By Erik Nelson
Apple’s recently introduced iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus have received a lot of publicity from consumers, both in support and in criticism of the new smartphone. The question to all smartphone users: both android and apple, is now the time to upgrade, switch, or stay put?
Since the new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus yield screen displays at 4.7 and 5.5 inches respectively, it seems Apple noticed the “bigger equals better” trend in the smartphone market. When Apple revealed its creation of a larger, trendier iPhone 6, many Apple customers were worried that a larger phone would mean dealing with clumsy handling and adapting to a new ‘phablet style’ phone (phablet: phone + tablet). However the concern about the enlarged screen size of the iPhone 6 has not affected the sales or popularity of the phone. In the United States alone, over 10 million iPhone 6’s were sold exclusively on the first two days of its release. But other than the large size, what is really new about the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus?
Apple has recognized that improving camera quality with each new iPhone is an attraction for consumers, and they delivered with its new camera on the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. The 8 mp, 29 mm camera comes with faster autofocus and a feature called “burst mode” which allows the user to take 10 pictures per second just incase one selfie isn’t enough.
Where Apple really focused its attention however is the improvements on video-recording. The 1080p HD video-recorder comes with features like time-lapse (video-recording played back at a faster ‘time-lapsed’ rate) and the ability to take still-shots during video-recording. The new camera and video-recording is all done on the first Retina HD screen display for a smartphone. Apple’s choice to go with a Retina HD screen display, which is used in Apple’s Macbook’s laptops, is to enhance the screen’s resolution by including sharper texts, darker dark colors and lighter light colors.
Besides a nifty camera and an enhanced screen resolution, what am I really getting out of a iPhone 6? Although Apple claims that the CPU and processor runs 50 percent faster than the 5S, faster speed is a specification that will not blow your mind about the new iPhone. Both the 6 and 6 Plus run on upgraded dual-processors, and are able to handle multi-tasking at a faster rate than previous iPhone’s.
But a much speedier iPhone isn’t what Apple went for with the 6 and 6 Plus. While it seems smartphone users always want the fastest operating phone out there, Apple decided to steer its attention toward a new side of innovation like introducing new applications such as ApplePay and AppScaling (both inclusive in iOS8). ApplePay allows users to link credit cards and loyalty cards onto their phones, an attempt to replace or re-invent the bulky wallet. AppScaling allows old applications to adapt to larger screen resolutions, thereby looking just as great on the new iPhone.
It seems that Apple’s first attempt at creating a larger, trendier phone, has succeeded. Regarding a media frenzy known as “Bendgate”, that alleges that the body of the iPhone 6 is too flexible and easily bends, don’t worry. Consumer Reports posted a video debunking the myth that the new iPhone’s are easily bendable and fragile. Although the iPhone 6 does not provide a large range of new technology and improvements, it proves that Apple is adapting to consumers wants and is choosing to compete in the screen-enlargement smartphone market.
If you’re looking for a personal take on the new iPhone, I say wait. There are rumors that Apple will release an iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S-Plus in the coming months, two phones that could outdo the current iPhone 6s. If you’re in the market for a new smartphone right now, I highly suggest comparing smartphones on Consumer Reports where you can see for yourself whether Apple is the right operating system for you.
Although the iPhone 6 has been giving consumers the drooling “oooooo” bug-eyed facial expression, if you can get beyond the drool and think with your mouth closed, I think you will choose to wait as well.
