Apple plays catch-up with bigger screened iPhone 6 Plus

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Apple certainly has a knack for flair, and Tuesday’s highly anticipated iPhone 6 launching lived up to the hype created by the tech world. Among the much awaited advancements, an iPhone 6 and it’s larger-screen version, the iPhone 6 Plus, which finally catches up to the large screen phones makers such as Samsung have been selling.

The trend-setting tech company has unveiled its first product line since Steve Jobs’ death in 2011, and the mega-presentation gave the world more than just a glimpse at the new iPhone—it also unveiled Apple Pay, a digital wallet system, and the iWatch.

Apple’s keynote presentation began at 1PM EST in Cupertino, California, and CEO Tim Cook announced that today’s launch is “the biggest advancement in the history of the iPhone.”

The iPhone 6 is a smaller model, sized at 4.7 inches, while the iPhone 6 Plus is sized at 5.5 inches and has a screen resolution of 1080 HD.

Cook claimed that these new iPhones are “the best phones ever made.”

In addition to the bigger screens, the new generation of iPhones has a better battery life, a 64-bit chip with 2 billion transistors, a new keyboard, a video camera that can take up to 240 frames per second, and at 6.5 mm it is thinner than anything Apple has designed.

Both the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus come in gold, silver, and space grey. They are priced starting at $199 and $299, respectively.

While the iPhone 6 models are the thinnest iPhones yet, the screens are significantly larger than previous iPhones, giving meaning to the new iPhones’ slogan, “Bigger is bigger.”

Tim Cook also introduced Apple Pay, a digital wallet system that allows iPhone owners to make purchases via their phone. According to CBS News, Cook called the current payment system of cash and credit cards “antiquated,” and he explained that with Apple Pay users can buy goods without even sharing their credit card or personal information with merchants.

If that weren’t enough to keep the excitement level in the crowd soaring, Cook also announced the new iWatch, which has a brand new interface and is loaded with various apps, such as health and fitness features. This is Apple’s first venture into the world of smartwatches.

Of course, the Apple Watch is the first digital watch to work seamlessly with the iPhone, and Cook focused on its versatile and stylish design.

With a wide selection of interfaces and straps, Apple hopes that the new iWatch will appeal to a variety of consumers. The iWatch has useful Apple features such as Siri, Apple maps, and the ability to dictate text messages to the watch.

Tuesday’s presentation was arguably the most highly anticipated product unveiling in Apple history, and the company even sent out invitations that read, “We Wish We Could Say More.”

Before the keynote presentation even began, eager shoppers were lining up in front of Apple flagship stores in London and New York so they could put in their orders as soon as possible.

After Cook gave an overview of Apple’s new gadgets, it was clear that the presentation was nearing an end.

Yet in typical Apple fashion, the cutting-edge company wrapped up the presentation with a bang and brought U2 out on the stage.

A U2 performance seemed a fitting finale for the most anticipated tech event of the year, and Bono even dropped another surprise—he asked Tim Cook to make U2’s “Songs of Innocence” album free for iTunes users.

Cook obliged, and the album is now available free on iTunes in 119 countries.

Consumers can pre-order the iPhone 6 starting September 12, but the actual release date is scheduled for Friday September 19.

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