iPhone 6s

Apple may owe you $25 for throttling your iPhone

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jet black iphone 7 plus
The iPhone 7 is one of the device listed in the settlement.
Photo: Apple

Apple has reportedly reached an agreement to pay up to $500 million to settle a class-action lawsuit in which it was accused of secretly throttling iPhone CPU speeds.

According to Reuters Apple reached a preliminary agreement for the lawsuit on Friday night. U.S. District Judge Edward Davila still has to approve it, but if the settlement goes through, some U.S. iPhone owners could get paid $25 per iPhone that Apple throttle.

If you owned one of these iPhones covered in the lawsuit, a check might be coming your way:

Fixed Wi-Fi chip flaw leaves many Apple devices vulnerable to intrusion

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iPhone XR test
The iPhone XR uses a Wi-Fi chip that's affected by the vulnerability.
Photo: Apple

Security researchers discovered a critical flaw in Wi-Fi chips made by Broadcom and Cypress Semiconductor that were used in Apple devices.

The discovery was presented at the RSA security conference in San Francisco this morning, revealing that billions of devices could have been affected. Attackers could use the vulnerability to decrypt private data sent over the air. Most manufacturers have already released a patch to fix the issue, but it’s unclear how many of the devices have been updated.

The following Apple devices were affected:

Apple promotes ‘incredible’ iPhone 6s units made in India

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iPhone sales are showing signs of life in India
iPhone sales are showing signs of life in India
Photo: Apple

The iPhone 6s is still alive and well in some markets — one of which is India, where the 2015 flagship is now being manufactured.

Apple is using this to sell the handset to locals. India has become an increasingly important market for the company as smartphone growth in other areas slows to a crawl.

SEC charges Apple’s failed sapphire supplier of misleading investors

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GT Advanced
The back entrance GT Advanced's old sapphire plant in Mesa, Arizona.
Photo: Buster Hein/Cult of Mac

GT Advanced Technologies, the company that was supposed to make sapphire screens for the iPhone early this decade, has been charged with misleading investors by the SEC.

The SEC’s investigation found that GT and its CEO violated antifraud provisions of the federal securities laws as part of its deal to supply Apple with sapphire. After failing to meet certain performance requirements, GT caused “significant investor harm” by reclassifying over $300 million in debt to Apple. Sadly, the company’s punishment is pretty much just a slap on the wrist.

Apple wants tax incentives to boost iPhone assembly in India

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iPhone assembled in India
Coming soon with a 2?
Photo: Indian Express

Apple is hoping to secure new tax incentives in India that will allow it to increase local iPhone production and export more devices to be sold in other countries.

The company has teamed up with other large names in the Indian Cellular and Electronics Association (ICEA) to propose a raise in export credits on smartphone shipments, as well as tariff cuts on imports of components and machinery.

The group argues that manufacturing growth cannot be sustained and accelerated without the changes.

Apple dangles extra $100 trade-in for iPhone XS/XR buyers

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iPhone XR battery life is the best of any iPhone on the market.
The iPhone XR is now even more affordable.
Photo: Kristal Chan/Cult of Mac

Getting your hands on the newest iPhones just got a little bit cheaper.

Apple hasn’t knocked the price down on the iPhone XS or iPhone XR yet, but the company is offering a limited-time promotion that gives customers up to $100 extra when you trade in an old iPhone for a new one.

A second iPhone model is now being made in India

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iphone 6
The iPhone 6s is making a comeback in India.
Photo: Apple

Apple supplier Wistron has started production of the iPhone 6s at its factory in Bengaluru, India.

This marks the second iPhone to be produced in India. Last year, Wistron began producing the iPhone SE in India. The iPhone 6s, which launched in 2015, is a logical choice as a follow-up due to the popularity of the handset in India, thanks to its cheaper price.

iOS 11.4 is killing battery life on some iPhones

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iPhone X Notch
How's battery life on your iPhone with iOS 11.4?
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple rolled out iOS 11.4 in late May, finally delivering AirPlay 2 and stereo support for HomePod. If you haven’t already updated, you might want to avoid it for now.

Some iPhone users are reporting battery life problems after installing Apple’s latest release. It seems the issue affects everything from the iPhone 6 to the iPhone X.

Apple adds new alert when your iPhone battery is failing

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iPhone battery warning
Here's what to do when you get this message besides panic. (Ok, maybe a little panicking is OK.)
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

iOS 11.3 has a new warning that users of older iPhones should dread. It’s a notification that the device shut down because the battery couldn’t provide peak power. Here’s what to do if this happens to you.

Week’s best Apple deals: Get the new iPad at discount!

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Save on the new iPad. You can use the money you save to buy an Apple Pencil!
You can use the money you save to buy an Apple Pencil!
Photo: Apple

An iPad sale? Already?!? If you want to save on the new iPad that Apple unveiled this week, you’re in luck. Best Buy is offering the tablet at the best price with a store gift card.

Plus, save on AirPods at Costco. Or choose from a wide selection of refurbished phones, accessories and more at the TechRabbit March Mobile Madness Sale.

Apple could soon have iPhone 6s assembled in India

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iPhone 6s
Apple supplier Wistron started building iPhones in India last year.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple manufacturer Wistron is reportedly putting the final touches on a deal that will allow it to secure another 100 acres of land in India’s tech hub of Bengaluru.

The $157 million facility will be used to start building iPhone 6s handsets in India. At present, Wistron only produces the iPhone SE in India, although it always planned to expand to other handsets after proving that Indian manufacturing was viable.

Week’s best Apple deals: Save big on refurbished iPhones

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You know you want a red iPhone. And now you can save with a refurbished one! Or choose from other refurbished iPhones.
You know you want a red iPhone. And now you can save with a refurbished one!
Photos: Apple

If you need a new phone, but not necessarily a brand new one, you can save some cash by going with a refurb. This week, we found a selection of refurbished iPhones — in a variety of shapes, sizes and colors (including that super-cool red iPhone 7).

And they’re all at wallet-pleasing prices.

Battery replacement program could be bad news for iPhone sales

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iPhone battery
Brazil demands easy iPhone battery replacements.
Photo: iFixit

Apple’s iPhone battery replacement program could cause the company to lose out on millions of new iPhone sales, according to analysts at Barclays.

It was revealed last month that the company intentionally throttles CPU speeds on some iPhones with older batteries to provide an overall better experience. Apple has offered $29 battery replacements to make up for it, but that might be bad news for its bottom line.

Apple’s $29 iPhone battery replacement just got easier

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iPhone battery
Brazil demands easy iPhone battery replacements.
Photo: iFixit

New Apple support documentation leaked from one of its retail stores that the company’s new $29 battery replacement program is a lot less strict than some customers originally feared.

Earlier in the week, some iPhone customers reported that the genius bar refused to swap their battery if it wasn’t under 80% capacity. According to a new documentation though, employees have now been instructed to replace batteries no matter what.

Apple apologizes with $29 iPhone battery replacements

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iPhone battery
Brazil demands easy iPhone battery replacements.
Photo: iFixit

Apple has offered iPhone customers yet another apology for intentionally slowing down the CPU on some older iPhone models in order to increase overall performance.

In a letter to customers this afternoon, Apple explained that it added a feature in iOS 10.1.2 that successfully reduced the occurrence of unexpected shutdowns on iPhones. Apple was able to do so by lowering CPU performance so that it drew less power from older batteries, but the company is now offering an olive branch to customers: cheap battery replacements.

Apple confirms it makes old iPhones run slower (for a good reason)

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iPhone 6S
Does your iPhone 6s feel slower?
Photo: Buster Hein/Cult of Mac

Does your iPhone seem to get slower and slower as it grows older? Well, according to Apple, that is exactly what’s supposed to happen.

Many iPhone users have long suspected that Apple throttles performance of aging iPhones. The popular theory is that Apple does so to entice users to upgrade. However, Apple says there are really good performance reasons behind the practice.

Apple earnings call live blog: How high can AAPL fly?

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Apple earnings
Apple's Q2 earnings are expected to be a bit of a downer.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple is set to unveil its last earnings report of 2017, and it’s expected to be one of the company’s biggest Q4 results ever.

Wall Street analysts are eager to see how many iPhones Apple sold during the quarter, which included a few days of iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus sales at the end. Apple CEO Tim Cook and CFO Luca Maestri will be hopping on the call with investors at 2 p.m. Pacific today. Naturally, we’ll be here live-blogging all the action.

Come join the fun: