Writing my thoughts/a review for any product can have its challenges. What makes it even harder is when you do not have a specific aspect to the product that you want to review. This is what I have been struggling with for the last couple of months in regards to the Apple Watch. Most of my other reviews are broken down in sections, but I opted to go with a slightly different route with this review.

The Apple Watch is the newest product line released by Apple. While some could argue that the iPad Pro is a new product line, it was built off of an existing product line, the iPad. While the iPad Pro has some very distinct features, yet it is not an entirely new product. However, the Apple Watch is a new product line. The Apple Watch includes a very custom processor that is encased in resin, in order to protect as much of the product against water as possible.

Initially when the Apple Watch was announced, I was skeptical as to whether I would actually end up using one. There are two main reasons for this. The first is that I had not worn a watch for over a decade. The second issue is that if I did order one, I was not sure if I would continue to use it. However, neither of these have ended up being an issue.

With the Apple Watch being a new product, its function and utility was initially unknown. When the Apple Watch was released in April, it came with Watch OS 1.0, which limited the type of applications available on the Watch to using WatchKit. WatchKit allowed only glances, and application that required the use of a companion iPhone application in order to function.

When you first get a new device, you poke and prod at each little corner of the item. This is exactly what happened when I got the Apple Watch, since its entire interface is a mere 38mm or 42mm, depending on which model you have, on each side, there is not a whole lot to poke and prod.

When I first got the Apple Watch in May, I added a few glances. Those included WWDC and Overcast being the only glances added that are not built-in. Along with the glances I also installed a couple of WatchKit applications, including the Apple TV Remote app, WWDC, and deliveries. These were chosen since those were the only apps that I thought I would end up using on the Watch.

After seven months of usage, I have definitely come into a pattern of usage for the Apple Watch. The primary usage that I have for the watch is filling in the activity rings. In the last 220 days, there have only been two days where I missed reaching the goals, both of these were in May. Every day since June, I have hit all three of the ring goals. Those three goals are active calories, minutes of exercise, and the standing goal.

One of the bugs with the Apple Watch is the standing goal. There have been many times that I have been standing, for longer than an hour as well as moving around, and it is not registered as part of the standing goal. Normally, this is not a problem since I reach the goals, but it is rather bothersome when you do not get credit towards the standing goal.

Reaching the activity and exercise goals during the summer was not an issue. However, now that it has gotten colder here in the northern hemisphere, meeting the calorie goals has become more difficult, so I have adjusted it to be a lower amount than before. Some might consider this to be "cheating", but it is more exercise than I was getting before getting the watch. Even with reducing the amount, even on days like today, I am able to hit 400% of my move goal. I would have hit 300% if I had not adjusted it down to its current setting.

Along with the activity and standing goals, As one might expect with a smart watch, notifications are a huge aspect to the functionality. I do use my Apple Watch for notifications, mostly for SMS, Nuzzel, and NYT Now. It is quite nice to be notified of something, but not have to immediately interact with the notifications is one of the nicest features.

With having notifications enabled, and particularly with both Nuzzel and NYT Now, I am able to stay up to date on the latest news that is occurring. The notifications are especially nice when I am not able to get to my phone, or if I end up leaving my phone in another room.

One of the capabilities of the Apple Watch is the ability to take phone calls. I have done this just once. It is novel, but it is not really something that I do often. To be fair, I do not get that many phone calls, but I prefer to take phone calls on my phone, with my EarPods in.

One of the biggest concerns that many people had regarding the Apple Watch, before its general availability, was the capacity of the battery. During all of my usage, the battery has never been below 20% at the end of the day. The average amount of battery left has been about 45%. Sine I have the 42MM Space Gray Sport watch, the battery is a bit larger, so that could account for some of the ability for the Apple Watch to only get to around 50%.

One of the things that I would very much like to see in an updated version of the Apple Watch is not a hardware difference, but a software one. The Apple Watch only has two buttons, the Digital Crown, and the "Friends"/Power button. I do not have any friends that own an Apple Watch, so this button is one useful for screenshots, Apple Pay, and powering off the Apple Watch. I would really love to be able to customize what function single-clicking the button will do. If I could I would prefer to have the singe-clicking bring up glances. This would make the Apple Watch that much easier to use. I will admit, this is not my idea, and while I cannot remember who came up with this idea, but I truly have to agree with them.

One of the main interaction methods with Apple Watch is Siri. While Siri does not have any auditory response, the responsiveness and accuracy of Siri is remarkable. The accuracy is better than one might expect. I do not use Siri on my Apple Watch that often, but the most common thing I do is actually to play a particular song while driving. It's easy enough to press down the digital crown for a couple seconds and then tell Siri what I want to hear.

Despite the great improvement with Siri, one of the issues that I do have is the glass. I have the Apple Watch Sport model, so the glass is not the sapphire glass, but the Ion glass. Within approximately three weeks of getting my Apple Watch, I managed to put a decent scratch into the face of my Apple Watch. This was done while moving some items around at work. It is not noticeable when when the screen is on, but it noticeable when the screen is off and when you look at just the right angle. I always get AppleCare on my Apple products, so I will likely get it fixed before giving it to somebody else, but it slightly annoying.

Overall, I am happy with the Apple Watch. AS with many of Apple's other iOS-based devices, it is quite likely that I will end up getting a new Apple Watch, when the next one is related. Even though I end up using only a fraction of the capabilities, I still think the Apple Watch is a solid product. In terms of hardware, it is rock-solid. I have never had an issue with the hardware acting up. Even though Watch OS 1.0 was not ideal, Watch OS 2.0 allows independent applications, which make the Apple Watch even more functional than it was previously. If you have an iPhone 5, 5s, 5c, 6, 6s, 6 Plus or 6s Plus and you are in the market for a smart watch, the Apple Watch may be one that you want to look at getting.

Thoughts on Apple's Magic Products

One aspect to our daily technology lives that we may not consider is the input devices that we use. We use them constantly and, most of the time, without any thought, except for when the batteries run out on the devices and they stop working. These input devices include mice, keyboards, and TrackPads. There are many who complain that Apple has no idea how to properly design a mouse. These same individuals also state that the only good mice that Apple has made is the infamous "puck" mouse.

Apple has released a new set of input devices. These include the new Magic Keyboard, Magic Trackpad 2, and Magic Mouse 2. Let us look at each of these devices, and we will start with the Magic Mouse 2.

Magic Mouse 2

The Magic Mouse 2 looks a lot like its predecessor, the Magic Mouse. The Magic Mouse 2 features a new internal design which eliminates the need for replaceable batteries. While the Magic Mouse 2 may look the same there are some distinct changes to the mouse.

The first of these changes is the way that it clicks. As indicated in the Medium piece'> "What I Saw Inside Apple's Top-Secret Input Lab" by Steven Levy, Apple redesigned the feet of the Magic Mouse 2, in order to provide the proper click. Having had each of the previous versions of the I have access to each of the previous versions of Apple's input devices. When you compare the Magic Mouse to the Magic Mouse 2, you can tell that the click on the Magic Mouse 2 is a bit higher than the older Magic Mouse. Beyond the click, and the new The overall shape and function of the Magic Mouse 2 has remained unchanged.

Magic Keyboard

Similar to the Magic Mouse 2 is the all new-Magic Keyboard. The Magic Keyboard, like the Magic Mouse 2, does not have any replaceable batteries. The removal of the replaceable batteries allows for a couple of different changes to be made to the new Keyboard.

The first is the size of the keyboard. The physical dimensions of the keyboard remained unchanged. But what has changed is the vertical dimension. Instead of being at a steep angle as the previous Apple Wireless Keyboard. The new angle of the Magic Keyboard is much lower than the previous keyboards.

The second aspect to the new design is the new keys. The Magic Keyboard takes some cues from the new MacBook keyboard. The keyboard layout is very similar to the MacBook. The biggest changes are that in place of the power key, you get an eject key. The second change is that the new Magic Keyboard does not have any backlight, so the F5 and F6 keys for adjusting the brightness of the keyboard, have been removed.

The last change, which is the most noticeable, is the weight of the keyboard. Since there is no longer any need for batteries, the weight of the keyboard has been significantly reduced. The Magic Keyboard is 33% of the weight of the previous keyboard. The Magic Keyboard is a mere 0.51 pounds, where the Wireless Apple Keyboard came in at 1.5 pounds. The weight of the keyboard is definitely noticeable, particularly if you use it on your lap.

The last feature of the Magic Keyboard is the key travel. Key Travel is the amount of distance that the keys move before the key is fully pressed. With the Apple Wireless Keyboard, the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air this distance was 2 millimeters. This is not a great distance. The new MacBook's key travel distance is 0.5 millimeters, one fourth the distance of the existing Apple keyboards. The Magic Keyboard's key travel distance is twice that of the Apple MacBook, at 1 millimeter.

If you are used to using a keyboard with two millimeters of travel, is an adjustment, however after using the Magic Keyboard for a while, it is quite comfortable using the keyboard. One of the hesitations that I had when first using the Magic Keyboard was whether there would be issues going back and forth between the Magic Keyboard and an older keyboard. For the most part, there have not been many issues at all. While the distance differential between the two keyboards remains noticeable, but it is definitely something that one can overcome.

Overall the Magic Keyboard is quality upgrade from the Apple Wireless keyboard.

Magic Trackpad 2

The last new input device is the Magic Trackpad 2. Apple's original Magic Trackpad was released in July of 2010. At that time, the new product was an external, standalone version of the trackpad found in the Apple laptops. The Magic Trackpad was able to use the same gestures that the laptops were capable of doing.

The Magic Trackpad 2 is a completely redesigned trackpad that still supports all of the same gestures, but has been completely redesigned, and even sports some new capabilities, namely Force Touch. Apple introduced Force Touch in March of 2015 with the release of the MacBook as well as the Early-2015 MacBook Pros with Retina. Until now, this was the only way to get Force Touch on OS X.

The Magic Trackpad 2 is completely redesigned. It now features the same height as the Magic Keyboard, of 0.43 inches. It can be placed directly adjacent to the Magic Keyboard, and it would almost appears though it was one item.

The Force Touch aspect to the Magic Trackpad 2 does add a new option for interaction within applications. Currently, most developers have not integrated Force Touch gestures into their applications, but now that the Magic Trackpad 2 is available, developers may be

Commonalities

All three of Apple's new Magic devices connect via bluetooth, as well as having lightning connectors for charging. The Magic Keyboard and Magic Trackpad 2 have enough space on the back to be able to plug in the lightning cable and continue to use the device. The Magic Mouse 2 has its lightning port on the bottom, but cannot be used while it is charging. To accommodate for this, Apple has provided the capabilities for quick charging, where the Magic Mouse 2 can be charged for two minutes and provide nine hours of usage.

One of the pain points for any Bluetooth device is pairing. Pairing with the new Magic devices is done very quickly. Using a computer that is running OS X 10.11 El Capitan, simply plug in the device and it will automatically be paired with that device.

The best part of this is that it will work on any computer that is running OS X 10.11 El Capitan. Hence, if you want to move your Magic Keyboard, Magic Trackpad 2, or Magic Mouse 2 between devices, it is as simple as plugging in the device for two seconds and then unplugging it. There is no more need to go through the pairing rigamarole that has been present in previous versions.

The new Magic devices all have approximately one month of charge before needing to be recharged. This is definitely a good thing, because it means that you will easily be able to go use the devices without needing to worry about changing batteries, which are not only bad for the environment, but also bad for the pocketbook because you have to keep buying replaceable batteries, or using rechargeable ones.

The specifications on the Magic Trackpad 2 indicate that you need to have a Bluetooth 4.0 enabled Mac. This was not my experience. I have a Mid-2011 iMac that only has Bluetooth 2.1, and it worked with the Magic Trackpad 2 without any issue. Conversely, the specifications for the Magic Keyboard and Magic Mouse 2 both indicate that you only need a Bluetooth-enabled Mac. However, when I was using the Magic Mouse 2, I found that this kept getting disconnected for no apparent reason. It may just be something with my iMac, but I do not have any issues with my original Magic Mouse.

Pricing

Apple does not generally have many products that are inexpensive, and the new input devices are no different. The new Magic Keyboard has gone up from $69 to $99, while the new Magic Mouse 2 has gone from $69 to $79. These two prices jumps, while not a significant amount, are still an increase. The Magic Trackpad 2 however, has jumped from $69 to $129. These are available from Apple today, as well as other retailers, like Amazon.

Links

Apple:
Magic Keyboard
Magic Trackpad 2
Magic Mouse 2

Amazon:
Magic Keyboard
Magic Trackpad 2
Magic Mouse 2

Final Thoughts

If you are in the market for some new input devices for your Macs, and you have no issues using Apple designed devices, you may want to take a look at Apple's new Magic devices. The Magic Keyboard brings a slight redesign and shorter key travel. The Magic Mouse remains mostly unchanged excluding the change in batteries and a slight redesign. The Magic Trackpad 2 is the biggest change and for the first time provides Force Touch on a desktop Mac.

It has become my custom to purchase a new iPhone every year. This began in 2008 when I chose to purchase an iPhone 3G. I was able to purchase each phone at a subsidy through my carrier, AT&T, up through the iPhone 5s, where I had received a partial subsidy for my phone. At one point I totaled up the amount I have spent on iPhones over the years, I fear doing so that again.

Last year for the iPhone 6 Plus, and again this year for the iPhone 6s Plus, I purchased my phone at full price, with no subsidy. I opted to do this last year because I was tired of going through the "2 year" commitments. In order to keep customers, AT&T was offering iPhone owners a full discounted phone subsidy. Last year I chose the 64GB Space Gray iPhone 6 Plus, and this year, as to nobody's surprise, I opted to go with the Space Gray iPhone 6s Plus, but I wanted to get the 128GB instead of 64GB. The reason I decided to with the 128GB model is due to 4K Video.

After having used the phone for about nine days now. I thought I would post my thoughts about the upgraded iPhone 6s Plus. Some may question how someone can review a product they have only owned for a week. I would argue that having owned an iPhone since the beginning, I am well versed in their functions and being an ardent follower of Apple news, I know what is new for this model. Apple is not a company that radically changes products from year to year. While they may the physical shell and improve components, the general usage of the iPhone has remained consistent since its introduction in 2007. Now, let us look at the new features in the iPhone 6s Plus.

Order Process

One of the biggest changes for the order process this year was that it went quite smoothly. Since the iPhone 3G ordering the Apple website has been known to go down or have problems with the carriers. There was one that occurred both last year, and again this year, the website took longer to come back up and the Apple Store application came up first.

This year I ordered through the Apple Store application just after the app returned. The process was very smooth. This year I was able to get through without any issues and ordered my phone. Later in the day, I ordered a case separately. As one would expect, the case a couple days before the phone.

A couple minutes after I finished ordering my iPhone 6s Plus, the website had just come up. I even had my confirmation email before the website came up.

3D Touch

One of the more innovative features of the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus is 3D Touch. 3D Touch is a new way to allow interactions on an iPhone. 3D Touch requires you to actually press down on the screen. This gesture is counter-intuitive for those who have used an iPhone for a while, as pressing on a screen hard will create a ripple effect and if pressed with enough force, may actually break the screen. It appears as though Apple has been able to mitigate this with the new glass that is used by the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus.

On episode 59 of Connected on Relay, Myke Hurley discussed some repetitive stress injury issues that may arise from repeatedly pressing on the screen. There is an option for changing how hard a user must press in order to activate 3D Touch. Perform the following steps to change the sensitivity:

1. Go to "Settings"
2. Tap on "General"
3. Tap on "Accessibility"
4. Scroll down to "3D Touch"
5. Tap on "3D Touch"
6. Adjust the sensitivity by moving the slider to select your desired sensitivity.

[caption id="attachment_49955" align="alignnone" ] 3D Touch Settings[/caption]

Light will make it easier to activate a 3D Touch action. Firm will mean that you must press harder to activate it. Medium is the default setting.

Within this screen there is a picture. This picture allows you to "Peek" and "Pop" to test how firmly you must press to activate the 3D Touch options.

Alternatively, you can disable 3D Touch entirely, by tapping on the switch, and flipping it to off. As of right now, many third-party developers have not yet implemented 3D Touch within their applications. Even though many third party developers have not implemented 3D Touch, many of Apple's built-in applications have done so.

[caption id="attachment_49953" align="alignnone" ] 3D Touch shortcuts on Camera App[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_49954" align="alignnone" ] 3D Touch shortcuts for Photos App[/caption]

Peek and Pop

Peek and Pop are two new gestures that can only be done with 3D Touch. Both of these gestures are dependent upon developers implementing these features, so they will application specific. To enable a peek gesture, you can lightly press down. When you perform this action, a popup, or other visual change, will occur.

An example of this is within Safari in iOS 9. When you perform a Peek gesture on a link, it will display that link in a window. Much like the picture below.

[caption id="attachment_49957" align="alignnone" ] 3D Touch Peek Gesture[/caption]

Once you are in a "Peek" view, you will be able to swipe up. As shown in the picture below, Safari will allow you to perform a few actions. These actions are "Add to Readying List", "Open in Background", and "Copy URL". If you continue to press down, the view will Pop into place. Gestures like swiping to go back will work.

[caption id="attachment_49958" align="alignnone" ] 3D Touch Peek Gesture with Swipe Up[/caption]

3D Touch will allow users to quickly get to common features directly from the home screen. Peek and Pop will allow users to quickly perform actions and view content without needing to fully open up the content and then switch back to the application that they were using. Instead, they will be able to view content in context and quickly get back to what they were previously doing.

Cameras

One of the aspects of the iPhone that Apple pride's itself on is the camera. With the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, Apple has vastly improved the cameras. Photographer Lisa Bettany has taken[footnote]via https://www.macstories.net/linked/how-does-the-iphone-6s-camera-compare-to-every-other-iphone-generation/[/footnote] photos with every iPhone Apple has released. Let us start with a new type of photo, Live Photos.

Live Photos

One of the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus specific features is Live Photos. There is a dedicated button for Live Photos within the Camera app. When someone takes a Live Photo, the photo will take 1.5 seconds before and after the picture. In essence it is a video that is shot at 12 frames per second, to give the illusion of a moving photo. Live Photos can be used as the background or on the home screen of an iPhone or even an Apple Watch.

Even though the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus are the only two phones capable of creating Live Photos, any iOS 9 or OS X 10.11 El Capitan device can display them. So, if someone you know takes a Live Photo that you like, they should be able to send it to you without any issue.

FaceTime Camera

Apple has included a rear-facing camera with every iPhone, including the original 2007 iPhone. However, it was not until the fourth iPhone, the iPhone 4, that Apple brought a front-facing camera to the iPhones. The front-facing camera has always lagged behind the rear camera. However, this year with the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, the camera has received a vast upgrade.

The iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus now sports a 5 Megapixel camera. This is up from the 1.2 Megapixels cameras in the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. The new FaceTime camera can now also detect faces. This is an important aspect for those who want to take selfies. With face detection the FaceTime camera will now be able to focus on the faces, even if the camera is a bit off-center.

The second big feature of the FaceTime Camera is the Retina Flash. One of the best ways to improve many photos is to use a flash. While Apple could add a flash to the face of an iPhone, there is already a flash available, the screen. Retina Flash utilizes the screen and sets the color temperature at one that will provide the best color for the picture being taken. The Retina Flash combined with face detection and a better quality camera, should help people take even better selfies.

[caption id="attachment_49950" align="alignnone" ] iPhone 6s Plus Face Time Camera photo[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_49949" align="alignnone" ] iPhone 6 Plus FaceTime Camera[/caption]

Rear Camera

The biggest change for the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, in terms of hardware is the camera. The new iPhones are able to record in 4K video. The exact resolution is 3840 pixels wide by 2160 pixels tall. 4K televisions have been gaining popularity, and will continue to do so particularly as prices for the sets continue to drop.

The curious aspect to this is that there is currently only one device that is capable of displaying 4K video at its native resolution of 3840 by 2160. That computer is the iMac 5k with Retina that Apple introduced in October of 2014. Even Apple's newly announced 4th generation Apple TV is still at 1080p for output.

While recording 4K video, there may be times when you want to take a single picture. This can be accomplished with the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus. While recording 4K video, you can take an 8 Megapixel picture and continue to record video. The resolution of the 8MP photos taken while recording 4K video is the same, 3840 pixels by 2160 pixels. Below are two videos, both taken at 1080p.

iPhone 6s Plus:

iPhone 6 Plus:

In addition to the better video camera capabilities, the still camera also received a significant upgrade. It now sports a 12 megapixel camera. The still images taken by the 12 Megapixel camera is 4032 pixels by 3024 pixels. Besides just being a resolution increase, the new camera also has improved color detection. This is most prevalent in the two videos above.

Weight

One of the things that some may notice, particularly if they owned an iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus, is that the weight of the iPhone 6s Plus seems to be heavier than the previous models. This is counter-intuitive towards Apple's usual modus operandi. Typically, Apple likes to go thinner and lighter. There are a couple of reasons why this iPhone is heavier.

The first is the new aluminum that is being used. Instead of using the aluminum that was present in the iPhone 6 Plus, they have opted to use a new 7000 series custom aluminum alloy. This is the same 7000 series aluminum used in the Stainless Steel Sport models of the Apple Watch.

The second reason is the new touch screen. In order to get the 3D Touch to operate properly, the screen had to become a bit heavier. Even with these two elements being a bit beefier, the total increase in weight is about 20 grams or 0.7 ounces.

Touch ID

When Apple introduced the iPhone 5s, they introduced a couple of new features, a 64-bit processor with the A7, and Touch ID. The iPhone 6s Plus is Apple's third iPhone with Touch ID. Touch ID has been upgraded to Touch ID 2. Touch ID 2 is significantly faster than the previous version. It is still constructed of the same sapphire crystal cover with a matching stainless steel ring.

A faster Touch ID sensor will result in being able to unlock your iPhone 6s quicker, but will also allow faster purchasing of applications and unlocking of applications that use your fingerprint information for authentication.

S for Speed

The 'S' within the original 3GS meant speed, at least according to Apple at the time. As has been the case with all of the 'S' generation models of the iPhone, the 'S' brings significant speed increases over the previous versions. The speed in this version, besides Touch ID, is primarily created by the amount of memory within the phone. There are now 2GB of memory in the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus. This memory increase will allow for less information needing to be cleaned out, resulting in a better overall experience. The most noticeable is within Safari where open tabs will not need to be reloaded as often.

The second new item attributing to the speed increase is the new A9 processor. This processor is up to twice as fast as the previous versions, according to Apple. During my Geekbench tests, the iPhone 6s Plus was approximately 55.4% faster in single-core operations and 53.8% faster in multi-core operations. This speed is definitely noticeable. As shown below in the GeekBench 3 tests, The iPhone 6s Plus is approximately 50% faster than the iPhone 6 Plus.

Siri

One of the biggest changes with the iPhone 6s Plus is the always-on "Hey Siri" functionality. This is accomplished by the Motion Co-processor, the M9, being integrated into the same package as the primary CPU, the A9. With this change, there is always enough power going to the processors to allow for the microphone to always be listening for the phrase "Hey Siri".

Apple bought the Siri application in 2010. Since then they have been steadily improving its capabilities that, thus far, culminate in all of the new search options within iOS 9. I am not one who typically uses Siri for much interaction. I do not care about sports scores, nor making a reservation at a restaurant. These just are not typical tasks I perform. The function I mostly perform with Siri is identifying a song while I am watching a movie.

The benefit of saying "Hey Siri" instead of having to hold down the home button will make it that much easier to perform whatever function you need. Combine this with "Hey Siri" training (found in Settings-> General-> Siri -> "Allow 'Hey Siri') so that your phone will not be activated as easily by someone else saying "Hey Siri" and the always on nature will change interactions for some users.

Final Thoughts

The iPhone 6s Plus is a solid upgrade, both in terms of physical feel as well as the new features. The addition of 3D Touch will add a new dimension, and method, to interactions you already perform on your iPhone. #D Touch will enable some new abilities, once implemented by developers. Peek and Pop will allow users to save some time and remain within an application. The additional memory and new A9 processor will provide a faster response. The biggest selling feature, in my mind, is the new camera. Whether you use the 4K video features or not, the upgraded camera will give users better pictures. Live Photos will actually add a new facet to the way that photos are taken and shown. If you have a phone older than iPhone 5s, it is a worthwhile upgrade, even if you just get the iPhone 6s and not the iPhone 6s Plus.

One of the features of iOS 8.4 and iOS 9.0 is Apple Music. There are many features to the Apple Music service. This article will cover a number of features of the Apple Music service, but there are a few areas that are not covered. The ones not covered within the article are iCloud Music Library, and iTunes Match. Another aspect that is not within this article is my thoughts about the service. This article will only cover different aspects, and a couple of tips, for the Apple Music Service. That will likely be another article entirely. Before we delve into the Apple Music service itself, let us look at some history of music and radio.

History

During the mid and late 20th century, users became enamored with the radio. For a significant portion of the century it was the primary means, for many, to discovery new music. As the century continued, the popularity of traditional radio began to wane. A more famous lament of this is "The Last DJ" by Tom Petty. The lament in the song is due to the corporatization of radio, where a handful o companies owned all of the stations and individual music choice by a DJ became non-existent.

While the consolidation of radio was occurring another technology was emerging, Tape Decks. Tape recording made it possible to create a custom mix of songs for yourself or others. The problem with this approach was that you had to listen all day to hear a song that you wanted to add to your mix tape. Tape Decks were replaced with personal CD players, burning CDs to create custom CDs; which progressed into the rise of MP3 players and adding your own music to an MP3 player. The practice of listening to the radio all day to hear your favorite song quickly disappeared. From 2000 to 2004, I used to use (I still have the actual MP3 Player) a 32GB Diamond Rio MP3 player. It would hold approximately 12 MP3 songs encoded at 64Kbps. This was perfect for putting the songs of Lucky Boys Confusion on playing the album on my way to school.

The rise of MP3 players allowed many individuals to obtain the music that they wanted and no longer required them to purchase a CD to be able to listen to the one song they wanted. The emergence of the iTunes Music Store allowed this trend to continue even more.

With users purchasing individual tracks, it became harder to find new music. Music recommendations would come from friends, the top selling tracks, and even the radio. As wireless became more ubiquitous it was only a matter of time before streaming music services, like Pandora, Rdio, and Spotify would allow music listeners to no longer need to purchase music and have all of the music available in one place.

One of the benefits of streaming services is that they can personalize music to your tastes. This takes a lot of back-end technology to make it worthwhile. Even with personalized music profiles, it is possible to miss some new music.

This is where Apple wants to take Apple Music. A significant portion of modern music is U.S. centric. While The U.S. may be a portion of the world, it is only 4.4% of the world's population. This means that 95.6% of the world is not covered. In an effort to bring music to more people, Apple has created a radio station named Beats1.

Beats1

Beats1 is Apple's introductory foray into what could be considered traditional radio. Beats 1 is a "World Wide, Always On" streaming radio station. There are many unique programs that Beats1 has on the service. There are three headlining radio talents, Zane Lowe, Ebro Darden, and Julie Adenuga. Lowe is based in New York City, Darden is based in Los Angeles, and Adenuga is based out of London. Each of the DJs brings their own personality and musical tastes to the stream.

Worldwide. Always On.

Worldwide. Always On. is the tagline for Beats1. While this is true, it is always on, it is not always live. That is not necessarily an issue. With Beats1 being a worldwide radio station, it is not conceivable to retire all users to listen to the same show at the same time. To accommodate the difference in time zones, Apple has created a schedule page on Tumblr. Typically, shows are aired twice a day. One in the morning and twelve hours later.

Beats1 Features

While listening to Beats1, there are a number of actions that you can take. The first is you can "Love" the song that is playing. This is easily done by tapping on the heart that is next to the song. There is a caveat for this. If the song is not available in the Apple Music catalog, you cannot "Love" the song.

If you are on the lock screen of an iOS device, you can love a song by tapping on the heart.

The second thing you can do is "Share Station" or "Start a Station". To do these of these tasks, simply click on the ellipses "..." that in the lower right corner. Alternatively, you can "Share the Station" by clicking on the share icon in the lower left corner of the screen.

If a song is in the iTunes Music store, you can do a few tasks, in addition to sharing the song. You can "Add to My Music", "Show in iTunes Store", or "Add to a Playlist". If you tap on "Add to My Music", the song will be added to your music library. If you click on "Show in iTunes Store", you will brought directly to the iTunes Store page, so you can buy the song, or add it to your wishlist. If you click on "Add to a Playlist", you will be able to add it to a playlist.

Beats1 Tips

While listening to Beats1 you may want to add the song to a playlist. Sometimes, You can do this, only if the song is in the Apple Music library.

One tip I have, is to create a new playlist, just for songs that are played on Beats1. To create a playlist, perform the following:

On an iOS device

1. Open the "Music" application.

2. Click on "My Music".

3. Click on "Playlists" at the top.

4. Click on "New" on the right, beneath "All Playlists".

5. Enter in a title for the playlist. I called mine "Beats1".

6. Click on the "Done" button in the upper right.

On a Mac or Windows PC

1. Open iTunes.

2. Click on the "Music" icon in the toolbar.

3. Click on "File" -> "New" -> "Playlist".

4. Enter in a title for the playlist.

5. Click away to save the playlist.

Now that you have created a playlist, you can add any songs that you hear to your Beats1 playlist. I use this as a mechanism for reminding me to go and check out the song again. Alternatively, if you want, you can see all of the song that are played on Beats1 without needing to create a playlist. You can follow a Twitter account named Beats1Plays. This is not an officially sanctioned Twitter feed. It will show ALL songs played. If the song is in the iTunes store, it will contain a link to the song/album.

Now, what do you if you hear a song you like and you cannot add the song to your Beats1 Playlist. If you are on your iOS device, you can just take a screenshot of the Music app while the song is playing to capture the information about the song. It is not ideal, but it is a method of capturing the song.

There is one last thing to note about Beats1 streaming. It is a “clean” radio station. That means that you will not hear any curse words. This also means that you will hear the clean version of songs, and not the explicit version. The reason behind this choice is to accommodate the largest number of listeners.

Connect

Apple Music connect is not Apple's first attempt at creating a music-based social network. Their first foray, Ping, did not end very well. Connect is Apple's second attempt at creating a place for artists and listeners to connect.

One of the issues with Ping was that it was yet another destination and another place for artists to have to post items to. Additionally, there was limited backend options for artists.

After the failure and removal of Ping, Apple decided to take a new approach to connecting musicians and listeners. That new service is called Connect.

When you first look at Connect, the service will take a look at all all of the artists who exist in your iTunes music library, and will automatically follow them in Connect, if you so choose to do so. There is also an option for not automatically following new artists.

Connect is more than just getting the same updates that exist on other social networks like Facebook and Twitter. With Connect, artists can choose to post exclusive content to Connect. This may include new songs, music videos, or even behind the scenes content.

Besides just artists, you can also follow Apple Music editors. Apple Music editors will publish new playlists or songs that they think people will like. An example is the Apple Music Pop editors recommended the song "That's How You Know" by Nico & Vinz (feat. Kid Ink & Bebe Rexha. While it may not be to everybody's taste, they are highlighting new material.

Trial

It is typical for any new service to offer a free trial. Usually a trial lasts two weeks, as is the case with the old Beats service, but more commonly it is a full one month trial. The idea behind this is to get a user accustom to using a service and thereby having them realize that they need the service. Apple has done more than just a one month trial. Instead, it is a three month trial.

With a month trial, it is possible for a user to not integrate the service into many aspects of their life and therefore not subscribe to the service when the trial ends. However, with a three month trial, it is more likely that a user will become so used to the service being a part of their life that they will subscribe.

There are two different tiers for Apple Music. The single user subscription and the family plan. The single user subscription is $9.99 US/£9.99 per month, and the family plan is $14.99/£14.99 per month. The family plan allows up to six individuals to all use. The caveat with the family plan is that all six of the members must be using Family Sharing.

The trial is a full-experience one. Every aspect of Apple Music is available to users who are on the three month trial.

Before your three month trial has ended, you will need to make the determination of whether to renew the subscription or not. If you do not renew, you will still have limited access to some features of Apple Music. The features that are available to all users are:

Free Features

• View Artist feed
• Follow artist on Connect
• Listen to Beats1
• Listen to Apple Music stations[footnote]Limited Skipping[/footnote]
• Love, comment and play Connect content or radio songs

With an Apple Music subscription you gain these features:

• Listen to Apple Music Stations[footnote]Unlimited Skipping[/footnote]
• Save Connect content
• Enjoy unlimited listening from the Apple Music library
• Add Apple Music content to your library
• Save for offline listening
• Get expert music recommendations

As with any technology race, the first race was to service could have the highest number of songs in their catalog. And as with all technology races, it becomes less about raw numbers than quality of the service. Even though Apple Music has over 30 Million songs available in Apple Music, it ultimately becomes about finding the content that you will enjoy. This is where the “For You” section comes in.

For You

As mentioned above, the race for users is not merely about the number of songs. Instead, it is about which service can best provide music to you that you will like. Apple's attempt with this is embodied in the "For You" section of iTunes.

The For You section takes into account your purchased music, artists you follow in Connect, and songs you "Love".

An example of this is when "For You" recommends an "Introduction to..." playlist for an artist. This playlist is hand-crafted by the Apple Music editorial teams. An example of this is "Introduction to Cold Play", which was recommended for me. Besides introduction playlists, there are also playlists that contain deep cuts.

Streaming

With Apple Music, you have a full access to the all of the music in the Apple Music library. You do not have to download all of the music that you want, you can stream it from Apple's servers.

If you like a song, you can hit the heart next to the song. This will tell the Apple Music service that you like the song. The service will take this into account when it recommends songs to you.

Playlists

One aspect to any music service is the idea of playlists. Playlists can revolve around a mood, an artist, or even just a collection of songs that you want to add. Sometimes though, you want to learn more about a particular artist. This is where the Apple human curated music can come in handy.

There are editors for all genres, Hip-Hop, Country, Pop, Classic Rock, and more. There are even some playlists created by curators. Some of these curators include the Grand Ole Opry, GQ, Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, Shazam, and Vice, among others.

Tips

With the integration of Apple Music directly into your iTunes Library, it may be hard to determine what music is from Apple Music, versus the items that you have purchased. This is extremely problematic if you do not renew your Apple Music subscription.

There are two different tips. The first is to how to show which music is Apple Music, versus music you have purchased. To show which content is Apple Music, do the following:

1. Open iTunes on your Mac or Windows PC.

2. Click on the "Music" button in the toolbar.

3. Click on "My Music".

4. In the upper right click "Songs" if it is not already selected.

5. Right Mouse, or ctrl-Click on any of the column headings.
6. Select "iCloud Status". The status of each song should now be visible.

By adding the "iCloud Status" to each of the songs, you can now easily see the status of the song when browsing songs. You can also sort your library by the iCloud Status and see which songs are Apple Music.

While it may be nice to see the status, it doe not necessarily show them all in one place. To be able to differentiate your music, simply create a playlist. Not just a regular playlist, but a Smart Playlist. To create a smart playlist specifically for your Apple Music, perform the following steps:

1. Open iTunes on your Mac or Windows Device.

2. Click on the "Music" icon in the toolbar.

3. Click on "File" -> New -> Smart Playlist.

4. Under "Match the following rule:", change "Artist" to "iCloud Status".

5. Under "Matched", change it to "Apple Music".

6. Verify "Live Updating" is checked.[footnote]Live Updating should be enabled by default[/footnote]

7. Click "OK".
8. Enter in a name for the playlist. I called mine "Apple Music"

If you have Apple Cloud Music Library enabled or an iTunes Match subscription, your playlist should synchronize between devices. This will allow you to easily see what music you have added to your library.

Feature Requests

One of the things I do with songs is listen to them on repeat. Sometimes, for many hours in a day. With that, there is a feature that I would love to see. If I listen to a song that I have not purchased more than 100 times in a month, add it to a shopping cart, or my wish list, so I can buy the song.

The second feature I would like to see, is a way to signify to Apple that you would like to be able to purchase a song that is not currently available. It could use the same "Love" mechanism that is used for songs that are in the iTunes Store. Alternatively, it could show a "Plus" sign to indicate that you want to have it added to the store.

Final Thoughts

Apple Music is a great effort by Apple to bring music to the entire world. The use of knowledgeable DJs in their Beats1 Worldwide radio station will help expose music to people who have not heard certain genres or may have never heard of artists. There have been a couple of songs that I would not have known about except through listening to Beats1.

The Apple Music Connect service will allow artists, from the popular like Taylor Swift, Eminem, and Demi Lovato to the lesser known artists, like Airplane Mode, Thomas Rhett, or even Tim Minchin. These artists will be able to better connect with their fans. Combine this with Apple's recommendation engine with "For You", it is possible that artists will be able to maintain a closer relationship with their fans by keeping them up to date with some behind the scenes content.

Recommendations by Apple's algorithms will allow individuals to find new music that fits their existing interests. This won't necessarily just give users the same artists, but will find them similar artists. Additionally, it will provide playlists of songs that they may enjoy.

Overall, Apple Music is a good start into creating a streaming music service. While there are definitely issues that are out there, when it works, it does work. Apple Music will not be for everybody, but it is an interesting service that shows where Apple is hoping music is headed in the future. If you have not yet checked it out, you can give it a try for free for three months, just backup your music library first.

I, like many people bought a number of items from Amazon over the Thanksgiving weekend. One of the items that I bought was a Jam Box. I was in the market for bluetooth speaker that would work with my iOS devices. The speaker would be used primarily while I am in the shower. I chose this speaker mostly because it was a Lightning Deal, and it was a good price.

My requirements for a bluetooth speaker were:

1. Cheap. I did not want to spend a lot on the speaker since I would be using it in the shower.
2. Bluetooth 4.0. I wanted to make sure that it supported Bluetooth LE (Bluetooth 4.0).
3. Rechargeable. Given that I was going to be using it off and on, I didn't want to have to deal with replacing batteries.

Before I jump into the product itself, let us discuss the packaging. The container that the Jam Classic comes in is a plastic container. Inside of it there are three items. The Jam Classic, the USB cable, and an instruction manual. The top unscrews and here lies the USB cable and manual. You can discard the manual if you want, because you honestly will not need it. There is a black plastic cap that needs to be removed. Once this cap is removed, you have access to your Jam Classic. The plastic jar casing is reusable, so you should keep it and use it for something else. The stickers that are on the sides of the plastic jar are removable without much effort, this does not the sticker on the bottom of the package nor the one on the top.

Now that the textual unboxing has occurred, here are my thoughts on the Jam Classic itself.

Good

The speaker works quite well. It has paired with every bluetooth audio device that I have own. The setup is very easy. You enable bluetooth on your device, it will discover the Jam Classic, you select the Jam Classic and it pairs. All Audio will go out through the Jam Classic.

The Jam Classic can perform three basic functions, Volume Up, Volume Down, and Pause/Resume. All of these are buttons on the Jam Classic. Since the connection is Bluetooth, you should expect to be able to perform these functions, and they work as anticipated.

With most other audio items, as you turn up the volume, the audio becomes quite distorted, so you have to find a happy medium. This is not the case with the Jam Classic. During tests, I was able to turn up the volume all the way on my iOS device and turn up the volume all the way on the Jam Classic, and the audio was audible with a bit of distortion, but it was not completely unbearable as some analog solutions can become.

The bass on Jam Classic is actually really good on bass. To some, it may be too bass heavy. The amount of bass that is generated by the Jam Classic can be felt quite well, if you have a bass heavy song.

The Jam Classic is also capable of being a speaker phone, if it is a feature that you require. I do not use that feature, but it is nice to have if I was in need of having a bluetooth speaker phone.

Bad

While the Jam Classic does work with my iPhone 6 Plus and my iPod Nano without any issues, it did have some random issues while paired with my iPad Air 2. The issue that was occurring was that you could not pause what was playing on the iPad Air 2. It is not consistent and could just be an intermittent issue.

The only real downside of the Jam Classic is the length of the power cable. While it is a standard Micro USB, it is a mere 10 inches, which is fine for my usage, but it may be too short for others. Since it is a standard micro-usb connection, you can easily replace the cable with a longer one, but it would be nice to include a slightly longer USB cable.

Outside of the two items listed above, there is nothing else negative to say about the Jam Classic.

Overall

If you are in the market for a bluetooth speaker, you cannot go wrong with the Jam Classic. It is simple to use, easy to set up, and pretty inexpensive. While it may not compare to some higher end companies, like Bower & Wilkins, Denon, or even Bose, it does a great job at being a speaker that does what you expect.

I have been using the iPad Air 2 for about three weeks now. I thought I would give my thoughts on the device, as compared to my last iPad.

Unlike the iPhone, I have not purchased each version of the iPad. Instead, the ones I have owned have been the original iPad, the iPad 2, and the iPad 3rd Generation; and now the iPad Air 2. I skipped the 4th Generation iPad because it was released a mere 6 months after the 3rd Generation iPad. Beginning with the iPad 2, I chose to always get the optional cellular option. While it is more expensive, $130 to be exact, the ability to use an iPad anywhere, including places that do not have wireless, is always a nice feature to have in reserve in case it is needed.

Size

The first thing I noticed about the iPad Air 2 as compared to the iPad 3rd Generation is that the physical size of the device. The iPad Air 2 is much smaller than the previous iPads. While the screen remains at 9.7 inches (more on the screen in a bit), the bezel around the screen is significantly reduced. The exact specifications of the iPad Air 2 are 9.4 inches by 6.6 inches by 0.24 inches. Compare this to the iPad 3rd Generation which measured 9.5 inches by 7.31 inches by 0.37 inches. This is an overall reduction of 42%, from a volume of 25.7 cubic inches to 14.9 cubic inches. This is a significant reduction.

The second thing one notices is the weight. The iPad 3rd Generation weighs in at 1.46 pounds. Despite the weight not being a lot, when one is using it for a long time, it can put some additional strain on the arms. The iPad Air 2, coming in at 0.98 pounds is 32.8% lighter, and it is completely noticeable. Using the iPad Air 2 for an extended period of time is less of a strain. I have spent the last couple of days going back through Plants vs. Zombies HD. When using the 3rd Generation iPad, I would notice fatigue after about 30 minutes of playing. This just is not the case with the iPad Air 2. I can easily play an hour without any feeling any strain or fatigue. It is a

Screen

When the iPhone 6 Plus was unveiled it was announced that Apple created a new Retina HD screen. The iPad Air 2 did not receive the same screen, yet, it has received an upgraded screen. The iPad Air 2 now has a laminated screen. A laminated screen provides two primary functions. The first is that the LCD screen, glass, and touch surface are all one single piece. While you cannot physically see that this is the case, the screen does appear as though you can physically touch the icons on the screen.

Speed

The iPad Air 2 has an A8X chip inside of it. The A8X is an off-shoot of the A8 that is in the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. The differences with the A8X are that the A8X has 3 Billion transistors, which is 33% more than the A8. This makes complete sense because the iPad Air 2 has a triple-core processor. Yes, it has 3 cores, instead of two cores. Along with the three cores, comes 2GB of memory.

The increased specs provide some great GeekBench results for the iPad, compared to previous generations. Here are some comparisons between the 3rd Generation iPad and the iPad Air 2.

As you can see from the single-core comparison, the iPad Air 2 is 6.78 times better in computation. In terms of multi-core, the iPad Air 2 is 8.97 times better. A better comparison would be that the iPad Air 2 completed the tests in about 30 - 45 seconds. While, the iPad 3rd Generation took upwards of 3 minutes to complete the same tests. It is quite clear to see which one is better.

The speed is definitely noticeable particularly when doing pretty much anything on the iPad Air 2. Anything from switching apps, to launching resource intensive games, or even using applications like Epic Zen Garden. The speed is really incredible.

Apple SIM

One of the largely unrecognized aspects to the iPad Air 2 is the inclusion of an Apple SIM. The way the Apple SIM works is that it allows you to choose one of three carriers (in the US). The choices are AT&T, T-Mobile and Sprint. The idea behind the Apple SIM is that at some point in the future you will be able to switch seamlessly and without swapping the SIM card. We are not at that point yet, but this is a definite move in the right direction.

One of the things to be cognizant of is that once you choose AT&T, the Apple SIM will be locked to AT&T. This is not the case when you choose T-mobile or Sprint. Additionally, if you choose T-mobile or Sprint, you will not be able to choose AT&T as an option. This is likely just a transitionary state until Apple can work out deals with all of the carriers.

Once all of the issues are resolved, the idea of requiring a SIM may become completely unneeded. While it may begin with the iPad, it is conceivable that the Apple SIM will eventually make its way to the iPhone line of products as well as the iPad.

Storage

The iPad Air 2 has followed the same storage tiers as the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. These are 16GB, 64GB, and 128GB. The size of 64GB and 128GB makes complete sense. However, the 16GB makes no sense at all. In order to perform updates, a user needs around 5GB just to install an iOS 8, on the device itself, without connecting to iTunes. Given the number of people who do not connect their iOS devices to a computer, it is astonishing that Apple would continue to offer 16GB as an option.

It is completely possible to see the marketing aspect. A sales person can easily make an argument that "...for $100 more, you get four times the amount of storage space". It would not take too much effort to convince somebody of the benefit of spending the extra money. The more iPads that Apple can sell that have higher storage capacities, will ultimately lead to a higher price-per-device, which will make Apple even more money and satisfy the share holders.

While it may have affected margins, starting with 32GB would have been a logical progression and would mean that users would be even more satisfied, thereby increasing "customer sat", which can be touted on earnings calls, at share holder meetings, and at keynote events. Even though a 32GB option is not available, the 64GB and 128GB models did become $100 cheaper, down from $699 and $799 to $599 and $699 respectively. This is an overall win for consumers.

Touch ID

As mentioned above, I have not owned every iPad. I have owned the original iPad, the iPad 2, iPad with Retina (3rd generation), and now the iPad Air 2. I did not purchase the 4th Generation iPad because it was released a mere six months after the 3rd generation. I also opted to not upgrade to the iPad Air because I wanted an iPad with Touch ID on it. I had become quite accustom to the ability to unlock an iOS device with just a fingerprint after I got my iPhone 5s. I knew upgrading to an iPad without Touch ID would become problematic.

The iPad Air 2, as well as the iPad Mini 3, both received Touch ID. Touch ID does a few things on the iPad Air 2. First off, it will allow you to unlock the devices. This means that you no longer have to type in your passcode every time that you want to unlock your device. The second feature is the ability to use Touch ID to purchase items from the iTunes store, including In-App purchases, as well as using Apple Pay within applications. If you have an iPhone 5s or later, and you have become accustom to using Touch ID, this will be a natural fit.

Design

I have already spoken about the size and weight of the iPad Air 2. Right now let us look at some of the changes made with the iPaid Air 2, to the design. The first item to notice is that there is no longer a hardware switch on the side. In the previous iPads, as well as in the iPad Mini 3, the switch can be used in one of two ways. You can either configure it to be used as a mute switch or as a rotation lock switch. This option is available within the settings. While there has never been an official reason given as to why it was removed; there is really only one possible reason. The most likely reason that there was no physical room within the iPad Air 2 to accommodate the switch.

Much like previous iPads, the on/off switch remains on the top of the iPad Air 2. For someone who has an iPhone 6 or an iPhone 6 Plus, this can be confusing because you may become accustom to having the switch on the side. The position of the switch is definitely not a make-or-break item, but it is something to be cognizant about, because it can be a bit disorienting.

Wireless and Bluetooth

When the first iPad was introduced, it included 802.11A/B/G/N, running on both 2.4GHz and 5GHz. The iPad Air 2 keeps the same configuration, however the iPad Air 2 now includes 802.11AC as well as utilizing Multiple-In Multiple-Out (MIMO), just like the iPad Air did. MIMO works by having more than one antenna to transmit and receive wireless signals. The use MIMO will allow even faster speeds. Here is a snapshot of a connection from my iPad Air 2 to a 6th Generation Airport Extreme.

As you can see, it does connect at 400 Megabits per second (Mbps). The faster connection speed would make streaming anything off of the network that much faster, as well as being able to transfer information in a much faster fashion. The speed of the iPhone 6 Plus is only 200Mbps, and this is because the iPhone 6 Plus does not have MIMO capabilities.

Starting with the 3rd Generation iPad, the iPad line included Bluetooth 4.0, also known as Bluetooth Low Energy (LE). This is still the case with the iPad Air 2. Bluetooth 4.0 is required to be able to use a new feature of iOS 8, Handoff.

Final Thoughts

Overall, the iPad Air 2 is a great upgrade. If you have not previously owned an iPad and you have been thinking of getting one, you cannot go wrong with the iPad Air 2. If you own any iPad, other than the iPad Air, this is most definitely a worthwhile upgrade; this is especially the case if you own an iPad 2 or a 3rd Generation iPad.

The upgrades provided in the iPad Air 2 are significant. The inclusion of 2GB of memory, a triple-core processor, and 802.11AC with MIMO, will make everything seem that much faster and provides a great experience. The inclusion of the Apple SIM which can, in theory, allow a user to choose which cellular carrier that they want to use.

I have been using the iPhone 6 Plus for just about 10 days now. If you want to read about why I purchased the iPhone 6 Plus, you can do so here. Instead I will give my opinions, thus far, on the iPhone 6 Plus.

Screen

Overall, I like the iPhone 6 Plus. The larger screen makes it much easier to do some things. When I initially opened the box, it seemed like the choice for a 5.5-inch screen might have been the wrong one because the screen may be too large. However, as time progressed, and it was not a very long time, I became quite accustom to the size and have actually grown to enjoy the additional screen real estate. The screen resolution on the iPhone 6 Plus is 1920 x 1080, which is full HD screen resolutions. This will make viewing videos much more pleasant on the larger screen. The screen is much clearer and much more crisp. The screen size has not been the only thing to change. The screen itself has changed as well. The new screen, dubbed Retina HD, does indeed have better viewing angles. Along with the viewing angles, the ability for the iPhone 6 Plus to focus is insanely fast. During my testing there were no instances where I needed to manually focus the camera, it was all just automatically done without any work.

Viewing Modes

With a larger screen there are actually two modes to choose from. The first is "Standard" view. This view is the typical view that has traditionally been on the iPhone. The second view is "Zoomed" view. The Zoomed view does a couple of things. The first is that the icons are slightly larger. The second is that the text is also bigger. To allow for the application names to fit under the icon, the spacing between the icons is also reduced. As the name implies, the overall view is Zoomed. The Zoomed view is ideal for those who need the larger screen just to be able to see. You can easily switch between the two modes, by going to Settings -> Display & Brightness -> Display Zoom. You can preview how each one will look.

Battery Life

I am a heavy iPhone user. I am constantly listening to music, podcasts, surfing the web, and refreshing Tweetbot. Battery life on the iPhone 6 Plus has been very good. Despite all of my efforts I have not been able to get it to go below 15% after an entire day of usage. Yes, it is a brand new iPhone so this is the peak of its battery life, but as far as I have been able to ascertain, this is the best battery life of any iOS devices that I have used.

Design

Having every model of iPhone since the original in 2007 has made it easier to be able to compare each model of the phone. The design of the iPhone 6 Plus is very reminiscent of the original iPhone. On the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus the glass is rounded and fits so perfectly into the case that one might believe that the two pieces are in fact one. The smoothness of the screen allows users to easily swipe from either side. The glass is not the only aspect that is smooth. The case is very smooth as well. The case is machined to such tolerances that the phone can be a bit too slippery. This means that users will, and honestly, should get a case. Yes, a case will detract from the overall beauty that Apple has set out. Even so, would you rather have to pay for a replacement screen when it breaks, or would you prefer to get a case and be saved the expense. I always opt for using a case.

Pocketability

One of the things to keep in mind with a large screen is where to put the phone. For many females, this will not be an issue because they have a purse or bag with them, and they can store the phone in that. One of the things that I thought about while using the phone was how am I going to carry the phone around. Thankfully, the pockets on my work pants are ample enough to allow me to easily fit the phone in my pocket. As I write this, it is on the cusp of Autumn in the Northern Hemisphere. As the temperature cools, I will be wearing a hoodie, and my current hoodie has plenty of pocket space, so that will not be an issue. Yes, Winter is Coming, so there should not be an issue because the hoodie will still be in full use. There is one situation where it may become an issue. There are times that the temperature is at the point where it's too cool for shorts, but too warm to wear a hoodie. Those are the times that might become problematic. My jeans can fit the phone. It is not ideal, but it does work. With a case, it can be a bit more cumbersome to remove the phone from my pocket, but it is doable. If you have small pockets, the iPhone 6 Plus will be a problem. If you have larger pockets, or equip yourself with some Internet Tactical Pants, you should not have any issues.

Sleep/Wake Button

One of the things that has remained consistent, until now, with the iPhone line has been that the sleep/wake button has always been on the top. With the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, the sleep/wake button is now on the side. This was done for obvious reasons. The larger screen means that users are not likely to be able to reach the top of the iPhone 6 Plus without using two hands. There are time that you need to quickly check something, like the time, and the easiest way to handle this is to push the sleep/wake button. On the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, Apple has chosen to move the sleep/wake button to the right side to make it easier to reach. A possible secondary reason to do this is to keep a bit more symmetry between the left and right sides. It could be conceivable that in a future version of the iPhone, that the mute/rotation lock switch is moved to the right side and then the device would become almost 100% symmetrical. In combination with such a large screen the ability to reach items that are at the to the top of the screen can, for some, become nearly impossible to do with one hand. To compensate for this probability, Apple has introduced a new feature called Reachability.

Reachability

There are two aspects to "reachability". The first the hardware aspect, which was mentioned above. The second is the software feature called "Reachability". Reachability is enabled by simply tapping, not pressing, the Touch ID sensor twice. This will bring the view halfway down the screen and allow the user to easily tap elements that are at the top of the screen. This feature only works when the iPhone 6 Plus is in portrait orientation. Reachability does not work while the phone is in landscape orientation and one should not expect this to be the case.

Keyboard

I'my typing this section of this review on my iPhone 6 Plus in landscape mode. Why you may ask? Well the answer is quite simple really, the iPhone 6 Plus has a larger screen and while Apple could have chosen to just make the key's on the keyboard wider, they chose instead to add some additional keys to the keyboard. On the left side there are some quick buttons. These include cut, and paste. Along with this you have bold, undo, dictation and a sixth button that I'm not entirely sure of its purpose. Similarly, on the right side you have a set of left and right arrow keys, an exclamation point, a question mark, a period and a comma button. Some of these buttons will be very useful to those who type in landscape orientation often, however for the rest of us these buttons are not useful. It would be a better option if users could choose which buttons are showing on the left and right sides. Even if the options were a group set by Apple it could prove to be handy and beneficial to users in the long run.

Downsides

Even with everything that is positive with the iPhone 6 Plus, there are a couple of downsides that you should be made aware of.

Software Optimization

The first downside is not the fault of Apple, per se, but it is a side effect. Some applications are not optimized for iOS 8. A good example is Tweetbot, my preferred Twitter client. On the iPhone 6 Plus, the font is entirely too large. This is because of the way that Apple is handling older applications. When the iPad was released, it could support iPhone applications. At the time though, applications that were designed for the iPhone could be scaled at 2x the size and they would function as expected. This is also the case with the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. However, on the iPhone 6 Plus, it is 3x and not 2x. This even larger scaling factor makes the applications look too large.

iOS 8

The second downside is that iOS 8 is still quite buggy. While Apple has issued two updates, there are still some rather strange aspects. One of the bugs is that when playing music, and the phone goes into sleep mode, there are times that the status bar will appear on the left side while the currently playing music will appear properly. It will look like this:

This is not the only bug. Not by a long shot. Some users are reporting that when they finish a phone call, the last audio item begins to play even if there was nothing playing prior to the phone call.

It may just be that I've been using the iOS 8 betas on an iPhone 5s since June 2nd that I have become accustom to the bugs, but none are as devastating as what happens with Apple's release of iOS 8.0.1.

Needing a Case

Despite every attempt by Apple to the contrary, I think the iPhone 6 Plus needs a case. The phone, while absolutely gorgeous, is entirely too slippery. The first night I had the phone it managed to slip from my hands. Luckily it landed on carpeting, but I have had more than one iPod suffer an untimely demise because it fell and hit on just the right spot. As mentioned above, when I have a choice I do not fool around and I get a case. For my iPhone 5s, my case was a knockoff Mophie Juice Pack Air (that's a whole other story).

Final Thoughts

Overall, the iPhone 6 Plus is a good phone. While it may be a bit larger than first anticipated but the size will grow on you as time progresses. The design of the iPhone 6 Plus is very similar to that of the original iPhone, albeit a bit more slippery than the original iPhone. The larger screen on the iPhone 6 Plus warrants purchasing Apple Care. Yes, it is an extra charge, but with a larger screen it is possible that the screen will break at some point. It is definitely not a necessity, but since I give my phones to somebody every year, it makes sense that I have Apple Care. The iPhone 6 Plus is a good phone. If you like Apple products and possibly want the ability to do a bit more with the keyboard in landscape, then this might just be the phone for you. If you know that you do not want a phone with such a large screen. The best thing to do is to go into a store and physically look and touch the iPhone 6 Plus to determine just how large the screen actually is and, more importantly, whether or not you are able to have a comfortable enough grip to use the phone over an extended period of time.

Some may wonder why I have written another long review so soon after the last one. One reason, because I could.

Some readers don't have a Mac and may not have been as interested in OS X Mountain Lion as users who have iPhone, iPads and iPod Touches. My new review is for iOS 6. It includes a history of iOS through iOS 5.1. The review also includes iOS 6. Some of the new features of iOS 6 include Apple's Maps, Passbook, along with redesigned App Stores. You can Pre-order the iBooks version from Apple. It will be released on September 19th, 2012. The Kindle version will be available soon.