Apple CEO Tim Cook introduces the iPhone 6 and the Apple smartwatch at the Flint Center on Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2014, in Cupertino, Calif. (Photo Courtesy of Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group/MCT)Thirty years ago at the Flint Center for Performing Arts in Cupertino, California Steve Jobs unveiled the original Macintosh — a revolutionary personal computer that now sits as the plebian of the Apple empire. In what could be interpreted as a fit of symbolic sentimentality, Apple CEO Tim Cook and his colleagues returned to the center on Sept. 9, 2014, to reveal the latest cutting edge installments to the Apple family and smartphone market: the iPhones 6 and 6 Plus.
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Highly anticipated by Apple junkies and teenage Instagrammers alike, the iPhones were presented with the consistency in design we have come to expect from Apple. The smartphones are easily recognizable as iPhones, but there are tweaks that make them a fulfilling upgrade from the previous releases (the iPhones 5s and 5c) and a running leap from the earlier designs seen in the iPhones 3G, 4, 4s and 5.
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Stylistic Upgrades
Bid adieu to the boxy sides of previous iPhone and prepare for a slimmer model with streamlined, rounded edges — much like those of the iPod Touch. The iPhone has also slimmed from being 7.6 millimeters thick to being 6.8 millimeters for the 6, and 7.1 millimeters for the 6 Plus.
It seems that with this release Apple has embraced capitalizing further on its minimalist style. Both the 6 and 6 Plus feature a new speaker design, replacing the double line of 26 holes along the entire bottom of the phone with only 6 on the bottom right. This leaves the lightning cable port in the center and headphone jack sitting alone on the left side.
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Like the 5s, the phone will be available in Space Gray, Silver and Gold. Other returning design features include the fingerprint scanner, still capable of holding up to five sets of fingerprints, the camera remaining on the back side of the phone on the upper right corner and the volume controls, which now are oblong rather than circular, on the upper left side of the phone.
Screen Size
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When the iPhone 5 was introduced Apple increased the diagonal corner-to-corner length of the smartphone’s screen from 3.5 — as seen on the 3G, 4 and 4s — to 4 inches. Continuing to grow the phone’s screen size, the new iPhone will be available in two sizes, both larger than the 5 and 5s, at 4.7 and 5.5 inches. With the larger screened device, the iPhone 6 Plus, measuring in 2.2 inches smaller than the screen of the iPad Mini, it is a large phone that is comparable to the screen size of the latest Samsung Galaxy.
Camera
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The rear camera will remain at 8.0 megapixels, but has the ability to take panoramic photos in high definition at 43 megapixels. Facial recognition has been improved, as has smile recognition. Autofocus is now two times faster, allowing for a fast capture without all the tapping and zooming. The slo-mo camera is able to capture more frames per second, producing smoother videos. The iPhone 6 Plus has optic image stabilization, which moves the lens to adjust to shaky situations and limits blurriness in images.
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Accidentally opening the front facing camera has always been terrifying, but maybe not any longer. Featuring a new HD camera, new sensors, a f/2.2 aperture and 81 percent more lighting Facetime calls and Snapchats are going to be higher quality than ever before — Snap ugly faces with caution.
Still present are the true tone flash, editing options and double tap option for focus.
Apple Pay
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Apple’s new mobile wallet, “Apple Pay,” sounds scary but was described as "safe and secure" by the Apple release slideshow. By using the credit card already connected to your iTunes account or taking a picture of a different card, you can pay at select stores by simply holding the NFC chip located in the top of the iPhone under a sensor detector and scanning your fingerprint. That's how fast it is to pay. It also works with in-app purchases and Passbook. Apple Pay supports Visa, MasterCard and American Express.
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The iPhone does not store card numbers, CVC codes or track purchases. Apple has no way to know how much you're buying or what amount you're spending. In the event of a lost or stolen iPhone, all purchases can be cancelled using the Find My iPhone app.
iOS 8
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When it was introduced during Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference in June, it appeared that iOS 8 is nearly identical to iOS 7 in appearance and user friendliness, but runs faster, smoother and with fewer bugs.
New additions include Facebook and Twitter integrations in Notification Center, the ability to respond to emails without opening the Mail App via Push Notifications and the Health App which tracks calories, footsteps, running and cycling distance as well as nearly every other imaginable physical activity.
With iOS 8 iPhone cameras will be able to simultaneously record a video and capture still images, and take burst photos, which Apple joked would be perfect for “Burst Selfies.”
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iOS 8 will be available for iPhones 4s through 5s on Sept. 17. The iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus will be available for pre-order from apple.com on Sept. 12 and will begin shipping on Sept. 19.
Reach the assistant arts and entertainment editor at mjrodr11@asu.edu or follow her on Twitter @mikayrodr
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