We pause our continuous streaming of U2’s Songs of Innocence to bring you the highlights of Apple’s Live Event today. After a rocky live stream beginning, we were impressed by what was unveiled. We’re already planning the ways to get our hands on the iPhone 6/6+ come September 19th. Be a doll and notify us when the Apple Store is back up and running, won’t you?
1. iPhone 6/6+
If you’re like me, you didn’t feel the consumer pull and deep need for the 5s. I’ve been pretty content with my iPhone 5 and it never gave me a reason to reevaluate my decision. The battery life has been OK. The storage has been OK and the iPhone screen? Again, just OK. But after Apple rolled out the new iPhone 6 and accompanying 6+…I think it’s time for me to trade up. Here’s why:
Highlights
– Bigger screens! 4.7-inch screen display on 6, 5.5-inch on 6+.
– Thinner! 6.9 mm/7.1 mm
– Increased retina display. We won’t bore you with the specs but trust us – they’re good.
– Faster processing and increased battery life. 11 hours of continuous video playback.
– The camera is impressive. Faster focusing, slo-mo video and time-lapse capabilities. Improved front light and facial detection (better selfies!)
– 3x faster speed on wifi.
2. Apple Pay
While we heard the rumors and rumblings of an iPhone 6 and Apple Watch, we didn’t really expect the granddaddy launch of Apple Pay. If it goes as smoothly as Tim Cook says, the e-wallet will successfully eliminate the antiquated bulging wallet.
Apple Pay allows you to store credit cards safely and securely and it has already signed on Visa, MasterCard and American Express along with six big banks and some of the biggest names in retail. Your fingerprint will grant access to spend, and no information will be shared to Apple or the retailer. It also uses no swipe technology, so you can touch your iPhone to the screen to pay.
A few examples we’ve already heard that’ll greatly enhance our shopping experience are the Target shopping app’s integration with Apple Pay and OpenTable’s all-in-one reservation and restaurant payment. Cook told us that McDonald’s drive-thru is the first early adopter, so we’ll decidedly ignore the fact that most of the Apple Watch focuses on fitness and healthy eating, which brings us to our next product.
3. Apple Watch
Gone are the days of iThis and iThat. It looks like Tim Cook’s legacy is going to be the Apple Watch, with the Apple logo in place of the actual word. Judging from his excitement, one can surmise it’s been a passion of his for quite a while. Your opinions and unfounded Samsung comparisons aside, the Apple Watch wows.
For starters, Apple took our individual personalities to heart. 18 different band types allow you to choose between leather, metal links, the classic buckle and the magnetic sport band for the serious athlete. Something tells me the color options will inspire a gotta catch ’em all collection frenzy, but you didn’t hear it from us.
Watch Highlights:
– Accurate to 50ms, tells you exactly where in the world you are.
– The Digital Crown eliminates the need to rely only on touch screen. It gives you another means to navigate around the watch and provides the “Home” feature.
– Fitness and health minded. It counts your steps, tracks your heartbeat, counts your calories burned, how much activity you’ve done all day. It also has different vibration settings if you need to turn left or right on a run so you’re not constantly checking the map.
– Integration with Apple Pay.
– It works with the iPhone 5 and 6, which you must own. It provides messages and meeting alerts, and it allows you to respond straight from the watch.
– Open API for third party apps.
– Working with hotels such as Starwood to enable a feature in which a touch of the wrist will unlock your hotel room door.
– $350, available early 2015.
The whole event culminated in a performance by U2 and the instantaneous release of their new album for FREE on iTunes to 500 million iTunes users worldwide. You can say it was a very successful day.
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