Today’s Apple event flew by, and for good reason – it was jam-packed full of some goodies.
iPhone 6, 6 Plus
I hate to say it, but I think the iPhone 6 is the least interesting piece of news from the Apple Event. But, that doesn’t mean these are un-interesting devices. Of course, we’re all excited about having a larger screen (I hear you, Android fans). The specs look great – full sRGB gamut, wide viewing angles. The camera also received some nice bumps: new image stabilization & autofocus improvements, better sensors, etc. Processor, GPU… all what you would expect from a next-generation phone. I think the design is nice, but nothing extraordinary. Maybe I’ll feel differently once I get my hands on one.
Apple Watch
Technically Groundbreaking? I wouldn’t say so – there have been other smart watches before it. Groundbreaking in the way Apple does things – yup. It’s clear Apple spent a ton of time on the user interface – both software (panning, tapping, etc) and hardware (crown, buttons, etc). As pointed out in the presentation, there are metaphors that we’re used to on a phone that won’t work on the watch. Pinch to zoom was one of them. This is where Apple shines – by practicing restraint (cue the “thousand ‘no’s for every yes quote).
I’m eager to see the Watch SDK. Even with the minimal features they demonstrated on stage, I can think of numerous applications complemented by the Watch.
Apple Pay
This was the most recent / late-to-the-game rumor to come out, but it’s brilliant. This, I believe, is where Apple has the most room to disrupt an industry. Sure, the watch is pretty cool, but that seems more an evolution on how things are done. With Apple Pay, we’re now moving away from plastic as identifier to biometrics and person as identifier. I suspect Android solutions will be close behind (even Google’s failed attempts at Google Wallet), which when taken together as a whole, represent a monumental paradigm shift in how we pay for things. I particularly like the focus on the payment transaction – *beep* paid for. All the payment source is kept secret from the retailer (so some scoundrel waiter doesn’t swipe your CC at the restaurant), and Apple doesn’t care to know what you purchased. Apple as opposed to Google and Amazon, is not in the advertising business, and they keep driving that point home. Your information is safe with us. Given Apple’s consistent approach to protecting consumers (e.g. AppStore), it’s a believable (as in trustworthy) statement.
Overall, a great announcement. There’s a lot to look forward to in the coming weeks and months. We’ll see how this has all panned out in a year. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m greasing up my card for a new phone and watch purchase.