iPhone 6 arrives tomorrow

With the saturation in smartphone demand, it’s not surprising that Apple is launching a new version of iPhone. Rumors have it that iPhone 6 will be launched tomorrow 9 September 2014 at the Flint Center in Cupertino (Silicon valley), California in the U.S., the same place where, 30 years ago, Steve Jobs, the company’s co-founder, […]

With the saturation in smartphone demand, it’s not surprising that Apple is launching a new version of iPhone. Rumors have it that iPhone 6 will be launched tomorrow 9 September 2014 at the Flint Center in Cupertino (Silicon valley), California in the U.S., the same place where, 30 years ago, Steve Jobs, the company’s co-founder, first unveiled the Macintosh microcomputer. Jobs is dead now, but Apple’s decision to return to that venue suggests that the company has something up its sleeve. The new phones are expected to be available for purchase (in the U.S. at least) by 19 September, 2014.
The bits of information available on the event are mostly rumors for now. Two iPhone devices will be launched, both of which are of the relatively large-screen variety: 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch for the dimensions of the diagonals of the two phones. In fact, this would be the first time that Apple will put out a cell phone that is longer than 4 inches. In 2010 Steve Jobs poked fun at Apple’s rivals like Samsung for making phones so large “you couldn’t get your hand around them,” with the statement that “no one is going to buy that.”  Evidently, Jobs was wrong, since large smartphones and phablets have seen significant increases in demand over the past couple of years. From that perspective, Apple is obviously coming into the market late. Furthermore, the new iPhone devices are not really revolutionary relative to the previous versions; they are more or less evolutionary. These statements notwithstanding, there are features that I like about the new iPhones, the crux of which I summarize below.
The larger screen sizes: Although I don’t like supersized smartphones that look like tablets, aka, phablets, I do think that adding an inch or so to the standard iPhone size is going to be a plus for consumers. With larger screens, the resolutions in picture elements (pixels) have to be increased in order to achieve retinal-quality display. There are various speculations on the screen resolutions: 1334 x 750, 1704 x 960, and 1472 x 828. Whatever the resolutions turn out to be, I am sure Apple will be careful to minimize device fragmentation for app developers. From my experience in one of my previous lives as an operating system developer, I know, first-hand, the challenges of not matching pixels with device viewports.
Processor upgrade: This pertains to the engine for the new devices. The iPhone 5S uses a 64-bit 28-nanometer A7 chip manufactured by Samsung. The iPhone 6 will use a 20-nanometer A8 chip that will be manufactured by TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company). A 30 percent improvement in processor speed over iPhone 5S is rumored. A new version of the iOS operating system (iOS 8) is also rumored.
Price tag: Higher costs ($100) for the 5.5-inch phone over the price for 5S are expected. Thus, with a carrier contract (U.S. only), you are looking at $299 for the 5.5-inch phone. The 4.7-inch phone will cost $100 less than this. Without contract, you might be looking at prices in the range [$545, $945], depending on the particular model and features. The prices in other countries may be considerably higher.
Sapphire screens: To help prevent cracks and scratches, the displays in the new devices will be made of sapphire, one of the hardest and strongest minerals on earth.
Security: Last week, a major controversy erupted over the security of Apple’s iCloud drive, when nude photographs of female celebrities in the U.S. were leaked and displayed online. Apple will probably incorporate additional security features into iPhone 6.
Mobile payment capabilities: Near-field communication (NFC)-based mobile payment may be the most important new feature in iPhone 6. In fact, it is rumored that Apple has signed deals with Visa, MasterCard, and American Express for its mobile initiatives. To be sure, Google, HTC, and Nokia have all installed NFC chips in their systems; however, the technology hasn’t really taken off because of poor merchants support. If this works in iPhone 6, you may not need to carry wallets or credit cards, as entire transactions could take place on the phone. This column presented the latest in NFC in the 1 October 2012 issue of Daily Trust, to which you can refer. The NFC protocol allows smartphones to establish radio communication with each other when you bring them into close proximity, usually no more than a few centimetres. With this capability, you can swipe your smartphone at the checkout lane in the supermarket, wave it over a display at a stadium or railway station to pay for your ticket, or bump phones with a friend to share the latest games.
Other features: These include a barometric pressure sensor that comes with applications such as GPS, indoor/outdoor navigation enhancement, weather forecasting, altimetry, spirometry, and lung function measurements. These capabilities have been added to Apple’s Health app in the beta version of iOS 8. It is also believed that Apple will continue to feature the Touch ID fingerprint sensor first found in iPhone 5S. A Gigabit per second Wi-Fi bandwidth capability will also be available, via the 802.11ac Wi-Fi standard.
Will iPhone 6 succeed? I think Apple products are developed mostly for Apple enthusiasts, for whom the “badge values” of Apple products are priceless. I don’t think Apple will be looking for converts from, say, Samsung. However, the NFC capability, if it succeeds, could be a game changer for a company that already has the credit card information of over 800 million purchasers of iTunes/AppStore accounts.