Yesterday, Apple showed off lots of new, shiny, electronic wares but with so many announcements you may have missed some! Here are all the need to know facts.
Ah, Apple, like the predictability of that burning globe of fire and gas that we call the Sun, we can depend upon the well-known tech company to have a whole host of new reveals for us each and every year. We already had one back in June when they took to the stage of WWDC to show off iOS 8 to the developers preparing to make apps and such for us but Tuesday’s press conference is where they wheeled the big guns out. No operating systems and coding info here, oh no, just some impressive stats, some impressive features and a (slightly mixed) bag of new gadgets to play with. There’s been lots of talk about what Apple did or didn’t say and with the conference running for almost two hours straight, you probably didn’t watch it live now did you? Not to worry as we have a list of all the things that you need to know right here.
1. iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus
First of all, there were the iPhones. They are what so many people gathered in that massive auditorium to see Apple talk about and by Jove did Apple deliver. Somewhat unexpectedly, Apple revealed two new iPhones – the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus.
The iPhone 6 Plus is the flagship as it will be an inch and a half bigger than the iPhone 5S, will be 50% more energy efficient and it will even be 25% more powerful than its predecessor. In addition to those impressive stats the phone also comes with an 8 megapixel camera that lets more light into photos, has a ‘Best Photo’ mode and optical image stabilisation too which means that your photos will look as lovely as ever.
The iPhone 6, meanwhile, is the cheaper, smaller version. 4.7 inches in size, the phone does almost everything the iPhone 6 Plus does except it doesn’t have the optical image stabilisation feature. It’s still a worthy handset though and the price difference will certainly make it a worthy contender.
Both phones go on sale on September 19th.
2. Apple Pay
One of the extra bonus features that Apple surprised us with is Apple Pay. Both the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus come with NFC (Near Field Communication) capabilities and what this means is that you can now pay for things wirelessly. Walked into a shop without your wallet? Well that’s alright as if you’ve connected your card and any other relevant payment details to Apple Pay, you can now purchase goods in real life with the press of a button.
Apple are saying that their phones will ultimately replace physical money altogether, which is a pretty bold claim even for them. However, many of their Android competitors have already allowed for this so they could be onto something.
3. Apple Watch
Shockingly, the Apple smartwatch that we all knew was coming isn’t called the iWatch! Arguably, Apple Watch is a poorer name in comparison but poorer still is what the smartwatch offers.
Apple talked up the Digital Crown of the Apple Watch that lets us navigate, zoom in, zoom out and use Siri but this appears to be the device’s only killer feature. There are games coming to the platform too but is a gimmicky arm wrestling app really worth the money? Furthermore, the Apple Watch is said to suffer from some serious battery issues that people will have to iron out before the 2015 launch, so this is something to think about when forking over the $350 asking price.
4. iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C; Even Cheaper Than Before
Despite the Apple Watch’s rather disappointing pricing though, where Apple have gotten it right on the cost front is with last year’s iPhone 5S and 5C.
US retailer Walmart recently made headlines by offering the iPhone 5C for under a dollar and now Apple is going one better as consumers can now get the iPhone 5C for free. The iPhone 5C will set you back by $99, not unlike Walmart’s pricing, but if you really want to to get the phone and don’t think you’ll be able to afford the many hundreds of dollars of the iPhone 6 or 6 Plus, this is an absolute bargain. As always, you’ll be subject to a two year contract, so keep that in mind too.
5. iOS 8 Release Date
We’ve heard tales of its buggy beta all year but now that the kinks have been rolled out like the smoothest of pastry, iOS 8 is ready to be downloaded by the masses.
As explained before, iOS 8 will have a health and fitness focus (in line with the Apple Watch) signalled by its Health app. Health will combine all of the data from your sleep tracking, diet tracking and workout tracking apps, sticking it in one handy, readily available space for you to peruse and check up on your body. Gym goers are certainly catered too then while everybody else will make use of iOS 8’s new practical features such as Siri’s new fluency in 22 languages and the fact that the Home screen will now become landscape depending on how you hold the phone.
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