The iPhone 6 may be on the verge of officially going on sale in China, according to a top government regulator speaking on Tuesday.
As one of Apple’s most promising markets (which may one day even overtake the U.S. in terms of sales), the disappointing lack of iPhone 6 in China was the result of Apple incurring challenges receiving regulatory approval from China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT).
The iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus are the biggest iPhones yet. But that comes with a drawback: Since they have bigger batteries than any iPhone ever, they also take longer to charge.
But here’s a killer trick. You can use a 12-watt iPad charger to juice up the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus in half the time when compared to the 5-watt iPhone charger your device ships with by default.
My first impression? My goodness, this is the small one?
The iPhone 6 is a big step up. It makes older iPhones look small. Ridiculously small. Even after a few days, my old iPhone 5s feels positively Lilliputian. The 6 dwarfs the 5s, which felt big and expansive at the time. Now it looks like a little dolls’ phone.
I’ve been really digging the 6. It’s a big bright slab of glass and metal. It feels impossibly thin, almost like an oversize credit card in your hand. But it’s solid and stiff — it’s not going to snap in my back pocket if I sit on it.
The 6 is not a gob-smacker like the 6 Plus, which stops people in the street. But it’s more manageable, especially with one hand.
I’m a big fan. I like it a lot, except for one design flaw that’s been driving me crazy.
Given how constrained supplies of the iPhone 6 Plus have been, it should come as no surprise that Apple’s biggest smartphone isn’t being used the most right now.
While Apple won’t say how many of each model it’s sold, mobile analytics data shows that iPhone 6 sales are outpacing 6 Plus sales more than seven to one.
The display rating experts at DisplayMate got intimately acquainted with Apple’s bigger than big display over the weekend, and after thorough testing, the LCD experts pronounced Apple’s 5.5-inch display the best performing LCD display they’ve ever tested on a smartphone.
The iPhone 6 did pretty well too in their iPhone 6 Display Technology Shootout report released this morning.
Here’s the rave review they gave the iPhone 6 Plus display:
The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus are the thinnest iPhones Apple’s ever made, but all that design perfection is slightly tainted by the protruding camera that makes it annoying to use the smartphone on a flat surface.
Slapping on a case fixes the problem, but for those wanting to revel in the beauty of a nude iPhone 6, the PeripateticPandas have come up with an ingenious – though somewhat impractical – solution: Introduce your shiny new 6 to a grinding machine.
Checkout the horrific how-to video below:
After an “unprecedented” order for manufacturers, record-breaking preorders, and a monster first day on sale, how did the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus do over its first weekend?
Incredibly well, says proud parent Apple, which put out a press release this morning noting that more than 10 million new iPhone 6 family devices were snapped up by customers at the weekend — signalling a new record for Apple.
“Sales for iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus exceeded our expectations for the launch weekend, and we couldn’t be happier,” Tim Cook is quoted as saying. “We would like to thank all of our customers for making this our best launch ever, shattering all previous sell-through records by a large margin.”
After claiming no one would buy big phones during his iPhone 4 reveal in 2010, Steve Jobs made it pretty clear Apple had no interest in making a substantially larger smartphone anytime soon. But fast-forward to 2014, and the company Jobs founded in his parents’ garage has been forced to do just that.
Having watched customers flock to Android in pursuit of bigger screens, Apple could no longer ignore our demands. It had to build new iPhones that would win back users it lost, and prevent any more from wandering.
And boy has Apple done that in style.
In many places around the world, around the first 50 people in line waiting for the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus last week appeared to be resellers — looking to make a quick (and relatively easy) buck selling Apple’s next generation iPhone on the gray/black market.
While we definitely noticed the phenomenon, YouTube filmmaker Casey Neistat took his camera out on the streets of New York to interview and film the crowds gathered waiting for the new handsets at various Apple Stores around the city.
“Gone are the spirit and excitement from years past,” Neistat observes. “These lines are now about something else entirely.”
I’ll be the first to admit I don’t really like it when people buy new iPhones just to destroy them on camera. It’s extraordinarily wasteful, not just of money but of the craftsmanship Apple puts into every device.
That said, even I have to admit this iPhone 6 torture test is awesome. Dude took an iPhone 6, froze it with liquid nitrogen, and then disintegrated it with a sledgehammer, like some cryogenic Thor.
One of the cons of owning an iPhone on Verizon has been the inability to make a call and use data at the same time. The old restriction is finally going away with the introduction of Voice over LTE (VoLTE) in the Verizon iPhone 6 and 6 Plus.
With every new iPhone purchase, it’s important to weigh the cost of repairs against the value of Apple’s extended warranty. This year, Apple has raised repair costs for the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus.
Here’s the complete cost breakdown for out-of-warranty repairs:
You don’t need a new iPhone to enjoy the awesome power of iOS 8. Loaded with new features and built-in apps, Apple’s latest mobile OS is its most powerful yet.
As intuitive as it is, there are plenty of tips and tricks that will help you truly get the most out of iOS 8 — even starting before you pull the trigger on the free upgrade. Just in case you don’t feel like reading all 182 pages of Apple’s official iOS 8 user guide, here’s a roundup of Cult of Mac’s most helpful iOS 8 tips and tricks. (We will update this post as we dive deeper into iOS 8 in coming weeks.)
The reviews are in! We’ll tell you what people love and don’t about the iPhone 6… Then, RIP, iPod Classic. We remember the humble beginnings of the device that built the new Apple. And finally, Apple announced a base price of $349 for the Apple Watch, sure, but the prices for the other editions might make even Rolex envious. All that plus the lesser known features of iOS 8; how to get U2 out of your iTunes; and a new social video app has us taking more selfies than ever.
Titter your way through each week’s best Apple stories! Stream or download new and past episodes of The CultCast now on your Mac or iDevice by subscribing on iTunes, or hit play below and let the chuckles begin.
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It’s like the whole world has iPhone fever today, with folks everywhere standing in one line or another just to get their mitts on a shiny new iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus.
Were you not able to get hold of one? Are you waiting for your shiny new pre-ordered iPhone 6 to arrive at your door? Why not find out what to expect when you get that pristine iPhone 6 Plus box in your hands with our sexy unboxing videos.
We’ve got not just one, but two new videos to get you a peek at the hot new units – click above to see the iPhone 6 Plus with its gloriously large 5.5-inch screen, or below to see the still bigger than big iPhone 6 come out of its box.
The iPhone 6 has been out for less than a day and already would-be hackers are suggesting that its Touch ID fingerprint sensor can be tricked — thanks to a lifted fingerprint and some latex.
The video, posted to YouTube by Security Research Labs, comes with a description noting that, “Although it was shown immediately that the previous iPhone model’s Touch ID could not stand up to rudimentary attacks, the same technology has been included again in the iPhone 6 without any improvement whatsoever.”
SAN FRANCISCO — Since Apple won’t be selling the iPhone 6 in China for some time, early buyers of the smartphone have an opportunity to make a quick profit by reselling the hot handset on the gray market.
The first 50 people in line at Apple’s San Francisco store this morning appeared to be iPhone resellers — a pattern that seems to be have been repeated worldwide on the first day of iPhone 6 sales.
Thousands of people around the world lined up at their local Apple stores this morning for new iPhones, but only a select few got a meet-and-greet with the company’s CEO.
Tim Cook was at the Apple Store in Palo Alto, California, at 8 a.m. to welcome those waiting in line for the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. Naturally, the Apple fans couldn’t resist shooting some selfies. See some of the best pictures and videos from Cook’s surprise appearance below.
Apple’s new iPhones are finally here, and judging by stock levels in Apple retail stores and reports on Twitter, it’s the iPhone 6 Plus that people are most excited for. Mine arrived about four hours ago, and I’ve hardly put it down since I snatched it out of the hands of the UPS delivery guy.
Having played with many of its features and stared at it lovingly for far too long, I decided to bring you my first impressions of Apple’s first “phablet.” So while you’re sitting beside your door waiting for yours to arrive, or standing outside an Apple Store somewhere with achy legs, you can enjoy a glimpse of what you have to look forward to.
With both iOS 8 and the iPhone 6 family of devices finally out, developer Brian Mueller has released an upgrade for his excellent CARROT Fit app, adding “a shiny new update to go with your shiny new operating system.”
For those who don’t know, CARROT Fit is an hilarious take on the fitness app: a little bit like 2001: A Space Odyssey‘s H.A.L. meets Full Metal Jacket‘s memorable drill sergeant Gunnery Sergeant Hartman. Welcoming you with a message of “Greetings, tubby human,” CARROT Fit is a snappily sadistic AI that will threaten, inspire, ridicule and bribe you into getting in shape over the course of a 7-minute workout.
It’s a surprising amount of fun, and today’s update adds news punishment in the form of ads and “random squirrel attacks.” There’s also iPhone 6 optimization, iPad support, and Dropbox data sync thanks to Apple’s new privacy requirements.
So you’ve gotten your lucky hands on a new iPhone 6 or 6 Plus. Now it’s time to set it up the right way. Apple has done a pretty good job of making the setup process straightforward in recent years, but there are still some things you should know about.
Here are 10 of the best tips for setting up your new iPhone on iOS 8:
Did you buy a shiny new iPhone 6 from AT&T Wireless? You might want to check your next monthly bill for an increased charge.
Some AT&T customers upgrading to the iPhone 6 received a surprising text alert this morning saying the carrier has hiked the monthly “smartphone access charge” to $40 for anyone renewing a two-year Mobile Share Value plan agreement. Naturally, the carrier waited until it was swamped with an unprecedented amount of iPhone 6 pre-orders before telling customers they’d be paying an extra $600 over two years — nearly enough to buy an unlocked iPhone 6 outright.
UPDATED: We got some comments from Dave Rahimi in Sydney. Blogger Dave Rahimi figured out a clever way to be the first person in the world to buy an iPhone 6.
Rahimi and his girlfriend, Jasmine Juan, flew thousands of miles from California to Sydney, Australia, to purchase the first two iPhone 6s to go on sale worldwide.
The couple just emerged from the Apple Store in Sydney, which was mobbed by a monster crowd of about 2,500 people. Some had camped outside the store for more than a week.
But Rahimi and Juan avoided the crowds and more or less walked right into the store.
Here’s how they did it.
Sure, folks have been lining up for several days now, causing equal parts consternation and praise, but with pre-orders selling out in hours – leading to record breaking pre-sales – it’s no wonder that the lines at Apple retail stores around the globe are beginning to super size themselves as well.
Reports of scarce supplies of the iPhone 6 Plus are only adding to the madness and we’re only going to see even crazier lines the countdown nears zero. It can only get more wild from here.
One Apple fan in Arizona told Cult of Mac he wants an iPhone 6 Plus so bad he actually paid a teen for their top spot in line at a local Apple Store. She charged him $80. Half up front as a down payment to hold the spot until 4AM, when he’ll come back and maybe get to buy a gold iPhone 6 Plus.
“Doing an after work drive-by to make sure.” he told us. “They seemed cool, and I grilled them. So, hopefully we are good.”
Other fans aren’t as nearly hopeful, but the lines are just getting crazy around the world. Take a look:
The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus camera sensor didn’t get an increase in megapixels, but it’s still way better than the iPhone 5s.
Need proof? Travel photographer Austin Mann took his iPhone 6 and 6 Plus review units to Iceland, and not only were the landscapes absolutely breathtaking, but his pictures prove that the iPhone 6 has the best camera Apple’s ever made.