iPhone 6: Post-launch expectations

Apple's big reveal yesterday cleared the many rumours about the iPhone 6, but whether the rumours proved correct or not, tech watchers have been quick to point out what the company failed to include this time around.

Sapphire screen, high-megapixel camera, and 4K video capture are among the list of what Information Week's Eric Zeman expected iPhone to include. He said that while Apple was widely expected to use sapphire to protect the displays of its new iPhones, sapphire was only used to make the smartphones' lens cover.

Apple also stuck to an 8Mpx sensor. The iPhones equip a new sensor, new five-element lens, and a wider aperture, but do not offer better resolution. The user-facing camera, or "FaceTime Camera," is a let-down at 1.2Mpx.

The new iPhones are limited to standard 1080p HD video compared with many of the current flagship smartphones that can capture 4K or Ultra HD video. Apple only tweaked the slow-motion functionality of the video capturing features.

The iPhone 6 supports wider-angle viewing.

When it comes to peripherals, Zeman noted that Apple looks right through standard technologies. iPhone 6 devices use the Lightning port for connecting via USB cable to PCs and chargers even as nearly all smartphones and tablets use the microUSB port for connectivity. Another is the battery—with iPhones keeping theirs sealed tightly, LG and Samsung still tout removable batteries as a feature not offered by the competition.

Still, and all, Apple's latest gadgets are hogging the spotlight, and Zeman admitted that his list comprised nit-picky items, adding that the iPhones hit the nail on the head in nearly every respect. All eyes are now on how the iPhone 6, together with Apple's first-ever wearable device Watch, will fare in its attempt to redefine the market.

IHS forecasts that Apple will overtake Microsoft—the former Nokia devices unit—to ship the second largest number of mobile handsets in 2014 after Samsung. This includes all kinds of mobile handsets, not just smartphones.

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