What an event it has been, with the new iPhone 6 and 6 Plus and the spectacular Apple Watch. Also announced today was Apple Pay, Apple's new mobile payment system that will work with both the new iPhones and the new iWatch. The new devices have a near field communication (NFC) chip that works with mobile payment processing terminals at 200,000 merchant locations. To make a purchase you simply touch your device to the terminal, and then tap the Touch ID. That's it. Apple calls it "one-touch checkout." 

All your payment information is encrypted and secure on your device. Instead of storing your credit card number on your iPhone or iWatch, Apple creates a device-only account number for each purchase. The merchant doesn't even see your credit card number. All of your credit card accounts can be stored in Passbook. If you lose your phone, you can use Find My iPhone to suspend all payments. Apple is partnering with Visa, MasterCard, and American Express, as well as many major retailers, including Walgreens, Bloomingdales, Staples, Subway, McDonalds, Disney, who Foods, Target, and Starbucks, as well as online services such as Groupon, OpenTable, and Uber. You can enter your credit card information into your iPhone by taking a photo of it. Again, your iPhone doesn't store the number but instead assigns an ad-hoc, device-only account. And they say they don't keep any kind of record of your purchases.

It really seems like Apple has thought this through and has made it easy to use. They see it as replacing credit cards. The new service will be available beginning next month.

As was rumored, today's event ended with a performance by the band U2. And to top it off, Apple announced that U2's new album Songs of Innocence is available in the iTunes Store for free. 

If you have an iTunes account, the album already appears in your music library. All you have to do is tap to download it. The album is available to every iTunes Store customer in 119 countries. Apple called it the largest album release in history, with over a half billion people owning it immediately. 

The Apple Watch was announced earlier today and it, along with the Health app, will change the way we are able to interact with our iPhones. The Apple Watch does double duty as an all day fitness tracker (Activity app) and a sports watch (Workout app). The wide variety of data it collects makes it easy for the Apple Watch to track different types of activity.

These are the key components of fitness portion of the Apple Watch:

• Accelerometer measures your total body movement
• LED and photo sensors to track your pulse (which shows your intensity)
• GPS provides location data 

Unlike most fitness trackers currently on the market, the Apple Watch will not only calculate your total movement, but it will provide information about the quality of your movement. I know there's nothing more frustrating than completing a CrossFit workout and having your fitness tracker tell you that you didn't get a solid workout in. 

The fitness tracker on the Apple Watch is the Activity App. The Activity App tracks the amount of time you spend standing, moving, and exercising. The movement aspect of the Activity app calculates your calories burned. When you've burned the correct amount of calories for you (you set the number), you can close that portion of the app. The exercise portion of the Activity app calculates how much you've moved more intensely than a brisk walk. The standing aspect of the Activity app monitors how often you stood up and took a break from the sitting position–the goal is once an hour. 

The substitute for your sports watch is the Workout app. Select your workout, set your goal (based on time, amount of calories burned, or distance), and begin. The Workout app can monitor your blood pressure through the four sapphire lenses on the back of the watch that contain LEDs and photo sensors. Tap the watch face during your workout to see your progress, and receive a complete summary of your workout after it ends. 

The Apple Watch will keep your workout history close at hand for you to reference later. While several fitness trackers have apps and websites that will save this information for you, this is the first time that your history will be available directly on the wearable fitness tracker. In addition, your workout and health data will be available to your health care provider and other third-party apps that you allow access to.

The Apple Watch requires an iPhone 5, 5c, 5s, 6, or 6 Plus to pair with and will be available in early 2015. Price begins at $349.

Vainglory is an upcoming iOS MOBA game that was demoed at today's Apple event. It showed of just a smidgen of what iOS 8's new gaming interface Metal is capable of doing. It's interesting that Apple picked a MOBA to feature at today's event, considering how immensely popular (and profitable) as a professional eSport the genre has become. They clearly consider themselves legitimate contenders in the high stakes arena of professional gaming.

Vainglory was a pleasant surprise. It showed a little bit of the level of graphics and gameplay possible on Apple's new iDevice operating system. The new iPhone 6s features a new 64-bit A8 chip and has Metal smoothing the way, so developers can create even more spectacular games than ever before.

If you can't see the embedded video above, just click HERE.

What we saw today with Vainglory was awesome, but I suspect it will be looked back on as just the tip of the iceberg in terms of what Metal and the A8 chip are capable of. In the meantime, here's hoping that we see Vainglory, or one of the other amazing MOBAs on iOS, give some of the more established PC and console franchise MOBAs a run for their money.

I couldn't have been more impressed with the Apple Watch. It got huge play today at the event, and I feel that despite all the details presented, that information only scratched the surface. Once again Apple has shown extraordinary vision and attention to detail. Just like the iPhone created a new world of possibilities so too does the Apple Watch. It's yet another multipurpose tool that has an amazing array of uses. You can access apps such as Maps and Music and Health, you can use it to make calls or send messages, you can use it as a watch, you can use it to make mobile payments, you can use it as a health and fitness device, and more. Plus, the WatchKit platform lets developers create apps and notifications.

Here are the sorts of details that make an Apple product stand out. There are a variety of bands available, and you can change them simply by sliding a connector into place. Who else would think of such a detail? Or if you receive a notification, just the act of raising your wrist illuminates the display. If you're using Maps and have asked for walking directions, Apple Watch will give you haptic feedback to tell you when to turn, and actually uses slightly different feedback whether it's left or right. So think about it: you're walking down the street and your watch is telling you where to go based on subtle sensations on your wrist. Who else thinks of such things?

A big emphasis in the presentation was the Apple Watch's ability to function as a communication device. Again, Apple thought of the little details. If you receive a text message, the watch automatically analyzes the content and suggests several replies. You can tap one, or you can record a reply and send. Or you can use a new communication feature called Digital Touch. It lets you communicate with your friends by making quick little doodles on the display. If someone is late for an appointment and you're wondering where they are, tap their photo, doodle a question mark, and send. In addition to doodles, Digital Touch has a full complement of emoji characters. And they're editable. Digital Touch is cute, quick, simple, and new.

Knowing that screen gestures would be difficult on such a small display, Apple took a different approach, using a control that looks like the dial commonly found on watches and that Apple calls the "digital crown." Instead of pinch to zoom, you rotate the crown. You press the crown to switch from a watch face to apps. You can view all your apps and pan through them by swiping around on the display. In addition, a feature called Glance appears when you swipe up on the display. It shows your favorite apps one at a time by swiping left or right.

Health and fitness is a clear focus of the device. It includes a fitness app that monitors all your activity and movement throughout the day. And it has a workout app that creates fitness goals and monitors your progress toward them.

Even the watch faces themselves stand out. The one called Astronomy lets you view the phases of the moon by tapping a small icon on the watch face. You can also tap to view the arrangement of bodies in the solar system. You can scroll through the various faces to select the one you like.

In summary, Apple put a huge amount of attention on the interface and functionality. And they did the same with the hardware. The Apple Watch has a flexible sapphire crystal retina display, and has six options for elegant bands, including leather, stainless steel link, stainless steel mesh, and, polymer. The watch itself comes in three editions: Apple Watch, made of custom alloy, Apple Watch Sport, which is 60 percent stronger than alloy, and Apple Watch Edition, made of hardened 18k gold.

The Apple Watch requires that you have an iPhone: iPhone 5, 5c, 5s, iPhone 6, and 6 Plus. It will start at $349 and will be available early next year. I think it'll be hugely popular.

Today Apple announced some long anticipated new products and upgrades at an event near their headquarters in Cupertino, California. Though we worried that Apple might leave us disappointed, quite a few of our predictions were spot on this year, and we were pleasantly surprised with many of Apple’s newest innovations.

iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus

We found out today that both the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus are going to be much larger and thinner than their predecessors, boasting Retina HD display and smooth, rounded edges. While the iPhone 6 will feature a screen measuring 4.7 inches, which is a nice improvement from the iPhone 5, the iPhone 6 Plus will feature an even greater 5.5 inch screen, competing for users’ bigger-screen demand. Apple also claims to have improved the phone’s camera, as well as its notoriously short battery life, an improvement that many Apple users will be happy to hear. In particular, the camera has a new sensor with Focus Pixels (previously only found in DSLRs), improved HD video, and new ISP to help create clearer images in low light situations. Bonus: The new iPhones will supposedly run graphics 50x faster than previous iPhones, which will be great for gamers!

iOS 8

As expected, the company gave us a rundown of iOS 8’s new and improved features. Here are just a few of the many adjustments we can look forward to seeing September 17th:

Keyboard: The new and improved keyboard will become familiar with your conversation and offer corrections accordingly. Perhaps this could be the solution to all your absurd autocorrect fails?

Messaging: As we learned earlier in the year, users will now be able to add voice, video, and location to all messages.

Health App: This is probably one of the most anticipated additions to iOS 8. This app allows users to monitor their health, with an M8 processor that measures motion data and a barometer that senses air pressure so that your iPhone knows when you’re walking up a flight of stairs.

Touch ID: Safely access content in other apps using your fingerprint.

Apple Pay

This new mobile payment system by Apple allows you to ditch your bulky wallet and replace your cards with the simplicity of your iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, offering security, privacy, and sheer convenience with the incorporation of Touch ID, Secure Element, and Passbook. All it takes is adding a card to your iTunes account and voila! You can now use your iPhone at designated businesses to pay for your merchandise! Not only can you pay for physical items a lot faster and more securely, but you’ll also be able to use Apple Pay online through various apps!

Apple Watch

Last, but certainly not least, Tim Cook announced “one more thing,” and that one more thing was the rumored Apple Watch. As well as being a fashionable, albeit slightly bulky, accessory, the Apple Watch is also a fitness tracker and communication tool, among other things. The Apple Watch features a flexible Retina display, sapphire screen, a digital crown that lets you navigate your watch easier, and sensors that allow you to monitor your health and fitness by tracking your heart rate, distance, and elevation. It will be available in leather, metal, and plastic bands beginning early next year.

It’s always a good idea to keep your iPhone backed up. Frequent backups make it easy to switch to a new device, like the upcoming iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, and are crucial when dealing with loss, theft, and damage. Apple iOS devices can be backed up to iTunes on your computer by connecting via a cable, or via WiFi if you’ve enabled that in iTunes.

The easiest option is to use iCloud to backup to Apple’s servers. That way, you're also protected against physical damage or theft (of your Mac or PC.) Just make sure you have enough space on iCloud (Apple gives users 5 GB free, but that may not be enough.) To manage iCloud space and backups, run the Settings app, touch iCloud, and scroll down to select Storage & Backup.  Apple didn't make a big announcement of it, as they had too much to say at the iPhone 6 introduction, but they dropped the pricing of iCloud storage.   As before, 5GB of storage is free but 20GB of storage is $0.99 a month. Heavy duty users can get 200GB for $3.99 a month or 500GB for $9.99 a month and a whopping 1TB for $19.99 a month.

The smartwatch. Manufacturers have been trying to deliver on the promise of a full-featured wrist gadget for years. The pitfalls are plentiful: Battery Life. Charging. Water Resistance. Rugged Display. Comfort. Fashion. Features and interface. Price. With the Apple Watch, Tim Cook and Jony Ive’s team have addressed almost all of these areas of concern with Apple’s traditional attention to detail.

Battery Life

Our name is iPhone Life, so of course we’re always thinking about the "life" of our batteries!  Apple’s smartwatch won’t be released until "Early 2015" which could be four months away or longer.  So details may change, but Apple has tried to extend battery life by turning the display off unless the Apple watch recognizes a gesture indicating the user wants to interact with the screen.  My Pebble watch has a similar approach to turn the backlight on.

Waterproof

My Kickstarter-funded Pebble watch was not supposed to be waterproof, but Pebble added that feature as no extra cost.  When they added the magnetic charger, this made waterproofing possible.  I don’t swim with my Pebble watch on, but I also don’t have to worry when I wash my hands or take a shower.  Apple doesn't claim that their Apple Watch is waterproof but they show it getting wet so apprently it it is somewhat water resistant.  That may suffice for more people, but in the meantime, it gives Pebble a competitive advantage.

Rugged Display

For months, rumors have swirled about Apple’s special Sapphire factories.  Would the iPhone 6 have a screen that’s second in hardness to diamonds?  It turns out the Apple Watch gets the Sapphire screen, and that makes sense.  It’s hard to build Sapphire in the sizes and quantities that would be needed for a large iPhone, but many watches already use Sapphire.  As watches can get banged around a lot, this is a good idea.

Comfort

Many smartwatches are big and bulky at the expense of comfort. A few allow the user to swap out standard watchbands, at least, so that helps with comfort. My Martian Watch and original Pebble use standard bands, although the newer Pebble Steel does not. Apple’s watch will not accept standard bands, but they make up for it with a wealth of choices, in various metals, polymers, and leather. There is the full-size model, and a slightly smaller version that could appeal to women and wealthy youngsters. The hiring of fashion experts like Angela Ahrendts, former head of Burberry, has paid off.

Features and Interface

Simple notifications will no longer cut it. The most basic of smartwatches need to display Caller ID and text messages. Even the Pebble runs “apps” but in a black and white small screen. Apple has managed to create a WatchKit software development kit that developers can use for customized interactions. By moving interactions off screen to a Digital Crown, similar to Apple’s clickwheel on the original iPod, the screen is not obstructed by a finger. It’s a smart move. Apple intentionally did not shrink down iOS to the size of a watch. This has been the reason many watches that run Android on a small screen haven’t succeeded.

In addition to a gyroscope, the Apple Watch has photo and infrared sensors to capture the wearer's heartbeat. All of these features, combined with HealthKit and apps will allow users to monitor and ideally enhance their fitness. The Apple Watch also has a "Taptic" interface, where different vibrations can be used to indicate a left turn or right turn for example. My Martian Watch has a Bluetooth Speakerphone with a Siri button, so I prefer the audio feedback built-in to iOS, but this could be useful in certain settings. The Apple Watch also has a Bluetooth speakerphone, and with Apple's Handoff feature, users can transfer calls between the watch and other iOS devices and even Mac OS computers!

The Apple watch works with the new Apple Pay system, using Near Field Communication, so Apple really controls the whole ecosystem. People thought that it was silly for Apple to release a watch because people use their phone to tell time. They thought the watch was on the way out. But Apple really is replacing the need for a wallet, and I’m in favor of that.

Pricing

The Apple Watch is not cheap. It starts at $349 and goes much higher if you want the gold model with a fancy strap. Competing smart watches start at $150 and go to $250 or more, but Apple is not afraid to charge a premium price for what they believe is a premium product. The iPad is the best-selling tablet despite Android tablets costing a fraction of the price. Still, at $349, it will be hard to sell people on a new gadget they weren't sure they needed before.

The pressure was on for Apple to “make” the smartwatch industry the way they did with portable music players, smartphones, and tablets and the Apple watch looks like it will be a trendsetter. By pre-announcing it, Apple has given competitors time to play catch up.  But it also gives time to developers to build out the ecosystem to make the Apple watch a success at launch.

The word is out! The new Apple Watch is coming your way in early 2015, providing a brand new platform and great opportunities for a new category of apps. In this post I'll cover some of the basic features available for app developers so you can begin thinking about how these features can be put to use in your own custom apps.

WatchKit

As you might expect, Apple announced a new framework called WatchKit that allows you to create apps for the Apple Watch. Unfortunately, Apple didn't release the WatchKit framework in the latest September 9, 2014 update of Xcode 6, but as soon as it becomes available, I'll dive in and start writing articles about it.

So far, we know that WatchKit allows you to create custom apps as well as notifications that users can interact with.

New Ways of Interfacing with Users

A brand new category of device requires a brand new way of allowing users to interact with that device. As usual Apple's designers have done an outstanding job.

The digital crown (Figure 1) is a new input and navigation device containing infrared LEDs that translate rotary movement to digital data. You can rotate the digital crown to zoom in and out of apps and their content. You can also use it to allow users to select between different options in your apps. When you press on the digital crown, it acts as the Home button, a familiar gesture for iOS users. As Apple mentioned in the keynote, the beauty of the digital crown is that you can interact with it without blocking the screen.

Figure 1 - The digital crown

There is a button directly below the digital crown that you can press to bring up a list of friends that you can contact quickly (Figure 2). 

Figure 2 - The button below the digital crown displays a list of friends.

The surface of the watch is a flexible Retina display that is comprised of a single crystal of sapphire (touted as the second hardest transparent material after diamond.) This display goes beyond the capabilities of other iOS devices. Not only does it sense touch, it also senses force—the user pressing down, as depicted in Figure 3. This allows the display to recognize the difference between a tap and a press, which provides a new type of input gesture—a necessity for such a small touch surface.

Figure 4 - The Apple Watch surface can detect the user pressing down.

The back of the Apple Watch also acts as another input device. It has four sapphire lenses, infrared and visible light LEDs along with photo-sensors that can detect your heart rate (Figure 5).

Figure 5 - The back of the watch has has four sapphire lenses that can be used to detect your heart rate.

Other input devices include a gyroscope and accelerometer that can be used in conjunction with the GPS and WiFi from your iPhone to provide detailed information about your physical movements. They are also used to sense when you are raising your wrist so that the Apple Watch automatically activates the display.

Output Devices

In addition to the flexible Retina display, the Apple Watch includes other output devices that allow you to interact with users. 

First of all, the watch has water-resistant speakers (thank you, Apple) that allow you to interact with the user by playing sounds or music. 

The Apple Watch also has a linear actuator that provides tactic feedback in the form of gently tapping the user on the wrist. To give you a sense of how nuanced these taps can be, the Maps app uses different wrist taps to indicate turning left versus turning right.

Types of Apps

To help jump start your imagination with ideas of the kinds of things you can do with Apple Watch apps, consider some of the apps that were mentioned during the Apple Event:

• American Airlines allows you to handle the entire process of checking in to boarding the plane with their app.
• Starwood hotels allows you to check in on your watch and you can open your hotel door by waving your watch in front of the door.
• The City Mapper app gives you mass transit directions and reminds you to get off at the right stop by tapping on your wrist!
• The Pinterest app alerts you when you are near sites of interest that you have marked in advance and even gives you walking directions.
• BMW lets you see the charge level of your car, and will give you directions to where you parked your car.
• Major League Baseball lets you see the current sports scores.
• Honeywell lets you control the temperature in your home.
• The Lutron app allows you to control the lighting in your home.
• The Nike app allows you to challenge your friends to go for a run.

How Can You Get Ready Now?

If you have apps that you have written for iOS devices, and you want to create a version of your app for the Apple Watch, I recommend taking a good look at your app to make sure that your core logic isn't embedded in the user interface. The UI you would create for an Apple Watch app is very different than that of an iOS app, so you will create a brand new UI experience. If you keep your core logic separate from the UI, you can easily move functionality to the new Apple Watch platform. For more information on creating this type of flexible app architecture, check out my blog post on App Architecture.

Conclusion

I knew I'd be excited about the new iPhone 6, but I didn't expect to be torn between the two new iPhones announced at today's Apple Keynote: iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. Maybe you can help me choose?

Size

For comparison, the iPhone 5s has a 4-inch Retina display, is 4.87" tall and 2.31" wide.

iPhone 6: 4.7" Retina HD display, 5.44" tall and 2.64" wide. 

iPhone 6 Plus: 5.5" Retina HD display, 6.22" tall and 3.06" wide. 

Processor

For comparison, the iPhone 5 has an A7 chip and M7 motion coprocessor. 

The A8 chip and M8 motion coprocessor means that both the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus will be faster then the iPhone 5 and have better motion tracking–this is important for those who use and love fitness apps that track your steps and location. 

Camera

For comparison, the iPhone 5 has an older model 8-megapixel camera with autofocus.

The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus have an 8-megapixel camera with autofocus Focus Pixels. The 6 Plus has optical image stabilization. Both phones have a true-tone flash and improved face detection. The burst mode will detect open eyes and smiles, then suggest which of your photos will be the best. 

Video Recording 

Apple bumped up it's video game by announcing better recording speeds (which means crisper video), cinematic video stabilization and continuous autofocus. They also improved the face detection in videos.

NFC (Near Field Communications)

NFC is a form of wireless communication between two devices, and it's finally come to the iPhone. iPhone owners will be using NFC technology to use their phones to make purchases with Apple Pay. 

Apple Pay

Apple Pay will be available for both the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus. 

Sensors

Apple is introducing the barometer in the two new iPhone models. The barometer is an important tool for measuring elevation based on air pressure. To anyone who has ever used a third-party app to track running up hills, you knew this was lacking before. The other sensors—three-axis gyro, accelerometer, proximity sensor, and ambient light sensor—carry over from the iPhone 5s. 

It seems that screen size is the big difference between the two new iPhone models. Owners will have to decide if carrying around a larger, heavier phone is worth having that extra screen size. Which one will you choose?

I love Apple products. They show great innovation, thought, attention to detail and practicality. So please don't get me wrong, I certainly appreciate the concept and technology inheret within the Apple Watch. It's a great device for what it is. That being said...

Awhile ago I wrote an article for our sister site about the newly released Moto 360 smartwatch. I considered it a game changer and a device that effectively raised the bar in terms of what Apple would have to deliver with their Apple Watch. As far as I'm concerned Apple's entry into the smartwatch market failed to clear the bar by much, if at all. If you'd like a more thorough comparison of the Apple Watch with the Moto 360 you can click here and read this article.

The new Moto 360 smartwatch

The 360 is indeed an impressive device, though like the Apple Watch its greatest handicap also lies in the fact that it has to be used with a smartphone to be fully functional. This is a significant limitation, and despite Tim Cook's current sentiment that the Apple Watch being linked to the iPhone is a good thing, I can't help but feel otherwise. I also can't help but be aware of the fact that like the original iPhone, this first iteration of the Apple Watch will in the long run only lay the foundational groundwork for a far more awesome device within only a couple of years. I'm predicting that in the near future we will be treated to an Apple Watch that has its own cellular functionality and can operate entirely independent of an iDevice. After all, as functional as the iPad may be, I imagine it would be a much less attractive device if it had to be supported by an iPhone to work.

The Apple Watch 2014

Another area I feel the Apple Watch failed to raise the bar very high is in terms of its external design. Apple is great at entering a pre-existing industry and making it better in ways we never imagined possible. Well, with all the other almost identical looking smartwatches already flooding the market, not only was I easily able to imagine something that looked like the Apple Watch, I felt rather underwhelmed with the design when it was unveiled, as beautiful and elegant as it may be. It is Apple we are talking about, after all, and I couldn't help but expect something unlike anything I'd ever imagined. Would a circular watch face like the Moto 360 has have impressed me more? Maybe not in and of itself, but perhaps if Apple had designed two more drastically different styles, or even one drastically different style, I'd have felt the device stood more chance of being widely accepted, and at a faster pace.

Does Apple's Watch look too much like Samsung's smartwatch?

Somehow after yesterday's Apple Watch presentation, I was left feeling like I wanted "more." More originality and uniqueness of design, and more independent functionality, without having to be an iPhone satellite. So while the Apple Watch is impressive and as perfectly and seamlessly integrated with iOS as we could ever hope for, it didn't blow me away. The presentation blew me away, the inner workings and apps that the Apple Watch boast blew me away. But the design didn't. This will change, I know that. It's easy to forget how fast technology moves, what with timed obsolescence and all. Hey, does anyone remember when it was a crime to use your iPhone as a mobile hotspot? The fact of the matter is that before long we will see future versions of the Apple Watch that will make this original Apple Watch seem Neanderthal-ish. So for now, this writer is only marginally impressed. Good job Apple, but I may have to hold out for the Apple Watch 2, or whatever that one will be called. And thus the rumor mill begins anew...

If you are like me, you may be wondering which iPhone size is best for you and your hand size. Everyone is different and what's comfortable for one person isn't necessarily so for the next person. To help you decide which iPhone will work best for you we've included a link to a printout that lets you see for yourself.

Not everyone was lucky enough to be physically present in Cupertino for yesterday's iPhone and Apple Watch announcement. Apple had a huge area set up for the media to play with the new iDevices and while there are lots of sites showing lots of pictures of various correspondents going hands on with the new iPhones, its not quite the same as actually holding the device in your own palm.

Obviously a piece of paper isn't a completely accurate replica of what you can expect when you get your new iPhone, (something I expect many of us to be doing in the weeks and months ahead, especially with offers like this from Verizon) but to help you decide and prepare for September 12, the day these devices are available for pre-order, I've included this useful link to a print out of the new iPhone sizes.

Alternatively, you can cut and paste this URL: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/6817279/iphoneSizes.pdf.

Simply follow the link and print out the PDF page. Then all you have to do is cut out the images and viola, you have your own to-scale representation of what the new iPhones are like and how they measure up. I'm definitely going for the iPhone 6 Plus, as it will meet all of my needs as a power user and an avid iOS gamer. Which model will be the perfect fit for you?

How much memory should you get in your next iPhone? Apple kept their usual price points ($199, $299, and $399 for the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 and $299, $399, and $499 for the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus) but instead of the 16 GB, 32 GB, and 64 GB configurations, they dropped the 32 GB tier and added a whopping 128 GB tier, as predicted. This mirrored their move with recent price drops for the iPod touch and finally brings their memory pricing in line with the industry. And the 128 GB capacity is a very welcome addition, especially since iOS devices do not have expandable microSD card storage of most Android phones.

All of this makes going with the 16 GB configuration less attractive. Sure, it gives Apple a nice entry point, but before where an extra $100 would just add 16 GB, now that same $100 adds 48 GB. That's like "Buy One, Get Two Free!" To not take advantage of it would be silly. Of course, if you don't expect to use a lot of space, then you might stick with the entry-level model, but remember, iOS uses some of the space, so even a 16 GB iPhone only has 12 GB free. Taking photos and videos with the HD camera and downloading music, videos, and high resolution games means you can quickly consume that space.

To say I wasn't overly impressed by the Apple Watch would be an understatement. To say I don't like the Apple Watch would be an overstatement. I get it, the Apple Watch is a huge evolutionary step forward, especially for a company known for making shrewd and cautious moves when it comes to entering new product categories. However, history has led me to have what are perhaps unduly high expectations regarding Apple and their products. So when the Apple Watch was unveiled, and it looked almost identical to the Samsung Gear, and it was dependent on being within 30-feet or so of your iPhone in order to function properly (among many other shortcomings including lack of waterproofness and poor battery life) I was left with the awareness that I'd expected "more" from Apple in terms of what their new smartwatch delivered.

Apple is known for entering a preexisting industry, and effectively turning that industry on its head, with design aesthetics and functionality that far surpass the competition in comparison. This they did not achieve when the Apple Watch was introduced this week at Apple's live event in Cupertino.

As sugary sweet reviews with glowing accolades flooded the internet, at first I wondered, is it just me, am I the only one who was left scratching their head and unimpressed with Apple's new device? I see now that I am not. As more and more reviews surface, I have been seeing similar sentiments shared across the web. Let's take a look at some of the less than rave reviews that are beginning to show up.

Samsung Gear S and Apple Watch

Right out of the gate, Samsung has released a series of ads, targeting among other thing, Apple's botched live stream of their iPhone/smartwatch event, their larger iPhones (which as we all know, Samsung has been doing for some time now) and of course, the Apple Watch. In the short video below, Samsung Samsung pokes quick fun at Apple's new watch, which unlike Samsung's new Gear S smartwatch, needs an iPhone to function properly.

If you can't see the embedded video above, click HERE.

The Samsung video is part of a whole series of mocking videos that have just been released by Samsung, which you can view here in their entirety if you wish. But Samsung is not alone in their disdain for the Apple Watch.

Endgadget's Joseph Volpe had this to say: "Apple did not save wearables, as many thought it would. Apple caved to the incredibly high bar of expectations set by the public. Apple unveiled something, at best, lukewarm. At most, it's prettier than the smartwatches that've come before, and that's likely its greatest innovation." Volpe goes on to ask rhetorically, "Will Apple Watch fail? Doubtful. There's too much of a persistent, lingering Jobsian-halo surrounding the Apple brand to let that product fall on its (watch) face. It'll get better with time; most things/people/products inevitably do. It could even make wearables slightly more palatable for the mainstream. But it's not a revolution and it's not what any of us really expected. It's lipstick on a smartwatch. It's an accessory and nothing more."

Rolling Stone's Colin St. John was less generous, saying "Nobody needs this thing. Of course nobody needs anything Apple manufactures, in a Rousseauean sense. But, many people find that computers and cell phones are helpful for modern life. The Apple Watch is superfluous. The gadget is taking aim at the health nut demographic, but, ironically, many of its functions seem to be beneficial to someone who is too lazy to pull his/her phone out. It’s unwise to bet on a flop when Apple is manning the controls, but rolling it out early next year is another misstep. Christmas is when people buy sh*t they don’t need for each other. Especially items that bottom out at $350. Missing it is huge."

Bloomberg's Businessweek compiled some of the sentiments of top international designers in an article entitled "Apple Watch: These Top Designers Aren't Impressed." In the article are quotes from many reputable members of the design community. Gadi Amit of San Francisco’s NewDealDesign (and an admitted Apple fan) was quoted as saying ”I can pretty much say this is the day Apple lost its distinct edge in design." Mark Rolston, founder of design consultancy Argodesign, says the Apple Watch "should have taken more risks with the shape, perhaps opting for a 'skyscraper' form in which the screen wraps around the wrist."

Suzy Menkes, of Vogue UK, chimed in with this perspective: "From a fashion point of view, the external aesthetic seemed neutral: neither super-stylish nor repellent. I would imagine that geeks would love it more than aesthetes."

This is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of reviews, both good and bad, for the Apple Watch. However there seems to be a wide consensus that the Apple Watch left many in the tech and fashion industry feeling underwhelmed. Personally I'm looking forward to the second generation of the Apple Watch, and apparently so are many other techies and fashionistas. Take a look at the concept image below, courtesy of Cult of Mac, this one sporting a very attractive round face. This is one of the best renderings I've seen so far of a second generation Apple Watch.

What do you think iPhone Lifers? Does the Apple Watch blow you away, or does it leave you feeling like Apple failed to live up to their own self-imposed lofty standards? Tell us your thoughts in the comment section below!

Thanks to everyone who entered the September 8 iPhone Life Biweekly Giveaway! Every other week we give away three amazing prizes, so if you didn't win this time, make sure you enter the September 22 giveaway and tell your friends to enter too!

And the winners are... (drum roll please):

Melinda Edwards, Deena Seifert, and Alexandra Castellanos.

Didn't Win This Week? No worries! Visit iphonelife.com/giveaways for the chance to win in the next giveaway round. If you see your name but didn't receive an email, please check your spam folder.

This week's featured items are:

1. Toddy Smart Cloth: Retail Price $9.99

Toddy Gear was nice enough to send us these customized iPhone Life Toddy Smart Clothes and we want to share the love. These handy little clothes are great for cleaning your iPad, iPhone, or just about anything else!

2. LifeCharge InAir Battery Case & Wireless Charging for iPhone 5/5s: Retail Price $89.99

This 2000 mAh battery case provides sleek protection while retaining access to all of your buttons. The InAir Case charges via a convenient wireless charging pad. Simply insert your iPhone 5/5S into the InAir Power Case and place it on the wireless charging pad.  The charging pad automatically begins emitting a powerful boost in energy to your iPhone.

Questions or comments? Email Brian@iphonelife.com. Good luck and remember to visit iphonelife.com/giveaways to enter! Also check out our other contests at iphonelife.com/contests. The next contest drawing is September 22!

Several retails are on top of the big Apple news, with impressive lineups of iPhone 6 cases to promote. Let's take a look at how you'll protect your shiny new investment.

PureGear

PureGear was on it this year! They have a huge selection of iPhone 6 cases. Here are my favorites:

Hip Case+ for iPhone 6 ($34.99) This low-profile case comes with a kickstand, holster, and a slot for your credit card (though, with Apple Pay here maybe you can use it for your driver's license). Available in black/green and gray/orange.

Express Folio for iPhone 6 ($39.99) Available in faux-leather or canvas, the Express Folio is a great way to protect your phone's screen. The magnetic flap can be used as a kickstand and there are built-in credit card or ID slots. Available in black, caramel, and navy. 

Slim Shell Case for iPhone 6 ($24.99) The Slim Shell case is available in seven colors and includes metal button cover for volume and power. The one piece design is made from protective rubber and durable polycarbonate. Available in black, mint, black/clear, clear, blue, pink, and gray. 

Ventev

Another one of my favorite case companies is Ventev. They have an impressive lineup of luxury cases for the iPhone 6. 

Penna ($34.99) This 100 percent leather case with microfiber lining is available in three colors: dark gray/light gray, camel/tan, and black/camel. 

Aria ($24.99) The Aria case by Ventev provides lightweight protection. It has elevated accent lines on the back to help prevent against damage during accidental drops. Available in white/coral and black/gray. 

Toughglass for iPhone 6 ($34.99) Protect the front of your new iPhone with this Toughglass from Ventev. I have one on my phone right now and it's by far the best screen protector I've ever used. 

Cellairis 

I can honestly say that my most beautiful iPhone cases are from Cellairis. They never disappoint with their beautiful textures and colors. 

Challenger Hybrid Ripple iPhone 6 case ($29.99) This protective two-piece case comes in black, hot pink, and purple. The inner silicone lining and hard outer shell protect against drops. The silicone lip around the outside protects your screen. 

Love Your State Case andIconic Cities Cases ($39.99) I love this new line from Cellairis! Colorful cases that represent your home city or state. An inner silicone shell and durable outer shell protect your new iPhone while showing the world where you grew up (or live now). The cases have a special coating that allows them to easily slide into and out of pockets without snagging. Available to represent all states and select cities. 

Crystaria Gradient Diary ($49.99) With slots inside to hold IDs, credit cards, or cash, the Crystaria case is perfect for a night out, but durable enough for every day use. Available in several colors. 

Proporta

Proporta has a great lineup of cases for men and women. Here are some favorites from their iPhone 6 collection:

Ted Baker Women's Collection ($33.95) These beautiful floral cases are made of polycarbonate with a soft-feel finish and feature cutouts for your buttons and ports. The Ted Baker Women's cases come with a one-year exchange warranty. 

High Gloss Slim Back case ($13.99) 

These slim fit cases are available to ship now and have cutouts for all the buttons and ports. The high glass, scratch resistant finish protects your iPhone, and the case comes with a limited lifetime warranty. Available in black, clear, pink, purple, and white. Personalization available for $6.95

When Steve Jobs introduced the iPad, he ushered in the Post-PC era. At the time, I remember thinking how we would no longer need a whole slew of accessories like laptop "pillow desks," monitor stands, keyboard drawers, mouse pads, or mice for that matter! For the most part, that prediction has come true. Many "must-have" accessories focused on desktop computing seem quaint now. Reading e-books in bed is great, but as great and light as the iPad is, it can be cumbersome to hold one for an extended amount of time.

Enter the Tablift ($59.95). This flexible (and that word is key) stand accommodates just about any tablet, even with most cases, thanks to a bungee-like strap, in landscape or portrait mode. There are four legs that look a bit like Doc Ock's four mechanical appendages. Fortunately, unlike the bad guy from Spider-Man, these legs are harmless and help stabilize a tablet for reading, writing, or flinging angry birds! With three angles supported, the tablet can be tilted forward, back, or straight up and down.

The Tablift spreads out to cover a lot of ground, making it quite stable, but when folded back into itself, it becomes quite compact (11 x 6 inches) making it suitable for travel. I could see using the Tablift in bed, at a trade show or business presentation, or even while camping! At under $60, the Tablift would make a nice gift for any tablet lover, especially if they read at night.

The Impact Folio from Tech21 ($79.99) combines a sturdy TPU shell with a masterfully crafted magnetic folio cover. This excellent mating of superior materials comes together to provide MIL STD certified protection for your iPad mini with Retina.

The outside of the cover is made of a neoprene-like material which feels very durable and looks great. When closed, your mini is completely protected from impacts to back, sides or screen, and opening or closing the magnetic smart cover allows you to quickly wake or put the iPad screen to sleep.

The cover also doubles as a viewing stand, supporting five viewing angles, all of which are variations on a landscape orientation. My recommendation when using cover/stands like the Folio is to put the cover into the folded-under orientation (basically tuck the cover back up behind the case and stand). It seems to be the most stable position, though the point of having a rugged case is that it should be able to withstand a bit of knocking about. The other configurations allow you to change the viewing angle slightly, but in my experience often result with the iPad slipping off the groove in the cover and falling flat, particularly if you are interacting with the screen or cover controls a lot.

The iPad ports are all exposed through the super-tough-looking case portion of the Folio, which is comprised of bonded layers of TPU—a thick outer translucent coating covers inner ribbed sections over the more vital corner and side portions of the iPad (which has the added effect of looking really cool). This is obviously for  shock absorption in these vital areas—the patented FlexShock technology—and purportedly up to MIL-SPEC standards of toughness. Button extensions allow control of volume and screen on/off functions.

One minor complaint I have about these rugged cases is that due to the thickness of the case, some Lightning accessories are difficult or impossible to connect through the case. For example, I have a 30 pin-Lightning conversion adapter, which cannot fully seat into the port due to the the thick dividers that separate the connector port from the speaker grills on either side (also true for similar dock accessories). in addition, the lock button can be hard to get to, especially for someone with large fingers. Probably not a big deal for most users, I know, but a minor annoyance. Also, it should be noted this case is specifically designed for the iPad mini with Retina model (which is a hair thicker than iPad mini). It will not work well with the non-Retina iPad mini.

The Verdict
The Impact Folio is a quality case and cover combination that not only looks and is tough, but attractively styled as well. There is no hype when I say it is a solid and superior case product and give it my full recommendation.

On Tuesday, September 9, Apple concluded its iPhone 6 and Apple Watch event by announcing it would be giving away free copies of U2's new album Songs of Innocence to everyone with an iTunes account. This unexpected generosity garnered a range of different reactions:

From those who felt happy but slightly violated:

To those who wonderded if this was some form of punishment or malware:

To those who wondered why Apple was acting like it forgot about Dre:

The truth is, whether you wanted it or not, U2's new album is going to live in your cloud forever. But for those of you who yearn for the days when your life was U2 free, there is a way to hide this unwanted gift, partially:

Open iTunes on your computer and go to iTunes Store.

Click on Purchased under Quick Links.

Click on Music and then click on the x icon that appears when your mouse hovers over the album. The album will no longer show up in your iTunes library.

In order to hide the album on your device, go to Settings>Music and toggle Show All Music off as well.

Next go to Music and open the album. Swipe left on each song to delete it. If you accidentally start playing the song instead, you will have to exit the album, start playing something else, and then return and try again.

You may still see the album and all the songs. Seriously, Apple?

Who else has had all their happily angsty high school memories of listening to U2 wiped out by a tsunami of sweaty, rage-fueled frustration?

It will be fun to see how the Apple Watch is received next year. Some reviews have been a bit negative, but I continue to be wowed by the many cool and innovative features. I've never liked wearing watches, so I doubt I'd ever get one, yet I'm excited by what Apple has done. It does seem like a very narrow market, though, since the Apple Watch only works in conjunction with an iPhone. In addition, most young people today don't wear watches. Details about the watch beyond what Apple said on Tuesday are emerging, as journalists write about their experience with the device and glean info from Apple employees. TUAW has helpfully assembled some of these details. The most interesting is how Apple ensures Apple Pay security when the device isn't on your wrist. 

Many people had wondered whether someone could simply steal your watch and make purchases. The back side of the watch has four lenses that monitor the blood flow through your skin to measure your pulse rate. Of course, by using those sensors the watch can tell whether it's on your wrist. When you take it off, the watch locks itself and Apple Pay doesn't work until you enter your code again.

Other details: it's water resistant, has both WiFi and Bluetooth, can be used to make and receive calls, and has a battery life of 24 hours (which Apple intends to improve before its release). David Pogue, writing for Yahoo, gives additional details. He says that you load apps on the watch via your iPhone and that you can rearrange them into clusters. You do so as you would on your iOS device, tapping and holding until they start jiggling. He also says there's a button that lets you ping your iPhone to make it beep, in case you can't remember where you put it. 

And Pogue shares details about how Apple Watch feels and sounds — the sort of detail that one can only appreciate after experiencing the Apple Watch:

What you also couldn’t tell in the keynote presentation was how this watch feels and sounds. It issues little vibrations of various intensities (it can control both the intensity and the rapidity of the vibration), which will have different meanings. For example, one vibration means “turn left” when you’re using GPS, and another means “turn right.” The watch is light and comfortable, and its sounds are clear and full of personality.

This is what makes people love Apple devices. The company pays attention to how it feels and sounds, which is especially important for a device meant to be worn.

You can also glean details from Apple's press release.