So the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus were announced yesterday. I followed along with the live stream (when it was working) and the live blog on Engadget. MacStories.net has a great summary of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. After reading the review, I have to say I do like the touches of the original iPhone in the iPhone 6 - rounded edges with the flat slab design. When I take a look at new gadgets, like a new smartphone, I know I’m not the typical consumer. I want to push the boundaries of what my device can do for me. I setup automation scripts and workflows on my iPhone that make most of my friends think I’m crazy. So when I read through the details of the new devices, you’d think Apple had made the new iPhone just for gadget geeks like us.

Guess what? Apple didn’t make the iPhone 6 for us…

The iPhone 6 is the culmination of Apple finally putting all their chess pieces in the right place and at the right time. Apple is finally able to pull together all the aspects they want to utilize to control enhance your digital life:

• How you pay for things (Apple Pay) [1]
• How you purchase your media (iTunes)
• How you consume media (iPhone)
• How you view your information (iCloud Drive)

The new iPhone 6 Plus, which I believe will be the bigger hit with the general public, hits all these of those points. Apple in the past has scoffed at the idea of needing a larger device, but the purchase history over the last few years says differently. Other device makers like Samsung, HTC, and LG are all pushing for larger and larger smartphones.

My best example is also a personal one. I have two friends who recently switched from an iPhone to another device. One of them switched to a Samsung (Galaxy S5) the other to HTC (HTC One). I asked them why they made the switch. Both of them said they wanted a bigger device to watch videos and look at pictures (how you consume media). But they’ve both been upset about how to get new content on their device (how you purchase your media) and working with other family and friends still on an iPhone (how you view your information). So while the other smartphone makers have had problems getting their own version of the iTunes Store put together or a seamless way for you to share your digital life, they all had the one thing Apple didn’t have - the screen real estate that consumers preferred. Apple wrapped up that problem with the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.

Congratulations Apple, you’ve won the latest battle in the smartphone digital experience wars.