iPhone 6- Game Over

So the iPhone has officially been introduced to the world. Apple’s big announcement was yesterday, so let’s do a re-cap. Was it everything we thought it would be cracked up to be? Was it worth it to the folks that camped out in the streets of Cupertino; including the ones who braved the elements for over a week? How many rumors were correct? Let’s see.

So it was true that two sizes of the phone are being offered. Apple is releasing the regular sized iPhone 6 in a 4.7” model and an iPhone 6 “Plus” version with a 5.5” chassis. Both models are being offered in silver, gold and “space gray.” The carriers will be AT&T, Verizon and Sprint. Pre-orders start September 12th. With a two-year contract, the 4.7” model will start at $199 for 16gb, and the bigger 5.5” starting at $299 for the 16gb. Both phones are thinned out; the 4.7” is about 6.9mm and the 5.5” at 7.1mm, both with rounded edges.

As for what’s going on internally, perhaps the biggest news is Apple Pay, which may start taking the place of the wallet for iPhone users. Basically you can store all of your credit information in the phone on your passport app, and just swipe your phone to pay. All the major credit cards and a bunch of popular retailers are already on board. The card information is encrypted in your phone, which is putting to rest some security concerns. This is especially important on the heels of the big iCloud hack last week which resulted in a bunch of nude celebrity photos becoming not-so-private. Time will tell if this feature will become popular; people still get nervous putting their credit card information online, let alone on their smartphone.

Battery life is longer; you get a few extra hours of standby and talk time. Thank goodness. These phones will be quicker too; when connected to Wi-Fi the speed should be three times faster than the iPhone 5s. The Touch ID is standard with this phone, requiring a thumbprint to open your phone, as well as making purchases through iTunes.

The camera has been improved, as expected. It has a higher resolution, and there is more storage offered for storing both photos and videos. Now instead of keeping just 2,000 pictures on your phone, you can keep 3,000. Ain’t life grand? Optical visual stabilization has been put into place, which should help shoot photos that are a little less blurry. Images will also be sharper thanks to the new feature called “focus pixels” which determines the phone’s distance to its subject, allowing the camera to adjust accordingly. The front-facing FaceTime camera has been improved as well, allowing in over 80% more light. This is either a good thing or a bad thing for some, as some faces prefer require images.

So in the end, the new iPhone and iPhone plus are bigger, faster and have a lot of cool new options, and the rumors are laid to rest.

 

 

 

 

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