iphone 6

It was inevitable. Apple finally revealed its new iPhone after what has seemed like months of anticipation.

Hit for six

Apple certainly know how to throw a launch party and they also know how to stir up excitement for their latest products which is why all the world’s media, and anybody who is anybody in the tech world, flocked to the Flint Center for Performing Arts in Cupertino, California on the 9th of September to await the hotly anticipated product unveiling.

In terms of the event Apple didn’t disappoint. The usual well-polished keynote speeches resonated around the auditorium keenly accepted by an audience all holding their breath for the first product reveal.

On unveiling there was little in the way of any real shock or surprises as the device, for all intents and purposes looks almost identical to its older brother.

Design

iphone6

It’s also no surprise that the iPhone 6 is almost an inch larger (4.7 inches) than the iPhone 5 (4 inches) as one of the main criticisms of the last generation was the size of the screen or lack of.

With this in mind the new design of Apple’s handset has taken a pleasant cosmetic overhaul with a smoother chassis being complimented by curved aluminium edges and an all-metal black finish. Apple have seemingly brought the design back to its original roots.

The screen as mentioned before is 4.7 inches with a resolution of 1334 x 750 pixels packing a pixel density of 326ppi, the same as the iPhone 5.

looking at the device layout, the sleep/ wake button has been moved to the right hand-side bezel to help aid the one-handed use or “reachability” which Apple has devised especially for this phone.

One handed

The design, shaped to compliment Apple’s “reachability” mode moves the user interface a third down the screen for easy thumb access. Even with a larger screen this is reported to work well for power users, yet, some industry experts have commented that this move is very much ‘un-Apple’ like and whether it will be a feature that will require further development down the line only time will tell.

With larger sizes comes the need to shift weight and Apple have managed to keep the handset under 7mm which is more than acceptable. The one gripe with the design would have to be the protruding camera lens which again seems slightly ‘un-Apple’ like in design making the handset unbalanced when placed on a flat surface.

Hardware

A8 chip

As the norm with all Apple upgrades the iPhone 6 is no different, enjoying superior internal components compared to its predecessor a 64-bit A8 processor reportedly 50% faster and 50% more efficient than last years model, the iPhone 6 comes with a lot of expectations.

Another upgrade for the phone is the M7 sensor, now the M8, which detects the movement of the user. It’s more accurate, meaning readings for those fitness freaks amongst us will be better.

The obligatory NFC is as ever present and will hopefully become an integral part of the iPhone experience now that Apple have announced its Apple Pay Mobile payment service, something we will talk about in greater detail next week.

Snap shot

Interestingly the Camera has also received a hardware upgrade but the 8MP sensor remains, albeit it has become larger allowing for more light to enter for better snaps. The phone also features a True-tone LED flash which is supposed to eliminate the harshness of flash photography too.

Points to prove

The handset still needs to be tested rigorously before any real conclusions can be made about the new iPhones positioning and whether it is worth upgrading for. Even so, as expected, many thousands of Apple fans have pre-ordered the device ready for release at the end of this month.

Apple’s stock share also reflected the mood changes as shares rose and dipped around the $100 mark with stock prices dipping below $100 after the iWatch announcement which will be covered next week.

Nevertheless one business analyst stated that “expectations were close to reality” (USA Today) which will be reflective of future stock prices. It must be noted that Apple shares fell 2.3% on the same day that the iPhone5s was announced, so this is nothing new.

Overall the industry reaction to the iPhone 6 has been warm but many have been left disappointed in relation to the lack of new, mind-blowing innovations. Android, it’s over to you. 

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