Mariam Nihal

Saudi Gazette

And the 10 things you need to know



If you missed Apple’s event, here is what you need to know. The announcements at the launch revolved around more than just the iPhone6. U2 performed live and released a new album for free on iTunes. The trends in fashion and music industries played a huge role at the reception. Apple has proved its futuristic designs cater to purpose and technological brilliance simplifying tasks and space for better usage. Everyone wanted the iPhone6 regardless of what it was going to feel like. Now that we know, pre-ordering can begin and everyone can jump on the bandwagon they are loyally designed to pursue. Here are the trendsetters revealing their latest innovations:



1. Availability: First things first. For those of you who just need to get it. Pre-orders begin on September 12, with phones actually shipping on September 19.



2. Price: The iPhone 6 will start at $199 with a two-year contract, while the iPhone 6 Plus will start at $299.



3. Size Matters: The iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus are both thinner than the iPhone 5s. However, The iPhone 6 has a 4.7-inch screen, iPhone 6 Plus has a bigger 5.5 inch screen compared to the 4 inch screen of the iPhone 5S.



4. A faster Apple A8 processor, which is 25 percent faster than the previous processor.



5. The new iPhones are 50% more power efficient for increased battery life (that is better) than the iPhone 5s.



6. Apple pay: A new NFC payment system that will let you pay with the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. Cook thinks credit cards are history. Apple Pay will let people transfer credit and debit card account details to their iPhones or Apple watches and pay using those devices. Even McDonald’s and Disney among others have already signed up for the service.



7. Apple watch: Most of us already want it. But that has got to wait. Priced at $349, the watch is available early next year. While not only a watch, it is “a compelling beginning [to] actually designing technology to be worn, to be truly personal,” designer Jony Ive said. It comes with a GPS (win for NASA), is a health and fitness device made of stainless steel with sapphire crystal display. Cook said it has many features including controlling your Apple TV, serving as a viewfinder for your iPhone camera, with heart-rate sensor, an accelerometer and acts as a walkie-talkie.



8. Camera: Burst Selfies for the ones who loathe or are obsessed with the phenomenon.



9. True Tone Flash: With an upgraded sensor, or “next-generation iSight sensor” called “focus pixels” offer DSLR-like phase-detection autofocus, which works twice as fast as the iPhone5S. Also gives you an improved FaceTime camera with better HDR photo quality and videos.



10. iOS 8 will be available on September 17th.



“It’s all about the wallet. Our vision is to replace this and we’re going to start by focusing on payments. Payments is a huge business. Everyday, between credit and debit, we spend $12bn. That’s over four trillion dollars a year and that’s just in the United States. And this business is comprised of over 200,000,000 transactions a day. Apple Pay will forever change the way all of us buy things and its one more reason that iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus are the biggest advancement in the history of iPhone.” Apple CEO Tim Cook