The New iphone 6 and 6 plus

Apple has unveiled two new iPhones, the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 and the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus. Along with larger screens and a completely new iPad-style design with an ultra thin body and rounded corners, the two new phones offer faster processors, better cameras, and Apple's new ApplePay payment system.

Apple's new iPhones are available in Gold, Silver, and Space Gray, and are available in 16, 64, and 128 GB capacities. The iPhone 6 pricing starts at $199, while the iPhone 6 Plus pricing starts at $299.

While both models include the same 64-bit A8 chip and the same general design, there are several differences between the two phones. The iPhone 6 measures in at 6.9mm, while the iPhone 6 Plus is slightly thicker at 7.1mm. Apple's iPhone 6 Plus also has three major differentiating factors: optical image stabilization for the camera, and a longer battery life, and an iPad-style landscape modethat displays more content on the screen.

Though the iPhone 6 Plus has optical image stabilization, both phones got some major camera improvements in form of sensor upgrades, improved tone mapping, better noise reduction, and new "Focus Pixel" technology, which improves the phone's ability to select autofocus points. For videos, there's a new 240fps slo-mo option, along with support for shooting in 1080p at 60fps. The front-facing camera was also upgraded, with an f/2.2 aperture that lets in more light and new burst mode capabilities.

Both phones have an impressive new "Retina HD Display," with the iPhone 6 featuring a resolution of1334 x 750 (326 ppi) and the iPhone 6 Plus featuring a resolution of 1920 x 1080 (401 ppi).

Design wise, the phones more closely resemble the iPad and the iPod touch than the iPhone 5s. Both models have soft, rounded corners and a curved glass screen that melds smoothly into the thin metal body of the device. The volume buttons on the left side of the device are now pill-shaped, and the power button is located on the right side of the device for easier one-handed use.

To further make its devices easier to use one-handed, Apple has added in a new double tap home button gesture called "Reachability," which moves items from the top of the screen to the bottom of the screen for quick access.

Other new features in the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus include WiFi calling support, faster 802.11ac WiFi, and support for Voice over LTE (VoLTE).

For most people, the decision of which wallpaper to choose for your iPhone is just a matter of going through your photo library to find the right picture. For Espen Haagensen, however, the process just became a whole lot easier. Starting September 17th, a photo of the Milky Way he captured while in Norway will become the default wallpaper in iOS 8, software that will be downloaded hundreds of millions of times by users all around the world.
Two days later, on September 19th, countless iPhone 6 and 6 Plus units will begin shipping out to customers, all preloaded with the same shot. I talked to Espen about the photo’s origins and how it feels to be so prominently featured by Apple.

Haagensen’s original photo (left) and Apple’s version (right). [Photo Credit]

According to Haagensen, the image was captured last December during a ski trip with a mountain group in the Norwegian Trekking Association:

Every year we take the train up in the mountains and ski for 5-6 hours to get [to] the Demmevass hut. The hut is very remote and old and is situated close to a glacier. After we get there we prepare traditional Norwegian Christmas food. The next day we ski back to the railroad before we take the train home.
I do quite a lot of starscapes and Milky Way shots but this was the first time I brought a decent wide angle and full size tripod to Demmevass. There was a rather big moon so the Milky Way was faint, but around midnight there were some skies and the moon disappeared and I was able to capture a nice series.

The Demmevass hut Espen speaks of is the small building pictured in the original photo above. Apple removed the structure from the shipping version of the wallpaper, likely to create a more simple image.
Espen originally shared the image on the photography site 500px, where the image garnered a lot of attention. While he never asked Apple how they found the image, he suspects it was thanks to its popularity. Espen describes how Apple approached him about the photo:

I was approached a couple of months ago by Apple, they wanted to license the image for non-broadcast use. Then some time in July they wanted to extend the license to also include broadcast use. I didn’t know before yesterday what they were going to use it for. A colleague called me during the Apple presentation.

Imagine the shock of Apple using your image to promote the brand new iPhone 6. Espen say’s that it’s a bit weird knowing so many people will see the image, but it’s definitely a proud accomplishment.