The Student Newspaper of Saint Peter's Prep

The Petroc

The Student Newspaper of Saint Peter's Prep

The Petroc

The Student Newspaper of Saint Peter's Prep

The Petroc

More Tech Gadgets: Focus on New Apple Products

More+Tech+Gadgets%3A+Focus+on+New+Apple+Products+

Recently Apple announced the arrival of a few new gadgets. Namely, the iPhone 6, the iPhone 6 Plus, the Apple Watch, Apple Pay, and the iOS 8 Operating System. Apple has been wildly successful with its revolutionary innovations through releases of such products. Apple customers have been described as being “blindly loyal” to Apple, almost to the point of being neurotic. At many of the stores, customers were lined up for days before the new gadgets were available. Many of these customers waited on lines stretching around the block. Those waiting on lines, remained there for days and slept in sleeping bags at night. The release lived up to all of the hype. Over 10 million iPhones were sold in just three days.

The iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus are larger in size. The iPhone 6 is 4.7 inches and the iPhone 6 Plus is 5.5 inches. The 6 Plus has been jokingly compared to the iPad Mini because of its size. The iPhone 6 Plus has a few other features that distinguish it from other smartphones. The 6 Plus has a longer battery life, a bigger screen, and the shape is more curved. The camera is improved in that there is greater stabilization. On the negative side, there have been reports that the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus have been prone to bending particularly when carried in pants pockets.

The Apple Watch is a device that many people remain skeptical about. The Apple watch is available in a few different designs, colors and sizes. In addition to being a timepiece, the Apple Watch also has an Apple interface which allows for communication by calling and messaging. There is functionality and apps available to record pulse and heartbeats. Supposedly, the Apple Watch and its functionality can provide for healthier living through its fitness and health sensors.

Although the gadgetry of larger iPhones, better camera features, sleek watches to speak into and retrieve messages from are impressive enough, the release of Apple Pay is probably the most significant Apple innovation this time around. Suffice to say, the Apple loyalists were lined up for the phones and gadgetry. They were not in sleeping bags and camped out overnight for Apple Pay. Make no mistake, Apple Pay will be significant. PayPal has owned the payment space for quite some time. The big issue with payments, mobile payments and point of sale payments is related to security. Hackers are constantly seeking ways to infiltrate and hack payment systems. Apple Pay supposedly has advanced the security aspect of payments. Users will be able to use the iPhone to pay merchants. Credit card numbers are not stored on the phone. A fingerprint scanner is used to access the device account and then link that to the a given merchant’s bank. There is also a chip in the phone which provides encryption in the event that the phone is lost or stolen.

The popularity of Apple, its devices and phones, and the willingness of merchants to accept Apple Pay will usher in the next phase of the cashless society.