Apple has just wrapped up their 2014 iPhone event and as expected, we got our first look at the iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, and the long rumored Apple Watch. It was arguably one of the most product and feature packed keynotes Apple has given in a long time. However, there were a few things that some of us were speculating about that didn't actually make it on stage...
Sapphire iPhone displays
The Apple Watch will get the sapphire crystal treatment but the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus will not. Many bloggers and YouTubers made pretty bold claims about sapphire displays. Some even went as far to claim they'd had the assembly in their hands and that it was indeed made from sapphire. Write their names down and remember them, because they were wrong.
The lack of sapphire displays in the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus can most likely be attributed to the high cost. With starting prices that are already a little higher than what some hoped for, sapphire would have However, the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus both feature a ion-strengthened glass. We aren't sure exactly what that means for real world use but we're sure there will be plenty of folks lining up to film the first drop test videos.
Apple TV refresh
An Apple TV refresh has been due for quite some time now. Even though we already had a feeling that we wouldn't see a revision at this particular announcement, a lot of us were still secretly crossing our fingers. The 2nd and 3rd generation Apple TVs are both getting long in the tooth. As we thought, we'll have to wait at least until late fall or early spring to possibly see any updates. For now, you'll just have to enjoy the new channels Apple seems to keep adding.
Yosemite release date information
Considering iOS 8 ties into OS X Yosemite for features like continuity, a lot of people were expecting Apple to provide an update on the release date. iOS 8 will be publicly available on September 17th, which is 2 days before the launch of both the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.
While features like continuity just won't work until Yosemite officially hits, it'll be even more interesting to see how Apple handles features such as iCloud Drive, which won't be backwards compatible with Mavericks and older versions of iOS. My guess is that we'll see an update to Mavericks in order to hook into iCloud Drive that will solve compatibility issues before Yosemite is publicly available.
Higher megapixel count iSight Camera
While the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus are both receiving "new and improved" rear iSight cameras with a brand new sensor, they're still stuck at 8 MP. The iPhone 6 Plus will also receive optical image stabilization (OIS). Now, we've argued before that it isn't all about megapixel count, and even though that's still the case, a bump up to 12 MP or so probably would have been a welcome update for many folks.
However, you can expect better overall image quality due to the new sensor. Also bear in mind that the iPhone 5s handles panoramas and lighting scenarios far better than the iPhone 5 and iPhone 5c mainly due to the M7 and software. This will most likely be the case with the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus as well.
HomeKit updates
Apple initially announced HomeKit when they announced iOS 8 back in June. Since then, we haven't heard much about it. Given the focus Apple put on connected accessories today with the debut of their own watch, I think myself and many others were surprised at how little attention HomeKit got.
Aside from Apple showing off Honeywell's thermostat app running in conjunction with Apple Watch, HomeKit didn't get any other mentions that I saw. If I'm missing something though, be sure to let me know in the comments.
No new iPads
Expecting new iPads was quite a stretch but there were still some news outlets out there claiming they'd be updated. As we expected, that wasn't the case. With the iPad Air not even a year old yet, we'd imagine that Apple will make iPads the focus of their next event this fall. We'd also imagine they'll share the stage with any new Macs that Apple has waiting in the wings. Or perhaps those two items will be split into two separate events. We won't know for sure until this fall.
Were your expectations met?
Did Apple announce everything you were hoping for? If not, what features or devices were you secretly crossing your fingers for that didn't make it onto the Flint Center stage? Be sure to let me know in the comments!
Reader comments
iPhone 6 and Apple Watch event: What we didn't get
I think it's sad in general that we have articles called "What we DIDN'T get", in the first place. We want Waterproof Sapphire Crystal Unbreakable 2TB 24K Golden iPhones that can drive our cars and cook our food and we want them on the cheap. How damn greedy have we gotten? Have they really fooled all of you into thinking you actually NEED a new phone in the first place? Does yours not work? Can you not make a call? Can you not connect to the internet? Apple, Google etc... don't OWE you every expectation fueled by made up-rumors you read on the internet. While yes.. upgrades ARE nice but the fact that we've become so materialistic that we feel we are OWED work we did not put in is astonishing to me. Technology grows at a faster pace every year but we have to appreciate the fact that Apple and some of these other companies spending BILLIONS in research etc to make us little spoiled Americans happy. Many of the people who built your phone can't even afford one. So chill. Be grateful for what you have a grateful for the work these people put in. Yes... one day your phone will NEVER break... but if you think you'll be getting it for $49.99, I suggest you stay in the dreamland of yours.
My biggest disappointment? 16/64/128. I can't use a 16GB phone. I have a 32GB iPhone 5s to store my music on and a 10GB data plan and I'm still running up against the cap every month. With a 16GB phone I'd either be stuck with the same several albums or have overages. Unfortunately, for 12 hours a day I don’t have access to WiFi, so I'm still going to be shelling out $850 instead of $750 for the iPhone 6 Plus. When you're buying off-contract, that extra $100 isn't anything to sneeze at. That’s a new Bluetooth speaker, a couple cases or a tank of gas. I already knew I'd be getting the mid-tier but it would've been a nice surprise. Plus, Apple had the chance to almost force every other big name (Samsung) to raise the lower limit to 32GB. But then again, that’s the biggest advantage, IMO, to some Android phones: the microSD slot. Throw your music on there, stick it in the phone and go. I could get away with my 16GB Galaxy S5 because of the microSD card. If it wasn’t such a horrible user experience, I might still have it. Anyway, I know a 32GB minimum would have a hit on margins and that's why they left it at 16GB but man.... how about you don't buy 500 million copies of U2's new album and put that toward offsetting margin hits on a 32GB iPhone?
Really liking the design of the iP6 and 6+.... This is where Johnny I is best...hardware design, but still wish he'd been kept well away from iOS design.
Waterproofing would have been a nice add on but not a deal breaker
Think the base model should now have been a 32GB unit not 16
But so far it's the best iteration since going from the iP3 to the 4. After that the 4S, was not worth the upgrade, the 5 was nice, but the 5c is horrible compared to the 5, and I didn't need a fingerprint scanner so didn't go for the 5S.
Might actually look to upgrade this time!... Daft thing is...my JB iP4 still completely rocks!!!!
An iPhone that can talk and surf at the same time on Verizon or Sprint would've been nice.
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The iPhone 6 could've been waterproof, but it's whatever.
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No sapphire, WHO CARES!
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No 128GB iPod Touch 6th generation. :-\
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"It isn't all about megapixel count"...great excuse!
When it comes to hardware, iPhone is 2 years behind Samsung
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This is why we get Samsungs/Nokias.
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i wanted to see new ipods insted the killed the classic. and i would have like the iphone to be prettier and better camera i mean i am sure apple can make it better but why not giving it to us. can't wait to touch it and feel it in my hands
Looks like I'll have to wait until the "6S".
Pretty bummed about an 8MP camera still.
I feel that a better camera probably would have made this phone as close to perfect as possible. Nevertheless, I'll consider it as an option.
Ion strength is nothing but Gorilla glass process.
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I'm waiting for confirmation that the native music app will play hd tracks.
Moreover, I hope apple will update the entire music portfolio with hd tracks instead of the low quality sub-CD standard presently available. FOC of course.
I was really hoping for the sapphire display but I guess it won't be utilized until the price goes down... hopefully the ion-strengthened glass will be more durable than previous iphones. I really want to get an iphone that doesn't need a case
No sapphire and no iPads. Oh well. We have a watch that won't come out until next year.
T-Mobile users get no Band 12 LTE. No reason for any T-Mobile customer to buy any iPhone 6 until this gets rectified.
Can you elaborate? I'm on T-Mobile.
The iPhone 6 will only support T-Mobile's legacy AWS (LTE Band 4) frequency (1700/2100 MHz)- it will not support Band 12 LTE that T-Mobile has been acquiring since the first of the year. Band 12 (700 MHz) is very desirable as it has longer signal reach and better penetration inside buildings. Many of T-Mobile's Band 12 acquisitions are in areas where they currently have zero coverage. Apple and T-Mobile have some explaining to do as to how/why Band 12 LTE is missing-especially as they aren't the only carrier in that spot.
If you are a T-Mobile subscriber and unless you have an absolute requirement to have Apple Pay, there is no reason to acquire any version of the just announced iPhone 6's-especially if you live in one of the Band 12 areas.
Marques Brownlee on his youtube channel went back and discussed his first video explaining the sapphire display thing and said it didn't quite match up to real sapphire. It was still incredibly resistant to various things but it wasn't sapphire.
doesn't seem to take much to excite fanboi's here. I WANT to switch, but really? this is the best Apple can do? The watch is a joke, and the dial will be awkward to use if it's on the right wrist. might've looked better if it had a slight curve on the back.
Still was hoping for a little less bezel on the iPhone 6. How hard can it be to make an edge to edge screen?
Why couldn't they have mentioned anything about a Mac mini!!!
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I agree. It needs a refresh
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It wasn't a Mac event. Wait for October.
For me iPhone 6's really perfect, all Apple products were very delicate devices so im sure i have to buy 2 units upon the arrival in Italy.
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I was really hoping for a 1080p screen. I have been on a Google Nexus for a while and said I would only go back for a bigger screen that was full HD. I guess we will see if I keep my word. Truthfully, I'm very disappointed in Apple for their failure to catch up in this seemingly easy regard.
The 5.5" Plus is 1080p, just not the 4.7" model.
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True enough. That is another reason it is disappointing. They have the tech.
PPI is what you're looking for here, since there are two screen sizes
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Yes sir. The PPI is still inferior to similar sized flag ship devices.
My expectations were met. I like what I saw today from Apple. I'm excited about the new devices.
of course you are because that's basically what's expected of the apple fan base.
Now now, don't be like that, they're allowed to be excited about finally catching up to other platforms. It's still new to the those locked into Apple's ecosystem.
You know, I was expecting to jump ship from WP to Apple but frankly, I am underwhelmed by this new iPhone.
We also didn't get a new iPod touch. :(
I have a feeling that we probably did, it just has a smaller screen and a wrist strap now...
I was hoping for a working video stream. I lesson in mandarin was unexpected.
Agreed. So the amount of "missing" stuff might hint toward an October event as well geared toward Mac / AppleTV / iPad (maybe with an iPad Pro?). It seems a bit strange that they'd have yet another event ... but it *might* make sense if Yosemite was originally targeted toward October.
Good thoughts. I'm over all happy. I would have liked to see them make the iPhone waterproof but other than that it's all good. With all the focus on gaming right now I hope the Apple TV will get refreshed next month.
I'd love to see them turn Apple TV into a console for the rest of us (those that don't want to play first person shooters with a bunch of snotty teenage punks)...
Get off my lawn!
I want it! :)
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I want it!! :)
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I think that the only real disappointments to me were the pricing of the iPhones, and then how ugly the Watch felt. I just thought that the Watch had neat features there and all, but the UI felt too cluttered for such a small display. On the iPhone side, it was really just that the 6 Plus is looking likely to be priced $50-100 above the directly-competing products, while the 6 could have been a great deal at $149 (with the 6 Plus at $199 or $249). Oh, I also felt that they went a little cheap on the resolution on the 4.7-icnh display. They took the minimum pixel density and aimed for an awkward resolution with it.
I'm surprised they didn't make the iphone thicker just to house the camera and make it flush with the rest of the phone, I mean we're only talking millilitres right and it Won't feel very good typing or using multitouch lying on your desk
Design-wise, the iPhone 5 and iPhone 5s are, by far, more beautiful than these two. Anyway, looking forward to try all the new functionalities and the new A8 processor. ;-)
I agree. The 5/5s are much more pleasing to the eye. Not to say the 6 is ugly, but the 5/5s is simply beautiful.
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Agreed: 5/5S are better looking, much more detail, fit & finish went into them. Not to mention the engineering it takes to get that much in such a small package. 6 seems like a cop out. Sure the numbers are better, but I don't think it took as much effort.
But the round sides are going to be much more comfortable in your hand.
Who cares, I am putting it in a case anyway.
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Maximum coverage Invisible Shield, by Zagg. My phones stay nearly perfect, and I get to enjoy the slim design. Just don't drop it.
WTF??? I just looked on the Zagg website, and they don't offer Maximum coverage for 6/6+, not even a back at all???? Oh I'm pissed. First, the most I could get for my iPad Air still left the sides exposed, the most vulnerable part!
After all these years of being their acolyte ... This might be the end.
The one thing I hoped for with regards to the 5.5" was that they would surprise us with the fact that that model could run iPad apps, and it would be a true phablet...Oh well...there's always the 'S' :)
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Wanted wireless charging!
That normally adds some thickness to a device. So maybe that is why?
Or they could have added this to the 6 Plus!
Pretty bummed about the lack of sapphire. Hoping that the ion-strengthened screens are a bit tougher - else I expect to see a good bit of these slick, thin, new iPhones with broken screens. :-/
water resistant iphone :(
for real, what happened to that rubber sleep/wake button from the leaks
Agreed!! Sony has proven that you no longer sacrifice looks for ruggedness. Of course we always want 16GB RAM, 1TB storage A28 processor blah blah but waterproofing something we take into wet environments would be a huge upgrade for everyone.