Today, Apple has officially entered into a new stage as they announced iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, two new Smartphones that will feature a 4.7-inch and a 5.5-inch display.
The iPhone was what many people were expecting: a larger display, yet thinner and lighter body, and keep their amazing Retina HD screen technology. It also had a higher resolution, likely in response to Samsung’s insane res boosting with every new device.
But the iPhone 6 Plus was a bit of a surprise. It isn’t a shock that Apple decided to go into the phablet market, just that it seemed like it would have been with the iPhone 6. While the primary flagship device does come with a larger screen at 4.7″, the Plus boasts a full 5.5″. That is quite a jump.
Tech Specs
The iPhone 6 has a resolution of 1334 × 750, while the Plus has a full 1920 × 1080, putting it on par with Samsung. Both are 64 Bit, with A8 chips and M8 coprocessors. So you will get the most out of those resolution increases.
Where in the past they have focused a lot on photos, they are now focusing more on videos. With the popular rise of FaceTime, Skype and Vine, that is an important element to exploit at this point.
They have added to their former video features (which were so-so) by including 1080p HD at 60 fps, 240-fps slo-mo, and time-lapse for their new features. Basically, you will be able to shoot a pretty decent video with an iPhone now, better than you could before. Then edit it without using a third party or optional app, though most people will probably opt to get one anyway.
According to their press release, they are making a big deal about their “Focus Pixels”. But let’s face it, that is really just auto technology you would expect from any decent smartphone camera. It is still only an 8MP, so it is important to remain realistic there.
Of course you still have the fingerprint identity sensor built into the homescreen. Isn’t it funny how quickly that just became a standard feature? They barely mention it this time, even though it was a huge deal last time around.
It looks like the iTouch sensor is going to be providing more of a service now with Apple Pay attached to your fingerprint. That is some next-gen science fiction stuff there, and I am pretty interested to see how popular that option becomes. Or if others (ahem, Google/Android) decides to adopt a similar method. How long until retinal scanners come standard?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FglqN1jd1tM
What the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus show more than anything else, it is that mobile technology is currently stagnant. Not that either look like bad phones. On the contrary, they look fantastic, and they have a 16 GB option starting at just $199(iPhone 6) and $299(iPhone 6 Plus) making them budget friendly for a new Apple device.
But think of past releases, and what they have offered. Innovation was the name of the game, and they managed to literally flip the industry on its head every single time. From the iPhone original which was the arguable start of smartphones as they are today, to the iPhone 5S that put fingerprint sensors on the map.
The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus look like well built, stable phones with great features. But they are all features we have seen before; the innovation is gone.
That doesn’t mean Apple is failing, or losing their touch. It just means that for the moment, we might have gone as far as we can until the next major breakthrough. There was just nothing they could do at the moment but offer the same features many other brands (themselves including) already have, and improve small qualities.
We will know the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus because they have bigger screens, but many brands like HTC and LG already do. They have higher resolutions than other Apple devices, but that Samsung (and even Amazon) have already provided.
They have a kind of good camera that isn’t anywhere near the power of others currently on the market, which won’t at all appeal to actual photographers who use real camera, or to wannabe-filmmakers who can get better in other smartphones.
It isn’t especially disappointing, because you can only expect so much given how far we have come, and how fast we have traveled that distance. But this might be the first iPhone release that hasn’t had any real punch. Even the hype was moderate in comparison to its predecessors.
Will the iPhone 7 have something more? I don’t know, maybe, if a major breakthrough in the tech is made. But maybe they should focus on bringing us a new iPad, in the meantime. Or take a moment to assure us that the Apple TV is really, truly dead, because who wants one of those?
Source: Apple
