After all the rumours and speculation, the iPhone 6 has finally arrived, and this is what we can expect.
The new iPhone has finally been launched, along with Apple's first foray into the market of wearable technology with the iWatch, so what do you need to know about the new products that everyone will be queuing to get (and some people have already started queuing for)?
Firstly, the new iPhone 6 is, like its predecessor, going to have two different versions available: the 6 and the 6 plus. On both devices, the screen looks to be one of the areas where they have made the biggest improvement with what they're calling "dual domain pixels" - that means deeper blacks, sharper text, and better colours from a much wider variety of angles.
Both devices are also bigger: the iPhone 6 has a 4.7 inch screen (measured diagonally) while the iPhone 6 Plus has a 5.5 inch screen. These are increases on the previous model, but if you don't want to upgrade in size the 5S is not going to be taken off the market just yet, so you can still get the regular size that most users are familiar with. The 6 Plus screen is not a whole lot smaller than an iPad mini, so that should give some idea of the size of this device, and is a definite effort from Apple to get customers who do a lot of work on the go and may have been using the Samsung Note or some other smaller tablets. The 6 Plus is also bigger than the Galaxy S5, one of Apple's main competitors, but the likely difficulty will be in operating the phone with one hand, rather than using both at the same time.
The battery life will be around the same as the predecessor (about 10 hours of browsing online) which some people may find a bit difficult to manage if they're working on the go, and a factor which has been a target for Samsung in their recent ads.
Inside, Apple claim the A8 chip is the next-generation, and is about 25% faster than the last one they had in the iPhone 5 range. However, with a more powerful processor and a bigger screen, the claims that the battery life should be about the same will definitely be put to the test.
What all these changes suggest, of course, is that the 'phone' part of iPhone is really becoming a secondary and possibly even a tertiary concern of the company when producing its flagship devices. The idea of Apple Pay has also been introduced, which will allow you to pay for things using your phone rather than your cards or cash. The problem with regards to this is of course adoption, and depending on businesses to take it up in large enough numbers for it to be worth it. Similar to the Google Wallet system which is slowly getting going in the United States, this could be a big leap forward, but it's going to be hard to displace our debit/credit cards and cash from our pockets.
The other huge device unveiled yesterday was the Apple Watch (there's no 'i' in the name here), the first in the line of Apple wearable technology products, and it has already been getting a lot of attention. It will be released in three different versions, the simple 'Watch', the 'Watch Sport' and the 'Watch Edition', each of which hopes to tap into a different market of consumer.
The three models will all be essentially the same device with some differences in the way that it appears, mainly in the strap and the colours of the casing. The idea is that it the display will work when you raise your wrist to glance at the watch and light up then, rather than being on all the time, which would certainly eat in to your battery life.
Again, it comes in two different sizes (38mm and 42mm), while the 'digital crown' is something taken from the traditional watch, and will allow you to zoom in and out through the watch's apps and functions, as well as taking you back to the home screen when pressed in. The button below will also allow you to start a conversation with a friend, or you can send them a simple message, a drawing or you can even share your heartbeat with them in real time. All interesting side features that might make this stand out among the other devices available in the market, notably the Moto 360.
With the 'Sport', there's a focus on the health aspect that a lot of wearable tech has gone in for recently, and one that Apple couldn't afford to miss out on. It will track your movements and even be able to set you goals based on that info, while with the increased size of the new iPhones, the Watch may well come in handy given that you won't want to be whipping a huge device like that out of your pocket all the time (if it even fits), and it may well allow you to use much of the functions you would access most frequently without having to access your phone itself.
The display promises to be customisable too, so you can have any type of watch that you've ever wanted (including one that shows Mickey Mouse telling the time) and it also has a different type of interface. The device will be able to tell when you tap it, or when you press down on it, bringing up a different set of functions depending on what you want to do.
The iPhone will available to order here in Ireland on September 26th, with prices starting from €699 for the iPhone 6, and €799 for the Plus. As of yet, Apple haven't given a confirmed release date for the iWatch over here, simply saying that it will be out in 'early 2015'.
