iPhone 2014: It's time.

[Spineshank]

At least from what I know, iTunes Match still stores the songs on your phone, but it does it as you play them. That also means I have to use my cellular data to play (or rather, download the) music. A friend of mine uses it, and he seems to like it, but I guess I'm just one of those "old tech" people when it comes to music. I don't use Pandora, Last.fm, or Spotify even though I have an account on all three of them.

It doesn't. You can download songs from it to your phone but it always streams. It does seem to download some sort of cache though for songs already listened to but its not anything big.

 

[Eug]

With the 1GB of RAM ranging from the iPhone 5 to the 6, I hope iOS 8 slims down a bit for resource use. I have about ~ 450 mb of RAM free when no apps are in the background. Letting Safari and other apps have their way throughout the day and I'll have no free memory. iOS will kill idle apps once I am out of free memory.

It's not a huge issue on iOS 7 except for the occasional Safari crashes when low on memory. Once apps start being a lot more resource heavy, multitasking won't be so fun.

My iPhone 3G has about 50mb of free memory to play with, and once that number runs out, the app will crash if it needs more than the 128mb of RAM the 3G has.

My iPhone 3G is basically unusable now except as a slow iPod touch.

 

[Michael]

The price of phones in Canada is higher now because the CDN$ went down against the USD$. Apple pricing is pretty standard worldwide, with currency and taxes (VAT) being the main differences.

MIchael

 

[JackBurton]

It doesn't. You can download songs from it to your phone but it always streams. It does seem to download some sort of cache though for songs already listened to but its not anything big.

Wrong. iTunes Match only streams the songs you haven't downloaded. By default it streams songs. However, if you are going on a trip, you just hit the cloud icon to the right and it will download that specific song so you can listen to it offline or if you don't want to use your cell data plan. If you want to download a whole playlist, you can do that as well.

I have iTunes Match and absolutely love it. My whole music library is accessible by all 5 of my iDevices and uses up maybe a few MB on one to a few GB (6GB) on the most used device, however ALL of them have access to the 50GB+ music library at all times... Well except when you don't have an internet connection.

 

[Childs]

Apple's attempt to impress with their incredible server capacity at their datacenter fails once again! Nothing but skiping stopping, crashing, failing to load, and out-right error messages (got "not authorized" on their site a few times).

I wonder if they underestimated how many people would be tuning in. Obviously they did, but it might have been significantly more than past events. That doesn't explain the Chinese narration though...

 

[Kaido]

Sadly, from my Android friends:

http://i.imgur.com/Vge3M7S.jpg

I think two things killed me:

1. Still an 8-megapixel camera (4S...5...5S...6...all 8MP)
2. No waterproofing of any kind (got a messy toddler or outdoorsy? buy an Otterbox!)

Also missing:

1. Wireless charging (I believe the iWatch has it, right?)
2. Any mention of a USB 3.0 connection

None of those are dealbreakers, but it's 2014...I feel like we should at least have USB 3.0. I shoot a lot of video & a large amount of photos & transferring takes foreeeeeeeever. I'm sure I'm in the minority in terms of the amount of photos & video I shoot, but still...bummer.

I'm interested to see how the updated camera features work out. While it stinks that it's only 8 megapixels, it will be nice to work even faster with photos on the phone since it has a faster CPU, but the same size of captured images. My two biggest gripes with the 5S's camera is the crappy autofocus & terrible macro (as compared to my 4S); the new Focus Pixels stuff sounds promising. The leaks pointed to enhanced macro & landscape shooting; since the landscape shooting has improved (43MP or whatever), I'm hoping the macro has as well.

I recently bought a 64GB iPhone 5S, primarily to use it with my Moondog Labs anamorphic lens for iPhone. I would have stayed with my 4S otherwise, but I wanted the lens for filming, so I upgraded. I have a Yipin Qi-enabled wireless charging case as well. Right now, I don't plan on upgrading to the 6 or 6 Plus; I also don't plan on getting an iWatch. I'll see how things play out, I guess.

 

[Fingolfin269]

Posted some version of this in the other thread as well...

The screen size bump should have been huge. I wonder if all of the leaks are what is killing this event for Apple now. There is no longer a surprise. "One more thing"? Yeah we know what that is and unfortunately it wasn't good.

Here's the thing. I've been waiting on a bigger screen iPhone so plan to order one on Friday. But I think Apple has a real problem on their hands now. All of the low hanging fruit is gone now that they've done the screen bump. What can they do next year that will make everyone take notice? Improving the camera, better processor, wireless charging, etc are ok add ons but better not be the key points being sold.

 

[Red Storm]

Posted some version of this in the other thread as well...

The screen size bump should have been huge. I wonder if all of the leaks are what is killing this event for Apple now. There is no longer a surprise. "One more thing"? Yeah we know what that is and unfortunately it wasn't good.

Here's the thing. I've been waiting on a bigger screen iPhone so plan to order one on Friday. But I think Apple has a real problem on their hands now. All of the low hanging fruit is gone now that they've done the screen bump. What can they do next year that will make everyone take notice? Improving the camera, better processor, wireless charging, etc are ok add ons but better not be the key points being sold.

Water-resistance, sapphire glass front, 32GB base storage. All of those are also secondary features, but I don't expect much of a change next year.

 

[CZroe]

I love how you they act like "Ion-strengthened glass" is something new. Their glass has always been ion-strengthened. That's exactly what Gorilla. Glass/Mineral Glass *is*. They think we'll get excited all over again because they changed the name they refer to it as.

Now, why does the Apple Watch Sport have glass instead of Sapphire?! If anything the rigors of sports require the extra durability. Anodized aluminum is also a mistake for that usage scenario (will look like crap in not time). It's supposedly a weight saving thing, but come on!

I wonder if they underestimated how many people would be tuning in. Obviously they did, but it might have been significantly more than past events. That doesn't explain the Chinese narration though...

It might. They may have switched deliberately if all their English streams were overwhealmed and they thought there was some remaining capacity there.

 

[Kaido]

Yeah, maybe for next year:

1. Waterproof
2. More megapixels
3. Wireless charging
4. USB 3.0 connection
5. Sapphire screen (unless the fancy new "ionized" one is awesome)
6. 4K video recording

Yay for a bigger screen, improved camera sensor & other photo/video features, NFC, and improved performance. Mostly it's a screen boost. The barometer will be cool, but where I am supposed to put a 4.7" or 5.5" phone while running or biking? I wish they had put that in the watch instead.

 

[Eug]

New Apple tax

Heh. There is a new Apple tax out there now. Every Apple Pay transaction pays money to Apple. I wonder how much that is. This is from the Bloomberg report:

Apple Inc. will reap fees from banks when consumers use an iPhone in place of credit and debit cards for purchases, a deal that gives the handset maker a cut of the growing market for mobile payments, according to three people with knowledge of the arrangement.

 

[Kaido]

Now, why does the Apple Watch Sport have glass instead of Sapphire?! If anything the rigors of sports require the extra durability. Anodized aluminum is also a mistake for that usage scenario (will look like crap in not time). It's supposedly a weight saving thing, but come on!

I wonder if the Sports model is waterproof - might have been easier to seal glass than sapphire.

 

[CZroe]

I wonder if the Sports model is waterproof - might have been easier to seal glass than sapphire.

Except that high-end watches are often waterproof/resistant AND sapphire. My MBW-150 smartwatch is both and it is several years old. I am convinced that they are trying to get more money for less with the Sport model purely because "it's lighter!"

 

[CZroe]

New Apple tax

Heh. There is a new Apple tax out there now. Every Apple Pay transaction pays money to Apple. I wonder how much that is. This is from the Bloomberg report:

Apple Inc. will reap fees from banks when consumers use an iPhone in place of credit and debit cards for purchases, a deal that gives the handset maker a cut of the growing market for mobile payments, according to three people with knowledge of the arrangement.

Strange. Their Apple Pay introduction started by saying that others got it wrong because they tried to monetize it, as if they weren't going to do the same. Looks like they are trying to do the same.

Anyway, as for how the Apple Watch authenticates without TouchID, I'm pretty sure it can tell when it is taken off using the pulse monitor and it can stay "authorized" all day from the first time you used TouchID while it was on your wrist (the first time you used your phone for anything since wearing the watch that day). This keeps you from having to touch TouchID in your pocket while waving your watch around.

 

[CZroe]

Sadly, from my Android friends:

http://i.imgur.com/Vge3M7S.jpg

I think two things killed me:

1. Still an 8-megapixel camera (4S...5...5S...6...all 8MP)
2. No waterproofing of any kind (got a messy toddler or outdoorsy? buy an Otterbox!)

Also missing:

1. Wireless charging (I believe the iWatch has it, right?)
2. Any mention of a USB 3.0 connection

None of those are dealbreakers, but it's 2014...I feel like we should at least have USB 3.0. I shoot a lot of video & a large amount of photos & transferring takes foreeeeeeeever. I'm sure I'm in the minority in terms of the amount of photos & video I shoot, but still...bummer.

I'm interested to see how the updated camera features work out. While it stinks that it's only 8 megapixels, it will be nice to work even faster with photos on the phone since it has a faster CPU, but the same size of captured images. My two biggest gripes with the 5S's camera is the crappy autofocus & terrible macro (as compared to my 4S); the new Focus Pixels stuff sounds promising. The leaks pointed to enhanced macro & landscape shooting; since the landscape shooting has improved (43MP or whatever), I'm hoping the macro has as well.

I recently bought a 64GB iPhone 5S, primarily to use it with my Moondog Labs anamorphic lens for iPhone. I would have stayed with my 4S otherwise, but I wanted the lens for filming, so I upgraded. I have a Yipin Qi-enabled wireless charging case as well. Right now, I don't plan on upgrading to the 6 or 6 Plus; I also don't plan on getting an iWatch. I'll see how things play out, I guess.

Samsung ditched USB3.0 too. My Galaxy Note 3 has it and the Gnote4 will not. It didn't speed things up anyway (read the reviews). I think removing it has more to do with waiting for USB3.0 type-C though without entrenching the old microUSB3.0 in the mean time. I've still not heard that Lightning supports USB3.0, though I'm sure it can be revised. Air Drop and Photostream are enough to eliminate any transfer speed concern I have since everything is already transferred before I might need it.

Wireless charging is being saved for the 6S, and 6S Plus, no doubt. They just don't want to play those cards yet. They need to save something, which is why the CPU bump was so small. Anyone else notice the post they put on their live blog about it only being 25% faster than the original iPhone? LOL!

I'm not too concerned with the megapixels, though I would have liked to see 13MP with 4K video recording. Realistically, 8MP is more than enough for what I do.

I'm happy to see 128GB, but there's no reason for expensive high-performance NAND or whateve flash they are using at those capacities. I have a 128MB microSD card in my 32GB Gnote3 for 196GB total capacity. Apps go on fast 32GB while media goes on cheap 128GB. It just seems like a waste to put all that on a 128GB iPhone 6 Plus.

 

[mmntech]

The price of phones in Canada is higher now because the CDN$ went down against the USD$. Apple pricing is pretty standard worldwide, with currency and taxes (VAT) being the main differences.

MIchael

It's always be higher though. When the dollar was on par, US was paying $699 while we were paying $719.

 

[purbeast0]

i printed out the 1:1 sized paper cutouts yesterday and cut them out yesterday evening.

the ip6 was pretty much the exact same size as my wifes otterbox case footprint for her ip5.

and man, the ip6+ is HUGE. i'm torn which one i want to get because the ip6+ seems way too big to me. i've used my brothers s5 before and it does feel big, and this one is bigger. but i'm just wondering if it's something you eventually get used to.

 

[ControlD]

i printed out the 1:1 sized paper cutouts yesterday and cut them out yesterday evening.

the ip6 was pretty much the exact same size as my wifes otterbox case footprint for her ip5.

and man, the ip6+ is HUGE. i'm torn which one i want to get because the ip6+ seems way too big to me. i've used my brothers s5 before and it does feel big, and this one is bigger. but i'm just wondering if it's something you eventually get used to.

I went from a 4S to a Note 2, which is a pretty drastic change in size. It took all of about two days before I was completely comfortable with the larger phone. If you are interested in the 6+ then go for it.

 

[vi edit]

i printed out the 1:1 sized paper cutouts yesterday and cut them out yesterday evening.

the ip6 was pretty much the exact same size as my wifes otterbox case footprint for her ip5.

and man, the ip6+ is HUGE. i'm torn which one i want to get because the ip6+ seems way too big to me. i've used my brothers s5 before and it does feel big, and this one is bigger. but i'm just wondering if it's something you eventually get used to.

It's weird. I had an iPhone4. Then went too a Galaxy Note 2 which is about the same size as the Plus. After getting annoyed by the horrible reception and voice quality of the Note I went down to a Moto X. That phone is about the same size of a 5s with a durable case.

I used the Moto X for 3 months before I picked up my Note II again. It felt monstrous in comparison.

What I can say about the smaller phone having used it again is that there is a certain liberation of having a smaller device. It fits in the cupholders of my car. I can sit down with it in my pants pocket and not fear it falling out. I don't have a massive rectangular slab outline in my dress slacks.

Web browsing is no comparison between the two. The larger phones are so much better it's not funny. And I really preferred text messaging on the larger phone. A dedicated number row and the key spacing was just much more enjoyable experience and my texting accuracy was much better on the larger device.

There's some things you get used to, but others are frustrating with the larger devices. The pants pocket and cupholder thing in the car were my two "largest" annoyances.

 

[purbeast0]

thanks for the feedback. i'm coming from an ip4 so it will be a big change for sure. my wife has the 5 so i know that size and am comfortable with that size for sure. she wants the 6 and not the 6+. i'm just not sure which i want.

i definitely am not sure how i feel about having that big ass object in my pocket either. that is another thing that i'm concerned about overall.

 

[Eug]

I went from a 4S to a Note 2, which is a pretty drastic change in size. It took all of about two days before I was completely comfortable with the larger phone. If you are interested in the 6+ then go for it.

Everyone's different. I went from a 3.5" iPhone 4 to a 4.7" Android phone that was smaller than the iPhone 6 4.7". However, even after the better part of a year, I just never got fully comfortable with the size, and OS considerations aside, just based on ergonomics I was super happy to go back the 4.0" iPhone 5s. It just feels so much less awkward in the hand.

 

[Red Storm]

Everyone's different. I went from a 3.5" iPhone 4 to a 4.7" Android phone that was smaller than the iPhone 6 4.7". However, even after the better part of a year, I just never got fully comfortable with the size, and OS considerations aside, just based on ergonomics I was super happy to go back the 4.0" iPhone 5s. It just feels so much less awkward in the hand.

Yeah everyone is different, that's really the main point. I personally can't go back to small screen phones, they feel like little toys and everything is just more crammed together, don't like it at all.

 

[Blackjack200]

When they say pre-ordering begins on Sep. 12, does that mean 12:00 PDT? I'm anticipating supply problems and am hoping getting an order in early will get me a phone before December.

 

[purbeast0]

When they say pre-ordering begins on Sep. 12, does that mean 12:00 PDT? I'm anticipating supply problems and am hoping getting an order in early will get me a phone before December.

according to the verizon website, they start at 12:01am PDT.

i have 2 phones on my account and 1 of them doesn't have an upgrade until october 14th of this year, but they changed it for me so i can upgrade both at the discounted price.

does anyone know what the discounted price is for the iphone 6 on verizon? like how much off you actually get with it now?

 

[TheStu]

Wireless charging is being saved for the 6S, and 6S Plus, no doubt. They just don't want to play those cards yet. They need to save something, which is why the CPU bump was so small. Anyone else notice the post they put on their live blog about it only being 25% faster than the original iPhone? LOL!

I think it was a typo on the liveblog. It's 25% faster than the iPhone 5s, 5000% faster than the OG iPhone