Apple Watch

As expected, Apple today announced two new iPhone 6 models and its first wearable device named the "Apple Watch". The iPhone 6 features a 4.7-inch 1,334 x 750 Retina Display HD, and the iPhone 6 Plus boasts a 5.5-inch Retina Display HD. Both devices are powered by Apple's new A8 chip, which is 25 percent faster than the A7 chip found in the iPhone 5s. The A8 is also 50 percent more energy efficient offering up to an estimated 14 hours of talk time, 11 hours of video and 10 days of standby.

The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus are equipped with an 8MP rear-facing camera, f/2.2 aperture and a new imaging chip with improved features such as better noise reduction and so on. Both models also support 1080p video at up to 60 frames per second, and slow-motion video is now capable of 240 frames per second. The iPhone 6 Plus also includes optical image stabilization. Other features include 802.11ac WiFi, 150Mbps LTE data, WiFi calling, one-handed mode, NFC and Apple Pay.

It has never been a question of if, but rather when Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) would embrace mobile payments and develop its own digital wallet. Since the iPhone 6 was first announced, many industry analysts have speculated that the new handset would incorporate an NFC chip to facilitate mobile payments; now the Wall Street Journal agrees, not only for the iPhone, but for the iWatch as well.

In Thursday's report, WSJ writers Greg Bensinger, Lorraine Luk and Daisuke Wakabayashi wrote that both as yet unannounced devices would incorporate near field communications (NFC) technology. According to sources close to Apple, "NFC wireless is central to Apple's plans to incorporate so-called tap-to-pay into its mobile devices, allowing users to pay for goods and services using credit cards stored with iTunes."