Tim Cook revealed that Apple sold more iPhones 6s units this weekend than any other iPhone launch in history, but apparently the historic sales just aren’t enough to please Wall Street.
The iPhone 6s is so fast, not only does it destroy the iPhone 6 in speed tests, it tops the iPad Air 2 and every Android device on the market, according to initial benchmark tests.
Apple’s engineers managed to make some huge GPU improvements on the iPhone 6s thanks to new technology that allows the the A9 chip to deliver higher performance and lower power consumption. According to early benchmarks by tech gurus at AnandTech, all the improvements add up to make the iPhone 6s nearly twice as fast as the rest of the industry.
In some benchmarks, the iPhone 6s nearly tops the Surface Pro 3:
If the fear of loss doesn’t persuade you to print the pictures on your smartphone, perhaps your curiosity about cool gadgets will. In this case, consider the Polaroid ZIP photo printer.
It is a tiny ink-free printer slightly bigger than a deck of cards that, with an easy-to-use app, lets you make small prints from your phone or tablet. The photos are the size of a business card, adding charm and fun to the photo sharing experience.
We’ve heard very little about the official Apple Music app for Android since the service was announced back in June, but now a third-party company claims to be running a new beta program on Apple’s behalf.
Betabound is giving Android users the opportunity to register their interest in Apple Music for a chance to get early access — but we’re not totally sure it can be trusted.
The Apple advertising campaign “Shot on iPhone 6” can now be a line on the closing credits of a Swiss news station, which now does 100 percent of its broadcasts on the iPhone.
During the summer, Léman Bleu gave each of its reporters an iPhone 6 kit to shoot their stories and use for live shots. That means a reporter with a mic in one hand can use the free hand to grip a selfie stick for live standup shots.
Apple is presenting gay propaganda with its same-sex emoticons — and Russia isn’t Putin up with it any more!
According to a new report, the Russian police are stepping up their investigation of Apple for “promoting homosexuality” with its range of LGBT-friendly emojis.
And the punishment could be a whopping 800,000 to 1 million rubles — which is roughly what Apple makes in 2.5 seconds, if our calculations are correct.
Every Apple fan is likely familiar with Steve Jobs’ pilgrimage to India, during which he formulated some of the ideas that would serve him so well in the future.
But did you know that, years later, Jobs would suggest that fellow entrepreneurs follow in his path by visiting the same mountain Kainchi Dham Ashram temple that he once had?
According to a new story told by Mark Zuckerberg, that’s exactly the advice that Jobs once laid out for the then-green Facebook CEO. And Zuckerberg was pleased to take him up on his advice.
The iPhone 6s and 6s Plus have sold a record 13 million handsets in their first three days on the market, according to Apple.
“Sales for iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus have been phenomenal, blowing past any previous first weekend sales results in Apple’s history,” said Tim Cook.
Apple may be one step closer to bringing Apple Pay and a permanent manufacturing base in India, following a meeting between India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Tim Cook.
“Cook responded positively,” India’s Ministry of External Affairs spokesman Vikas Swarup said after the meeting. “I think India does fits into his long term plans.”
Apple hasn’t advertised the iPhone 6s as being waterproof, but it seems that the new handset (unofficially) isn’t totally adverse to taking a dip.
In a new video test, YouTuber Zach Straley submerged both the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus in a bowl of water and let them sit there for an hour, powered up.
While the test certainly isn’t comprehensive — and we recommend all Cult of Mac readers leave their new handsets on dry land — it certainly bodes well if you happen to accidentally drop your iPhone 6s in the bath or down the toilet sometime in the next year.
Tim Cook and Steve Jobs screenwriter Aaron Sorkin had a war of words last week.
First off, Cook made some disparaging comments about the upcoming movie biopic on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert — prompting Sorkin to lash back by criticizing Apple for employing a “factory full of children in China” who are paid “17 cents an hour” for building iPhones. Ouch!
It seems that PR types have worked their dark magic calmer heads have prevailed, however, because in a new interview, Sorkin says that him and Cook “probably both went a little too far” with their comments.
Pope Francis landed on U.S. soil for the first time last week on Tuesday, September 22. He has talked to victims of sexual abuse, spoke out about his views on immigration and gave several moving speeches across the country. However, the pope was also able to impact American culture in a way that is completely unintentional: he put the mobile phone revolution on giant display.
The last time a pope visited the United States was back in April 2008 when Pope Benedict XVI was still at the reigns of Catholicism. A lot has happened in seven years. Modern smartphones were only starting to become prevalent back then. Apple had just released the first iPhone less than a year ago and Android was still in development.
The change in our culture needs no explanation because photos of crowds swarming Pope Francis through his journey across America manage to say it all. Crowds glow with endless displays.
This week on Cult of Mac’s podcast: The embargoes have lifted and the iPhone 6s reviews are in. We’ll tell you what folks love — and don’t –about Apple’s newest iPhone. Plus: Apple car coming in 2019; why we love the new watchOS 2 update; and, with our three-month Apple Music trials running out, we ponder — is the service worth paying for?
Our thanks to Lynda for supporting this episode. Lynda is like the Apple Music of online education, with more than 3,000 expert-taught video courses you can stream straight to computer or mobile device. Learn how to use Logic’s new super-powerful Alchemy synth, or develop Mac apps for OS X — learn all you want for free for 10 days at lynda.com/cultcast.
It takes years to understand the appeal of the unboxing video. On the face of it, they’re very silly. And yet unboxing is one of digital video’s most popular and enduring genres.
Who wants to see someone else opening the box of a brand new gadget? Wouldn’t you want to do it yourself?
And therein lies their appeal — the vicarious pleasure of seeing a stranger enjoy a gadget you covet.
With that, here’s our contribution to the genre: Cult of Mac’s first unboxing video. Watch in enraptured fascination as we take the iPhone 6s Plus from its box.
We’re excited! This week marks the launch of our brand-new Cult of Mac Magazine app, version 2.0!
We’ve redesigned it to make it even easier to get all of the best Cult of Mac content in a version that’s optimized for touchscreen displays. Just zoom in with your finger and thumb to pull up a story. When you get to the end, it will automatically bring up the next one.
We’ve created a special issue for you this week, as well, as we bring you our iPhone 6s Super Guide, chock-full of handy info on setting up that brand new shiny iPhone 6s or 6s Plus, along with a ton of great tips on using Apple’s latest iOS 9 like a crazy bossman.
Download the brand new Cult of Mac Magazine app from iTunes right now, and you’ll get all this, and more, absolutely free.
Here’s the rundown of our top stories this week:
Aaron Sorkin, the screenwriter for the upcoming Steve Jobs movie, didn’t hold back his feelings about Tim Cook’s recent comments. Sorkin said that Cook has “a lot of nerve” calling his film “opportunistic,” which seems to imply that the filmmakers are capitalizing on Steve Jobs’ death. Sorkin threw additional shots too.
Even though the iPhone 6s look identical to its predecessor, using the new smartphone is actually way different thanks to 3D Touch and the new Peek and Pop gestures that essentially provide wormholes to other apps. Getting up to speed with the new input method can take some time, so we’ve compiled a list of all the sweet little features you probably didn’t know about.
Here are 11 killer iPhone 6s tips to help you master your new device:
If you’re trying your best to resist an iPhone 6s or iPhone 6s Plus, do not walk into an Apple Store and try 3D Touch. Once you’ve had a taste of it, your smartphone simply won’t feel complete without it.
Here are four ways in which 3D Touch makes life a lot sweeter.
Hipstamatic, the go-to photo app for discerning iPhone photographers, rolled out an expansive update today that lets hipness venture outside the square.
In conjunction with the availability of the new iPhone 6s and its 12-megapixel camera, Hipstamatic 300 is free for a limited time and features a ProMode for greater control, a darkroom suite with a range of editing tools, multiple formats rather than just a square frame and syncing to your iOS Photo Library.
“Stronger glass on a molecular level,” blah, blah, blah. Drop your Apple iPhone 6s and the screen can still crack.
David Rahimi, host of the PhoneBuff channel on YouTube, flew to Australia to get his hands on an iPhone 6s and 6s Plus before the rest of the world to put both phones through a drop test. Like the take away from any drop demonstration, the video showed the importance of purchasing a durable, protective case.
Apple’s retail guru Angela Ahrendts paid a surprise visit to Apple’s flagship retail store in Covent Garden today.
Ahrendts — who joined Apple last year and is currently the most highly-paid woman in the U.S. — praised the “positive energy” in Apple Stores, but noted that launch days amplify that feeling “about 100-fold.”
It’s hard to disagree.
Merry iPhone 6s-mas!
Today’s the day Apple’s latest smartphones go on sale in 12 markets around the world, and thanks to some threats I made to the local UPS man last week, my shiny new handset arrived before I’d even had chance to make myself a coffee this morning.
After putting it through its paces for a few hours, here are my first impressions on all that’s new. It’s super-fast, Live Photos are tons of fun, and 3D Touch is a must-have.
The iPhone 6s has Apple’s best iPhone camera to date, but just how good is the company’s 12-megapixel marvel?
To give you an idea, Apple recently handed an advance iPhone 6s Plus to documentary and VR makers RYOT. They used it shoot a short documentary about a painter in Haiti, who uses colors to transform his poor neighborhood.
It’s a great demo of the iPhone 6s Plus in action — and a fantastic short film, to boot.
Check it out below.
Foster + Partners is currently making a name for itself by designing Apple’s new spaceship campus and flagship stores, but once it’s done taking over Earth, the London-based architecture firm wants to help NASA create human colonies on Mars.
Norman Foster’s firm revealed its plans for a 93-square meter habitat that would be 3D printed from the loose soil and rocks on the the martian surface. The firm’s designs were shortlisted as a finalist for the 3D Printed Habitat Challenge hosted by NASA and America Makes.
This is the same architecture firm that designed Apple’s spaceship in Cupertino as well as most of the flagship Apple Store. While the structures presented in the Mars plan are vastly different from what Apple uses, it shows the kind of crazy ideas that go into modern architecture, some of which can be implemented in one way or another here on Earth.
Here’s how the firm says it would put 4 astronauts on the red planet:
Although we’re not sure if it did much to damage sales, last year’s iPhone launch was marred slightly by the so-called Bendgate problem — most famously shown off by the man who bent an iPhone 6 Plus with his bare hands.
Given the notoriety that video enjoyed, it’s no surprise that this year’s customers would be willing to put their new iPhone 6s handsets through the wringer to answer the immortal question: Will it bend?
While his testing method isn’t exactly scientific, Australian YouTuber Christian from FoneFox took up the challenge with his brand new iPhone 6s — and the results look very promising indeed.
Check it out below: