Article by: The Orlando Sentinel
Orlando app designers gave mixed reaction to the Apple Watch announcement Tuesday, but they are thrilled with the iPhone 6.
Central Florida has more than it’s fair share of tech professionals who design for Apple’s iOS system. They are sifting through Apple’s announcement Tuesday about features of the new devices.
Carlos Carbonell, founder and CEO of Echo Interactive, said his firm is already designing a new app for SunRail schedules on Apple Watch.
Chris Borden, co-founder of Orlando-based Outhouse Games and Will Manuel, president of Core Media Concepts also said they are excited about designing for the new iPhone. All three men expressed concern about the lack of detail regarding battery life in the new iPhone.
Ben Noel, director of UCF’s FIEA program for game designers, said Apple’s new screen and Apple Pay system is good, but he was not impressed with the Apple Watch.
“The watch will probably remain a niche product. Watches have historically been about design or fashion, more a piece of jewelry. Others make better jewelry than Apple or Samsung.”
Carbonell said the watch and new phone provide new opportunities for customers.
“For instance, with Sunrail we can send a push notification to your watch 10 minutes before your train arrives,” Carbonell said. “You would get the notification without ever having to take out your phone.”
According to an Apple news release, the iPhone 6 will be available on Sept. 19 in the U.S. for $199 for the 16GB model with a two-year contract, and Apple Watch will be available in early 2015 starting at $349.
Apple also unveiled new details about updating its operating system to iOS 8 and expanding its online Apple Pay service. Here’s more local reaction:
–Carbonell: “The Apple Watch is interesting because its reminiscent of when the iPad was launched. It may not be as popular right out the gate – namely because of cost – but we think it’ll grow as third party developers, like ourselves, start using it. Using Apple Pay… means you won’t even need to reach into your pocket or purse in order to make a payment. Regarding Apple Pay, Apple already has an incredible number of credit cards on file, so they’re able to very quickly gain market domination in the mobile payment space.”
— Borden: “Outhouse Games was very excited to watch the live stream about the updates. Having more processing power and a higher resolution screen is always exciting especially for game developers. It allows us to create more engaging experiences through better graphics and more interactive play… We will be able to create more immersive environments, characters, and stories… and who doesn’t love a shiny new device?”
–Manuel: “Since we develop highly on iOS, we see the (larger) screen size being the biggest opportunity for major refinements within mobile applications. Users of the iPhone have longed for larger screens and we know many that have switched to other devices, such as the Android S series phones, due to this constraint… We just hope that the battery is also beefed up to keep up with illuminating a larger screen and faster processor.”
