Of all the carriers you could possibly get your iPhone 6 through, AT&T is one of the worst. But starting on Sunday, signing a new two-year contract with AT&T is going to get a little more attractive, especially if you use a lot of data: for a limited time, Ma Bell is offering double the data for Mobile Share Value Plans.
Apple is still supporting the iPhone 4s when it comes to new software, despite the fact that it is now outdated by several generations. But while iOS 8 is technically usable by iPhone 4s owners, just how fast can it run compared to iOS 7?
Finding the answer to this question is the basis of a new video by YouTube user kabriolett, who staged a speed comparison between an iPhone 4s running iOS 7.1.2 and one running iOS 8.0.2.
The results are surprising.
A massive new Apple Store planned for downtown San Francisco is being held up by… tulip trees?
The site in question overlooks Union Square, with Apple planning to demolish a large existing building and replace it with a giant, two-storey glass structure reminiscent of the iconic New York Apple Store on Fifth Avenue. However, in order for work to commence on the building Apple needs to bring in the right equipment, which necessitates the removal of seven tulip trees currently blocking the path.
Trouble is, things aren’t as straightforward as they might seem.
With Bendgate causing some worrywarts to question the structural integrity of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, Consumer Reports set out to answer the question: “How much force does it take for a phone to bend — and not bend back?”
The independent consumer-testing outfit took six smartphones — including both iPhone 6 models and an iPhone 5s — into the lab and subjected them to experiments using an Instron compression testing machine. The results are surprising.
Here’s what they found (along with a video showing Consumer Reports’ torture testing).
The good people at Cult of Mac Deals are dedicated to bringing its users the coolest gadgets, productive software, and useful services at rock bottom prices. As new deals emerge, though, other deals that have been around a while must sail off into the sunset.
Don’t miss out on the deal that’s perfect for you. Check out these offers before they’re gone forever.
Bendgate is the latest in a long line of minor Apple problems that get blown out of proportion by the Internet’s echo chamber and the media jackals that inevitably swoop in and howl about the latest “crisis.”
The same sort of over-the-top backlash happened with the iPhone 4’s reception issue (Antennagate) and the iPad’s trickle-charge feature (Batterygate). It’s a familiar cycle: Apple’s fantastic new device captures the world’s attention, a glitch arises and suddenly the world is coming to an end — at least until it’s not.
“Apple’s ability to trigger consumer demand is probably without rival across the globe — that’s no small feat,” says Larry Barton, a pioneer in corporate crisis management who studies the causes of and responses to incidents like these. “Their core, loyal customer has proven to be forgiving across several minor incidents, and Bendgate is just that — a relatively minor snafu that’s not uncommon with a first-generation design.”
Although the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus chalked up record-breaking sales, Apple’s week has been far from a celebration. A YouTube video showing the iPhone 6 Plus bending under seemingly normal amounts of pressure sent the Internet to crazyville, and Bendgate was born.
Watch Cult of Mac’s news roundup to see the latest regarding the Bendgate frenzy, why some iPads are being banned, and how one person surprised the world with her iPhone 6 impressions more than others.
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Apple’s manufacturing partner Foxconn is notorious for its empire of iPhone-assembling employees and robots, but the electronics manufacturer is looking to shift gears, by building a dirt cheap electric car, and it’s already investing $811 million to speed up the process.
Hit the sweet spot on YouTube with a well-timed video, and you could be rolling in the dough.
Lewis Hilsenteger may have done just that with his iPhone 6 Plus bending video, which has now gathered a jaw-dropping number of hits.
The Ontario-based video blogger has racked up a staggering 36 million views (and climbing!) on his video (posted above), becoming somewhat of a touchstone for the continuing Bendgate saga.
He’s not the only one, however, with folks from around the globe getting tons of traffic (and, we hope, ad revenue) via their gadgety video postings.
Here, then, are a few of the most popular videos that feature Apple’s new products.
The iPhone 6 Plus bends because it’s thin and aluminium, right? Wrong, according to a poster on Imgur, who has analysed photos of the contorting iPhone phablet and places the blame instead on a badly-designed metal reinforcement.
Apple added a new feature to iOS 8 that makes it harder for retailers to track your location by snooping info broadcast over WiFi, but after digging into the MAC randomization feature, a security researcher has found some bad news: it only works if you’ve got cellular data turned off.
The Mac randomization feature which debuted at WWDC, promises to limit retailers’ abilities to track your iPhone when you go to the mall, by sending a random MAC address, instead of the code can be used to grab your iPhone’s unique device ID and location, but users will have to turn off their cellular data connection to start broadcasting random MAC addresses.
You already know that Cult of Mac Deals brings you top level gadgets, software, and services at low prices. Did you also know that some stuff at Cult of Mac Deals is available for free?
Yep, free, as in absolutely no charge whatsoever, and today is Freebie Friday. Check out these exciting offers that won’t hit you in the pocket book.
Security researchers recently uncovered a bug in Bash, a core shell tool used in Linux and Unix computers for the last couple of decades. OS X is built on Unix, so concern arose about the Mac’s vulnerability to hackers exploiting Bash to remotely run code without the user’s consent.
Dubbed “Shellshock,” the exploit has been compared to the Heartbleed hack from earlier this year. Apple has quelled everyone’s fears by saying that the “vast majority of OS X users” are not vulnerable to Shellshock.
We get slammed 24/7 with new Apple rumors. Some are accurate, most are not. To give you a clue about what’s really coming out of Cupertino in the future, we’re busting out our rumor debunker each week to blow up the nonsense.
iPhone 6 is grabbing all the headlines, but iPad rumor season is heating up with an event rumored to be scheduled next week and whispers of a special A8X processor coming to the iPad Pro. We’ve also got new rumors on 12-inch MacBook Air, a possible Mac Mini update en route, and some new nuggets about Apple Watch.
The best podcast client on mobile is now available in your browser. Shifty Jelly has today made its Pocket Casts web player available for limited beta testing, and it delivers all of the awesome features you’ve long been enjoying on Android and iOS.
Chuck Jones has an interesting post up on the Forbes site, in which he theorizes about how much ‘bendgate’ could wind up costing Apple — with an (unlikely) maximum hit potentially being in the hundreds of millions.
Jones weighs up the different ways Apple and customers may respond to the meme, including consumers potentially being put off buying the new iPhone 6 Plus, to Apple undergoing a full-on redesign.
Mesmerizing slow-motion videos have flooded the Internet in the last few days, showcasing the kind of amazing footage you rarely see outside a movie theater or Blu-ray disc.
What opened the floodgates? The iPhone 6. The device’s camera and software allows for a mind-boggling 240 frames-per-second shooting rate, letting videographers of all abilities try their hands at slowing down the action and making an impact.
Slow motion has long been used in your favorite films to convey the intensity of a moment (think The Matrix or anything by John Woo), but this is the first time the average consumer has this kind of stunning tech in their hands.
With more than 10 million iPhone 6 and 6 Plus units sold already, we’ll undoubtedly get slammed with even more beautiful slow-motion videos in the weeks and months to come. Here are a bunch we’ve found that show off the startling capabilities of the iPhone 6 while also proving that, seriously, people will film anything.
Before the iPhone 6, the reason Apple decided on 3.5-inch and then 4-inch displays was to allow for the entire screen to be easily within reach of your thumb when using your iPhone with a single hand. Now that the iPhone 6 starts at a massive 4.7 inches, you’re going to need a bigger thumb.
Like this one! Thanko, a Tokyo-based maker of electronic crapcessories, has just delivered unto the market its magnum opus: a soft, silicon-based “finger stylus” that extends your thumb up to 0.6 inches, helping you reach the far corners of your iPhone 6 Plus with one hand.
Almost everyone is happy about iOS 8’s recent privacy upgrade, which means that Apple can’t unlock your phone as part of an investigation. Almost everyone, that is, except for the FBI.
Speaking with reporters Thursday, FBI director James Comey described himself as “very concerned” by steps tech companies like Apple are taking to strengthen privacy on mobile devices.
“I am a huge believer in the rule of law, but I am also a believer that no one in this country is beyond the law,” Comey said. “What concerns me about this is companies marketing something expressly to allow people to place themselves above the law.”
Former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer is the new owner of the Los Angeles Clippers. No surprise, then, that our favorite sweaty iOS hater is banning iPhones and iPads on the court.
From Need for Speed Most Wanted to Real Racing 3, there are some great driving-based games for iOS. None are quite like Torque Burnout, though.
Promising to combine the most fun bits of every racing game ever into a standalone title, the forthcoming mobile game from developer League of Monkeys is basically an excuse to just do donuts… over and over again.
Unless you’re talking about critically endangered species, using up a sizable percentage of the world’s anything is an impressive benchmark. When that’s 25 percent of the world’s RAM, though — a critical component of every smartphone, tablet and ultrabook on Earth — only Apple is capable of placing those kinds of orders.
This week on The CultCast: Bendgate! Some say it’s Antennagate 2.0, but is there a legitimate issue happening here? We’ll tell you what we think about these “bent” iPhones… Then, we’ve used it for a whole week—catch our updated impressions of iPhone 6. Plus, why you should hold off on installing iOS 8.0.1, and what you can do if you already have. And finally, it’s not just the big screen, there might be another reason the iPhone 6 has been impossible to buy. We’ll tell you our stories from launch day…
Heartily guffaw 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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While customers in the U.S. have been playing with (and bending) their iPhone 6 devices for a week now, today marks the sales debut of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus in 22 secondary markets.
These include Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Isle of Man, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates.
Due to time zone differences, New Zealand customers have had their handsets for a full day already, while Twitter’s now buzzing with reports from plenty more excited customers in Europe and elsewhere.
The iPhone 6 originally launched in the U.S., Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Puerto Rico, Singapore and the UK on September 19, racking up a massive 10 million+ sales during its first weekend.
We’ll have to wait and see how it does in today’s 22 new markets, but judging from the below pictures there’s no shortage of enthusiasm.
When you need to move files quickly between two Apple devices, AirDrop is an incredibly useful tool. It started out as a Mac-to-Mac thing, and then iPhone-to-iPhone, but with iOS 8 and OS X Yosemite, AirDrop becomes even more powerful: Now you can share files from Mac to iPhone (or iPad) and vice versa.
Here’s how.