Apple Announcement 9/9/14 Wrap-up | iPhone6, Apple Pay, Apple Watch

Yesterday Apple had their announcement and it did not disappoint (me, at least). They announced the new iPhones, their new payment system and the watch. I will do my best to give you a quick rundown of the information we were given. I wasn’t spot-on in my posts ahead of time, post 1 and post 2, but I was close. More on my opinion later.

I took a long, early lunch from my day job to come home and follow along. There were some issues with the streaming video from Apple, but between that, another live video analysis, Twitter and a written feed I was able to get a good image of what was going on. I then came home last night and watched the full announcement again and read several articles on the topic.

Ok, on to the good stuff:

• iPhone 6 and 6 Plus

  • Two new models of the iPhone, the 6 being a 4.7″ screen and the 6 Plus being a 5.5″ screen.
  • Release date September 19th with preorders at 12:01am on September 12th.
  • They are both bigger in width and heighth over previous iPhones, but they are thinner.
  • The rear camera is still 8 megapixels but has better features. The 6 Plus has optical image stabilization, which takes better pictures. The camera also sticks out a bit from the back since they are so thin.
  • They have moved the power button from the top, and added a large-screen mode to help with one-handed operation on the larger screens.
  •  The 6 Plus has some special features similar to the iPad for horizontal use.
  • Internal storage is now 16gb, 64gb or 128gb. The 6 costs $199, $299 and $399 respectively. The 6 Plus is $100 more for each level. They both come in the same silver, space gray and gold from last year.
  • The processors and inside workings are all better and faster. The screen is ‘nicer.’
  • You can find a comparison of all current iPhone models on Apple’s site.

• Apple Pay

  • There is a doodad built into the iPhone 6 or 6 Plus that will allow you to store your credit card and pay really easily in stores and online.
  • It will be available in October, so more on that later.

• Apple Watch

  • The Apple Watch will be released in early 2015. It looks amazing and I am saving for one now. The prices start at $349. Much more on this later, but watch the Apple video below for a great glimpse at this masterpiece.

• Other

  • iOS8 will be released on September 17th. Get your phones backed up and ready to update.
  • Apple has given every iTunes customer a free copy of U2’s new album. Here is how to get it.

Well, that gives you the essential details for what I think you need to know now. For more in-depth coverage the good people from iMore have a detailed breakdown of the event. If you want to watch the whole two-hour announcement, head over to www.Apple.com.

If you are thinking of getting one of the new models anywhere near the release date, I strongly suggest you call your cell phone company to make sure everything is setup, and get ready to wake up and be ready to order at midnight.