Everything you need to know from Apple's iPhone 6 and Apple Watch event‏

You may have missed our liveblog of Apple's September 2014 event announcing the iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, and Apple Watch, but luckily we've wrapped up the whole event for you with a bow on top.

iPhone 6: price and release date

iPhone 6

The event kicked off with a bang by announcing the 4.7-inch iPhone 6. The iPhone 6 is 6.9 mm thin, compared to the 7.6 mm profile of the iPhone 5s. Both the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus have thinner backlights, photo-aligned IPS LCDs, ion-strengthened glass, and improved polarizers for outdoor visibility. NFC is built into the top of the phone. The iPhone 6 body is constructed with recyclable aluminum, and is free of BFRs, Beryllium, and PVC. The iPhone 6 has a mercury-free 1334 x 750 display, which works out to 38% more pixels than the iPhone 5s. Leather and silicone cases will be available.

iPhone 6 keys

The 16 GB iPhone 6 will be $199 on contract, $299 for the 64 GB iPhone 6, and $399 for the 128 GB model. Off-contract pricing in America will be $649 for 16 GB, $749 for 64 GB, and $849 for 128 GB. Off-contract pricing in the UK will work out to £539 for 16 GB, £619 for 64 GB, and £699 for 128 GB. The iPhone 6 release date is set to September 19 with preorders starting this Friday. 115 countries will have access to the iPhone 6 by the end of 2014.

Be sure to check out our new topic page for the iPhone 6 Plus, which has absolutely everything you need to know. For a closer look, check out our hands-on video with the iPhone 6.

iPhone 6 Plus: price and release date

iPhone 6 Plus

At the same time, the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus was announced. It has a slim 7.1 mm profile, compared to 7.6 mm for the iPhone 5s. It boasts a full 1080p mercury-free 1920 x 1080 screen (that's 185% more pixels than the 5s, by the way). NFC is built into the top of the phone. The iPhone 6 Plus body is constructed with recyclable aluminum, and is free of BFRs, Beryllium, and PVC. Leather and silicone cases will be available.

The iPhone 6 Plus starts at $299 on contract for the 16 GB model and is shipping on September 19 with preorders starting this Friday. The iPhone 6 Plus will cost $399 on contract for the 64 GB model, and $499 on contract for the 128 GB model. Off-contract pricing in the U.S. will be $749 for 16 GB, $849 for 64 GB, and $949 for 128 GB. Off-contract pricing in the UK will be £619 for 16 GB, £699 for 64 GB, and £789 for 128 GB. 115 countries will have access to the iPhone 6 Plus by the end of 2014.

Be sure to check out our new topic page for the iPhone 6 Plus, which has absolutely everything you need to know. We also got some hands-on time with the iPhone 6 Plus.

Apple Watch: price and release date

Apple Watch

Then there's the much-anticipated Apple Watch. It's striking a clear balance between fashion and function. It monitors your health with a built-in heart rate monitor and smart, practical software, and offers a wide range of bands, apps, and faces. Three types will be available: Apple Watch, Apple Watch Sport and Apple Watch Edition. 38 mm and 42 mm sizes will be available. Color options will include space black stainless steel, space gray or silver anodized aluminum and 18-karat rose or yellow gold. Band options include elastomer, stainless steel mesh, quilted leather; the leather with a solid metal clasp in Modern or Classic styles, and a stainless steel link bracelet.

A hardware dial called the Digital Crown helps navigate with precision, though touch input is also used to get around. The Apple Watch charges wirelessly through a custom MagSafe charger. A subtle haptic feedback motor called Taptic can provide gentle vibrations for notifications. A gold-plated luxury edition will also be out for the big spenders. The Apple Watch will require an iPhone 5 or above for full functionality, but for most of us that shouldn't be a problem. It will be available for $349 in early 2015.

Be sure to check out our new topic page for the Apple Watch, which has absolutely everything you need to know. We also had some hands-on time with the Apple Watch at the announcement.

iOS 8

iOS 8

The iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus will both be shipping with iOS 8, which will be rolling out to devices all the way back to the iPhone 4s on September 17. The update will include new features for Messages and Photos Features, the improved QuickType Keyboard, Extensibility for apps to interact with one another, iCloud Drive, and a new Health App. Be sure to read our massive feature explaining everything new in iOS 8.

NFC and Apple Pay

Apple Pay

At long last, the iPhone and the new Apple Watch is getting near-field communications, enabling all sorts of secure mobile payments. Apple Pay is a one-touch checkout that doesn't require any pin numbers. Just use TouchID to pay with the integrated fingerprint scanner on the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. Apple Pay ties in with Passbook to keep track of your various credit cards, which can be added simply by taking a photo of them.

On the security side, using Find my iPhone, you can remotely lock down all payments made through Apple Pay. Apple doesn't know how much you spend, and cashiers don't get your credit card information in the transaction. American Express, MasterCard, and Visa are already on board. Citi, Bank of America, Capital One, Wells Fargo, and Chase are also on board. 220,000 retailers will be supporting Apple Pay, including Walgreens, Staples, McDonald's, and Macy's. Apple Pay will also be able to be used for making purchases online from the device.

You can learn more about Apple Pay on our new topic page.

Apple A8 64-bit processor and new M8 motion processor

iPhone 6 A8 processor

Apple is using a new A8 processor in the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. It's built using a 20 nanometer process, and has 2 billion transistors in it. Overall, the footprint is about 13% smaller than the A7 chip, while increasing the CPU speed by 20% and graphics processing by 50%. The A8 will leverage Apple's new graphics rendering engine, Metal, and there are already a ton of game developers supporting it. Vainglory was on display to demonstrate what's up, and you can check out the gameplay here.

At the same time, Apple has upgraded their fitness-centric co-processor. It can now tell the difference between cycling and running, and figure out distance and relative elevation on its own thanks to a new barometer. Nike+ will take advantage of the new capability in the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.

LTE and Wi-Fi upgrade

iPhone 6 wireless

The iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus will now take advantage of 20 LTE bands, speeds up to 150 Mbps, and voice over LTE thanks to carrier partnerships with Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile (Sprint was conspicuously absent from the slide talking about this). Wi-Fi calling is being supported with specific carriers (T-Mobile U.S. was mentioned), and Wi-Fi ac for really high-speed data transfers while at home.

iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus camera: Focus Pixels and 240 FPS slow-mo

iPhone 6 camera

The newest iPhones sport 8 megapixel cameras with f/2.2 aperture lenses and a new image stabilization mechanism. Autofocus is now about twice as fast, and face detection is vastly improved. The iPhone 6 has digital image stabilization, while the iPhone 6 Plus has a proper optical image stabilization which moves the lens itself as needed.

You'll now be able to shoot slo-mo 1080p video at 120 frames per second or 240 frames per second. Cinematic video stabilization offers hyperlapse-style videos. A new system called Focus Pixels will enable smooth continuous autofocus while shooting video. The front-facing camera also enables burst shot and HDR for the ultimate in selfies.

Read more about the new iSight cameras here.

iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus Battery

iPhone 6 event

The iPhone 6 will afford 50 hours of audio playback, 11 hours video, 11 hours Wi-Fi browsing, 10 hours browsing on LTE or 3G, 14 hours 3G talk time, and 10 days standby. Meanwhile the iPhone 6 Plus will offer 80 hours of audio playback, 14 hours of video, 12 hours of Wi-Fi, LTE, or 3G browsing, 24 hours of 3G, and 16 days of standby.

Bigger screens mean more possibilities

iPhone 6 in landscape

With the bigger screen, users will be able to enjoy iPad-style user interfaces throughout iOS 8. Namely, that means second panes while viewing content in landscape orientation, but you'll also get some new keyboard buttons for cut, copy, and paste. Speaking of which, now the home screen will rotate appropriately when holding your iPhone 6 Plus in landscape.

In portrait, a new gesture, a double-touch on the home button, will scoot down the whole UI so you can tap elements at the upper part of the screen without having to reach. Swiping from the edges will now now move forward and back in Safari, and let you flip through Mail and Messages. Apps will scale automatically and seamlessly to fit the new screen resolutions, though as always, developers can optimize for specific devices.

Simon Sage

Editor-at-very-large at Mobile Nations, gamer, giant.

142 Comments
  • And new U2 music for free!
  • Having not yet seen the video keynote and relied solely on MacWorld's live-blog, plus being a huge fan of Apple, I am actually kinda ho-hum about it all. The last 2 mid-year keynotes were so much more compelling (come out dizzy with info). Looking much forward in any case to iOS8, Omni Group's pipeline and above all (hopefully) the iPad Pro.
  • I'm not a huge fan of the iPhone rounding and overall design language. But I guess I get that it's more curved to match the design language of the watch. I will reserve judgment until I can get it in my hand and play with it. It's possible I'll stay on my current upgrade cycle and wait until the iPhone 6s Plus. Pretty sure I'll be getting a watch though. I'm glad they kept them backward compatible with the 5 line.
  • Agreed.
  • There's only so much a phone can be, hardware wise. Same with a watch. It's all about the software that runs on it. That was really the point of the iPhone. It's a canvas that can do the things it used to take multiple devices to do. From now on, it's only going to be incremental upgrades. Not bc of commercialism, but bc of what technology allows. If the Apple Watch had a holographic projector with 3d laser interaction, people would say they're only copying the holo-deck. Right now, this isn't practical. Big blank touch screen, this is what we interact with. The hardware behind it will evolve, but it's hard to imagine what it would take to make everyone shit their pants like the rev 1 iPhone came out. So, I'm with you, I'm more interested in what iOS 8 brings than the few incremental advances in the iPhone 6/+. (Yeah, I know NFC equals more than just hardware, but it's still not a pants-filling feature)
  • What about full retail pricing? I am uncarrier, I actually like to know the true cost of the phone.
  • £539 for iPhone 6 and £619 for the Plus in the UK
  • For the 16GB models I assume?
  • Found and added. Starts at $649. 128 GB 6 Plus caps out at $949.
  • Whoa! iPad prices for a phone? Sent from the iMore App
  • That's true for all decent off-contract phones. The 2-year contract typically subsidizes about $400 of the price. The nice thing about iPhones is they have good resale value. I couldn't even give away my 2 year old android phones.
  • Bc you have to be a super nerd to bypass the carrier's crap to get the latest Anroid OS on your 2 year old Android, since most carriers don't provide he latest and greatest for most phones. But super nerds don't want your fossil.
  • I don't get their price points at all...$199 for a 16gb phone, $399 for the same phone in 128gb? How is that even possible. $350 for the iWatch to START is way over what competitors are offering their products for. It just doesn't make sense to me where they came up with these prices...
  • It comes with more sensors(GPS) than the current offerings of other companies. When you see other companies with some of the same offerings the prices will go up a little.
  • Apple Watch does not have GPS. It uses the GPS & Wi-Fi of the tethered iPhone, I assume via BT-LE. It does have gyroscope & accelerometer. And HRM. IDK if other watches have the gyro or accelerometer. IMO, the battery is going to make or break it for me. <3 my Pebble's battery life!
  • Good catch, serves me right for browsing instead of reading.
  • There is much to read. It is difficult to get it all in this quickly. I'm sure there's plenty I missed. Crazy how we all get so excited about this little toys, and what they can do. I used to get this way about cars. I knew the intricate specs about the Bugatti EB110, Ferrari F50, etc, but I can't afford one of those. I can afford apple toys (and other crap I don't really need)
  • +1 Sent from the iMore App
  • Early adopters.
  • You can get the 5S for $99 is you want something that is still faster than competing droids. The good new phones start at $199 for 16GB (except the Samsung S4/5 that has so much bloatware it has <8 GB usable).
  • GS5 is older that 6months (roughly?)at this point. You can get one for $50 w2yc.
    My sister in law JUST switched from iP5 to GS5 bc she wanted a bigger screen / more "customizable" (she barely used 10% of what her iPhone could do out of the box). I told her to wait a month. We'll see how she likes it. Oh well.
  • Lmfao... What a fool Sent from the iMore App
  • I'm very disappointed in your sister site, Android Central. They didn't let me down in their childish fanboyism reporting. I would separate myself from them.... Their editors act like the typical Android fanboy teen living in their mom's basement.
  • Do you mean in the same way that Rene plays off of very single Samsung advertisement that's ever been made? I think it's just healthy sibling rivalry. :)
  • I am not sure I follow. I am an android, mac and ipad user. There is only one article today about the apple launch on Android Central and it is about how Apple has made fun of all the "BIG" useless android phones and now has one of the biggest phones available. It just a poke back at Apple for changing directions.
  • I think it's a fair counterpoint. I'm still not sure Apple likes the huge phone. But I'm pretty sure it will sell. I know they will be selling at least one. I love the size of my wife's Galaxy Note 3, I just don't care for Android. Now I don't have to compromise.
  • I have friends who have iphones, even they are disappointed in Apples non-innovation with the iphone 6. Changing directions,lol, more like no innovation. Even my BlackBerry Z30 destroys the new iphone 6. Like it or not BlackBerry IS innovation, Apple is a marketing machine. Take your pick, follow the lemmings or........ BlackBerry Passport you can't get here soon enough!
  • Soo pathetic. BB slavishly copied the iPhone and came out with dud after dud (Storm, Storm 2). The only BB users I know are the ones that are still forced to use them by the company. BB was many years too late to the touchscreen game and it took them about 6 years to finally copy the iPhone. It only took Google 2 years to make their droid copies. Its soo pathetic to see a BB user believe their fancy pagers have anything on Apple.
  • Are you a Android Fanboy Fanboy? Because you talk about them more than anything else that is discussed.
  • *fanboi fanboi Gotta spell it right Joe
  • You are right...
    +googol
  • Actually "fanboi" is incorrect. A "boi" is a female that dresses like a male. A "fanboi" would be a female Apple fan dressed in drag. Also worth noting ... the very use of "fanboy" fangirl" etc. marks you as a complete idiot because it's a recourse to name calling. So using it at all, means that anyone with a brain is going to completely discount everything you say. And rightly so.
  • calm your jets...I was correcting his spelling
  • Troll Troll Troll.... Posted via the Android iMore App!
  • Welcome to 2012.
  • Lmao Samsung sells shitty PLASTIC phones. Something that's a bit more premium is better. And A LOT of YouTube stars use iPhones. Sent from the iMore App
  • I am not sure why you are saying this to me? Wrong response possibly?
  • LOLOLOLOLOL Yes, I am buying an iPhone because some Youtube star has it. Perfect iPhone reasoning right there....
  • Honestly I didn't even want to give that part of the comment the courtesy of a response. I swear kids (my younger brother being one) think that "stars" on youtube are something to strive to be. They think youtube is just handing out dollars for views. If you want to make money in life quit messing around on youtube all day.
  • My son went though a phase when he was 12-14 or so when he was doing that. Thankfully he matured. I would have had to hate to either beat it out of him or block YouTube at home and on his phone. That would not have cured him completely, but at least it would have stopped the infection....it ran its course. Scooby Doo on the other hand, he cannot shake that one(he is 17 now). Still has the movie memorized in several languages. Yep, he watched in French enough times that he has it memorized that way...Spanish as well I believe.
  • I think you may be taking things a little too seriously. There were 3 post referencing the Apple announcements. The first was the push of people to iMore for Apple news. It led with a joke about Apple inventing big phones. The 2nd was a joke post about the new iPhone being too big because that's what Apple has said about Android phones. And the 3rd was a contest that they do for every Apple announcment. There was no "childish fanboyism"; it was all in good fun.
  • So, you are complaining on the Apple based site about the Android based site, why exactly? Is that like telling mom you don't like what sis did? I'm not sure why you wouldn't discuss your displeasure with the source of your displeasure... Oh right, because you are trolling!!! Of course each niche of Mobile Nation is supposed to boost the OS and hardware they report on... Please don't be so absurd. You're making iMore look bad with this sophomoric whining and you are perpetuating exactly that which you complain about. P.S.: I'm not here in defense of Android, but rather in defense of Mobile Nations.
  • What is the full price for the US? I can't find it anywhere.
  • This is the full retail pricing of the new iPhones, like getting them at T-Mobile without a contract: iPhone 6 (4.7"): 16GB = $649; 64GB = $749; 128GB = $849
    iPhone 6 Plus (5.5"): 16GB = $749; 64GB = $849; 128GB = $949
  • Thanks! Yeah, as I thought, the iPhone Plus is just a little out of my price range, lol. Still, a nice looking device, though!
  • Well I am sure as hell not telling you. It is bad enough you went to WP, I do not want you going totally off the deep end.... just lookin out for ya bro
  • Merc has already been lost, let him do as he will. There is no crossing back over.
  • Wait what did I miss?
  • You missed the pie and the koolaid haha.
  • WE WILL LEAVE NO MAN BEHIND! It was not over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor and it certainly is not over now. He has not gone over to the dark side dammit, he just went for cookies (or punch and pie if it is Tuesday)
  • Haha thanks! At least somebody hasn't lost faith in me, lol.
  • Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?
    I thought it was the Japanese... ;-)
  • Forget it, I'm on a roll
  • Haha It was a movie, lol.
  • Can't watch everything... :-)
  • Haha, I'm actually coming back to Android in a few days. I love my Lumia 1520, but Windows Phone is kinda driving me nuts lol.
  • ...and they were ready to abandon you to the wild...
  • Haha I know. It's all good, though. I'm not sure if I can wait for the Note 4. I'm gonna take a trip to AT&T this weekend and see if I can get some money off of something, lol.
  • If the Note 4 would not have come close to my expectations I would be all over the G3. I had to turn my work one back in but I want it back. I even almost got used to the buttons this time around.
  • I'll try to be patient. I'm going to play around with the G3, but I do want to have a chance to play around with the Note 4. Not gonna lie, I know that it's kinda a gimmick to have a 2K display on a smartphone, but something about that makes me want one, haha. I'm surprised to hear that you actually got used to the buttons in the back. I remember, back when the G2 first came out, the buttons in the back was your chief complaint, right?
  • Yeah pretty much. A few other ticky-tack things but I could have gotten used to them or found a way around them if I was buying the phone. I think that the difference this time is that 1. I really had to do a decent evaluation on it (work) and 2. I wanted to really like the phone. The S5 is nice and all but I am just getting a bit bored with basic TW. Can't stand the camera on the One, Sony was MIA (I am getting a Z3 though), The X/Nexus was already done and didn't want back......so it was up to the G3 to wow me. It did. Again maybe it is because I wanted it to.... Note 4 has that 2K screen...just sayin....lol
  • Haha yeah, lately, it seems as if the Note has replaced the S5 as the flagship device. I'm going to play around with the iPhone 6 when it hits stores just so I can at least say that I drew some comparisons. But, the Note 4 may actually be in my future. I love the Lumia 1520, but it's the little things that are killing me: The browser has a mind of its own at times, and this keyboard helps me misspell words better than a retarded junkie. We'll see, I guess, lol.
  • I will too when it hits the office, I am not going out of my way for the iPhone unless they make me. Just like I said about TW, it is stale. Maybe if I read some more about the iOS8 feature set I will change my mind but I cannot see me evaluating that one. You owe me a new keyboard and beer for that "retarded junkie" comment. I only had one WP in the office (maybe a few more that I really didn't care about) and didn't deal with it much. I did however like what I saw at first blush. I take it you cannot swap keyboards out on it huh?
  • Haha Yeah, unfortunately, it's a limitation of the OS that you're stuck with the keyboard that Mother Microsoft is gracious to give you, lol. I wanted to get another Nexus device, but I'm spoiled by the micro-SD card slot (it doesn't help, that Amazon has been having great sells on flash memory). I like Windows Phone, and I think Microsoft should be given a chance, as the OS is solid. I just wish they'd put a little more into their marketing. PS. Shipping the keyboard, now, lol. It's a cheap one, though. Oh, and I'm shipping you a PBR, haha. I just realized that we trolled the hell outta this article, haha. I kinda feel bad.
  • Aw, somebody down-voted me, how cute lol
  • Tell you what, they are not all that friendly around here sometimes. I was just in the forums reading a thread on someone talking Note 4 Vs I6, it was hostile man, friggin hostile. Moderators were not much better. (full disclosure: I have gotten points in there recently, they were deserved, that last comment was not retaliation)
  • Yeah, I know how touchy the forums can be. No offense to anyone, but I've avoided the forums altogether. They get WAY too opinionated, at times. I love Mobile Nations. But, recently, I've noticed that people that have gotten kicked off of other sites for being rabid fanboys have flocked to Mobile Nations. The comments sections never used to be this epic before, lol.
  • I tried the Windows thing with the Surface pro. It was awesome hardware.. but windows (tablet) and windows 8 are just not for me. I replaced it with a Macbook Air 8 gb ram and i7 processor. It is a beast in a small package I love it. Now I need a new tablet dammit haha.
  • Yeah, I had the Surface Pro 3. While I loved the hardware and the experience, I couldn't justify having it and the iPad Air. It was more of a large tablet than a laptop (essentially, that's what it is). So, I replaced the Surface Pro 3 with a MacBook Pro with Retina Display (4GB RAM, 128GB SSD) that I got for a little over a grand. I absolutely love it. Battery life is great, and it charges fast, which is a MAJOR plus. What's funny is that back in June, when I first tried the MacBook Pro, I absolutely hated it. Now, I love it. Now, if the Surface Pro 3 had built-in LTE, it might have replaced my iPad Air and played the role of both laptop and tablet. But, for some reason, Microsoft refuses to at least offer the option,.
  • You like the ipad Air? I do not like the form factor of the large iPads. But in terms of my tablet replacement I am very much considering Retina Mini. I love my Macbook Air, I almost went with the exact Pro model that you have. But i opted to spend a little more and get the fully loaded air. It is a slight hit to the screen but the better battery life is worth it for me. For my needs (running the adobe suite and wacom drivers) this little computer crushes face.
  • Yeah, I had the Retina iPad Mini. I loved it, but I noticed that, for me, it wasn't the greatest for reading books. My eyesight isn't the greatest, that's why I opted for the Air. You can't go wrong with the Mini, though: great battery life, awesome screen, and amazing for portability. Plus, if you shop around, you can find it on sale for quite a bit off of its original selling price (which is almost unheard of for Apple products). Back in August, Best Buy had it on sale for 75 dollars off; at some point, WalMart was offering a 100 dollar gift card to anyone that purchased an iPad Mini 1 or 2; and, I think Staples had some kind of sale running on it, as well.
  • Yeah, I may wait to see what is announced before the end of the year and then decide. If it is a minor bump I will get the current model Retina and save some money. Best Buy had the original ipad mini on sale for $200 that was tempting, but I think at that size the retina would be a good advantage.
  • rabbble...rabbble...rabble...TRAITORS....RABBLE RABBLE RABBLE....MALCONTENTS...R A B B LE... RABBLE...UNGRATEFUL>>>>>>
  • http://cf.chucklesnetwork.agj.co/items/1/4/2/4/7/not-sure-if-omen-or-jus...
  • lol
  • Hahaha
  • This is the full retail pricing of the new iPhones, like getting them at T-Mobile without a contract: iPhone 6 (4.7"): 16GB = $649; 64GB = $749; 128GB = $849
    iPhone 6 Plus (5.5"): 16GB = $749; 64GB = $849; 128GB = $949 iPhones do have their "bells and whistles" but for these prices you can get a super Android phone (like LG G3 or the upcoming Motorola Moto X 2014) for $499 or $599 with 32GB storage.
  • This was kind of my thought. Just to give every OS a fair shot, I've taken a break from iPhone (when the 5S was released) to use Windows Phone and an LTE Android tablet for the past year (still use an iPad and Mac at home, though). It has been my intention to go back to an iPhone once the iPhone 6 was introduced. However, after the announcements, I don't know if I can justify the off contract price. And while I was originally miffed about the $499 price tag of the new Moto X, it looks a lot more appealing now. Luckily, my wife will definitely be getting a new iPhone 6 (plus?), so I will have a chance to try it out first hand before buying.
  • Now that Apple's in the game, wireless payments and smart watches will be mainstream very quickly. I can't imagine ever getting a computer watch from Apple or anybody else, but I'm sure somebody will buy them. :) I will wait and see how I feel about the bigger phones. I feel like all these devices are taking the "mobile" out of mobile computing. I'm hoping the iPhone 6 won't be too big. One handed use is critically important for a phone in my view, and I don't know if the "double touch slide down thingy" is going to be a good answer to that. It seems kind of gimmicky to me. To me, a phone should be a phone and not try to be a tablet. Some of those Samsung "phones" are obscenely large and it appears that Apple has jumped on that train unfortunately. Speaking of which, I know it wasn't announced at the live event, but is there anything about new iPads? I've heard rumors of a quiet release of an "iPad Air 2" and am curious if it's happening and what they're likely to be like. I've been holding off waiting for new models before getting my first.
  • I presume the next ipad will be the same as the air, but with A8, the new LCD, Touch ID. (Maybe curved edge of screen)
    They MIGHT make the iPad Plus (13"), but I don't think it is going to be the iOS/OSX hybrid that people have been dreaming of. The Air is great. I had rev1 & rev3. The Air is much faster and lighter than rev3. I use the Air much more than I did the rev3. Don't get one now, just grab up the next one. One things for sure, it will be better than the Air one way shape or form.
  • I found this event disappointing in almost every way imaginable. The products were underwhelming and much below Apple's usual standards of perfection. The U2 part was just horrifically cringeworthy at best.
    Headline: Aging Apple CEO gets *visibly* choked up on stage while meeting irrelevant ageing rockers. :roll eyes: If there is anything that shows definitively how Apple has finally jumped the shark, it's the presence of U2. Does anyone remember when an Apple event had a musical guest that was *not* some kind of ageing hack promoting their latest album of dreck? It used to be that you could *discover* NEW music at an Apple event, not listen to some golden oldies soundtrack.
  • I agree.
  • U2 has been close to Apple for 10 years. Take away from that what you want.
  • Yeah, but Steve Jobs actually *discovered* new musical talent for Apple events. Recycling U2 is pretty lame even if you are in the (old white guy) category of people who actually still find them interesting. I thought it was interesting that they purposely showed more women and (much, much), more people of colour in their video and photo examples this time. Take from that what you wish also.
  • As long as you are not implying that Jobs discovered U2 that's fine
  • Everybody knows Apple invented U2.
  • Innovated U2, innovated...
  • They certainly invented / innovated "Me2"... ;-)
  • Extremely disappointed. I hate big phones and am sad they decided not to have a new 4" or smaller option. Also why start at 16gb and skip 32? So stupid! They should start at 32 not 16. This will be the first time I don't get a new iphone since the 3G.
  • to keep the price down, they would have to add another $100 to the base retail price if they started at 32. Android OEMs are bad with that as well. Samsung is the only one, I believe, that has a model that starts at 32GB and that is the Note series.
  • It's probably rather to keep the profits up, I guess. :-) The chip itself is only a few bux apparently...
  • From what I heard it's only $10 difference. I think apple did this to get more people to pay for iCloud storage.
  • They don't HAVE to add $100 to the base price. The difference in apples cost from 16 to 32 Gb is appx $10. That's 10x mark up. Cruel. They could have easily made the 32Gb model $199, 64Gb for $249, and 128Gb for $300. They just keep the $:capacity ratio bc people pay for it. And it's no longer the only hardware option. There's the screen size to choose now also. 16Gb is unusable. +$100. Want the big one? +$100. That's $400 for a subsidized phone. MAYBE the carriers (subsidizes) are keeping these prices high. But Apple has always over charged for memory.
  • i think some people thought the same way about flip phones when the iphone debuted some 6 years ago.
  • Those watches are horrid looking, they make the Android ones look good and that is not an easy thing to do.
  • I am glad I am not the only one that at first glance was disgusted by the watch. And that starting price is a joke.
  • I didn't see the price until a bit later, just the sight of them made me stop reading anything about them. Might as well get this for $50: https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/shopping?q=tbn:ANd9GcRTXGIbpJYA8338Wy... Believe it or not the kiddiezoom one does a ton of things that normal smartwatches do
  • Hey mothafucka. There is no "good" and "bad" ok? So Android is good, and Apple and iOS is good. There is no "perfect" in this world. Sent from the iMore App
  • There is no horrid in this universe. There is no perfect in this universe. Sent from the iMore App
  • Dat bezel though...
  • Hmmm, pretty disappointing. Was hoping for some serious UI and UX changes that the larger sizes could open up to bring it into the present. Don't care about phone sizes; everyone has their preference, but we all interface with our phones in a similar way. Pretty happy they have finally opened up the camera APIs for some more powerful camera apps though.
  • i really want to know how waterproof is the apple watch... like i bike a lot, and sometimes it happens that it rains.. will it ruin the watch.. what to do when we wash our hands, what about the sweat???
    i really think they thought this trough, but i didn't hear anything about it..
  • They said the speaker was water resistant, and the sports band is sweat resistant, but I don't know about waterproofing. Would be hard to do with the Crown.
  • "Speaking of which, now the home screen will rotate appropriately when holding your iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus in landscape"
    Simon, you are wrong on this .The home screen rotates to the landscape mode only on the iPhone 6 plus.
  • Good call, thanks!
  • I like what saw today. Hate if you want but I think the event today was great! Let's let the numbers do the talking. We see this every year. People are disappointed but yet sales tell another story. I like that apple is making Heath a part of their OS/Hardware. Yes others have done it, but, its good to see this as a focus. Also, it looks like the Apple Watch had a lot of thought put into it. I'm willing to bet apple got it right with this device compaired to the current market.
  • Left the Apple walled garden a couple years ago and haven't looked back, but the iWatch is far and away the most impressive implementation of the smartwatch concept to date.
  • Just an Iphone with a bigger screen thats the good, looks so much like the samsung phones whats up with that Apple?
  • I was thinking the same thing. It now looks a lot like a samsung phone.
  • The presentation was a muddled mess. But, the iPhones both look nice.
  • Any word on i6+ running iPad apps? All of my fav games are iPad :(
  • It is nice to have a choice, but I do not need a phone so big, I need two hands to operate it. I have big hands, and the four inch is perfect. A 4.7, or 5.5 would be to big for me. Wish there was a third choice of the 4 in, but a little wider, not taller. The watch looks like it will be nice. Just my take. I really think the next wow thing out of Apple will be the iPad pro a cross between the MacBook, and iPad, with USB, and thunderbolt. Something really radical. Sent from the iMore App
  • Wait until you put it in your hand. A 4.7 inch screen is a great size for viewing purposes and I believe the iPhone 6 has a way for you to use only one hand (the plus version will have it). The 4.7 inch screen on a Moto X is fantastic and I wish they had only given it a bump to 5" max for a screen.
  • I could have sworn that in the keynote they said only the iPhone 6 Plus will gain the iPad style interface with 2 columns in landscape. Will that be available on the 6 as well?
  • Here's is everything you need to know... iPhone 6+ 64GB on contract will be $349... $350 for ETF after you buy it. Turn around around and sell it on eBay for at least $800... enough said
  • sure, it's that easy. you sell it on ebay, you ship the product and the buyer claims he never got it, etc or anything in between. there's so many ebay scams especially with the iPhone it's really risky to buy or sell one.
  • Not to spoil the party, does it have one or two external speakers? Sent from the iMore App
  • I doubt they'll get that kind of battery life in real world scenarios, but nice to see that they improved battery life even with bigger displays, more pixels, and a thinner phone.
  • WOW!! OnePlus One Still has Better Stats than "Apple's Plus" Don't get me wrong. I like Apple Devices too. I own a Mac Air, AppleTV, countless iPhones etc. but all this hype and a $349 phone has better stats? Yeah, the iPhone has 64-bit but really nothing else. Even the New Blackberry Passport looks more intriquing than the "L-5s" as I am referring to it. Come on Apple, I love you guys but give a reason to buy this... larger screen, whatever... 8M Camera with a thousand lenses that make it as good as a 12M camera... they do make 12M cameras now... A new payment system that will take years for everyone to adapt to? Another whatever...The Apple Watch might pull them out slightly, but I am sure it will be a wall hugger device. For the first time even though I know these iPhones will do millions, I can say I have checked out with iPhone. Do more for less, this is way to go. Hopefully OPO remains successful because this is the way mobile business needs to go in the United States. We have crappy providers, with crappy costs, with no "real" competition. The only way to combat this is with non-subsidized phones. This goes also for the crappy "Edge" type programs too which are essentially up-charged subsidized phones for people who like to upgrade on a regular basis. Now I have a phone that is $349, as good as or better than 3 newer "FLAGSHIP" phones yet to be released and I am not commit to any carrier... hell, $349 will be the 2-year subsidized cost of the 64GB iPhone 6+.... I am sure too that ETF's will go up... mark my words... since essentially you could get a iPhone 6+ 64GB for $349 on contract... cancel for $350... That's $700 which is definitely less than the $849 non-contract sticker price... hell I might even sell some if old Big Red & Slightly Littler Blue don't close that loop hole.... I am sure though they thought of it and watch if ETF's won't end up being tiered like data...
  • I'm getting the iPhone 6 Plus baby!!! Sent from the iMore App
  • Where the heck is Renee? No articles or comments from him. He is the one person I really want to hear his take on the new hardware.
  • Same here
    I'm waiting for him Sent from the iMore App
  • Has anyone heard how much RAM the two new iPhones will have? Will it have 3 GB, 2GB or like the iPhone 5S/5 only 1GB?
  • Anyone knows what t-mobile will be doing in terms of trading-off the 5s for the 6 or 6+? Sent from the iMore App
  • I've been holding onto an upgrade for awhile, waiting for the iPhone 6. Posted via the iMore App for Android
  • Count me in! Sent from the iMore App
  • OMG...Pebble just died....i want an Apple iWatch or i'm going to hurt myself
  • When will it be available in Apple store displays? Sent from the iMore App
  • How far away can the iwatch be from you iphone? Is this going to eat up all your data?
  • Low energy bluetooth. It has nothing to do with your data allowance. The distance will depend on how good the radios and antenna are.
  • It's built using a 2 nanometer process, and has 2 billion transistors in it. Damn, 2nm. Apple is lightyears ahead of Intel, Samsung, and the likes with that advanced manufacturing process. ;)
  • Hah! Fixed.
  • I suppose Apple's trend to naming their products in the future will no longer have an "i" before it. Instead, it will have the Apple logo as with Watch and Pay .
  • Will we be able to preorder unlocked?
  • 16G is almost like the 8g was. Might as well do away with the 16G, and start out with the 32G at $199. I have a 32G, and am down to 12.7 left. With apps today, does not take much to fill it up. Wish I had the 64, or 128G. Sent from the iMore App
  • The best stays in front! iMore that is. . . :)
  • How come no Beats speakers? Sent from the iMore App
  • Não Sent from the iMore App
  • The iPhone design language is finally messed up. Like the Galaxy phones. Sent from the iMore App
  • In for One. And I never thought I would get a smartwatch.
  • Don't understand the price point. How much was the 5S when it came out 700 and now it's 749 for the 64GB iphone plus. Don't think that is that bad. Resell value is there. But I have to hold it first to see which one I like from this point I would go 4.7
  • With 72 SKUs (2 models, 3 sizes, 3 colors, 4 carriers), what are you most likely to find at an Apple Store on the 19th?