Apple has announced the iPhone 6 and its larger sibling, the iPhone 6 Plus, after months of speculation and rumors.
The iPhone 6 is the 4.7-inch variant while the iPhone 6 Plus features a big 5.5-inch screen. Both the devices will ship with iOS 8 and will be available starting September 19 in selected markets. It will be released on 17 October in India. At the same time around it will be available in Nepal.
The Retina HD screen on the iPhone 6, packs a resolution of 750 x 1334 pixels and is protected by ion-strengthened glass. The smartphone is just 6.9 mm thick. The resolution on the iPhone 6 Plus is 1920 x 1080 and the thickness of the device is 7.1mm, even though it has a large overall size.
Both the newly announced iPhones feature an 8 megapixel iSight camera. Only the larger 6 Plus features optical image stabilization; the smaller iPhone 6 features ‘digital’ image stabilization which relies on software trickery to perform a similar trick. Both cameras can record 1080p video at 30fps or 60fps, and slow-motion video at 120fps or 240fps.
The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus feature a 64-bit Apple A8 chip built on a 20nm manufacturing process, which the company has claimed, offers 25% more CPU power and 50% more GPU power. Apple’s A8 SoC comes coupled with the M8 co-processor which has an onboard barometer to assist various health tracking activities such as steps. The devices support 20 LTE bands and would work with majority of networks worldwide.
Apple has finally introduced the technology in the latest iPhones to make use of the Apple Pay payment system. The much awaited move from Apple is expected to boost the mobile payments market.
Apple has also introduced its first wearable Apple Watch.
The rotary dial on the side of the device – called the ‘crown’ plays a key part and acts like a multifunction input mechanism. By spinning it, you can zoom in on a map, or in other apps, you can scroll down the page. The spin mechanism is app-dependent, and Apple says it is an entirely new way of navigating any OS.
Third-party apps work on the watch too, including Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest, to name a few. Starwood Hotels will allow you to unlock your hotel room door with your watch and BMW has created an app that remembers where you parked your car; MLB will show you the scores of your favorite games on your watch.
There are lots of other uses for the device such as a remote control, it can be used as a viewfinder for your iPhone and many more uses that were not announced at the event. Also, to no surprise, Apple Pay will work with the watch too.
The device starts at $349 and will be available in early 2015.
