The embargo on press reviews of the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus has just been lifted, paving the way for a flurry of reviews in which 3D Touch and Live Photos have received particularly strong acclaim.
The new pressure-sensitive interface has often been portrayed as the handsets’ marquee feature – and BuzzFeed‘s John Paczkowski concurs. He describes 3D Touch as “surprisingly useful … I’m already using it constantly”. The Verge‘s Walt Mossberg calls it “one of those potentially huge user behaviors … that seem odd or minor at first, but which Apple historically is able to make deeply important and useful.”
Mossberg suggests that Apple could be on the verge – no pun intended – of yet another revolution with 3D Touch, observing that “the company manages to do new things better, apply them broadly, and make them seem natural, because it has control over both the software and hardware platforms on which its products rest. No other big player does.”
The Wall Street Journal‘s Joanna Stern instead names Live Photos the “absolute best thing about the 6s”, considering them “awesome for reliving fun moments, especially of an active puppy or child”. Brian Chen of The New York Times has posed: “You might wonder, why not just shoot a video? The short answer is that there will be tiny moments in life where you would never have guessed you wanted to shoot a video, and now Live Photos has a chance to capture them.”
It remains to be seen how the general public will take to these two major features, but the positive critical reaction bodes well for when the new iPhones finally get their retail launch this Friday. You can currently pick up the latest issue of AppleMagazine for our in-depth look at the phones’ new features.