On Tuesday, 9th September 2014, Apple CEO, Tim Cook addressed the masses to confirm the worst kept secret in the digital realm - the launch of the iPhone 6, the iPhone 6 Plus, “oh and there’s one more thing…”
Taking to the stage in traditional Apple fashion; the choice in venue, where Steve Jobs chose to launch the first Apple Macintosh computer in 1984, should have been enough to warrant alarm bells in even the most avid of Android lovers, for what would be the event of the year.
iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus
With all guns blazing, Apple celebrated a ten year collaboration with one of the biggest bands in history – U2, who gave away their much anticipated 13th studio album to iTunes’ 800million strong community for free! That sudden intake of Bono in your playlist, is all starting to make sense now isn’t it?!
So onto the devices, two new iPhones were announced both from (arguably) the 8th generation of iPhones to grace the market since it’s official launch in 2007. Both the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus offer consumers a range of new hardware features and software specs including:
- A larger screen size – iPhone 6 (4.7in) and iPhone 6 Plus (5.5in)
- New curved build for improved handling
- Crisp retina HD display
- Bigger storage capacity options (64Gb, 128GB)
- Improved battery life
- 50% improvement on graphics performance
- Faster processing speed (25%)
And don’t even get us started of the camera capabilities; we’re talking DSLR quality improvements with a ‘new’ 8Mp camera, improved sensory pack (Focus Pixels) optical image stabilisation, faster autofocus, True Tone LED Flash and so much more!
As fantastic as this all sounds, we can’t help but question Apple’s new iPhone offerings. We’ve seen the company paving the way for so long, but are they now on the back-foot in terms of innovating truly ‘revolutionary’ products? Only time will tell, although predictions are set for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus to sell 10m units by the end of the year – watch out Samsung.
As a digital marketing agency, our initial thoughts turn to how this might affect your digital marketing strategy - what with the size changes, the amount of retail space available to search engines will of course change. It is expected that more paid advertising will begin to dominate search results, while natural search campaigns will be pushed outside of their usual page rankings.
Apple Pay
A very special service that will feature on the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus as a potential game changer, is the brand new mobile payment service called, Apple Pay. The service works so that instead of swiping a credit card, users of the service will be able to swipe their iPhone, which can be preloaded with customers’ debit and credit cards using the Passbook application.
Now I know what you’re thinking - what with all the recent suspected iCloud security issues, what happens if my phone gets stolen or better yet, my account gets hacked? Well each transaction can only be authorised using a unique touch ID security features and one-time number/code, instead of the security code form the back of your credit card. As Apple looks to change the way you pay, by providing an easy, secure and private solution. Well played Apple.
Apple Watch
“Oh and there’s one more thing…” the much hyped iWatch as it turns out, is actually called the Apple Watch. With its own processing system, the Apple Watch not only tells you the time, but lets you message friends, access your apps and charts your fitness.
As expected the Apple Watch has been engineered to seamlessly integrate into the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus’ user experience. Available next year, Apple’s first wearable device will come in two different sizes and three different “collections” to suit any style.
All watches have flexible Retina-quality touchscreen displays, infrared LED’s and photo diodes that take your pulse to “turn movement into data”. To assist with this ‘new’ health and fitness device, the watch uses your iPhone’s GPS and WiFi to calculate and measure your location; perfect for when you’re running late for work, or just out for a run.
Looking back at the history of the humble timepiece, we’ve seen it change and develop into a wrist mounted communication device, calculator and now a mini mobile. However, I believe it was Ellen DeGeneres who put it best when she tweeted: "So excited for the Apple Watch. For centuries, we’ve checked the time by looking at our phones. Having it on your wrist? Genius. #AppleLive"
How Do You Like Them Apples?
So not to state the obvious, but it really is a great day for Apple, U2 and of course the consumer with lots of shiny new smart toys to play with. But what about the electronics market - music devices, digital cameras and existing wearable devices?
As Apple has come to dominate the music, smartphone and tablet markets, it now plays second fiddle to the ‘bigger’ phone and smartwatch markets, with seasoned favourite Samsung happy to finally see some ‘real’ competition.
In the wake of these ‘revolutionary’ new devices, did anyone notice the death of an icon? So we would like to take a moment to remember the iPod classic. RIP old friend, the Internet will always remember what you gave us. iPod + iTunes forever!