Reprinted from TidBITS by permission; reuse governed by Creative Commons license BY-NC-ND 3.0. TidBITS has offered years of thoughtful commentary on Apple and Internet topics. For free email subscriptions and access to the entire TidBITS archive, visit http://www.tidbits.com/ iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus Get Touchy Feely Jeff Carlson Even if you didn't hear the rumors about today's Apple event in San Francisco, you could have easily guessed that Apple would roll out new iPhone models. Following a pattern that goes back to the early editions, Apple introduced the [1]iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, devices that share the same form as last year's 6 and 6 Plus models but with significantly upgraded components. New to the line, however, are a few hardware and software additions, plus a new upgrade deal, that make the new iPhones especially interesting. Pre-orders for the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus begin 12 September 2015, and the phones will start shipping 25 September 2015. Here's what's new: 3D Touch -- When Apple introduced Force Touch for Apple Watch, we knew it would make its way to the iPhone. But just because the device recognizes when you're pressing harder doesn't make it a compelling feature. What's interesting are the resulting actions, which Apple is calling [2]3D Touch on the new iPhones. On the watch, Force Touch brings up additional options that aren't visible in the interface, such as switching watch faces or clearing all notifications. 3D Touch on the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus goes a step further by providing two new gestures: Peek and Pop. As the name suggests, a Peek is a quick look at an item without fully opening it. For example, pressing the Subject line of an email message in Mail will reveal the contents of the message without opening it (and then requiring you to return to the Inbox). Or, if you see an interesting photo in your Instagram timeline, pressing it will display a preview. [3][tn_3D-Touch-Instagram.jpg] A Pop involves pressing a little harder to go ahead and load the message or page ' again, without exiting the Peek or taking your finger off the screen to switch apps. Items in the background get blurry to enforce the idea that you're viewing something above everything else in the interface. 3D Touch also enables Quick Actions, which I think will be far more useful. For example, from the home screen, press the Phone app icon to call a favorite contact immediately; press the Camera app icon to quickly take a selfie, record a video, record a Slo-Mo movie, or snap a photo; or press the Maps app to quickly get directions home, mark your current location, send your current location, or search for nearby places or businesses. [4][tn_iPhone-6s-Quick-Actions.jpg] 3D Touch actions are often supplemented by swipes to do more. If that email you peeked at turned out to be nothing important, swipe right to mark it as read. [5][tn_3D-Touch-swipe.jpg] The technology to make 3D Touch work is interesting stuff, as described on the [6]iPhone's Technology page and shown in Apple's [7]video about the feature. IFRAME: [8]http://www.youtube.com/embed/cSTEB8cdQwo Bloomberg Business also published a [9]behind-the-scenes look at how 3D Touch came about. Camera Tricks -- Also following a familiar playbook, Apple is using the iPhone 's' line to punch up the photo capabilities of what has become one of the world's most popular cameras. The iSight camera on the back of the phone now captures 12 megapixels (MP) of information per image, up from 8 MP in the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. Megapixels can be useless if the increase in sensitivity doesn't actually improve photo quality ' having more low-quality image sensor points just makes a larger low-quality image ' so Apple Vice President of Marketing Phil Schiller made a point to describe how the new sensor is better. In addition to including 50 percent more pixels (and therefore 50 percent more focus pixels; see '[10]Apple Announces iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus with Larger Screens,' 9 September 2014, when Apple introduced the technology to learn more about it), the filters that clarify color have been moved from above the sensor array onto the top. Apple also uses deep trench isolation, a technique that separates the photo diodes and limits the amount of light that bleeds between adjacent photo sensors. [11][tn_Deep-trench-isolation.jpg] The front-facing FaceTime camera now captures 5 MP of image data, and using the camera for selfies is improved by what Apple is calling Retina Flash: the entire screen lights up to illuminate you (it sounds simple, but Apple actually developed a special chip just to control this function), and the feature uses Apple's True Tone flash technology (found on the back-facing flash) to determine the best color temperature. Those are all interesting improvements, but a feature that is truly new to the iPhone is Live Photos. When you take a photo, the iPhone actually records 1.5 seconds of stills before and after the point that you trigger the shutter. Put together as a Live Photo, the effect is like watching a mini video of that moment (sort of like the magic photos in the Harry Potter series). Live Photos is enabled by default, and a yellow 'Live' indicator appears when you're capturing a shot. Press the photo while reviewing it to view the live version. (Check out [12]Apple's demos ' you have to see it to believe it.) Video is dramatically updated in the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, with the capability to record clips in 4K resolution ' that's 3840-by-2160 pixels, compared to the previous 1080p HD video captured by the iPhone 6 at 1920-by-1080 pixels. Apple offers a sample download of 4K footage at the bottom of its [13]iPhone 6s Cameras page so you can see it for yourself. iMovie supports playing and editing that 4K video. Internal Affairs -- The new iPhones feature improved internal components, which are great to spout during a product introduction but aren't as important on their own to consumers considering the devices. For most people, it's just better and faster. But the changes are important to note. The iPhones are powered by a new 64-bit A9 processor, which is supplemented by an M9 motion coprocessor, now embedded into the A9 instead of operating as a separate chip. According to Apple, the CPU is 70 percent faster than the A8 chip and the GPU is 90 percent faster. Apple says the iPhone 6s is up to twice as fast when connected via Wi-Fi. The Touch ID sensor is now twice as responsive as the ones found on the previous iPhone 6 and iPhone 5s models. Also improved is the cellular networking, which Apple calls LTE Advanced, offering up to twice the speed over 23 bands for better worldwide roaming. All of that exists in the same shell as the iPhone 6, although with the additional option to order a rose gold-tinted aluminum case. Although none of the TidBITS staff were on hand for the event, I suspect the case is still as slick as last year's model ' as in, it's hard to hold onto. I'm enamored with the design, but it's the first iPhone that I keep in a case because it's not grippy enough on its own. Oh, and taking a cue from the Apple Watch, Siri on the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus can be evoked at any time by saying, 'Hey Siri,' instead of having to be plugged into power. iPhone Upgrade Program -- Prices for the iPhone 6s models are a little more complicated this year due to the way cellular providers have recently adjusted their business models. So let's start with configurations and full prices. Amazingly, both phones start in 16 GB capacities (see '[14]Why Apple Kept the 16 GB iPhone in Favor of 32 GB,' 24 September 2014), with a 64 GB middle ground and 128 GB high-end option. The prices to own the models outright, with no contract, are as follows: * iPhone 6s 16 GB: $649 * iPhone 6s 64 GB: $749 * iPhone 6s 128 GB: $849 * iPhone 6s Plus 16 GB: $749 * iPhone 6s Plus 64 GB: $849 * iPhone 6s Plus 128 GB: $949 Providers offer their own programs, such as AT&T's Next, or they subsidize payments with a low up-front cost and 2-year contract. Apple, however, is introducing the [15]iPhone Upgrade Program, available directly from Apple only, that lets you upgrade to a new iPhone every 12 months, including AppleCare+ coverage, starting at around $32 (iPhone 6s) or $37 (iPhone 6s Plus) per month. The phones are unlocked and can be set up with any carrier in-store. Going into today's event, the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus were the only sure bets. As Apple's top source of income, the iPhone is certainly the company's most important product. And although the updates are in line with what we would expect ' faster, better, some differentiation with the addition of the rose gold aluminum case ' Apple knows it can't sit still or just offer speedbumps. 3D Touch, dramatically improved cameras, and software features like Live Photos that take advantage of the hardware, not to mention the iPhone Upgrade Program, all make an argument for moving to these new devices. That's not an option for everyone, but it's no doubt compelling to millions of people who want to stay on top of Apple's latest technologies. References 1. http://www.apple.com/iphone-6s/ 2. http://www.apple.com/iphone-6s/3d-touch/ 3. http://tidbits.com/resources/2015-09/3D-Touch-Instagram.jpg 4. http://tidbits.com/resources/2015-09/iPhone-6s-Quick-Actions.jpg 5. http://tidbits.com/resources/2015-09/3D-Touch-swipe.jpg 6. http://www.apple.com/iphone-6s/technology/ 7. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSTEB8cdQwo 8. http://www.youtube.com/embed/cSTEB8cdQwo 9. http://www.bloomberg.com/features/2015-how-apple-built-3d-touch-iphone-6s/ 10. http://tidbits.com/article/15058 11. http://tidbits.com/resources/2015-09/Deep-trench-isolation.png 12. http://www.apple.com/iphone-6s/cameras/ 13. http://www.apple.com/iphone-6s/cameras/ 14. http://tidbits.com/article/15095 15. http://www.apple.com/shop/iphone/iphone-upgrade-program .