The wait is finally over.
The vital statistics of the “bigger than bigger” iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus are now in the public domain, with Apple claiming they are the “best phones ever made” (but they would, wouldn’t they?)
The technology giant even went one better yesterday by announcing the creation of the “The Best Watch in the World” to run seamlessly alongside the new and improved smart phones.
But what will these devices actually do to make our lives better?
Will it clean up the house if we send it an iMessage? Will it take the dog for a walk if we ask Siri nicely? Well, no, not quite.
But in terms of taking fingertip technology to the next level, Apple says it has pushed itself ahead of its rivals.
Let’s see what it has to offer:
Apple Watch:
While the technology world waited with bated breath to find out if their predictions about the new iPhone were true, Apple threw a curveball by announcing its first new product line since the very first iPad.
It’s also the first since the death of its co-founder Steve Jobs and the first truly new creation under new boss, Tim Cook; reviewers will be waiting with bated breath to see how it performs.
The watch will sync with your iPhone and run familiar apps like Siri, Messages, e-mail, Maps, Facebook and Twitter. It will also act as a fitness tracker, using motion sensors and heart rate monitors to log fitness levels and workouts.
It also has a setting so that you can send information directly to a friend’s Watch. With countless customisable faces and strap designs, its makers say it’s the “most personal” watch you will find.
Oh, and just incase you were wondering, it also tells the time, too.
It’s thin and it’s big:
The new iPhone’s will be significantly bigger than the original (and popular) 4 inch screen – a 4.7in iPhone 6 and a 5.5inch 6 Plus.
But many critics have slammed the new design, saying that Apple is simply following the market by copying already-bigger smartphones, like the Samsung Galaxy S5.
The iPhone 6 will come in at 6.9mm wide, with the iPhone 6 Plus measuring 7.1mm. With all-metal backs and glass that curves round the edges of the phones, it marks the biggest design change in the phone’s history.
Better battery:
If there’s one flaw of the iPhone, it’s the battery life – which only gets worse as the device grows old and tired.
The iPhone 6 will be 50 times faster that the original iPhone, but it’s been designed to not compromise on performance.
The new iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus are powered by the A8 chip, which has two billion transistors – double the number on the A7 chip, which powers the iPhone 5S. The A8 is up to 25 per cent faster than the A7 in processing and able to render graphics up to 50 per cent faster.
The new devices will provide 11 hours of video or Wi-Fi browsing, 50 hours of audio playback and 10 hours of 4G LTE or 3G browsing. In addition, compared with the 40 hours talk you can get on the iPhone 5S, you can get 50 hours on the iPhone 6 and 80 hours on the iPhone 6 Plus.
Apple Pay:
We’ve banished the need for cameras and MP3 players – so why not throw out our wallets too?
Apple has said that Apple Pay “will forever change the way we buy things”. It’s a revolutionary new payment process which allows purchases to be made using fingerprint ID.
The system will work by holding the phone up to a generic card reader and pressing a finger on the TouchID button. The phone will store the payment using NFC (near-field communication) and a new separate chip to keep payment information secure. The NFC chip is fitted across the top of the phone, and all details are encrypted and the system stores payment information securely.
But before we get too excited about ditching our loose change, the system will only launch in the US to begin with, with no word on when the system is likely to hit the rest of the world.
HealthKit:
This new app will collect your personal biometric data in one place, where you will be able to view your heart rate, calories burned, blood sugar and cholesterol levels. The idea is to create a personal overview of your health which can be shared with doctors and hospitals. You will be able to create an emergency card, which will be accessible from the Lock screen so it can be opened in an emergency.
There are far too many other quirky features of the new iPhone and Apple Watch to mention here, never mind the most important of all – a new and improved front-facing camera for selfies.
Bar saving the planet, it seems Apple has thought of everything.