At some point today — my guess is around lunchtime for folks in the Central and Eastern time zones — you will be able to update your iPhone and iPad to the new iOS 8. This is the biggest update to the iOS since Apple first allowed third party applications. Here is my post from a few months ago about the great new features, and Joanna Stern of the Wall Street Journal also posted a great article on iOS 8 (including a fun video). Note that if you backup your iPhone with your Mac, Caitlin McGarry of Macworld advises that you should select "Not Now" when asked if you want to update to iCloud Drive because it requires OS X Yosemite, which won't be out until next month. But whether you upgrade right away today when iOS 8 is available or you wait a few days or weeks, eventually you are going to want to upgrade. iOS 8 is going to make your current iPhone a whole lot better.
By contrast, if you want to make your current iPhone look a whole lot worse, take a look at the new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. They won't go on sale until Friday, but last week Apple gave select reporters early access. Last night, the reviews started to come in, and they are overwhelmingly positive, the best reviews that I have ever seen for a new iPhone since I started publishing iPhone J.D in 2008.
Here are the reviews that I have seen so far, along with some quotes to give you a sense of what the reviewers thought:
- John Gruber of Daring Fireball: "The Plus is a remarkable and striking device. Its 401 PPI display is the first display I’ve ever used on which, no matter how close I hold it to my eyes, I can’t perceive the pixels. Typography has rendered great on all retina displays to date; type looks perfect on the iPhone 6 Plus. I’m jealous that the 6 Plus camera has optical image stabilization. The bigger physical size makes the Plus a pleasure to thumb-type on. But I have no desire to use an iPhone 6 Plus as my personal phone. I ordered an iPhone 6 for my own use."
- Jim Dalrymple of The Loop: "There is no doubt in my mind that iPhone 6 Plus will be hugely successful, because clearly there are people out there that want a larger screen device. There are markets in the world where people like to use only one device and having a phone this large is a benefit. For me, I think the iPhone 6 will be the perfect upgrade for people in the U.S. that haven’t embraced larger screen devices yet. It’s the perfect size for almost any hand"
- Jason Snell of Macworld: "Make no mistake: The most important new thing about the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus is their size. While their processors run faster and their cameras focus more exactingly, the real story is that these are larger phones with larger screens. That’s better for displaying photos and videos, of course, and often for just allowing more information to fit on the screen."
- Walt Mossberg of re/code: "The iPhone 6 is a great upgrade for current iPhone owners, or for anyone, really. It manages to provide a much larger display in a phone that’s still small enough to handle easily. It’s my recommendation for the best smartphone you can buy."
- Lauren Goode of re/code: "There are a couple of reasons why the Apple iPhone 6 Plus might also be too big for me to purchase. But I have to admit it: I’m tempted. I really like this phone. And to people who actually prefer huge smartphones: You are going to like this phone, too."
- David Pierce of The Verge: "There’s one feature that stands out, though, the one that most strongly makes the iPhone 6’s case as the best smartphone on the planet: the camera. It still shoots 8-megapixel images, but this time does so with a new sensor. It also uses what Apple calls 'focus pixels' to achieve phase-detect autofocus, which is just astonishingly fast on the iPhone 6. I move the phone around and it never appears to be focusing, yet everything is always crisp and ready. There’s some manual control available like exposure lock, and I still tap to focus sometimes, but it’s never been faster to just whip the phone out of my pocket and fire."
- Nilay Patel of The Verge: "I can’t see myself ever using my iPad mini again after having the 6 Plus, and it’s getting harder and harder to justify pulling out my iPad Air. With the right software changes, I could basically use an iPhone 6 Plus all day long, for everything from sending messages to editing documents to watching videos."
- Geoffrey Fowler of the Wall Street Journal: "The $199 (with contract) iPhone 6 packs a 4.7-inch screen, big enough to get down to business, into the most comfortable smartphone I've ever held. And while the iPhone 6 Plus feels too big for my taste, for $100 more its 5.5-inch screen offers an option for road warriors who don't want to carry a tablet."
- David Pogue of Yahoo Tech: "The iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus are absolutely terrific phones. They’re fast and powerful and well designed. There’s not a single component that hasn’t been improved. These phones are a delight to behold and to be held." Pogue also has a really fun video showing off the two phones.
- Harry McCracken of Fast Company: "For current owners of Apple phones who aren't tied up with a carrier contract, the iPhone 6 is among the most irresistible upgrades the company has ever offered. And the jumbo-sized iPhone 6, though definitely not for everybody, is a winning entry in a category that's previously been an Apple-free zone."
- Joshua Topolsky of Bloomberg Businessweek: "The new iPhones are bigger than any previous version—their displays measure 4.7 inches for the 6 and 5.5 inches for the 6 Plus. They’re also awesome. They are beautifully engineered machines, more useful than ever. These aren’t just the best iPhones ever made—they might be the best phones ever made. Period. The only question you really have to answer is: Which one?"
- Vincent Nguyen of Slash Gear: "The promise is a faster, more accurate autofocus lock, and while the technology is complex, the end result is easy to grasp: the iPhone 6's camera is incredibly quick. There's hardly a moment's delay when you open the app and before the camera gets a fix, and it keeps on going too, not getting confused by moving subjects like some smartphones can. My previous pick of the smartphone cameras had been LG's laser focusing system on the G3, but the iPhone 6 feels faster still."
- Scott Stein of CNet: "The iPhone 6 delivers a bigger screen while remaining easy to handle, with plenty of features to satisfy everyone -- and the promise of Apple Pay on the horizon to potentially sweeten the deal even further."
- Tim Stevens of CNet: "The iPhone 6 Plus is too big for everyone to love it, but it's Apple's best phone this year. If your budget and your pocket can make room for it, give the iPhone 6 Plus serious consideration."
- Stuart Miles of Pocket-Lint: "Immaculately crafted, the iPhone 6 shows that you can create a device that blows everything else out of the water when it comes to design. That might sound like an Apple fanboy cliché, but we've put the iPhone 6 in the hands of ardent Android fans and they agree: the iPhone 6 sets a new standard for smartphone design."
- Matt Hill of T3: "This aluminium execution is as elegant as an iPad Air but on a sleeker, smaller scale. No faux leather, no plastic parts – it’s what a modern phone should look like. And despite all that metal, it weighs just 17g more than the last one. It’s super-light."
- Darrell Etherington of TechCrunch: "Apple has outdone itself with the iPhone 6’s design – despite gaining a significant amount of screen real estate, it doesn’t feel huge compared to its predecessor, and it’s still a very easy device to use one-handed. The new, thinner case means it weighs just over half an ounce more than the iPhone 5s, and the even weight distribution across a broader surface area means it isn’t noticeably heavier than the older phone. It manages to make the 5 and 5s feel downright chunky, in fact, which is incredible. ... The iPhone 6 is the best smartphone available. It offers improvements in almost every way that matters, and it delivers those in a striking new design that balances consumer demand for larger screens with a thin, light and durable case. It’s Apple’s most attractive phone, visually, and the 4.7-inch size is going to be more generally appealing than the iPhone 6 Plus’ larger proportions"
- Darrell Etherington of TechCrunch: "For most tasks, I find the iPhone 6 Plus to be a two-handed device – but I also find that I’m absolutely fine with that. The 6 Plus is closer in usage style to an iPad mini, in my experience, albeit one that’s pocketable and capable of full cellular voice communications. Part of the reason that it works so well as a tablet-style gadget is that Apple has introduced special landscape support for both the homescreen and some its first-party apps, which really add to my ability to be productive using them."
- Matthew Panzarino of Tech Crunch: "The phase detection autofocus is extremely quick, and the continuous autofocus while video recording is active is absolutely fantastic. The leap in quality over even dedicated cameras can’t be overstated. The image quality is off the charts and the (software driven) 'Cinematic Stabilization' is amazing."
- Ed Baig of USA Today: "Are the bigger iPhones worth all this big time attention? The answer is a resounding yes, a point emphasized by consumers who've preordered the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 and 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus in record numbers. These are the phones Apple devotees have been waiting for: iPhones that measure up to what's fast becoming the new normal — the large, modern smartphone display. Count me among those glad they're here."
- Brad Molen of Engadget: "Even with a slightly larger screen, the [iPhone 6] remains comfortable to hold. With fast performance, a great display, an elegant new design and a much-needed software update, it's one of the best smartphones you can buy right now. We wish it had the same long battery life as the iPhone 6 Plus (not to mention its optical image stabilization) but even then, the iPhone 6 is still the better choice for most people."
- Matt Warman of The Telegraph: "Apple’s iPhone is the device that revolutionised the smartphone; the iPhone 6 is not so big an innovation as that. But it’s as close as the company has come to a flawless reinvention. Easy as it is to carp about missing features or worse, it remains the best, most beautiful package on the market."
- Lance Ulanoff of Mashable: "I do miss the edges of the old iPhone design, but Apple’s iPhone 6 is, for my $200, the most elegant and effective smartphone on the market."
- Lance Ulanoff of Mashable: "With its size and weight, the iPhone 6 Plus feels more like a mini tablet than a phone and easily fills one of my pockets."
- Molly Wood of the New York Times: "The best part of the new phones is actually the new software inside, which is available for some older models, too, starting on Wednesday. The software, iOS 8, combines some of the advanced features of Android with Apple’s ease of use and reliability."
- Gareth Beavis of Tech Radar: "When I first picked up the iPhone 6, I thought this was going to be a hard review to write. Had Apple just changed the shape but kept the same inherent problems? Was there really enough new to make it a phone that really helped the company leap forward? The answer is: the iPhone 6 is a brilliant phone. It's the first time I'd even consider using an iPhone as my daily device, thanks to the larger screen, better keyboard and most importantly upgraded battery life."
- Gareth Beavis of Tech Radar: "The iPhone 6 Plus is a handset aimed at a very particular client base. For many it'll be too big, too expensive and quite simply not even a consideration in their smartphone buying journey. For a select audience though the iPhone 6 Plus answers the ever growing demand for a larger screened, high definition iPhone - something we've been waiting for, for years."
- Charles Arthur of The Guardian: "Spending a day or two using the iPhone 6 makes its predecessors feel overweight. The most noticeable thing, besides the thinness, is how smoothly the curved screen rolls over the edges - so swiping from the left edge to the right, or from the right edge to go left (which we do at many navigation points, including in Apple Mail) is a tactile pleasure. On the 5S and the 5C, that gesture finds the chamfered or plastic edge - but at least it isn’t uncomfortable. On the 6 and 6 Plus, it’s lissom."
- Charles Arthur of The Guardian: "Too big. This thing’s too big. Waaay too big. It’s... actually, that screen is pretty nice, isn’t it? Wow, you really can get a lot of content on there, can’t you? Hey, my hand’s getting used to the size. It’s quite comfortable, isn’t it? And that’s how it goes with the iPhone 6 Plus. I expected to find it far too big, and at first my expectations were met. But give it a few minutes, perhaps a couple of days, and you’ll find yourself strangely attracted to its huge-seeming screen."
- David Phelan of The Independent: "Sometimes Apple is accused of doing too little, that a new phone is just a gentle, incremental improvement on a previous one. Not this time. The glam new design, hold-it-to-believe-it thin profile, superlative feel and improved performance of the iPhone 6 make it a no-brainer upgrade even to those with the most recent model. Massively improved battery life, a better camera, bigger and still beautiful screen and faster performance, not to mention the tantalising prospect of Apple Pay and VoLTE to come, all help."
- David Phelan of The Independent: "The iPhone 6 Plus succeeds, though even a whisper bigger would make it just too big. As it is, it’s important you try it in your hand first as it won’t suit all mitts. When you do, you’ll see that the display is even richer than on the smaller handset. This is a Full HD screen, that is one with 1920 x 1080 pixels, which at this size works out at 401 pixels per inch. There are phones with higher-resolution screens, but the subtle colours, the great viewing angles and the laser-sharpness here are outstanding. I’d say this is the best screen I’ve seen on a mobile phone."
