Apple makes some big announcements

The wait is over! This year, the anticipation for the release of Apples next generation technology has been through the roof! Maybe even more so than previous years with Apple fans already starting to queue up outside of Apple stores 10 days before the Apple devices have even been announced!  

These eager fans still have quite a few days before they can get their hands on these devices but at least now they know what they will be able to get their hands on…

Apple had deemed the event to be one of the most important announcements since the original iPhone and they weren’t wrong!

Not one but two

Once again Apple has unveiled not one but two next generation iPhones, the highly anticipated and newly reimaged iPhone 6 and the largest iPhone device yet, the iPhone 6 Plus.

The iPhone has had a major revision along with an entire new design.

The screen

The iPhone 6 will be sporting a 4.7inch display, a big jump up from the iPhone 5S and 5C’s 4 inch screen, while the iPhone 6 Plus will be almost an inch bigger with a 5.5inch display. The biggest iPhone yet!

The next generation iPhone will also pack in the pixels with 1134 x 750 resolutions. The iPhone 6 Plus has a mighty impressive 1920 x 1080, a PPI of 401 which accounts to an incredible 2 million pixels!  

The screen is ion strengthened opposed to the sapphire crystal glass that was rumoured. It may not be unbreakable but it is still a tougher screen.

The design

Apple has done away with the squared edges that have been with us since the iPhone 4 and has given the iPhone 6 a rounded, smoother body.

Somehow Apple has also managed to cut down the thickness to 6.9mm, a lot slimmer when compared to the 7.6mm iPhone 5S.

Power

Under the hood of the already impressive iPhone 6 is the upgraded A8 process, which Apple states is 25% faster than the 1.3GHz dual-core A7 chip.

Camera

Apple has stuck with the 8MP camera, but has made a few tweaks making it the best iPhone camera yet.

The camera now has bigger pixels, along with an f/2.2 aperture and dual-LED flash for more realistic colour reproduction.

Storage

The iPhone 6 has also had a memory upgrade, with a massive 128GB of storage space. Apple hasn’t ditch the 16GB memory like rumours suggested, however there won’t be a 32GB device.  

Battery life

The new iPhone 6 and 6 Plus will have a better battery life than the iPhone 5S in almost every aspect including music playback, internet browsing and video.

The iPhone 6 will be able to support 50 hours music playback (10 hours more than the iPhone 5S), 11 hours video and 11 hours WiFi browsing (both an hour more than the iPhone 5S).

The bigger iPhone 6 Plus comes with an even bigger battery supporting 80 hours music playback, 14 hours video and 12 hours of WiFi browsing.

Mobile payments

Touch ID home button is smarter and combined with NFC; you can now use both new devices to make contactless payments using your Touch ID fingerprint.

Unfortunately this feature is only available in the US for now, but it is supported by American Express, Mastercard and Visa.

Availability and Cost

The devices will be available in shops from the 19^th September (pre-order from the 12^th September) and the iPhone 6 prices are as followed:

£539 for the 16GB

£619 for the 64GB

£699 for the 128GB

While the iPhone 6 Plus prices are a little more expensive:

16GB - £619

64GB - £699

128GB - £789

The Apple Watch

The highly anticipated Apple Watch (not iWatch) has also made an appearance! And can tell the time very accurately (within 50milliseconds).

Apple has promised there will be 6 different bands available ranging from leather to metal. The watch will come in two sizes and you can choose from three models – the Apple Watch, Apple Watch Sport (which has a stronger case) and the Apple Watch Edition (made from 18k gold).

The Apple Watch comes with a range of convenient features such as Siri and subtle notifications which only show up when you look at your watch.

The Apple Watch seems to be geared up around health and it will allow you to measure and share your heart rate.

Of course, the Apple Watch requires an iPhone 5 or above to work and will be available from early next year, starting at $349 (around £220).