iPhone News

Apple posts two new iPhone 6 ads: “Cameras” and “Huge”

Apple has posted two new iPhone 6 ads to its YouTube channel. The commercials are titled "Cameras" and "Huge," and they highlight some of the benefits of the updated cameras and larger displays found on the recently-launched handsets.

The two videos are very much inline with the spots we saw during the iPhone 6 event, in that they feature voice overs done by celebrities Justin Timberlake and Jimmy Fallon running down various new features of iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.

Video shows side by side speed comparison of all 10 iPhone models

YouTube channel EverythingApplePro posted an interesting video this weekend, showing multiple side by side speed comparison tests of all 10 iPhone models. This includes the iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6, iPhone 5s, iPhone 5c, iPhone 5, iPhone 4s, iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 3G and the original iPhone.

The clip, which is about 4 minutes long, shows a wide range of speed tests such as shutdown, startup, webpage loading, and even a GeekBench benchmark test. For the most part everything works out like you'd expect, with the newer devices outpacing their predecessors, but there are a few surprises.

New App Store section highlights apps updated for iPhone 6

You may have noticed over the past 24 hours that a new section has appeared in the App Store entitled "Apps & Games for iPhone 6." As you'd expect, the section is meant to highlight apps and games that have been updated for the larger displays on the two new iPhones.

There are likely thousands of apps that are compatible with the handsets, with many more to come. Apple rounded up about 65 of them, and we thought we'd share 10 of our favorites, so you know what apps we'll be downloading when we get our new iPhones tomorrow.

CNN app updated with support for iPhone 6 and improved landscape mode

CNN updated its iPhone app this morning, bringing it to version 2.4. You may recall Apple SVP Phil Schiller showing off this app on stage at last week's iPhone event, highlighting the way that it takes advantage of the larger displays of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus.

It looks like today's update brings that support for the two new smartphones, as well as a handful of other enhancements. CNN says that the app has a much improved landscape mode—which looks great on my iPhone 5s—prettier photo galleries and more.

Apple updates Pages and iMovie for iOS 8 [updated]

Following its release of iOS 8 this morning, Apple has begun updating its mobile apps to support the firmware. It looks like Numbers and iMovie were first on the list, with both apps showing up in the App Store's Updates tab today touting iOS 8 compatibility.

The change log for Numbers is fairly brief, mentioning only support for iOS 8, iCloud Drive compatibility, and stability improvements and bug fixes. iMovie's update, however, is a bit more extensive, bringing about new features like slow motion and video filters.

Update: it looks like Apple has also pushed out iOS 8 updates for Pages and Keynote as well.

Update 2: iMovie was experiencing issue so Apple apparently pulled it from the App Store. It should be fixed and come back quickly.

Update 3: as expected, Apple resolved the issue quickly and iMovie is once again available in the App Store.

PanguTeam confirms it’s working on iOS 8 jailbreak

Good news for those of you missing out on today's iOS 8 festivities in order to save your jailbreak, the PanguTeam says it's on the case. As part of a PSA yesterday to remind users to jailbreak while still possible, the team confirmed it has already begun work on hacking the new firmware.

Now before you go getting your hopes up, note that just because an iOS 8 jailbreak is being worked on, does not mean we will see one anytime soon. This is, however, more intel than we had a few days ago, and it may be pertinent to those deciding on whether or not to update to iOS 8.

Some extensions not working yet in iOS 8-optimized apps

After announcing last week that iOS 8 will be released to the public on September 17th (that's tomorrow), Apple invited developers to begin submitting their apps and app-updates for the new firmware. In fact, it's already approved a number of iOS 8-optimized apps into the App Store.

But there's a problem that you've probably noticed if you're running a beta version of iOS 8 right now: extensions for many iOS 8 apps aren't working properly. According to MacRumors, the issue seems to be related to code-signing on Apple's end, and it's currently working on a fix.

‘AppBuyer’ malware steals Apple IDs and passwords from jailbroken devices

Security research firm Palo Alto Networks reported this weekend about a new iOS malware that's affecting jailbroken devices. It's called 'AppBuyer,' and it's programmed to steal a user's Apple ID and password for the purpose of purchasing apps from the App Store.

It's not clear exactly how AppBuyer is being installed, but the group says it could be done a number of ways including through a malicious Cydia Substrate tweak or PC jailbreaking utility. Those infected complain of random apps periodically popping up on their devices.

New Samsung ad calls iPhone 6 Plus a Galaxy Note imitation

Samsung began airing a new TV spot this weekend for the Galaxy Note 4—its new flagship handset that begins shipping next month. Like most of the company's recent ads, this one goes after Apple, with a specific focus on its just-announced iPhone 6 Plus.

Titled "Then and Now," the commercial points out that while Apple prepares to begin selling its first handset with a display over 5 inches, Samsung has been doing it for years with its Galaxy Note line. It essentially calls the iPhone 6 Plus a Note imitation.

iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus are now available for pre-order

Following their unveilings on Tuesday, Apple has made both the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus available for online pre-order. I want to be up front and say that I have not seen the online store (website) come back up yet, but myself and a number of readers/colleagues have managed to place orders through other avenues.

It seems like people are having the most success with the Apple Store app. It takes some patience, and maybe even a few tries, but that's how I placed my order, and was able to opt for in-store pickup. Otherwise, you can try your carrier's website—I see some folks on Twitter have had luck ordering with AT&T and Verizon.

Apple’s online store down ahead of iPhone 6 pre-orders

Apple has just taken its online store down, ahead of the pre-order launch for the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. Beginning at 12:01 am Pacific Time, or 3:01 am Eastern Time tomorrow, customers will be able to place pre-orders for both of the handsets.

Apple unveiled the 6 and 6 Plus at a major media event on Tuesday, announcing that both models have bigger screens than any other iPhone before them. The iPhone 6 has a 4.7-inch display, and the iPhone 6 Plus has a larger 5.5-inch display.

These templates will help you decide which iPhone 6 size is right for you

On its website, Apple says that the iPhone 6 is 5.44 inches (138.1 mm) tall, 2.64 inches wide and 0.27 inches thick. The larger iPhone 6 Plus is 6.22" x 3.06" x 0.28". These numbers are great, but they don't really give you a good idea of how big these devices actually are, so we decided to try something else.

Some templates have been floating around the web for the past few days, showing skeleton models of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus using the above dimensions. The idea is for you to print these models out and compare them to other items, and we thought a good point of reference for scale would be the iPhone 5s.