is set to give fans of the Galaxy Note series some pause. In addition, both the new versions are thinner and lighter than any of their predecessors, despite the larger screen size.
The new 64-bit A8 chip is partnered with the M8 chip, allowing double the processing power of the previous A7 and, with the M8 that’s designed for fitness and physical activities, can detect the elevation of the device at any time through a barometer sensor.
The new camera still clocks in at 8MP, but the new sensor promises cleaner images from a camera with some of the best imaging software already available in a mobile device. The flash, called True Tone, shifts colors based on the surrounding lighting to promise the truest lit picture you can find.
As has been speculated before, the NFC mobile payment system is in place, allowing customers to use their iPhone 6 to make purchases by simply waving their phone near a NFC enabled checkout.
Apple claims that the battery life on the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus is as good as, if not better than, the 5S, clocking in at 11 hours of video streaming, via Wi-Fi, on the 6 and 14 hours on the 6 Plus.
A host of new apps, including a built-in Health Kit, a dedicated application for the iCloud Drive, and support through iOS 8 for Quicktype and third-party keyboards, will follow the new device as it’s released. Apple users have been clamoring for third-party keyboard support for some time and it seems that Apple has finally listened to the people that really write their checks.
In addition to all these new features, Apple is rolling out interactive notifications that allow you to respond to a notification from the top pull-down itself instead of the full app, iMessage synchronization across multiple devices that includes traditional SMS, VIP messaging to display threads from specific users on your lock screen, and new suite of security measures that is heavily welcomed due to the recent issues surround the break-in of iCloud photos of a number of celebrities.
Preorders for the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus begin on September 12th and Apple will begin shipping the smartphones to its customers on September 19th, just in time for the release of the new iOS 6 which is slated for September 17th.
