I’ve been using my iPhone 6 Plus for a month now. I thought it was time to gather my thoughts about my experience with the new, larger phone. Prior to getting the new phone I was carrying an iPhone 5s and an iPad Mini (2nd Generation with Wifi). Prior to the announcements I was considering getting a new iPad Mini with a cellular connection. Adding a cell modem to the iPad would have increased its utility in cases when Wifi is not available without having to resort to personal hotspot. I was also looking for more storage than the 32GB I had. When the iPhone 6 Plus was announce I thought it could replace both my phone and my iPad.
Almost…
The reality is that the new iPhone has both failed to meet my expectations and exceeded them. When the 3rd Generation iPad Mini came out I did not see a need to replace what I had. The main feature of the new iPad is Touch ID. I’ve mostly stopped carrying the iPad on a daily basis. That choice was made easier because the iPhone is so capable.
It’s not a perfect replacement. The main reason for this is that when software developers write their apps they can target a particular platform. They can make an iPhone app or an iPad app or they can create a fat app that runs on both. So even though the iPhone has a much larger screen, you cannot run iPad apps. The original iPad’s screen resolution was 1,024×768. The new iPhone 6 Plus has a screen resolution of 1920×1080.
When I started writing there were many notable apps that were only available on the iPad. This list is shrinking. Today, Microsoft released Word, Excel, and PowerPoint for the iPhone. Last week FlipBoard was released. I’m hoping that Diet Coda and my local newspaper are not far behind.
Even though the apps are coming to the iPhone to take advantage of the extra real estate, it’s not a perfect transition. Developers do not seem to be taking advantage of the horizontal layout. I use my phone in a cradle in my car or setting on my desk with its kickstand. One of my favor apps is called Morning. While this app can be used in either mode on the iPad, it only works in portrait mode on the phone.
In summary the new larger size is making the phone extremely useful as a personal computing device. I’ve been on a couple trips and not missed my iPad or laptop. The nice part is the not having to pack all the extra cables and charges.