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Apple's new iPhones further blur the line between phone and tablet [Star, The (South Africa)](Star, The (South Africa) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Those who use Apple's iPad should feel right at home with the company's new phones, the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. The phones, which are significantly bigger than Apple's four-inch iPhone 5s and 5c, take design cues and some features from Apple's tablet line - further blurring the distinction between the smartphone and the tablet. Both phones are thinner and lighter than their predecessors, losing more in bulk than they gain in overall size. But there's no doubt that both phones feel noticeably bigger than the current line of iPhones and it will probably take long-time Apple users time to get used to handling the larger devices. All that fumbling around with the phones will no doubt lead to a lot of cracked screens. Get ready, too, for new accessories, since this is Apple's first change to the width of the iPhone. For years, Apple has refused to make phones wider than the average thumb could reach, saying that making phones any bigger was a disservice to consumers. The new phones feel like an admission from Apple that it was wrong to fight the big-screen revolution for so long. But as consumers embrace phones to view more video and do more serious work, it has become clear that big is in demand. And by releasing phones with larger screens - the |4.7-inch iPhone 6 and the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 plus - Apple sets itself more firmly against competitors who make phones for the Android platform such as Samsung, LG and HTC. Solely in terms of screen size, Apple has been behind the curve, with a screen smaller than Samsung's latest model, the S5. But in my brief time with the phones it was clear that Apple was mainly drawing inspiration from one source: the iPad. With the iPhone 6 Plus in particular, the similarities are striking. Thanks to its tall, thin proportions, the Plus still feels more like a big phone than a small tablet, but only just. Apple has, for example, given Plus users the option to view a lot of its apps in a horizontal orientation that's pulled straight from the iPad. In Mail, for example, iPhone users can now look at a two-pane view - one to list the messages in the inbox and one to preview messages. To deal with the thumb question, Apple also has introduced a mode that pulls whatever is showing up at the top of the screen halfway down the display, to get that upper corner within easy reach. On both phones, Apple has moved the sleep button from the top of the phone to the side of phone, so you can use everything one-handed. Both also have crisp, bright displays and the rounded corners that hark back to earlier iPhone models. Both also carry Apple's new camera sensor, an eight-megapixel sensor with new features that let users focus more easily on their photo subjects. The phones are so thin that the camera actually sticks out a bit from the back of the phone. The rounded corners and thin profiles should also help the new phones slide into tight pockets. For many people, bigger will feel better - clearer for photos, for video and for work - but for those who've grown accustomed to Apple's standard iPhone size, it will definitely take time to adjust. - The Washington Post The Star (c) 2014 Independent Newspapers (Pty) Limited. All rights strictly reserved. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info). |