Six clicks: Business models disrupted by the iPhone 6, the Apple Watch, and Apple Pay

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  • Introduction

    Introduction

    Yesterday saw Apple unveil the next generation iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus handsets, along with the long-awaited and much-rumored Apple Watch. And over the course of the two-hour unveiling, the Cupertino giant disrupted a whole raft of business models with its new products and services.

    Here are six businesses that Apple has just turned on their heads.

    See also:  Apple's iPhone 6, Apple Watch rollout: Winners and losers

    Photo by: Apple

    Caption by: Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

  • Large-display smartphones

    Large-display smartphones

    The iPhone, with it's 4-inch display, was at the small end of the screen-size spectrum, but now that Apple has bumped the displays up to 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch, it is now playing in an entirely new market, one that previously belonged to Android (and, to a lesser extend, Windows Phone) players such as Samsung and LG.

    The iPhone 6 is kitted out with a 4.7-inch 1334-by-750-pixel resolution display with a pixel density of 326 ppi, while the iPhone 6 Plus has a 5.5-inch 1920-by-1080-pixel resolution display with a pixel density of 401 ppi. Both handsets feature dual-domain pixels for wider viewing angles.

    Now Apple has removed that advantage, I can see there being defectors moving to iOS from the Android camp.

    CNET Reviews: Best phones of 2014

    Photo by: Apple

    Caption by: Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

  • Payments

    Payments

    While on the surface Apple Pay looks and feels like NFC with an Apple logo plastered on it, it's clear that Apple is making a play for a piece of a very large pie.

    And Apple isn't just interested in offering another way for people to pay for things, it wants to do away with decades of legacy related to plastic cards, security codes, and magnetic strips and bring paying for things into the 21st century.

    Apple wants to replace the tedious process of form-filling and remembering credit card numbers with a one-click process, and while this will be welcomed by customers and merchants, it is undoubtedly going to create waves in an industry with some well-established players.

    And this is just the beginning. Think where Apple will take this as it gets more and more clout.

    See also:  Apple unveils Apple Pay, its long-awaited entrance into mobile payments

     

    Photo by: Apple

    Caption by: Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

  • Fitness wearables

    Fitness wearables

    Both the iPhone 6 and the Apple Watch place a huge emphasis on fitness, counting your steps and how many flights of stairs you've done, and encouraging you to move like a friendly drill instructor.

    Apple's products now feature a raft of sensors – from accelerometers to barometers to heart rate monitors – to monitor your movements and cajole you into shifting your carcass more.

    While this is great for people's health, it's not so good for the existing players in the market. Companies such as Jawbone and FitBit are going to have to gaze deep into the ideas well and start innovating, and fast, perhaps moving to paid-for apps that leverage the sensors in the iPhone to compliment a physical wearable.

    Special Feature: Wearables: Fit For Business?

    Photo by: Apple

    Caption by: Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

  • Smartwatches

    Smartwatches

    Without even once uttering the word 'smartwatch,' Apple has dropped an atomic bomb into the existing smartwatch market.

    Rather than focus on making a small, awkward, hard to use companion device for a smartphone, Apple has not only designed an accessory that brings a raft of new features to the table, but come up with innovative solutions to some fundamental problems facing that have plagued smartwatches.

    Take for example the Digital Crown. Here's an idea which takes the concept of a crown found on a wristwatch and gives it a 21st century spin , is a stroke of genius. It's one of those forehead-slapping "why didn't I think of that" ideas that Apple is so good at.

    See also: Wearables in business: Deployment plans, anticipated benefits and adoption roadblocks

    Photo by: Apple

    Caption by: Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

  • The entire wristwatch business

    The entire wristwatch business

    Think it's just the smartwatch market that Apple has disrupted? Think again.

    The Apple Watch will be offered in three lines, and at the top-end will be the Edition line, which will be crafted from 18-karat gold and feature a polished sapphire crystal lens. Throw in the different finishes and straps and these are features that you find on high-end timepieces.

    For the first time, Apple is making a clear play for the fashion market, and this could lead to the company doing a lot more interesting things. After all, if there's one market with a bigger markup than Apple currently enjoys, it's the luxury goods market.

    Special Feature: Wearables: Fit For Business?

    Photo by: Apple

    Caption by: Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

  • Messaging

    Messaging

    While the likes of WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger might be enjoying more column inches than iMessage these days, the Apple Watch could change that.

    While traditional messaging tools allow people to communicate using words and emojis, the Apple Watch will take this several steps on, allowing people to communicate in new and more intimate ways, with sketches, taps, sound bites, and even heartbeats.

    These are methods are personal. Specific. Intimate.

    Think these are gimmicks? People though the same about emojis, and look how popular they are now.

    Photo by: Apple

    Caption by: Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

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Over the course of the two-hour unveiling, the Cupertino giant disrupted a whole raft of business models with its new products and services.

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Introduction

Yesterday saw Apple unveil the next generation iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus handsets, along with the long-awaited and much-rumored Apple Watch. And over the course of the two-hour unveiling, the Cupertino giant disrupted a whole raft of business models with its new products and services.

Here are six businesses that Apple has just turned on their heads.

See also:  Apple's iPhone 6, Apple Watch rollout: Winners and losers

Caption by: Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

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