Posted on 09/09/2014 10:58:38 AM PDT by Red Badger
Apple unveiled the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, an update of its flagship smartphone with larger screens.
“Today we are launching the biggest advancement in the history of the iPhone,” Apple CEO Tim Cook said at the start of the company’s press event in Cupertino, Calif., where Apple is headquartered.
The iPhone 6 will feature a larger 4.7 inch retina HD screen, while the 5.5 inch iPhone 6 Plus model also will be offered. The full 1080p HD screen features no borders with glass that covers the entire surface and curves around the edges of the thinner device.
A new camera protrudes a bit out the back. While it has a new sensor, the camera is still 8 megapixels. However, the new camera does a better job of recognizing faces in scenes, and delivers better focus, especially in low light conditions, with the iPhone 6 including digital image stabilization, while the iPhone 6 Plus has optical image stabilization.
An improved video camera also enables slow motion video to be captured at 120 fps or 240 fps.
The iPhone 6 screen will boast over 1 million pixels, the iPhone 6 Plus over 2 million pixels.
The handsets, with faster Wi-Fi built in, also feature a new A8 chip, which makes graphics 84 times faster than the original iPhone. The devices also are 50% more energy efficient, although battery life remains about the same as the more recent iPhone5s. The iPhone 6 Plus, however, features a longer battery, given its larger size.
Still, the A8 chip marks an improvement over previous iPhones, given that it’s 25% faster when it comes to processing power and boasts 50% faster graphics.
Calls can now also be made via Wi-Fi when cell conditions are poor.
Pricing for the iPhone 6 starts at $199 and goes to $399. The iPhone 6 Plus will start at $299, with the highest priced at $499.
The devices, which become available Sept. 19, will come in gold, silver and space gray.
The iPhone 5 continues to perform well for Apple.
The smartphone, introduced in 2012, is still its most popular handset with a 27% share, followed closely by last year’s iPhone 5S, at 25%, according to research firm Localytics.
Yet the update to the iPhone, first launched in 2007, is important to Apple since it represents over half of the company’s revenue.
Analysts already anticipate that the new iPhone 6 models will sell more than 75 million handsets by the end of the year.
While the iPhone essentially created the smartphone revolution, Apple has faced some stiff competition recently from Samsung with its Galaxy line of devices. Amazon, however, has struggled with its Amazon Fire Phone, which the company recently discounted by $200 to 99 cents in order to boost sales.
Apple live streamed the reveal of its new devices and software here from the Flint Performing Arts Center in Cupertino, Calif.
“Today, we have some amazing products to share with you and we think at the end of the day you will agree that this too is a very key day for Apple,” Cook said.
“....But not many people.”
The global watch industry is a +$60 billion per year market.
If you combine the watch industry with the wearable technology industry, you are talking about a very large market.
“I’m talking about your average, every day user that really has no need for a watch anymore.”
Again, you are defining watch as “a device used to tell time.” That is not the primary purpose of watches at this point in history - nor Apple’s entry at all.
Further, adding functionality beyond time attracts people who like you who don’t want a watch to tell time, but may be attracted to tracking sports activities, calories, blood pressure, or whatever.
“In 50 years, the concept of a watch will be somewhat of a novelty item.”
Before I take that bet, what kind of track record at fortune-telling do you have? As long as people have wrists, something will sell.
“To me, they already are.(haven’t worn one since I was a child)”
me neither, but that only means you and I are not the customer this is designed to attract.
That’s what I’m hoping for - 2 in 1! My shoulder is beginning to sag from all the weight I carry!
Also, I read that the battery life is a lot better on this, so that means I won’t necessarily have to carry a battery charger in addition to everything else. I carry one of those rechargeable charging cells because I lot of time I’m not in my car or at home or even any place with electricity.
So when will Apple unveil the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus ?
The iPhone 6 PlusS will be out in Feb. It will have an A10 processor and a 12meg cam. They will also update the OS which will totally screw up just about every App that is useful. And do nothing to the ones that no one uses except for chimps on crack.
And the same people will be camped out for a week to buy it.
And yes I have a iPhone 3, 4 and 5.
Ed
“Buy the rumor, sell the news...”
If history is any guide, thee will be a variant of the "6" line out in September 2015 with very similar, if not identical, form factor and upgraded internals. The "7" line would be September 2016.
Book
Dude. What? Adjust your tinfoil hat. It’s giving you weird ideas.
Always amusing.
And seriously, the constant one-up-manship among Samsung, Apple, LG, and HTC is a good thing.
Yes it is.
HTC was going to go out of business if it did not come up with the new phones. Nobody was buying the old style phones any more, except maybe an emergency phone in a glove box.
Bought one of the old style phones from Verizon for a buck.
Markets loved payments and that’s the biggest takeaway from an investor standpoint.
But, like most electrical engineers, I despise widgets bought as jewelry by those without the slightest inkling of how it functions.
Electronics, like this computer, are tools, not love objects. Understanding how they can be used against you is invaluable and makes it easy to avoid.
Why Android OS Is The Choice Over iPhone For Terrorists On A BudgetIn fact, Al Qaeda has just released the latest version of its own Android app.Tuesday, August 5, 2014 | Jeffrey Mincey Posted In News and Comment
One of the news stories making the rounds over the weekend was how terrorists prefer to use Android smartphones vs. Apple’s iPhone.
What’s up with that? Are not all smartphone operating systems capable of being broken into by various and sundry governments? Possibly, but the main reasons Android OS is preferred over Apple’s iPhone are easily understood.
Closed vs. Open
Whether governments have access to Android or iOS or BlackBerry or Windows Phone or any or all operating systems is fodder for another time.Basically, Android-based devices are easily customized to fit any purpose, while iOS is closed and highly curated. —Source.
"GIMF, another media arm of Al-Qaeda, also launched a new version of their Android software since our last post. Interestingly, between these two new product releases this continues the bet on mobile and Android as the preferred platform for these groups. The large availability and affordability of Android phones, especially in underdeveloped countries, is probably the reason for this."—Source.
So, I'll trump your anecdote with authoritative sourced facts.
I haven't worn a wristwatch in maybe 20 years, possibly even back to the late 1980s. Always had to wear a pager, was on-call 24/7, and it displayed the time. Then later on a cellphone was mandatory. I have some nice dress watches from the 1970s, cost big bucks. People back then thought nothing of dropping $500 to $1000 on a wristwatch that did nothing but display time - and that was 1970s money. These watches from Apple at $349 seem very inexpensive for what they offer. But I'll pass on them. I suspect they'll sell millions of them, so it won't be a flop. They'll have a niche market with fitness buffs.
I have an iPhone 4S.
It is one half portable internet access and one half electronic dog collar.
A love/hate relationship, at best.
[but I do love my ‘weird’ apps like EMF detectors and such]
:)
Heh! I’m in the middle of the third book, too.
Gotta have the bigger screen to watch the Facebook mobile ads.
When it comes to technological innovations I haven't been wrong yet, but I'm still relatively young. 17 years ago I told my friends that traditional movie outings would become obsolete as more people had access to increased bandwidth, and there would probably be a way to stream newly released movies into their living rooms. They told me I was full of it. (that's taking place right now, but it isn't quite there yet). There were several others too, but I don't feel like writing about it. That's just one example.
If Apple still had ideas, they wouldn’t have spent $2.3 billion to buy a headphone company; certainly they could produce a headphone line for less than two gigabucks.
Yep. That was dumb for sure. Maybe not as dumb as Microsoft buying Nokia but time will tell.
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