Apple Event 2014: Everything you need to know
Tim Cook got up on stage this morning, for the highly anticipated unveiling of the newest upcoming devices, and services we will see appearing in stores, and everywhere, in the next six months. Every September, Apple surprises us with amazing new devices, but not quite as new as this year.
Industry experts and fans alike have spent nearly a year speculating and watching the wires for leaks and clues on what’s in Tim Cook’s big white box, and finally, here we are, only a few hours after the conclusion of this amazing showcase. Let’s have a look at some of the highlight presentations and top items we will be looking forward to:
The iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus
Some rumors were true: there is two iPhone 6 versions, one dubbed simple the “iPhone 6” with a smaller 4.7 inches screen, 6.9mm thick, and the “iPhone 6 Plus”, with a 5.5 inches screen, and 7.1mm of thickness, respectively at 1334×750 pixels resolution for the iPhone 6, and 1920×1080 pixels for the iPhone 6 Plus
The new smartphones have a radically different design than their most recent predecessors, borrowing some from the original iPhone’s curved edge.
The body will come in three colors, much like the iPhone 5, black, white and gold, and Tim Cook announced also official Apple cases that will be available for the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus.
“Reachability” was one keyword used to describe the new buttons setup along the edge of the iPhone 6.
Both phones feature a 64bit A8 chip, which has been described as 84x faster than the original iPhone, with 2Billion transistors. The Retina HD display is featured also on both phones, with an improved polarizer, for increased touch accuracy.
Big surprise: no Sapphire display for neither phones! Instead the company opted for Ion-strength glass, somehow similar to Gorilla glass. No mention of Gorilla Glass occurred during the presentation.
Big news for photography enthusiasts: the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus both feature Photo aligned IPS signal. The iPhone 6 features a digital image stabilizer, while the iPhone 6 Plus has a built-in optical image stabilizer. Both phones feature a 8MP iSight front facing camera, with phase detection autofocus, allowing to stitch together photographs, to construct a single panoramic image up to 43 megapixels. Among other improvements: advanced noise reduction, tone mapping, focusing pixels, improved depth of field and macro photography, with an F2.2 lens. Cinematic image stabilization and video recording in 4K quality is another interesting feature, with 60 frames support for slow-motion video and hyperlapse.
Bigger phones come with a bigger battery, which doesn’t always equal to longer battery life, in consideration of the features included in the two smartphones. Tim Cook himself describes 50 hours of video playback as equal or better than the iPhone 5S.
Besides the camera sensor, other sensors include the M8 motion sensor, offering improved performance and user experience also during gameplay. A demo of Vain Glory, by “Super Evil Megacorp” was showcased on the iPhone 6, demonstrating the outstanding 3D graphic capabilities and processing power of the A8 chip.
A new barometer has also been included into both versions of the iPhone 6, able to measure sensitive elevation, and calculate altitude-based positioning, for example when walking up stairs or driving along an overpass.
Communication has been given a lot of attention, and iPhone 6 users will be able to pick from a range of over 20 LTE bands, and benefit from VoLTE (Voice over LTE). The big news, as far as voice communication is the ability to carry phone conversation over WiFi, a feature that we expect carriers to feel very nervous about, while making consumers very happy.
Voice calls over WiFi is a whole new ground for Apple, as the only similar feature before that was iMessage, which allows text messages to be sent using the iPhone’s data network, or WiFi where available.
Both versions of the iPhone 6 will support the WiFi AC standard as well.
A new quick-type predictive keyboard will also be available on both phones.
As predicted, the new iPhone 6 and 6 Plus will be available for sale September 19, and on pre-order this Friday, September 12, starting at $199 for the iPhone 6, and $299 for the iPhone 6 Plus.
HealthKit
If you have watched the Apple’s WWDC this year, there is very little to add to this brand new platform. Apple has gone out of its way to create a health and fitness product that would interface with a host of intelligent devices designed to stream health and fitness data. some of these smart devices feature Adidas miCoach Smart Ball, a soccer ball that measures the power, speed and precision of your kick, and sends the data to the HealthKit app. Blood oxygen level readings, blood pressure tests and heart rate monitoring can also be performed using a variety of HealthKit compatible devices.
iOS8
We finally have a definitive and official date for the release of the brand new iOS 8, which is set in stone at September 17, two days before the release of the iPhone 6.
Among some of the innovations brought into the new mobile operating system are better support for responsive apps that change with the orientation of the device.
Apple Pay
Here is a new way to pay with your new iPhone 6: Apple Pay uses NFC and Touch ID technology which stores your credit cards and generates a secure tokenized pin code that is used at checkout, and destroyed immediately after, which makes your credit cards virtually impossible to steal. Apple Pay will come built into all future versions of the iPhone 6, within the next 6 months, and will also support online checkout, allowing customers to pay for goods and services, either at a cash register, or directly online, using their own devices.
Some of the stores already investing into Apple Pay are Groupon, Panera Bread, OpenTable (which is good news for diners), Dysney Parks, Staples, Target and UBER.
The Apple Watch
First it was the “iWatch”, then the “iTime”, then the “iFit”,but now we have a winner: the “Apple Watch”.
As plain and simple as it gets, this device is anything BUT plain and simple:
Although no specific mention of it was provided, we can only assume, from Tim Cook’s words, that the Watch, much like its Android competitors, is not a stand-alone device, and an iPhone will be needed for it to function. The good news is that the wearable device will be compatible with All newest Apple devices, including the iPod touch, and the iPad, and all versions of the iPhone, up to the iPhone 4.
The Apple Watch will also be a “comprehensive fitness device”, and fully compatible with HealthKit.
The user experience is certainly unusual, as the Watch is designed to rely on a “Digital Crown”, a wheel, or gear, positioned on the right side of the display, which serves as a scroll wheel, solving the problem of using fingers on the touchscreen to interact with content, which would obscure the screen.
Voice commands and dictation have also been given a fair amount of focus. Apple Watch users will be able to control many functions with their voice, including typing messages and texts, as well as interacting with Siri, which will also be integrated into the Watch.
Let’s not forget, the Apple Watch is also a timepiece, and a very precise one as well, using Internet-based Atomic time synchronization, making it one of the most precise electronic time-keepers yet.
The Apple Watch features a detachable and interchangeable band, available in a very wide range of materials and designs, from Italian leather, to stainless steel, and Milanese Loop, among some.
So far we have seen three versions being unveiled, a base version dubbed simple the Apple Watch, a Sport Watch, designed around athletes, and a “Watch Edition”, marketed to high-end consumers, which comes with an 18K gold.
The Apple Watch, as part of its HeallthKit integration, includes a built-in heart rate monitor, as well as other fitness sensors, which Apple has thought of using in a most unusual, yet fun way. Watch wearers will be able to send each other messages, by drawing directly on the touchscreen. These messages will display on the recipient’s Watch in the form of animated pulses, matching the current heart rate readings.
The Watch will be powered by an S1 chip, a very powerful processor able to handle a staggering number of apps. A “Taptic” engine is also a brand new feature that will allow to push notification to the user, in the form of light “taps” on the wrist, instead of audio signals or vibration.
The Apple Watch will come with a wireless charger, whose shape reminds closely of a stethoscope. No word yet on battery life. considering the number of concurrent apps and fitness applications, we can only imagine battery life will be a very important selling point.
Similarly to Gear watches, the Apple Watch will display “glances”, for incoming notifications, useful to preview the content of an incoming email or text message.
The Watch face will offer great customization, including colors for single components of the base UI and home screen.
During a live demo of the Apple Watch by Kevin Lynch, we have been able to witness how users will be interacting with Siri, Apple Maps, the Photo Gallery app and iTunes. iTunes integration was also an important part of the presentation, as it showed how Apple Watch can be used to control and stream content from different devices, such as Apple TV, or even a MacBook.
The Apple Watch will be available sometime in 2015, starting at $349, and will most likely include Apple Pay, and will be able to work as a viewfinder for the Apple iPhone camera.