Leading up to the Apple press conference Tuesday afternoon, there was much speculation as to what Tim Cook would be announcing as the company’s newest products for this year. And, to no one’s surprise, the iPhone 6 will be arriving September 19th.
However, what was surprising was the sizing that Apple has chosen for the iPhone 6. The 5.5 inch iPhone 6 plus and the 4.7 inch iPhone 6 are looking more similar to other phones that have gained recent popularity, such as the Samsung Galaxy and HTC One. Is this just a way for Apple to bring their personalized operating system to a larger device, or did Apple suddenly realize that they were lagging behind the curve of larger phones? Normally Apple is seen as a company on the forefront of innovation, so it is fairly disappointing to see them following a trend that has already been set by other companies.
The AppleWatch is the product that broke the mold that Apple has created over the years. It will be available in three different options: the Watch, the Watch Sport, and the Watch Edition. But, in order to operate this watch you must also own an iPhone. Apple gave a brief overview of what customers can expect (retina touch screen display, accelerometer, heart-rate sensor, etc.) but there are many things that the company has not yet disclosed and probably will not publicize until closer to the release date. The AppleWatch is expected to be sold starting in 2015 at a retail price of around $350.
A new feature that Apple emphasized is the payment option that will be available on all these new devices. Called “Apple Pay”, this allows you to simply tap your iPhone or Apple Watch to a device at the checkout and pay with the credit card you have on file with iTunes. It will be interesting to see which retailers choose to implement this new system at their locations, as well as the privacy implications that arise from this sort of software.
Overall, the Apple press conference showed the company as more of a follower than an innovator this time around. Nothing extraordinary was introduced, but it’s doubtful that will deter people from lining up to purchase the iPhone 6 and the AppleWatch when they are made available.
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