by Alexandra Reboredo

Apple’s product release event had everyone, in the audience and at home, at the edge of their seats. From an iPad Pro, to an Apple pencil, a new iOS software, the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus. This event created a stir on social media.

The final reveal was the unveiling of the 6s and the 6s Plus. The 6s Plus was announced to have a 4.7” display and the 6s plus will have a 5.5” display. The phone will come in previous colors– space gray, white, and gold– as well as the new rose gold finish.

The 6s will have a new glass screen, stronger than its predecessors, which holds ‘3D Touch’ technology. This technology measures the amount of force exerted onto the screen opening up a new way to give commands.

Phil Schiller, Senior V.P. of Worldwide Marketing at Apple Inc. says, “This is unlike any experience you’ve seen in a smartphone.”

The pressure is determined by microscopic sensors beneath the screen. Hong Tan, Professor of electrical and computer engineering at Purdue University, explains, “Strain gauges are basically those materials that when you bend them, you change the electrical signal that comes out. When you press on the screen, you cause deformation.”

Inside the iPhone 6s, there is a new A9 chip, and redesign of the transistor. The A9 chip is 70% faster than the A8 chip, found in the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. This chip brings major gains in performance, from playing more impressive gains, and editing 4K video, all from the iPhone. In the chip, is a motion coprocessor that is always on. The ‘Hey Siri’ feature now works, whether you’re plugged into power or not.

The Touch ID sensor also found improvement. The sensor that scans your fingerprint is now twice as fast. The Touch ID sensor will now respond faster when used to pay with Apple Pay and purchase apps on the App Store.  

But, above all, Apple focused on the cameras of the new iPhone. The iSight camera, on the rear, is 12MP, made up of 12 million pixels. This is 50% more pixels than before, resulting in higher resolution photos. The autofocus feature now responds faster and more accurately.

Now, recording video on the iPhone is like using a camera. HD video recording is now 4K video, with 8 million pixels per frame. 4K video has approximately 4000 pixels horizontally. The improvement in video leads to higher image quality, more detailed picture, and better fast-action video. 4K videos can be shot and edited from the iPhone, and due to the increase in pixels, will take up lots of storage space.

The FaceTime HD camera, front-facing camera, is 5MP. When using front camera, there is now an option to use the screen as flash. A built in display chip can illuminate the screen three times more when used as a flash.

The 3D Touch feature can be used to enable a new type of photo. The “Live Photos” can hold 1.5 seconds of recording and sound as well. 

The sales for the iPhone have taken off, as preorder began September 12th. Apple says, “Customer response to iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus has been extremely positive and pre orders this weekend were very strong around the world. We are on pace to beat last year’s 10 million unit first-weekend record when the new iPhones go on sale September 25th.”

If sales keep up, and beat last years record, social medias will be swarmed with Apple enthusiasts camping out in line for their new iPhone.

(all photos are courtesy of the Apple Inc. website)