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| Above: The iPhone 6 & 6 Plus. Very nice looking! |
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| Above: The Apple Watch. |
APPLE TALK 6: 9/9/14
THE GREAT DIVIDE
Goodhour, Synapse Circuit Readers! I hope that all is well in your world – especially now that Apple has let rip! Are you OK? Are you upset? If only I could send you a box of tissues through cyberspace... Maybe one day through a molecular printer! But in the meantime...
...as predicted by the usual suspects we’ve seen Apple revealing the iPhone 6 4.7”; 6 Plus and the Apple Watch. Perhaps it’s called Apple Watch to take your mind off the idea that you are being watched by your government.
#Apple #Samsung #Google #SteveJobs #TimCook #iPhone6 #iPhone6Phablet #iPhone6Plus #AppleWatch #GalaxyNote4 #GalaxyAlpha #GalaxyNoteEdge
DIGITALLY CROWNED
I’ve got to say that the latest iPhone models look better than previous incarnations; well done! Finally, I can see that Apple lives in its own ecosystem – so much so that it doesn’t matter what they do just as long as its ardent fans are happy!
Personally, I couldn’t see anything in the iPhone 6 and Plus that makes me want to go for it. It’s either you’re an iOS or an Android. No doubt there will be quite a number of folk with both iOS and Android devices. It’s all good! Just as long as you’re happy!
Again, as stated in my last article ‘The9/9/2014 Eve’ the new iPhones aren’t what I would call “innovative”, no! All Apple have done here is to catch up to the myriad Android handsets out there. The ‘Plus’ model doesn’t even come close to the Galaxy Note 4 let alone the Note 4 Edge! Unfortunately, Jobs, Cook and co has a tendency to shoot off their mouths and think afterwards. As a result they have boxed themselves into a corner and therefore they couldn’t offer a stylus of a similar nature to the Samsung Galaxy Note S Pen – the 6 Plus functionality seems rudimentary. And, no: They are not the “best phones you’ve ever seen” but they do look better (as stated earlier)! Yes, I can see them selling a good amount to the dedicated however, if you appreciate technology I think the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus aren’t the best examples of design. I just LOVE the Galaxy Note 4 & Edge; G3 and the Sharp Aquos handset! As you have figured out, I am an Android person and will stay so for the considerable future.
I was shopping and missed the launch but from what I have seen of it I didn’t hear “those other guys” or noticed any Android pie charts. Good! It would have been pointless considering that Android is maintaining its dominance in the USA and the rest of the world. Also, mentioning “those other guys” would only cause Apple fans to take a look at the competition and they might, just might see what they are missing out on.
iOS 8
Yes, you will be pleased to know that iOS 8 is coming to your handset come the 17th of September! Yay! Let’s hope that the update will go smoothly! Be sure to back up now!
So, if you have an iPhone 5 upwards you are in luck! Anything below the iPhone 5 will not be able to receive the upgrade. Fragmentation? Nah! It’s progress, right? No surprises there other than to know that iOS 8 has borrowed heavily from Android and that’s a good thing! I have always said that technology should be shared! iOS having more Android features isn’t going to make me want to jump ship – well not just yet! Did I hear you gasp? Lol! It’s about technology at the end of the day: either it works for you or it does not.
APPLE WATCH
Hmmmm... The Apple Watch does look quite good – well designed! I like the various straps and I’d go for a metal one! However, for my tastes – I am not talking about the functionality here – I do prefer the Samsung Gear S. Why? I think it’s more suited to me whereas the Apple Watch looks like a watch you’d give to your Mom on Mothering Sunday! I do think that the Apple Watch is more suited to women. Just like the iPhone 5S appeals to women with small hands the Apple Watch may appeal to women (and petite men) with a slender wrist. Therefore the iPhone 6 Plus may keep the men-folk sated and there are 3 different Apple Watches that may appeal to a man. As I predicted... ...well, I predicted a few things:-
1. The Apple Watch would get a mention on the TV news broadcast. While Samsung's brilliant products didn't get a look in! Not to mention the rest of the competition! No fair!
2. Because the competition got a jump on Apple with many smartwatches already on the market the Apple Watch just seems run of the mill. <Ducks flying objects from Apple fans>
3. And due to the fact that the Apple Watch serves, as expected, the iOS / OS X ecosystem it will only sell to the hoards of Apple loyalists.
Above: The ASUS ZenWatch
If I am to be truthful I would say that as far as functionality goes I think that the Gear S (Samsung), ZenWatch (Asus) and Moto 360 (Motorola) is more appealing – especially the Gear S because it has its own 3G SIM! The Apple Watch seems overpriced at $349 for the basic one! Bear in mind that the ZenWatch will sell for $199! OK, it could be down to the fact that I am an Android person as I prefer the way it works but when I try to look objectively I really do not see anything in the Apple Watch whereby I would wish that the competition would implement.
As it stands, I am happy for the Apple fans that have been waiting a long time for this smartwatch! Hurrah!
YES, FU2!
Ha ha! U2 made an appearance at the “keynote” and they gave away a copy of their new album. Hurrah! But seriously...
I don’t know about Pop / Rock Star endorsements at such product launches... I think it’s one way to kill a once illustrious career in music. In fact it reminds me as to how much I HATE iTunes (along with Napster) that, in my most humble opinion, has cheapened music and has made the industry a one trick dead fly and maggot ridden pony. I hate it that independent bands clamour to get their music on bloody iTunes and not on their own websites because they want to be worshiped by the fans and being on iTunes is supposed to be a sign of the artist / band being seen as "established"! I despair... Artists / bands are too lazy to build a website that matches their individual style and sell their own material i.e. homemade CDs and the music in MP3 form. That’s right, Synapse Circuit Readers! I am going to introduce you to some web design software that you can use to sell your music from – if you happen to be a musician!
U2 have lost their credibility and it does make the whole affair look and feel disingenuous. .
SAMSUNG
Whether you love or hate them (I love them) there is no disputing that Samsung had the better showcase:-
Above: The sublime Galaxy Note Edge. This had better be my next handset or else...
The Galaxy Note 4 is an outstanding handset that will win over more Android users.
The Galaxy Note Edge is stunning and innovative!
Gear S is a great looking smartwatch that deserves to do well.
Gear VR is just an amazing gadget that adds to the way in which we consume entertainment.
Above: The Gear S. I think it looks better than the Apple Watch, but that's just me.
Apple’s showing earlier this evening was more about refinement and enlargement than innovation. It could very well be that the value of Apple stocks has taken a little dip again. I would imagine that investors aren’t too pleased with this keynote.
On the other hand, Apple appears to be now concentrating on its devices and ecosystem this time around instead of taking cheap shots at Android. Oh, they took a shot at the camcorder market but I’ve yet to see a smartphone both Android and iPhone that can match the quality of a dedicated camcorder but this can change! By all accounts the iPhone 6 and Galaxy Note 4 cameras look as though they have great potential. As always, it’s the lighting conditions that make all the difference. Both the iPhone 6 Plus and the Galaxy Note 4 features an optical stabilizer that should result in clearer pictures in low lighting and better video recording. The iPhone 6 Plus features an 8MP camera to the Galaxy Note 4 16MP! Those extra 8MP can make all the difference!
CONCLUSION
By far this was Apple’s best ever keynote product launch. It looks like I may be also right about the 6 Plus cannibalizing the iPad as I would imagine that many productivity apps can be done on the 6 Plus screen and if need be transferred to the Mac computer. Not many people want to walk around with a smartphone and a tablet – especially when the tablet relies on Wi-Fi to be able to access the web. The 6 Plus can be viewed as the answer to the Android 3G / 4G enabled 7” tablets / phablets that should go massive this Christmas! It is probably why we didn’t witness a new iPad at this point but I do believe they are coming and with a bit of luck they may prove to be more lucrative financially for those who like to have the complete set: Mac computer, iPhone, Apple Watch and iPad. Come to think of it why sell off your old iPhone 5S / 5C as you will probably get a crap price on it? Why not replace the iPod with your old iPhone? Yeah, why not? At least you have more options!
Is there any point in documenting the iPhone 6 & Plus specifications? I think not and here’s my reasoning...
It is clear to me that iPhone users enjoy the performance of the handset no matter what. iOS is certainly quite a different beast to Android as the latter encompasses many handset designs and specifications. There are a number of Android handsets and tablets going 64-bit this year and it will be interesting to see what that brings to the Android fold and the overall mobile device world. Also quite a bit is dependent upon Android 5: Lemon Meringue Pie as it appears to have been rewritten for optimization and for the 64-bit chip (by many CPU types). The combination of Android 5 and the 64-bit CPU promises to be a game changer. However, because of the great divide (you’re an iOS and I am an Android) such things may not matter. On the whole I am interested in technology and I will be investigating the advantages of Android 5 and the 64-bit CPU vs. iOS 64-bit. Bear in mind that I am not interested into putting down iOS for the sake of it; I am just interested in comparing the platforms. I should look at the Windows phone and the Surface in more detail and with a comparison between Android and iOS.
One of the best things about tonight’s keynote is that Apple may have paved the way for NFC payments as it appears as though they have reinvented payments by this method. We’ll see... I know that NFC payments work well in other European countries but haven’t really taken off here in the UK.
A little lacklustre but better! Good on Apple! I hope that, as an iPhone person, you got what you wanted from this keynote! And remember: Back up your data when upgrading to iOS 8!
That’s something to think about!
THANKS FOR READING...
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