“iPhone 6. Bigger than bigger.”
Open the Apple website, and this is the first block of text that fills the screen, accompanied by a large image of the new iPhone 6 and its counterpart, the iPhone 6 plus.
But what does “bigger than bigger” mean? What is Apple saying that its new product is bigger than? It is simply impossible to discern anything from this vague statement. Every time Apple releases a new product, yet another of these meaningless phrases reaches and mesmerizes millions of people viewing the page.
Strange slogans aside, Apple seems to have blindly given into the trend of making larger phones. Though its past products introduced interesting new features such as the iPhone 5S home button’s fingerprint reader, Apple’s innovative sense has greatly declined.
To match Samsung and HTC’s larger phones with 5-inch-long diagonals, Apple has increased the new iPhone’s screen to have a 4.7 inch diagonal — almost an inch longer than the iPhone 5’s 4 inch diagonal, while the iPhone 6 Plus has a massive 5.5 in. diagonal. The screen now fits six rows of applications; in the past, the iPhone 5 fit five rows, and the iPhone 4 fit four rows. If this trend is continued, the new iPhones will soon become the size of tablets.
Besides the phones’ increased size, Apple has also moved their power buttons to the right side of the devices and made the edges smoother — a look that is too similar to Samsung’s smartphones. Though Apple claims its new products to have a “smooth metal surface that seamlessly meets the new Retina HD display,” this is nothing new to the electronic industry.
In fact, Apple is spending too much effort on making its product look sleek and appealing rather than creating more innovative features such as wireless charging. The phone is slimmer than ever before, but many websites have shown them to bend easily (most notoriously, in tight pants pockets).
Additionally, Apple’s new iOS software introduces Apple Pay — “Your wallet. Without the wallet.” It is a new, contactless way to pay for purchases via mobile device — transactions are made through connection with near-field communication and is confirmed by the user’s tap on the fingerprint sensor.
Apple is partnering with Visa, MasterCard and American Express, and the new system saves users from having to scramble through their various cards. Though Apple claims that its new setup keeps card number and identity encrypted from merchants and Apple servers, no transaction details are stored; you will never be able to go back to see your previous payments. Additionally, the new “secure” system is likely to introduce risks of mass identity-theft and hacking of card information.
Though the Apple website claims the new iPhone to have new features, many of these are simply repetitive and generic. A bigger and better display, a powerful and efficient chip, a better camera, faster wireless and iOS 8 (“the biggest iOS release ever”) — do these sound familiar?
Ultimately, the new iPhone is only worth your money it if you’re looking for a replacement of an old, broken phone. Apple falls short of many of the features of other phone companies, such as Android’s widgets, personalized keyboards and customized home screens.
