Apple's Newest Releases: iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, Apple Pay & Apple Watch

This week Apple had a huge announcement where they finally unveiled the products that everyone had been waiting for. On Tuesday, Apple introduced the world to the iPhone 6, the iPhone 6 Plus, Apple Pay, and the Apple Watch. Let’s start with the iPhones. Not only did Apple finally give in and make 4.7” phone, they went even further and made a 5.5” phone as well. So after years of refusing to shift away from the 4” sized phone, they have now abandoned it all together. I find this interesting because a lot of Apple fans that I talk to say they love the size of their phones and that other phones are too big. I’m assuming we won’t hear much of that now that Apple has told them that a bigger phone is better. I’m curious to see if the 5.5” ‘phablet’ sized iPhone takes off, and if it cannibalizes iPad mini sales. I honestly think that making their phone bigger – at least 4.7” - is a good move for Apple, if a bit behind the curve. The new phones have a new processing chip (A8), a better camera, and NFC technology, which allows them to implement Apple Pay.

Apple Pay is a mobile payment system meant to replace your wallet and all your cards. Essentially you load your cards and information on your phone, and when you want to buy something you tap it (the same way you would tap a credit card) and put your finger on the fingerprint sensor. Of course it only works on the new iPhones, and with certain companies/retailers. While Apple could be the company to make mobile payments takeoff, I think it also has several concerns to face. Security is a big issue considering the recent hacking of iCloud accounts that led to the release of nude pictures. Apple says that the place you’re buying from doesn’t get any of your financial information, and that Apple doesn’t either, but I’m not sure how much I believe this. If Apple can push the new U2 album to everyone person who has iTunes (users get the album for free), to help break some records, then I’m pretty sure they can collect data about your purchase habits. One part of Apple Pay that wasn’t announced on Tuesday, is that Apple gets 0.15% of all payments made with Apple Pay. That’s 15 cents for every $100 spent, and that’s going to add up quickly.

While a lot of retailers are on board (McDonalds, Staples, Walgreens, etc.), some companies aren’t planning on implementing Apple Pay any time soon. Walmart and Best Buy both stated that they have no plans to equip their stores with NFC scanners. Both of them have given their allegiance to a retailer owned mobile commerce network called MCX (Merchant Customer Exchange). MCX uses an app (available next year) that is available on both iOS and Android devices, allowing the technology to be used by a much wider range of people. Considering the impact that Walmart has on the marketplace (it pretty much single handedly got companies to switch to RFID tracking), it could definitely affect which mobile payment systems take off.

Lastly, is the Apple Watch (which is horribly named, in my opinion – even iWatch is better). I felt kind of bad for Apple because the expectations were so high for this product. And while it isn’t bad, it isn’t amazing either. Apple clearly attempted to make their product customizable, but only with the physical hardware. There are 2 sizes, 3 different watch faces, and 6 interchangeable watch bands. There are also physical buttons, which remind me of the original iPod with the scroll wheel. I’m not sure why the buttons are necessary, but we’ll see how they improve the user experience. The watch pushes your phone notifications to you, it functions as a mini iPod, it’s a fitness tracker, it works with Apple Pay and you can control your Apple TV with it, among other things. While it’s arguably the best smartwatch out there right now, it certainly doesn’t blow anything out of the water. It incorporates a lot of the similar features and ideas of other smart watches, and the design leaves you looking for more. However it is the first iteration and lots of improvements are sure to be made in the future. Still, it’s a hefty price to pay ($349 USD) for something that simply saves you the convenience of pulling out your phone. Like other smart watches, the Apple watch has to be charged every night. It also won’t be available until sometime in 2015.

Overall, I think this was a good day for Apple. Nothing revolutionary was introduced, but they are working on new things, and often their strength is improving on the ideas of others. Tim Cook did say that Apple is working on products that haven’t even been rumoured about, and that he still thinks improvements need to be made to TVs. Now the media will have to find something new to expect from Apple, continuing the endless cycle of hype.