Apple’s latest flagship iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus are all set to launch on October 17th, right before Diwali. The launch, about a month after the phone arrived in the US, will go down as the fastest launch of a new iPhone model ever.
This time around, Apple has chosen e-commerce dealers for the new iPhones. Amazon.in and Ahmedabad-based Infibeam promise a firm dlivery date for iPhone 6 sales in India. Both website will take pre-order starting noon today. The online retail firm has promised to deliver iPhones 6 and iPhone 6 plus on October 17 in all urban areas, and in rural areas in a couple of more days.
The 16GB version of Apple iPhone 6 will be available for Rs. 53,500, while the 64GB version is priced at Rs. 62,500. The 128GB version of the phone will sell for Rs. 71,500. The 16GB version of Apple iPhone 6 Plus will be available at Rs. 62,500, while the 64GB version is priced at Rs. 71,500. The 128GB version of the phone will sell for Rs 80,500.
Offline retailers have repeatedly complained to phone brands about low prices being offered by online retailers. As a result, companies are increasingly going through ‘exclusive’ partners for online selling to retain control over prices. The prices announced by Infibeam are exactly the prices that Apple has stipulated, and not lower than that. The prices are what you can get in offline stores as well.
Apple’s latest phone is still a couple of weeks away from being officially launched in India, but that hasn’t stopped e-commerce website from hosting the phone through vendors. The phone is currently available on Ebay and ShopClues.
On Ebay, the phone is available at Rs. 55,954 with an October 8th delivery date. The phone is available without any shipping charges which is the least they can do considering the massive price tag of the device. On the other hand, Shopclues shared the price of iPhone 6 16 GB at Rs. 59,999 in a mailer. The website says it will deliver the device by 8th October and is charging a shipping charge of Rs.149, really Shopclues, really?
The phone is available through vendors on e-commerce sites
Apple will officially bring the phone for sale on the 17th of this month. The phones will come in two variants, iPhone 6 with a screen size of 4.7 inches and iPhone 6 Plus with a screen size of 5.5 inches. Vendors at eBay have started pre-booking iPhone 6 Plus for starting around Rs. 77,000.
Both the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus come with 8-megapixel main camera and 1.2-megapixel front camera. The phones support 2G, 3G and 4G networks. They come in three versions in terms of storage: 16GB, 64GB and 128GB.
If you want to know more about the new iPhone, check out our full review.
Apple’s latest generation of phone is here, the iPhone 6 is the next big change after Apple’s iPhone 5 was launched two years ago. However a lot has happened in the smartphone market space since then.
Android has taken major lead thanks to diversification and availability, and smartphones have become much cheaper. A few companies like Xiaomi and OnePlus have emerged to show that cheap phones don’t have to be bad quality or bad spec’d, and that they too can create major hype.
So amidst all of this smartphone tension, where does today’s iPhone 6 stand and is is worth your major moolah. Let’s find out!
Overview
Just like every iPhone release, this one was riddled with issues as well. Apple managed to sell 10 million iPhone 6 and 6 Plus devices overnight since it went on sale and a lot of people had major issues in getting to the online Apple store. Then there is this crazy #bendgate phenomenon, and just like Apple’s #AntennaGate this one has the whole world talking about bending iPhones. People are confused and some assume that a bending iPhone is a feature of the new iPhone, just like the G Flex.
[pullquote_left]iPhone 6 is Unaffected by the Bendgate Issue[/pullquote_left]
Apple has received just a few complaints over bending iPhone 6 plus’ and the whole story seems like a media frenzy, also it does not affect the iPhone 6 at all. All bendgate theories aside, Apple has managed to improve on what was already an excellent handset. People wanted a bigger iPhone and Apple delivered two sizes. People asked for better battery and the Cupertino giant may have a winner on that as well, but hardware is not the only factor. Apple has tied in iOS 8 brilliantly and the end user experience may just be what you have been looking for.
Build Quality and Design
Apple has chosen to go with a treated Aluminum just like every year, however this year it’s thinner and strengthened at the hip using stainless steel and titanium inserts. The iPhone however, is presumed to be easily dented or nicked at the round edges just like the case of the first generation. The front glass is rounded to the edges giving the phone a massively premium outlook and a great in-hand feel. Expect almost all manufacturers to follow this in the upcoming handsets.
Looks wise the iPhone 6 is much more good looking in person than in images and video. It feels excellent in the hand and thanks to the new rounded edges, the phone will stay in your hand much longer. Everyone who has seen it, has appreciated its looks. The Golden color especially has been improved over the past generation gold.
Camera Module is Protruded
The camera module sits above the whole body of the phone, which makes it prone to scratches, however the super hard sapphire lens, makes it really difficult to do so. The Apple official case tucks the camera module in just a tad bit to add a layer of protection and not bulk. The leather case is really appreciable and well made, much more so than last generation cases.
Hardware
Procession on the new iPhone 6 happens on the new Apple A8 Chipset and it is the first chipset to include 2 Billion transistors. Which is really impressive if you factor in the size of the A8 die i.e 89mm2. The increase in the performance is based on a 1.4 Ghz CPU and a hexa core GPU. The front has a larger 4.7 inch display which is an Apple iPhone first along with a larger resolution of 1334 x 750 px, retaining Apple’s retina requirements.
The Battery is bigger on the iPhone 6 with a 1810 mAh unit in tow, non-replaceable as usual, you also get the same 8 Mp and 1.2 Mp camera combo. However improved lenses and sensor promise better imagery and we agree. There is also an NFC module on the inside, but it is only for payments and not for information bumps. Apple Pay is not available in India, in fact it won’t be for a while so it really may not be relevant. However if you are in the US, this may simplify payments for you significantly, especially if all you carried was a credit/debit card.
Performance
Performance is easily noticeable out of the box; the iPhone 6 is snappier, opens apps faster and renders objects quicker. The graphics information is about as accurate as mentioned and games that will take full advantage of the GPU will truly shine in the coming days with extra detail and nag-less gameplay.
Multitasking has taken a major bump up, thanks to iOS 8 which is much lighter and handles multitasking better, but the hardware also plays an important role and improves it, resulting in a flawless experience overall.
Gaming, Display and Multimedia
The iPhone 6 is by far the best gaming experience on a smartphone, the visual elements truly shine out in gameplay, and since all games are designed around Apple’s hardware on the iPhones, they run at best possible settings resulting in the best possible output, and therefore the best possible gaming experience.
[pullquote_right]The Display shines on the new iPhone 6[/pullquote_right]
Display is Vivid
The new bigger 4.7 inch display truly leverages the OS experience, you still get to use the phone with one hand, and once you have used “reachability”, the first question you will ask is “why hasn’t anyone else done it before?”. It makes sense and it works really well. Apple should have stuffed in a larger resolution display on the iPhone 6, but the current resolution is very good. There is zero pixelation on screen, text looks excellent, viewing angles are really wide and outdoor visibility is top notch, basically the same as you would expect from an iPhone, but better.
The speakerphone is definitely louder and more defined, however it’s no “boomsound” speaker setup and it’s no where near as great as a stereo setup. Why Apple choses to use a single speaker after 7 years of inception is beyond us, when they could have easily done a stereo setup with this iPhone. Audio output from the 3.5mm headphone jack is still the best from any phone ever and bundled with a good set of headphones makes for the best on the go sound experience.
Camera
240fps at 720p is going to be the best fun you have had with a Camera, be sure to get at least the 64 GB variant if you intend to use this. The best usage is outdoors so that you don’t get random tube light flicker. The one major let down this year was the lack of 4K video, and now that the storage was bumped up to 128GB it would have simply made sense, as the sensor and chipset is very capable and with the iPhone 6 Plus OIS would have meant excellent video.
There is a major improvement in the new autofocus capabilities of the new iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. The iPhone 6 misses the OIS from the 6 Plus which is a major pity, because there is no real reason Apple should have left it out.
The new autofocus is laser fast, and the new lens setup is better for macro. The iPhone usually has great background defocus and close up capture capability as it is, the new iPhone 6 camera improves that by a handful. You also see sharper pictures, highly improved HDR and color correction, and perfectly saturated colors. Thanks to the excellent image processing you get ideally one of the best pocket cameras today. It is also the most used camera in the world and that is just going to become bigger.
Samples:
HDR
Focus Test
HDR Outdoor 2
Close Up Focus
Low Light
Phone and Battery life
Network performance is a definite improvement on the iPhone 6, the signal strength has improved tremendously and audio quality in phone calls is definitely up there in the Top 3. The lack of a 3G toggle in the settings panel in iOS 8 troubles users indoors, because you are now unable to switch to a stronger 2G signal. The iPhone 6 however does that by itself now more than ever, which works great for us.
Battery life has seen a major jump since the iPhone 5s, which had appalling battery life. Newer chipsets, a slightly larger battery and iOS 8 tweaks are all to thank for a bump in battery which will go an easy 18 hours, meaning a full day without the need of a recharge. Apple’s extreme battery life chart is a bit off from actual usage delivering upto 7 hours on 3G talk in normal usage.
iOS 8
Apple ties in the operating system beautifully, and especially thanks to iOS 8 and hand-off, get ready to get a multi device experience like no other. While your phone rings, you can set it up so that every device on the same iCloud account rings too, whether an iPod touch or an iPad and even another iPhone will ring and you can answer the call on either. Best case example, you put your phone on charge and are working on the iPad, you can now receive a phone call on that. The same will apply to MacBooks and iMacs on Yosemite, which will receive calls and texts allowing you to not switch screens when you don’t need to.
Reachability Demo
iOS 8 also takes good advantage of the bigger displays, widening side panels in landscape and allowing you to use a zoomed in view for larger icons and text. iOS 8 also uses Apple Pay which may become the future of payments (when it’s available globally anyway). Simple things like reachability and the new improved keyboard only add to the experience of the bigger screens. Typing is definitely faster, and as mentioned before, the OS is quicker and lighter on its feet, therefore improves the usage experience tremendously.
Conclusion
[pullquote_left]The Best Your Money Can Buy![/pullquote_left]There is no major innovation from Apple this year, and most have constantly asked me for one. Once Apple Pay comes to India and the rest of the world, there is a high chance that iPhone 7 will be out by then / or iPhone 6s or whatever they call it. The iPhone 5s in terms of performance, usability and camera/optics was essentially one of the best phones of last year. The two issues, poor battery life and a small display irked many users and Apple has addressed those two beautifully in this release. What else has improved? The design and the overall appeal of the phone, the rounded edges on the display feel wonderfully natural and invite you to slide your finger on the new phone. Big improvements on the performance front and the Touch ID sensitivity also really improve the experience.
iPhone 6 with the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5
Should you buy this if you own an iPhone 5s?
If you want a bigger screen, a bigger storage capacity or even better battery management and can afford buying a new phone, don’t think twice.
What is different between the Nexus 4 and the new iPhone 6?
The question is flawed somehow, because of the sheer distinction in the kind of products. A 2011 Honda Accord and a 2014 BMW 5 Series Sedan are identical, they both have a 2 Liter engine, 4 wheels, 5 passenger capacity, Air-conditioning and even similar interior equipment. If you go into more detail they even have identical length and width, and if you add Rs. 5 lac (US$ 7000) worth performance parts to your purchase of the Accord you can make it run faster than many sports cars. So why is the BMW more expensive and more appreciated than the Accord? If you answer that question the same is applicable to the above question.
If you can afford it, the iPhone 6 is fortunately or unfortunately the best smartphone experience today, and once you get to use it and understand how it simplifies your life, you truly appreciate its experience. The experience which is again fortunately or unfortunately enjoyed best with more Apple products in your daily use scenario. Even as a standalone phone, only a minor user-share have disliked the iPhone experience, and those who left iPhones a few years back, would be delighted to now bounce back onto the bandwagon.
The iPhone 6 is finally in our studio and we get our dirty hands with the next generation of Apple phone. The iPhone 6 is going on sale in India on the 17th of October for an expected price of Rs. 48,500 for the 16GB variant, whereas the big brother, the 6 Plus, will be available for Rs. 54,500 for the 16 GB as per information available to us.
The box of the iPhone is no different than the previous generations, and you can expect to find the same things in the box, including a cable, a wall charger, Apple EarPods, along with some basic paperwork.
The phone is light out of the box, which may be the biggest reason behind #bendgate. It feels light and nimble although the front display is big and beautiful which immediately captures your eye.
The rounded edges sit very comfortably in your hands, many times better than the previous gen, which without a case was slightly sharp in the hand.
You see a boost in the performance out of the box. The iPhone is much smoother and the rounded display gives it a natural feel when sliding between pages. Websites look much better on the large display, which is bright and super crisp.
Apple has put in a lot of new hardware into the new iPhone since it was a number change edition Apple A8 chipset with 64 bit Architecture along with a hexa core GPU. Ram wise you still get 1 GB but that seems more than sufficient for the phone. Storage is dependent on what model you buy and cameras have not been bumped up in specs but in tech, adding phase detection, autofocus along with improved pixel capture. Slow motion video at 240 fps on a 720p resolution is really impressive.
This time around the iPhone 6 has a 1810 mAh bumping up from the 1560 of the iPhone 5s. Stay tuned for our Full Review out shortly.
The customers of Apple are not having a good time lately. The company that recently launched its latest flagship, the iPhone 6 has been mired in consumer complaints. One major complaint is that the screen bends in tight back pockets. Now the company is also rushing to fix the iOS 8.0.1 update whose bugs have caused multiple issues for customers who bought it.
The folks who updated their phone soon found out that the phones had lost cell service and the Touch ID. The Cupertino-based tech giant apologized for the error and pulled back the update stating that they will be bringing out a fix in the next few days.
The recently released update shut down cell service and Touch ID on the new iPhones
Apple had released the update to fix minor bugs and some bugs in the Health App. But it, unfortunately, caused major headaches to new iPhone buyers. The older phones on which the update was installed didn’t have any such problems though.
For people who have already updated to the faulty update, Apple is offering a simple workaround. It is asking the users to reinstall iOS 8 through iTunes. This will however make the Health apps nonfunctional, which the company says will be fixed in an upcoming update.
Apple is no stranger to bad response from consumers, it has faced several major complaints in the past. After the iPhone 4 launch, it was observed that the faulty antennae design led to dropped signals. In 2012, the Apple Maps was the cause of a lot of furore. Recently during the launch of the iPhones, the live stream debacle caused a lot of heartbreaks for folks who had been waiting for the show for a long while.
The iPhone 6 and the 6 Plus are still Apple’s best phone outing, and we’d all be waiting to see how the fix works out for the folks who raided their pockets to buy the device.
The new iPhone 6 and 6 Plus are expected to do well in India, especially considering the launch date which falls just shy of major festivals of our country. Oct 17th (the official launch of both big iPhones in India) is also just 4 days prior to the mega festival of “Dhanteras” which celebrates gold and anything that represents gold. A few days post that is the biggest festival of India, Diwali/Deepavali, which again brings about the act of gifting, shopping and spending money like there is no tomorrow. And finally “Bhai Duj” which again ensures that people are buying gifts for their respective brothers and sisters.
In 2013, Apple launched the gold color iPhone 5s, which was sold out within hours and remained out of stock for many a days. It is assumed that there was a high demand of the gold color due to the excitement around the time of the above stated festivals. However, the way the iPhone was launched in India was the complete opposite of how Apple does things globally.
Apple in India, unfortunately does not have any of its own stores, no online store, no flagship stores and well nothing close to a “5th Ave” store. The company has its distribution tied up with Indian distributers “Ingram” and “Reddington”, who make a spectacle of the launch, by making available “limited” number of phone in limited cities. This redundant process has left people who actually want to buy an iPhone with a horrible taste.
Poorly Orchestrated iPhone 5s Launch
The launch is nothing close to what happens, for example, at a US store (or any other Apple store). There is this strange coupon system that lets you stand in line to buy an iPhone. Then there is a “special” coupon that lets you skip the line and jump ahead to a “special” area for VIP guests of big distributers i.e. Ingram, Reddington and networks like Airtel.
The standard line is essentially made up of store owners and employees of store owners, who want to essentially get stock that they can then sell from their respective stores to their respective “best clients”. There is a huge inflation of price of the iPhone as well. The same day as the launch of the gold iPhone 5s for (Rs. 54,500 for the 16GB variant), the phone was available at most dealers and brick mortar stores for as high as Rs. 70,000. An inflated price you had to pay for not standing in line.
There are a few who actually brave it and stand in line, but their numbers are limited and their wait times are catastrophically high. The event itself is loud and disorganized, usually outdoors and in the open (except a few), leading to long wait times and a chaotic atmosphere. The company also tries to build in live music and unnecessary shows with loud emcees making it look like a typical Indian fair (mela).
Despite claiming that the gold color had reached “out of stock” status, Apple India warehouses were full of them, and Apple chose not to sell anymore gold colored iPhone 5s, because it was affecting the sales of the other colors.
Why does it have to be so difficult, and complicated for a user to buy a phone that they want to pay money for. Apple needs to bring their user experience to India, considering India is an important market for them. Apple is planning to officially be in India by next year, that means that the company will finally set up shop which may end all these theatrics. However if there are limited number of handsets to sell, a simple pre-order system should suffice, or a registration system which lets actual buyers who want to own these phones buy them. Apple asks for identification and credit cards at the time of purchase in the US and also limits the sale to a maximum of two handsets.
However in India, most purchases are made by cash and why should the company care about identification as long as phones are getting sold? To make matters worse, the people who are supposedly selling you the phones have not been trained as you would expect at a “genius bar”, they have been debriefed a few hours prior to the launch and know basic things like “turning on the iPhone” and “inserting a sim card”. They usually freeze up if you ask them questions around “iCloud” or some new elements like “handoff”.
The one good thing out of all of this is the fact that Apple has made the phones available in India early, unlike the iPhone 4s which was launched a good 9-10 months later, the iPhone 6 will launch a month after the US launch. However, this year expect the problems to be big, or well “bigger than bigger”. #BigFailSale anyone?
The two new phones by Apple – the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, announced last week, went up for pre-order on 12th September. Apple reports that within the first 24 hours they recorded more than 4 million orders. The deliveries of these phones will begin on Friday.
In terms of the previous models, for the iPhone 5, Apple took two million orders when it was first launched in September 2012. However, the company did not reveal the numbers for the editions that came in 2013; the iPhone 5S and 5C.
The new iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus, have a 4.7 inch display and a 5.5 inch display respectively. The phones despite being bigger, are lighter and thinner. The iPhone 6 is 6.9 mm and the new iPhone 6 Plus is only 7.1 mm thick. At the mega-event held in Cupertino, Apple also announced that the iPhone 6 is up to 50% more energy efficient. The new A8 chip has up to 25% faster processing power and up to 50% faster graphics.
The major development with these iPhones was that Apple launched a new Apple Pay payment system that uses NFC and Touch ID. Virtual credit cards can be stored in Passbook, without the actual number being stored, for which Apple creates a secure temporary payment ID.
This year, Apple received quite a bit of criticism for slow adaption of technology. Clearly, these numbers speak otherwise. We’ll have to wait till next month to see how the Indian market responds.
Love it or hate it, the long-awaited Apple iPhone 6 is here to stay. For Apple lovers it was time to meet the world of multimedia friendly big screens with the company releasing two variants this time, the iPhone 6 and the 6 Plus.
Folks on twitter were also pretty excited with the launch and here are some of their reactions:
Some Were Appreciative:
Waking up to hear the news that the iPhone 6 has 128 GB has me saying OMG like: http://t.co/P6htBmIIfW
So excited for the Apple Watch. For centuries, we’ve checked the time by looking at our phones. Having it on your wrist? Genius. #AppleLive — Ellen DeGeneres (@TheEllenShow) September 9, 2014
At the end, Samsung’s sponsored Twitter Trend didn’t go unnoticed:
Apple has for long been the king of attack ads. The famous Mac ads starring Justin Long, which went viral before people knew what viral videos were. The company took jabs at Microsoft’s Vista operating system. But it seems Apple has met its match in Samsung, its top competitor in and out of court.
Samsung has recently started baiting Apple. The company had recently brought a campaign calling iPhone user’s “Wall huggers” targeting the phones low battery life. Apple released its new iPhone this week, and Samsung was ready with a barrage of new ads.
This time Samsung went on a serious offensive and brought out six ads taking on Apple. The Ads are titled, “It doesn’t take a genius” and are set in a replica of Apple’s genius bar. The satirical ads are meant for Samsung’s latest Flagship, the Galaxy Note 4. They target every aspect of the new iPhone, from the botched Livestream of the launch event to the lack of S-Pen for the iPhone.
The attack ads also take on the new Apple watch. The tagline in the end says ‘The next big thing is already here” a reference to their Samsung Note 4 and the new Gear S.
The ads are fun to watch and hopefully Apple will buck up and get back into the game of attack ads. If there’s one thing viewers love is a good old battle of wits. So the balls in your court Apple, show us what you got!
Months of heavy speculation about Apple revealing two new phones this year, was confirmed at the mega event held in Cupertino California on 9th September. They arrived with much fanfare and we finally got to meet the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus. Both the devices are larger and much thinner in size; the iPhone 6 comes with a 4.7-inch screen and its bigger sibling, the iPhone 6 Plus sports a 5.5-inch one. However, there is a hundred dollar difference between the two.
Now if you’re thinking about investing in one of these devices, you need to really think it through. Here are some differences that could help determine your decision.
Design
Both devices are made of aluminum and have a hard glass front. Also, there is a steel Apple logo at the back of the phone, that gives them both an elegant but still tough look. There are bare minimum changes in the design, the only difference is the size. As the name suggests, the iPhone 6 Plus is a lot larger than the smaller iPhone 6. Some of you may find it a bit too big for your hands. Also, at 7.1mm the iPhone 6 Plus is bit thicker, while the iPhone 6 is 6.8mm thick.
Screen and Display
As mentioned above, the iPhone 6 Plus comes with a 5.5-inch display while the iPhone 6 is at 4.7-inch. Previous iPhones, in the last few years, have come with much smaller screens in comparison to other high-end Android phones like Galaxy Note series and the Nexus series. However, there is no significant difference in display technology between the two. Both use IPS displays with ion-toughened fronts. As expected, iPhone 6 Plus gets a higher resolution and pixel density. Where the iPhone 6 has a display of 326ppi (same as iPhone 5S), the iPhone 6 Plus offers 1080p resolution.
Camera
One of the biggest disappointment at the event was that Apple decided to stick to an 8 megapixel cameras. The new camera in the iPhones is an 8-megapixels with f/2.2 and 1.5 micrometer pixels. Although, Apple claims that the new camera comes with a better low light performance and focus than the previous generation iPhones. The iPhone 6 offers digital image stabilisation, while the iPhone 6 Plus comes with higher optical image stabilisation (OIS), hence giving the bigger variant an edge in terms of camera. Both devices are also equipped with the 1.2-megapixel FaceTime HD camera, with f/2.2 aperture.
Battery life
The iPhone 6 have the same battery life as iPhone 5S that lasts about 10 hours. The iPhone 6 Plus gets a better battery life which can last upto 16 hours on a single charge, and that is pretty impressive considering the size of the device. The larger device claims 24 hours of 3G talk time, the smaller 14 hours, however, the company did not reveal the actual capacity yet.
Processor
Both phones are equipped with the same processor and a dual-core 1.4GHz 64-bit CPU. According to the company, the new Apple A8 processor offers 20 per cent better CPU performance than the Apple A7. All in all, compared to the original iPhone, the new processor in the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus is rated to be 84 times faster. Furthermore, Apple says the new A8 is up to 50 percent more power-efficient and will be able to sustain battery-sucking tasks for longer without heating up.
Storage
Not that we are surprised, Apple iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus do not offer you expandable memory option. Anyhow, Apple’s new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus will provide users more storage than ever before, excelling out at an impressive 128 gigabytes of space on high-end models of its two new handsets. An iPhone 6 Plus with 128GB of internal storage will be a ‘Holy Grail’ for on-the-go multimedia experience, offering enough memory for a hundred SD-quality films or 25-plus HD ones.
Verdict
Big or Small? Apple made sure that there is no weak link between the two iPhones. Both the devices have same screen tech, the same processor and similar-grade cameras with only a considerable difference is the screen size and the battery life. However, we prefer that extra display space of the iPhone 6 Plus and its greater battery life makes it more of a power user device. Keeping this and pricing in mind it will be better to spend some extra money get that extra real estate on the screen and battery life.
Apple’s newest smartphones are finally unveiled for the world to see. In a world of lovers and haters, the phone was bound to get some of both. iPhone enthusiasts have overall shown appreciation for Apple’s latest introductions. The internet is also abuzz with Apple haters posting memes all over the place about how Apple is slow in adopting technology.
So we decided to look into why Apple, which is loved all over the world, gets serious hate in countries like India.
Price
Indian Smartphone consumers have been really pampered recently with a lot of companies vying to impress the tech-friendly populace. The huge youth population of India loves their tech and aspires to buy products with good specs, which is pocket-friendly. With companies like Motorola, Xiaomi and others providing high-end specs for low price, the Indian consumer is getting a lot of choices.
In this situation comes Apple. The company invests a good amount of time in the aesthetics and specs of its products. It pays close details to the way their devices perform and look. It is the reason why it brings limited products in a year. This attention to detail involves costs that make the devices expensive by the time they hit the market. In countries like USA, the contract system lets people have the phone at a low initial price.
In countries like India where the products tend to be on the heavier end of the price range, they are seen as premium products and hence are restricted to people who can afford them. This causes some hatred towards the company. Even its affordable phone, the iPhone 5C, was way out of reach for an average Indian. This creates Apple’s reputation of only catering to the rich folks.
Compatibility
The new iOS 8 and Mac OSX Yosemite have amazing interconnectivity feature. Features like ‘handoff’ are revolutionary. A new device also joins the Apple universe; the Apple Watch. All these devices can connect with each other with ease. But Apple is known for incompatibility with other devices.
It’s no secret that Apple lovers love all their products, but the trouble comes when they wish to share data with others. This too restricts people from going for an Apple device.
Slow Adoption
Apple is slow in adoption of features that are available on devices such as the ones running on Android OS. Apple just inducted NFC in their devices for Apple Pay. When other companies have been giving Bluetooth file sharing options for a long while, Apple recently brought the feature called Airdrop that lets you do the same. Again, this feature is restricted between Apple devices.
But these features were well cooked by the time they arrived on Apple. Take the example of Apple Pay, the system does use NFC but along with it, uses Touch ID and a Secure Element Chip. Even the software is well built and is easy and efficient to use.
Overall, Apple needs to work harder to convince Indians that they are not at a loss for buying their products. Apple should also flaunt its superior service features to attract the consumers for this market.
The wait is over, everyone’s favourite smartphone ( non-Android Lovers’ anyway) has emerged from the mirage of leaks and speculations. The iPhone 6 is out for the worlds to see and this time it comes in two giants.
As expected Apple has launched two new iPhones today, the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus (Previously spectulated to be known as the 6L.)
After the flood of leaks and rumors we finally get to see what Apple had in store for us. The 4.7 inch variant i.e. iPhone 6 is priced at about Rs. 39,500 so it would cost around Rs. 48000 to 49000 for 16 GB. The 5.5 inch bigger sibling, the iPhone 6 Plus will be sold at the price tag of about Rs. 45,500 which would come to around Rs 55000 just like last years iPhone 5s.
As, expected both the device have had a major design change with curved edges and reduced bezel space giving the device very sleek and beautiful look. The iPhone 6 has a 4.7-inch display with 326 ppi pixel resolution while the iPhone 6 Plus has a 5.5 inch 1080p HD screen with 401 ppi density. They are powered by Apple’s own A8 chip.
Both phones have 8 MP camera on the back with the iPhone 6 Plus getting a Optical image.The front camera is a 1.2 MP selfie shooter. The camera’s have some unique features like time lapse shooting and slow motion shooting at 240 fps. But lets check out how Apple’s latest holds up in comparison with its competitors.
Overall Apple’s new devices are innovative in their own rights and their long touted seamless connectivity is impressive. This was a good show by Apple and the increased size will be appreciated by the multimedia enthusiasts. The absence of expandable storage will sting some folks but the 64GB and 128GB versions will provide ample space for all your multimedia needs. The superior connectivity features will definitely be appreciated by folks who have other Apple
We had been waiting for the elusive Apple Watch to appear on Tim Cook’s wrist for a long long time. The day is finally here and we have to admit, it has been one of Apple’s most well-kept secret. At the massive Apple event held in Cupertino California, the audience couldn’t contain their excitement and stood up to greet Apple’s newest innovation. On the other hand, Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, managed to patiently walk the audience through a few of the exciting features of this insane device (he promised there was much more.)
The Apple Watch will be priced at $349 and will be available by early 2015. It will come in three variations – Apple Watch, Apple Watch Sport and the Apple Watch Edition. The wearable will be compatible with iPhone 5, 5S, 5C, 6 and 6 Plus. We’re glad Apple decided against forcing people to invest in the newly released iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.
Here are some things that you should know about the Apple Watch:
Personalised Interface and The Digital Crown
The company assured the audience that they’ve haven’t simply decreased the size of the iPhone to put it on your wrist. They spent time and effort to make sure the interface was made-to-fit. For this, they’ve developed the very useful ‘Digital Crown’. The company compared it to the revolutionary mouse, iPod’s click wheel and the much more recent, multi-touch screens. Instead of using pinch-and-view touch screen, which would inevitably crowd the screen, the Digital Crown will help navigate through the interface better. It sits neatly on the right side of the watch face, helping users scroll through the screen without blocking it.
Apple has also made the effort to provide a wide-variety of Watchfaces. Once you force touch the homescreeen, it instantly gives you options to change the style. Again, you can switch and check out different options using the crown. The Apple Watch uses a unique charging system, which doesn’t require alignment or exposed contact to charge.
Design
Since you would wear the Apple Watch everyday, all the time, the company decided to make sure it suits everybody’s style. The Apple Watch will be available in six designs. The watch comes with a mechanism which would make it super easy to switch between the straps. Picture this: if you have a suave leather strap on for an important meeting, before stepping into the gym you can make a quick switch to the sport-friendly band.
The straps include a sport band, soft quilted leather and stainless steel options. And since one size does not fit all, Apple has also developed smaller sizes.
Next-Level Communication
Apple promises that the person sitting next to you would not be able to tell that you’ve received a notification. The notification buzz will simply gives the effect as if someone is tapping you lightly on your wrist. You can customise the apps which you’d like notifications from. It will the Bluetooth and Wi-Fi from the iPhone for all communication purposes. The built-in speaker phone and microphone can be used to receive calls and use the built-in Siri. With a simple tap on the digital crown, Siri can be activated.
One of the coolest features, the Apple Watch reads and analyses your texts. Uses that information to give you options of short then gives you Smart Replies.
Using the same NFC technology, which was also introduced on the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus, you make short and direct payment. They’ve already roped in several partners in the US, where payments can be made with a quick touch. Apple now would like to replace credit cards and reduce the bulk from your wallets.
Focus On Fitness
Health and Fitness has always been an important arena for Apple. This Watch promises to take over and take it to a whole new level. Instead of simply tracking daily activities, the watch will actually encourage you to be more active. It has two key apps for this; the first will map your fitness activity through the day, while the second and the more important one, will help you set goals and then help you achieve them. It takes it a step further. The Apple Watch would like us to sit less, move more and get some exercise.
It’ll help set goals according to the number of calories needed to burn, distance you’d like to achieve or the number of minutes spent exercising. These apps will take the extra effort to get to know you better, according to which it will then sent personal reminders to make sure you take care of your health. It will then share this data with third-party apps. Speaking of which..
Third Party Apps
Apple has already experimented with a few third-party apps. Developers will be able to create custom notifications for the home screen. For example, the City Mapper will remind you to get off at the right station, the BMW app will direct you to where you would’ve parked your car and the Nike app will allow you to challenge your friends to go for a run.
Apple introduced its long awaited and much-leaked iPhone 6 and the 6 Plus. Of course, you must have heard loads about the new smartphones from the Cupertino based tech giant. But there was one amazing innovation presented at the event that is going to make shopping easy, really easy. It’s called the Apple Pay.
With the new iPhones, Apple introduces the NFC radio on their phones. With Apple Pay all you need to do for paying at stores is bring your phone near the payment sensor, and that’s it, your payment is done. Apple pay is available on both, the iPhone 6 as well as the iPhone 6 Plus. It uses the Touch id for secure payment.
Apple Pay is a revolutionary way of payment.
Well, well you say, what about security, Apple hasn’t had the best of PR in that respect. Well, Apple is leaving no holes barred, the company has inducted a security chip called the Secure Elements on the phones. Not just that, with this new technology, even your name and purchase details remain hidden from the cashiers at the store. You simply pay by keeping your thumb on the touch ID sensor.
Apple has also take special care that your financial data such as Credit card and account details from falling into the wrong hands. All your credit cards are stored in the Passbook app that doesn’t store any physical data on the device like credit card number and the CVV number. Instead, what you get is a One Time Payment(OTP) number for every transaction that gets transferred to the bank, so neither Apple nor the merchant gets to know your details.
The most important bit is that if your Phone gets stolen or lost, you can simply use the Find my iPhone app and suspend all transaction from the phone. As the details credit cards are not physically present on the device, you don’t even need to cancel your cards.
The Passbook stores all the credit card details at one secure place.
Apple Pay also works on the internet. When you go for a transaction on a site that supports Apple Pay, you don’t need to go through the troubles typing in all the shipping details and card details. With just one touch you can pay for the items, and you’ll get a notification with all the details of the purchase.
Adding credit cards to the Passbook is also real easy. You can use the existing cards from iTunes. If you want to add a new card, all you need to do is take an image from your phone and get it confirmed from your bank, and you are ready to shop online.
Apple will begin the Apple pay service from the month of October in the USA. It will partner with some of the biggest chains and services like McDonalds, Subway, etc. It will also work with apps such as Uber, Groupon and of course the Apple online store. Apple pay will also work with Apple’s latest innovation, the Apple Watch.
With this Apple has brought the next generation payment technology in the mainstream that seems fast and secure. To actually judge the technology we have to wait for its implementation, but as of now, we are impressed. With the addition of NFC-enabled payment, Apple has matched up to its adversary, Androids Google Wallet and taken it a step further.
Apple at their iPhone launch event today has announced the new iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus, packed with a 4.7 inch display and a 5.5 inch display respectively.
The phones despite being bigger are lighter and thinner with the new iPhone 6 being only 6.9 mm where and the new iPhone 6 Plus is only 7.1 mm thick. The front glass on the new iPhones is curved, with the iPhone 6 has a resolution of 1334 by 750 with 326 pixels per inch on the 4.7 inch display, and iPhone 6 Plus has a resolution of 1920 by 1080 with 401 pixels per inch on the 5.5 inch variant.
According to Apple, iPhone 6 is up to 50% more energy efficient, The new A8 chip has up to 25% faster processing power and up to 50% faster graphics. Which means that the graphics are an incredible 84 times faster than the original iPhone.
iPhone 6 has faster LTE than iPhone 5s. It also has more LTE bands than any other smartphone for better roaming. The new iPhone 6 can now tell if you’re going up molehills, mountains, and everything in between.
The iPhone 6 still is is equipped with an 8 MP iSight camera, with 1.5 micron pixel size, added with a phase detection AF system. the aperture is f2.2. The new iPhone 6 takes use of the new A8 image processor. The iPhone 6 Plus uses OIS “optical image stabilisation” to get better images even in low light conditions.
The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus 1080p at 30 and 60 fps, new Slo-mo video upto 240 fps. Burst mode detects smiles and blinks, then recommends the best picture.
The new TouchID can be accessed by apps in the new iOS 8 and iPhone 6 and 6 plus, the big thing; Apple launches a new Apple Pay payment system that uses NFC and Touch ID. The credit cards can be stored in Passbook, without the actual number being stored, Apple creates a temp payment ID.
