iPhone 6 Plus

iPhone 6 reportedly nearing approval for sale in China

Cody Lee ∙ September 26, 2014

Apple is in the final stages of securing regulatory approval for the iPhone 6 in China, reports Tenacent, meaning it could soon go on sale in the country. It's a major market for the Cupertino firm, as it contains two of the largest carriers in the world.

The news outlet quoted China's Ministry of Industry and Information technology as saying "it's just a matter of time" before regulators complete the approval process for Apple's new handsets, which have already gone on sale in several countries.

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Poll: are you having second thoughts about buying iPhone 6 Plus over #Bendgate?

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 13, 2018

Are you concerned over Bendgate following this YouTube video? Responding to the controversy that blew up on social media before taking the world by storm, Apple said it'd received complaints from nine customers over the supposed iPhone 6 Plus bending.

The company even took select members of the press on a tour of its facility just a a few blocks away from the Cupertino campus, where it torture-tested 15,000 iPhone 6 and 15,000 iPhone 6 Plus handsets.

I think Bendgate is a non-issue, but I could be wrong. One thing is certain: the meme won't go away if I choose to ignore it. That said, it doesn't surprise me at all that some fans are now questioning Apple's “just works” mantra, especially in light of other snafus in the form of the iOS 8.0.1 update gone terrible wrong, Apple's U2 “gift”, Celebgate and iCloud security.

After reading about these PR disasters, some folks may be thinking twice about buying the iPhone 6 Plus. Are you among that group or did you brush off Bendgate as a non-issue?

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Apple offers peek at iPhone stress testing process

Cody Lee ∙ September 25, 2014

Apple invited a handful of reporters to visit its iPhone testing facility in Cupertino on Thursday, to offer a peek at where and how it puts its handsets through the paces. The move comes in response to growing concerns over "bending issues" with the new iPhone 6 Plus, following this YouTube video.

The facility sits a few blocks away from Apple's Cupertino campus, and contains a lot of equipment for testing the strength and durability of the iPhone. Here, engineers for the company put handsets through a variety of tests including torsion (or twisting) and pressure, to make sure they will hold up.

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10 things you shouldn’t do to your iPhone 6

Sébastien Page ∙ September 25, 2014

With every new iPhone comes a new controversy, and this year is no exception as the "bendability" of iPhone 6 has already been put to the test, clearly proving that when force and pressure are applied to the device, it will actually bend.  What most people would qualify as good old common sense doesn't seem to be the case here, so to avoid any kind of confusion, we've come up with a list of things you shouldn't do to your iPhone 6.

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Apple expanding iPhone 6 and 6 Plus availability to 20 new countries

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 25, 2014

Apple's new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus smartphones have just gone on sale in New Zealand (it's September 26 there) across company-owned online and retail stores, carrier locations and authorized retailers in the 4.5 million people country.

The iPhone release in New Zealand is part of a wider roll-out Friday that will expand the handset's availability to more than twenty new countries, including Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Isle of Man, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey and United Arab Emirates.

Apple has promised to make the new phones available in about 115 countries by the end of the year.

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Poll: has iOS 8.0.1 update broken Cellular + Touch ID for you?

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 13, 2018

If you have just updated your trusty iPhone to the just-released iOS 8.0.1, chances are you may have ended up with a device that can't connect to the cellular network (shows No Service in the status bar) or read fingerprint data through the Touch ID sensor on the iPhone 5s, iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. As you could imagine, social media is awash with complaints from disgruntled users who are venting their frustration over the cellular and Touch ID issues.

At any rate, your best bet is to steer away from this update until Apple address the situation and releases a fix. Not everyone is affected, of course, but keep in mind we have no real indication as to how widespread those issues are because Apple, at the moment, isn't talking much.

That's why we're asking you, our readers, to tell us whether iOS 8.0.1 has broken cellular connectivity and Touch ID for you.

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Expert says Touch ID has improved with iPhone 6, but is still vulnerable to hack

Cody Lee ∙ September 24, 2014

Touch ID in the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus has improved, but it's still vulnerable to attack according to Lookout Mobile Security researcher Marc Rogers. Rogers says that the same fake fingerprint hack he used to bypass Touch ID on the iPhone 5s works flawlessly on the new handsets.

The improvement comes in the form of better accuracy, thanks to its higher resolution scanner, which Rogers has found makes it harder to clone fingerprints. But, he says, Apple has done nothing to tighten up Touch ID's security in the iPhone 6, leaving the door open for determined hackers.

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iPhone 6 and 6 Plus beat all smartphones in reputable camera benchmark

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 27, 2016

The improved rear camera on both the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus has scored Apple a major victory over its biggest rivals in exhaustive smartphone camera benchmarks published Wednesday by the reputable camera and lens experts at DxOMark.

Achieving an impressive rating of 82 out of 100, both new iPhones have managed to beat Apple's chief competitors in the smartphone space.

Not only does this include the usual suspects like Samsung's flagship Galaxy S5 smartphone, which scored 79 out of 100, and the previous Galaxy S4 (75/100), but also other quality devices such as Sony's Xperia Z1 (76/100), Z2 (29/100) and Z3 (79/100) and yes — even the 41-megapixel sensor featured on the Nokia 808 PureView (77/100).

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Your $650 iPhone 6 only cost Apple around $200 to build

Cody Lee ∙ September 23, 2014

Your $650+ iPhone 6 (or $199+ with carrier contract) only cost Apple around $200 to build, according to a new report from Recode. Using teardown data from research firm IHS, the site says that the Cupertino firm spends between $200 and $247 in parts and labor to build an iPhone 6.

For the larger iPhone 6 Plus, IHS says that Apple spends between $216 and $263 on parts and labor, depending on the model. The estimates include the cost of labor associated with assembly as between $4 and $4.50 for each device, but not R&D, shipping, marketing and other affiliated costs.

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Microsoft to update Skype for iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus next month

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 23, 2014

Software giant Microsoft, which owns and runs the Skype service, will unleash an update next month that will optimize the popular VoIP platform for the bigger 4.7-inch screen on the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus's 5.5-inch display, according to a Skype spokesperson Tuesday.

“We’re currently working on an update to Skype for iPhone that scales for iPhone 6 and 6 Plus screen sizes, which we plan to release in the next month,” said Skype.

The company wouldn't reveal if the new version will take full advantage of the larger canvas or simply blow up the user interface on 4.7 and 5.5-inch iPhone 6 devices.

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