The Day That iPhone Grew

CUPERTINO, Calif --  The moment that Apple fans around the world and the competition has been anxiously waiting for has arrived.  They have grown larger and now come in two sizes.  Tim Cook called the new iPhones "the biggest advancements in iPhone history."  The new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus have larger displays and a smoother and rounder appearance.  The iPhone 6 is 4.7-inches and the larger iPhone 6 Plus is 5.5-inches.  This is smaller than Samsung's Galaxy S5 at 5.1-inches and Galaxy Note 4 at 5.7-inches respectively.  Although in order to win consumer's hearts, Apple doesn't need to exceed Samsung's display sizes.  They just need to demonstrate that their display is more usable.  We'll see how this plays out when both Apple and Samsung finally start selling their phones at retail.  The iPhone 6's 4.7-inch display has a resolution of 1134 x 750, and the larger 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus has a resolution of 1920 x 1080.  Powering the new iPhones is the A8 processor that Apple touts is so powerful, it will allow "console-class 3D games to iPhone."  The new iPhones will be available through Apple, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon.  Prices with a two year contract with AT&T, Sprint, and Verizon are $199 USD for the 16 GB model, $299 USD for the 64 GB model, and $399 USD for the 128 GB model.  We suspect that Apple debuted the new 128 GB model to combat Samsung's hounding on lack of expandability.  The larger iPhone6 Plus with a two year contract will cost $299 USD for the 16 GB model, $399 USD for the 64 GB model, and $499 USD for the 128 GB model.  T-Mobile will be selling both iPhone 6 models at around full retail price since they no longer sell phones at subsidized contract prices.   Both models will go on sale starting September 19th in gold, silver, or space gray.  Also debuting alongside the new iPhones was the much rumored iWatch.  The Apple Watch comes in three models and start at $349 USD.

Samsung's Note To The Competition

BERLIN -- Samsung has finally taken the wraps off the much anticipated Galaxy Note 4.  The surprise Samsung had in store was that there were two models they were revealing.  In addition to the Galaxy Note 4, Samsung also revealed the Galaxy Note Edge.  The Edge has a unique curved screen on the edge that was first seen on Samsung's Youm prototype.  The Galaxy Note 4 has a 5.7-inch QuadHD SuperAMOLED display and is powered by the latest version of Android, Kitkat 4.4.   Cameras on the Galaxy Note 4 has also been improved with a 3.7-megapixel front camera and a 16-megapixel rear camera with image stabilizer.  Like the Galaxy S5, the Note 4 features a heart rate sensor and a fingerprint sensor.  What's new is that the Note 4 also features a UV sensor.   Samsung realizes that a lot is riding on the success of their Galaxy Note series, but will it be enough to keep it the king in the phablet category that Samsung created when it first debuted the Note series?  We'll see when Apple debuts its much rumored larger iPhones on September 9th.  Sales of the Galaxy Note 4 will begin in October, and the Note Edge will begin sales later in the year.  

Samsung Galaxy Note Edge