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Apple Wins Again: iPhone 6 & More!

Updated on September 16, 2014

What was rolled out by Apple on September 9th?

Apple held a live event in California yesterday, (Sept. 9, 2014) to unveil 4 huge tech items which not only will continue Apple's claim to fame in innovative technologies, but also promise to change the way people deal with their mobile devices, how they pay for merchandise in the future, and how they communicate. Below, we outline the 4 major products and services Apple revealed yesterday in a live event, attended by over 1,000 people. The main event was the introduction of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, two versions of the long-awaited new smart phone Apple hopes will dethrone the Samsung S5 and Amazon's new Fire Phone, which was just released earlier this month.

Apple fans were reveling in the event, and even those of us who work in technology felt proud, as if we had a part in it, knowing that what we were seeing was a historical event for the technology world.

iPhone 6 and 6 Plus

The main reason people turned out (and tuned in) to Apple TV's live feed of the event on September 9th was because of the long-awaited iPhone 6. Tim Cook, acting CEO of Apple since the death of Steve Jobs, nearly 3 years ago, explained that there was not only going to be one phone released today, but two phones: one features the customary slim design and smaller version iPhone lovers have come to know, and the second was a "fatter" version, a larger phone, called the iPhone 6 Plus.

The fearless leader of Apple, Steve Jobs, is rumored to not have liked the larger phones and didn't have plans to build one. He just didn't think they would go over well with users. But the leader with so much vision was wrong about this part: the bigger phones have made quite a splash with users. I'm sure this got factored into the new release of iPhone 6 Plus, so that users have two choices-in case they don't want the larger version.


iOS 8

Another surprise for Apple users yesterday was the new iOS 8 interface, which features a number of automatic communications capabilities which were not present in iOS 7, and it takes out many of the glitches of the previous version.

Other features of the new Apple iOS include mail managing capabilities, multi-tasking, and a number of other multimedia-friendly features.

Watch the video to learn more about iOS 8.

Apple Pay

Even among Apple fans who have kept up with the coming release of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, Apple Pay was a bit of a surprise. Designed to revolutionize the way payments are made, Apple Pay was also unveiled today. The system is based on a high-tech solution to automatic payments, using only your iPhone 6, in which you simply go up to an Apple Pay terminal, swipe your phone to pay out, and you're done!

Not only is this new revolutionary method fast, it's secure. Using an encrypted new type of technology developed exclusively by Apple, it keeps the credit card and banking information of the user completely anonymous, and the merchant never sees any of this information.

As an added security, Apple has protected the phone itself from housing any of your credit or bank information, so in the event that your phone is lost, you do not have to cancel your credit cards.

Online transactions can also use this innovative technology, by the use of mobile apps users download to their iPhones from the various vendors. Apple has already gotten several key retailers onboard with their new payment system and they plan to recruit several more in the near future.

This is a big invention for Apple-as well as the tech world and the consumer shopping world as well and may change the way we do online and offline transactions forever!

The video to the right explains in detail how Apple Pay™ works and how the security protect you 24/7.

iWatch

The last thing Apple revealed today was the iWatch and it was well worth waiting for. This was perhaps the biggest surprise of the day, and with good reason. Apple kept it a secret for a long time, as was the custom of Steve Jobs whenever he unveiled anything new.

Many of us recall his words, when he unveiled the iPod,

"Imagine a thousand songs in your pocket."

The iWatch allows you to listen to music, see video, communicate with each other in real time via a number of unique and innovative technologies, and allows subtle communication between people when in meetings so that you can focus on what you need to, and still let people know you got their message.

It allows you to access all of your favorite apps any time with just the touch of a button and employs new digital interface features which allow you to use it as easily as your iPhone. It also has seamless iPhone 6 integration and is designed to work with the new iPhones.

Take a look at the video in which Apple unveils this long-awaited item.

The iWatch will be available for purchase in early 2015.

At the End of the Day

Apple definitely made tech history today with these amazing tech gadgets and their pay system, which is already available in many stores across the country.

They ended the day with a surprise visit from U2, the famous Irish rock band which asked Tim Cook, CEO of Apple to please release their album in 5 seconds...and he did!

iTunes has over half a billion users and as a grand finale and a true show of Apple's magical-like capabilities to reach the world with their inventions, they had someone upload their album to iTunes and release it in 5 seconds. As an added finale, U2 and Apple announced that the new white label album by U2 would be available for the rest of the day entirely free for Apple iTune users.

The day was certainly eventful for Apple and one that will go down in the history books for all of us who love technology. Whether you are an Apple fanatic or not, everyone had to agree that technology history was made today.

As an app developer for Apple, I have to say that I was impressed and appreciated the fact that Apple has made the iWatch very friendly to developers, so that we can create apps that will work in the iWatch too.

Apple just keeps on setting the curve in the technology race, and everyone else seems to be compelled to follow. It will be interesting to see what happens next as everyone eagerly awaits the day all of the items will be on sale.


Product Availability

The iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus will be available for "preorder" on September 12, 2014. The iWatch becomes available in early 2015 (TBA), the Apple Pay system and iOS 8 will be available immediately. iOS 8 makes its first appearance on iPhone 6 but it will also be included on updates to the iPad.

The prices of the items are surprisingly low for Apple:

The iPhone 6 starts at only $299, the iWatch will retail for $349.


Tribute to Steve Jobs

The U2 appearance at the end of the day gave a subtle tribute to Apple CEO and founder, Steve Jobs, who passed away almost 3 years ago. Here, we see Jobs introducing the iPod several years ago in 2004, with the same level of excitement we who were writing about the event yesterday noticed.

Jobs was not only a great visionary, but also a determined leader who was 100% focused on every invention. He stopped at nothing to see his vision to completion and got rid of anything that got in the way of his dream. He was also big on fanfare and included some surprises and a great deal of suspense and anticipating preceding each unveiling of a new product, like it was the solution to everything.

Jobs attention to high quality coupled with his incessant innovative spirit has pushed Apple to the company it is today. It's clear Apple is carrying on with his philosophy and his vision.



Copyright Notice

© 2014 Deborah L. Killion

Deb Killion is a well-known blogger and media content producer. She also owns a technology business within her home. All of her work including blog entries and posts are protected by copyright law. None of her work may be copied or reproduced in whole or in part without express written permission.

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