iPhone 6s - page 8

iPhone 6s Plus vs. Nexus 6P vs. Lumia 950 XL: Who wins the smartphone NASCAR?

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How long does it take an iPhone to lap a Nexus and a Lumia?

If all of the big boys’ flagship phones – the iPhone 6s Plus, the Google Nexus 6P and Microsoft’s Lumia 950 XL – raced in NASCAR, which would be the fastest phone around? This speed-test video puts that concept to the test, making all three phones “run laps” to see which is the fastest.

How to set up all your shiny new Apple gear

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No matter what Apple gear you got (or gave), we're here to help.
No matter what Apple gear you got (or gave), we're here to help.
Photo: Pixabay

This time of the year typically means gifts, both giving and receiving them. Surely some of you have gotten a brand new Macbook, iMac, iPhone or iPad (Pro, anyone?).

If so, you might be looking at a lovely morning playing with your shiny new toys. But where to start? What essential tweaks, software tricks and necessary little tips do you need to make sure they’re set up the right way?

Well, we’ve got your back, with roundups to help you easily set up your iPhone 6s or 6s Plus, iPad (Pro, Air 2 or mini), Apple Watch or new Apple TV the right way. Here’s the list of setup guides to get you up and running with your brand new Apple gear.

Weirdest of 2015: This year’s most dedicated iFans

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Apple fanatics got up to some strange stuff in 2015.
Apple fanatics got up to some strange stuff in 2015.
Image: Stephen Smith/Cult of Mac

Cult of Mac's Best of 2015Apple fans are some of the most dedicated in all of tech (some might even call them a cult), but a few enterprising and/or desperate people really outdid themselves this year.

Not that we can really blame them. Cupertino brought the heat this year with the Apple Watch, a cool new Apple TV, the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, and the massive iPad Pro. We can forgive the superfans for really going all out to get their hands on the latest iGear. But some of their efforts might have been a bit too enthusiastic.

Here are some times when people’s love of Apple outweighed logic this year.

iRich: Businessman gifts former classmates 39 iPhone 6s handsets

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Iphone_for_free
Well, that's one way to show you remember your classmates.
Photo: Weibo

Christmas came early for schoolfriends of a Chinese businessman when he distributed 39 brand new iPhone 6s handsets during an elementary school reunion (!) over the past weekend.

The rose gold iPhones were engraved with the words, “To commemorate the Beilun Sanshan Primary School Class of 1998.” The generous giver of the gifts, a businessman with the surname Zhang, reportedly handed out the iPhones during a dinner in Ningbo, a city in China’s Zhejiang province.

Facebook adds support for Live Photos — but there’s a catch

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facebook-news-feed
Your Facebook News Feed is about to liven up.
Photo: Facebook

A few months after Apple birthed Live Photos into existence with the release of the iPhone 6s, Facebook is catching on to the idea. The social network is building the feature right into its iOS app so iPhone 6s and 6s Plus owners can start uploading their animated photos and viewing others. But it’s not all good news, since there are two issues with Facebook’s implementation.

Apple slashes iPhone 6s prices in India after disappointing sales

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Apple is trying to get the iPhone 6s into more people's hands in India.
Photo: Apple

Apple has slashed the price of the iPhone 6s in India, reportedly after lower than expected sales over Diwali.

The handsets are now at least 16 percent cheaper than when they first launched two months ago — with the the basic 16GB iPhone 6s now costing between Rs 52,000 and Rs 55,000 ($785 – $830), down from the Rs 62,000 ($935) launch price. Many retailers are additionally offering other incentives to try and get customers to buy.

Get a 16GB iPhone 6s for just $1 at Best Buy

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The iPhone isn't ditching LCD screens.
Just one dollar, people!
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Big savings on Apple products have meant that Best Buy is increasingly living up to its name, but today’s iPhone deal may be one of the best yet for the cash-starved.

The retailer is selling the 16GB iPhone 6s for $1, while also throwing in a $200 gift card if you trade in a working iPhone 5 as part of the deal.

Pro Tip: How to get quick info in Apple Maps with 3D Touch

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Now it's even easier to get quick info on any business in Maps.
Now it's even easier to get quick info on any business in Maps.
Photo: Leander Kahney/Cult of Mac

Pro_Tip_Cult_of_Mac Maps is shaping up to be a pretty great navigational tool with its tight integration in iOS 9 and OS X El Capitan, as well as with much more error-free data.

I use Maps as a sort of mobile, digital yellow pages, finding businesses in town and looking up their phone number, hours of operation, website address, and more. It’s a couple of taps in, which can seem tedious after a while.

Now, though, with an iPhone 6s or 6s Plus, you can get this info in a summarized form, using the new 3D Touch. Here’s how.

Apple spams older iPhone owners with upgrade ads

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iPhone 6s
Because who doesn't want unsolicited ads popping up on their iPhone?
Photo: Buster Hein/Cult of Mac

Apple is selling an enormous amount of iPhones right now, but in its efforts to get an extra holiday sales bump it’s pushing an unsolicited pop-up notification to owners of older iPhone handsets — informing them of how “ridiculously powerful” the iPhone 6s is.

You think Apple’s Smart Battery Case is ugly? Wait ’til you see its insides

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It's what's inside that counts.
It's what's inside that counts.
Photo: iFixit

For the Apple fans disappointed in the Quasimodo look of the new Smart Battery Case, there is probably great satisfaction in seeing it all busted up. Yes, the staff at iFixit wasted no time prying one open to behold the guts of the beast.

iFixit did not defend the case from the “ugly” tag so many people gave it in its’ first 24 hours of public life. The technicians were impressed with the ducting on the case, which turned a downward-facing speaker into one that faces forward. The microphone also faces forward and iFixit wonders if this a preview on future designs.

Hate Apple’s new iPhone battery case? Don’t buy it

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Ugh.
Apple's new iPhone case isn't pretty, but no one's forcing you to buy one.
Photo: Apple

Yes, Apple launched a new battery case for iPhone 6s today, and yes, it’s butt-ugly.

All battery cases are, but because this one has an Apple logo on it, the Internet is getting all bent out of shape over just how ugly it is. There’s one thing nobody is mentioning, though: You don’t have to buy one if you don’t like it — and no one really cares what you think.

Internet questions Jony Ive’s sanity with new iPhone battery case

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My hump, my hump, my hump, my lovely little lumps.
My hump, my hump, my hump, my lovely little lumps.
Photo: Apple

Apple’s new Smart Battery Case is the ugliest product to come out of Cupertino since apps with leather stiching. 

The new case came as a surprise this morning, offering iPhone 6s owners some extra juice and protection, but its weird hump has drawn the attention and ire of fans, leading many to wonder, ‘did Jony Ive really approve this thing?’

Not only is the case so ugly it looks like Quasimodo had sex with a camel. It’s not even that functional. It can’t recharge the iPhone 6s from 0 to 100 percent. The only LED indicator is on the inside of the case. And you can’t decide when to have the case charge your iPhone.

It’s so awful I’d almost swear Scott Forstall snuck into the design lab and is pranking us. It’s ironic Apple’s obsession with sacrificing battery life to make the iPhone thinner has put the company in a corner, causing it to innovate its way into making a big bulky battery case.

We’re not the only ones that hate the new case. Apple fans went crazy on Twitter in disbelief over the Smart Battery Case. Check out some of the best reactions:

Instagram brings 3D Touch gestures to Android

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Instagram
Who needs an iPhone?
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Android
Who needs an iPhone? Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Android
Who needs an iPhone? Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Android

3D Touch isn’t just for iPhone users anymore!

The same 3D Touch gestures that Instagram integrated into its iOS app following the release of iPhone 6s are now available inside its Android app — and you don’t need a pressure sensitive display to use them.

New use of 3D Touch lets you zoom through online maps

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Poison Maps exposes more potential in 3D Touch.
Photo: Poison Maps

The developers of the Poison Maps app figured out a new way to implement 3D Touch that goes above and beyond what we’re used to seeing. They use two patent-pending gestures called “context zooming” and “context panning.” The first lets you quickly see the surrounding area of a particular location you’re zoomed in on without leaving that location, while the latter lets you move around in the surroundings and effortlessly focus in on somewhere new.

These gestures work using long presses. Since 3D Touch can sense varying amounts of force, Poison Apps cleverly uses the technology to adjust the zoom based on how hard you press.

Reports of slowing iPhone production may be greatly exaggerated

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iPhone camera
The makers of the iPhone 6s' metal casing are reporting big earnings.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Reports that iPhone 6s production may be slower than expected may be plain wrong, if you go by the record earnings one iPhone supplier recorded last month.

Catcher Technologies supplies the metal casings for the iPhone 6s. In November it recorded sales on $254 million — representing an increase of 1.4 percent from the previous month, and a massive 50.3 percent increase from this time last year.

How Apple out-innovates the competition, this week on The CultCast

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Just how did those Apple whiz kids get so darn creative?
Just how did those Apple whiz kids get so darn creative?
Photo: Library of Congress

Though Apple spends far less on research and development than the competition, they out-innovate them all. How? Catch the discussion on this episode of The CultCast. Plus: iPhone 7 may ditch the beloved headphone jack; Amazon Video is coming to Apple TV; the holiday accessory that could be eroding your WiFi signal; and with the year drawing to a close, we choose we our favorite Apple device of 2015!

Our thanks to Lynda for supporting this episode. Lynda is like the Apple Music of online education, with over 3000 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.

This cheap hack puts a glowing Apple logo on your iPhone 6

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Get ready to illuminate your Apple logo.
Get ready to illuminate your Apple logo.
Photo: David Cogen

We love seeing Apple’s glowing logo every time a MacBook lid opens, so wouldn’t it be awesome to have the same feature on your iPhone?

Making your iPhone 6 stand out in a sea of other iPhones is now a whole lot easier, thanks to an inexpensive new LED logo kit that brings an illuminated Apple logo to the back of your device. The hack is reversible and supposedly won’t drain your battery — but it might void your warranty.

Here’s how to do it:

6,000 iPhones will upgrade United Airlines’ customer service

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United Airlines
iPhone 6 Plus is taking flight at United Airlines.
Photo: United Airlines

The iPad has helped airlines replace the outdated paper flight manuals pilots used to lug around. Now Apple’s first phablet is ready to help revolutionize the way United Airlines provides customer service.

United Airlines revealed today that it plans to distribute over 6,000 iPhone 6 Plus units to customer service representatives at its hubs across the US, as part of the company’s effort to give employees better tools to provide faster service.

Apple drops two new ‘ridiculously powerful’ iPhone 6s videos

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The iPhone 6s can do a lot for all of us.
The iPhone 6s can do a lot for all of us.
Photo: Apple

Apple is positioning the iPhone 6s as both incredibly user friendly as well as ridiculously powerful in a couple of new spots appearing on YouTube Tuesday evening.

The first ad, “Ridiculously Powerful” admits that the iPhone 6s is essentially the same as the iPhone 6, except now it’s incredibly high-powered.

Check it out below, along with a second video that focuses on friendliness via the Hey Siri feature of the new iPhones.