Posted: 19 Sep 2014 08:15 AM PDT While the official reviews of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus were published several days ago, with the devices now making their way into customers' hands we are starting to see broader first impressions of the larger iPhones.
Case from MacRumors giveaway, based on rumored design specs (Photo by @adam_moreno) Several posters in our forums have highlighted the high-quality "Retina HD" displays on the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, but have observed that apps yet to be optimized for the larger displays appear or due to scaling issues.
Another aspect being noticed by users is the much louder vibration on the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, something highlighted by John Gruber in his review earlier this week.
Customers are also generally praising the overall look of the new iPhones, calling them and . Those opting for the gold model may notice that it is than the gold iPhone 5s.
Gold iPhone 6 (left) vs. gold iPhone 5s (Photo by @horwitz) As for size, some customers have been concerned about placing orders for the iPhone 6 Plus without having a good idea of just how big the device really is. Reactions now that users are getting their hands on them seem to be mixed, with some saying they of the 5.5-inch display while others have found it too big for their tastes. Some in-store customers were able to compare the two sizes before purchasing, helping make the decision easier. For ongoing coverage of photos and first impressions, readers are welcome to follow our consolidated thread stickied in our iPhone forum. Recent Mac and iOS Blog Stories
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iPhone 6 and 6 Plus Go On Sale in U.S. and Canada to Huge Lines Posted: 19 Sep 2014 06:07 AM PDT Following launches in a number of other countries around the world earlier today, the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus have now begun going on sale in the U.S. and Canada, with 8:00 AM Apple launch times in the eastern and central portions of the countries having already occurred. As expected, supplies of the iPhone 6 Plus have been tight in some cases, although perhaps not as low as originally thought. Apple's own stores appear to have the strongest supplies of the iPhone 6 Plus, with carrier stores in some cases having barely a handful of units to distribute.
iPhone 6 line at Toronto's Eaton Centre Apple store snaking through multiple levels (via @KristinaParts) Lines at most stores, particularly Apple's own locations, are long in most cases, despite the company having offered pre-orders for delivery this year. As of 6:00 AM, the line at Apple's flagship Fifth Avenue store in Manhattan stretched for twelve city blocks, according to Business Insider . Other locations are obviously seeing shorter lines, but many customers are reporting lines numbering in the hundreds at their stores. Some MacRumors forum members are updating their statuses in our iPhone 6 Launch Meetups forum while others are sharing their thoughts in our general iPhone forum as the launch continues. For those with pre-orders going out for delivery today, our forums remain busy as users track their orders minute-by-minute. MacRumors forum members in the U.S. are generally organizing in one of a number of threads depending on where they ordered from. - The "I just bought/ordered/shipped/received my new iPhone 6/6 Plus" thread Those who already received their iPhones can post first impressions in our forums of their iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus. Recent Mac and iOS Blog Stories
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iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus Get Cracked in First Drop Test Posted: 18 Sep 2014 09:08 PM PDT With the launch of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus already underway in several countries, many companies have begun performing tests and benchmarks on the device. PhoneBuff has taken the two devices and put them through a drop test, dropping each on its back, side and front. The iPhone 6 did well when dropped on the side and back, but unsurprisingly suffered when dropped on its face. The 6 Plus, on the other hand, cracked when it landed on the side. However, it sustained little further damage when falling on its face. Based on this one test, both phones may have performed worse than the iPhone 5 design which was described as "very durable" and survived similar drops in a previous drop tests. Without standardized testing, it's hard to draw definitive conclusions. Recent Mac and iOS Blog Stories
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iPhone 6 Plus Teardown: Twice as Big a Battery as iPhone 5s [Update: 1 GB RAM Confirmed] Posted: 18 Sep 2014 07:16 PM PDT iFixIt is in the process of taking apart the new iPhone 6 Plus, currently on sale in Australia. Surprisingly, the team points out that the internal layout of the device is extremely similar to that of the iPhone 5s, except at a larger scale and with a bigger battery. The teardown's findings reveal the battery capacity of the device and some internal reorganization.
The teardown also revealed that the vibrator is now located under the logic board and to the right of the battery. iFixIt's teardown is still in progress and this post will be updated if anything significant is revealed. Update 7:45 PM: iFixit has exposed Apple's new A8 processor in their teardown, which reveals the F8164A3PM inscribed on the chip. The second digit in that sequence, 8, corresponds to 8 Gigabits (1 GB) of RAM in Micron's catalog. Update 11:38 PM: iFixit has assigned the iPhone 6 Plus a repairability score of 7 out of 10, which is an improvement over the iPhone 5s' score of 6 out of 10. The largest difference being the absence of the cable connecting the Touch ID Home button to the Lightning port, which resulted in the cable being torn if one is not careful opening the phone. Recent Mac and iOS Blog Stories
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iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus Launch Day: What to Expect Posted: 18 Sep 2014 04:09 PM PDT Apple's iPhone 6 and 6 Plus will launch in the United States tomorrow, with Apple retail stores, carrier stores, and several major retailers offering the two devices for sale. We've gathered up a list of U.S. locations that will be selling the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, listed below, along with general opening times. Customers hoping for an iPhone 6 or 6 Plus are encouraged to call their local stores for specific information on opening times and potential stock. - Apple retail stores - 8 a.m local time At Apple Store locations, procedure will be slightly different than it has in past years as Apple will also be handing out iPhone 6 and 6 Plus units to customers who opted for Personal Pickup when pre-ordering online last week. All customers will be directed to wait in one line until approximately 5 a.m, at which point they will be split into two lines: one for Personal Pickup and one for customers hoping to purchase a device on launch day. Apple will hand out refreshments like coffee and water, as it does every year, and ahead of the store's opening, customers in the walk-in line (who did not pre-order) will be given a digital Reservation Pass (sent via email or SMS) to guarantee them an iPhone. This year's Reservation Passes replace the paper cards that have been handed out in past years. Walk-in customers planning to wait in line should aim to arrive as early as possible. Many people hoping to get their hands on an iPhone 6 or 6 Plus are already waiting in line across the United States, and will wait through the night. According to multiple sources, supplies of the iPhone are expected to be low, with the iPhone 6 Plus being in extremely short supply.
Line at 14th Street Store in New York City, as of 2:30 PT. The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus are already on sale in Australia, and initial reports have suggested that supplies of the iPhone 6 Plus are indeed constrained. According to one MacRumors reader, many stores in Melbourne, Australia received only one iPhone 6 Plus unit.
Apple employees in Australia giving an iPhone to the first customer in line As for customers who pre-ordered and plan to do Personal Pickup, arriving early is also generally recommended as the pickup line can get long as well. Customers who pre-ordered early and selected at home shipping will also begin receiving their devices on Friday, September 19, with most shipments listing guaranteed delivery by the end of the day. MacRumors readers who are expecting shipments can join in on several threads in our forums, where readers are tracking their shipments and order statuses: - The "I just bought/ordered/shipped/received my new iPhone 6/6 Plus" thread Recent Mac and iOS Blog Stories
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Photographer Tests iPhone 6 and 6 Plus in Iceland, Demos Focus Pixels, Other Camera Improvements Posted: 18 Sep 2014 01:43 PM PDT With every iteration of the iPhone, Apple aims to bring significant improvements to the device's camera. The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus are no exception, packing in several new features like Focus Pixels, Exposure Control, Panorama improvements, Slo-Mo video enhancements, and Optical Image Stabilization for the iPhone 6 Plus. Professional photographer Austin Mann partnered with The Verge to test the cameras in both the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus in Iceland and came away with some impressive results.
In a video, Mann demonstrated Focus Pixels, showing much faster autofocusing on the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. As seen in the still below, taken from the video, the iPhone 6 Plus is able to refocus on a scene much more quickly after an object placed in front of the camera causes the lens to refocus.
Combined with optical image stabilization in the iPhone 6 Plus, the results are impressive. A comparison of an image shot with Phone 5s (top) and the iPhone 6 Plus (bottom) in low light is below.
While Mann doesn't spend too much time focusing on comparisons between the iPhone 5s and the iPhone 6/6 Plus, he does have a few shots that show much improved picture taking capabilities. Mann also doesn't make comparisons between the 6 and the 6 Plus, the latter of which has optical image stabilization, but photos taken with the two devices are equally impressive.
Austin Mann's complete overview of the camera in the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus is well worth reading, as it contains a multitude of gorgeous images he was able to capture with the devices. Recent Mac and iOS Blog Stories
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FlightAware Offers Tool For Tracking iPhone 6 and 6 Plus Pre-Order Shipment Flights Posted: 18 Sep 2014 12:24 PM PDT Apple began shipping out early iPhone 6 and 6 Plus pre-orders on Thursday morning, and FlightAware, a site that offers live flight tracking, has created a tool that allows users to track the flights carrying their iPhones after receiving a tracking number.
Currently, many iPhones that will be shipping out to customers overnight and in the morning are aggregated in Kentucky, a worldwide UPS air hub known as Worldport. Apple appears to have shipped the majority of iPhone units using Next Day Air.
MacRumors readers who are waiting for an iPhone 6 or 6 Plus may also want to join in on the dedicated Apple pre-order thread on the forums, where users share tracking information and socialize while waiting for their devices to arrive. Recent Mac and iOS Blog Stories
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iPhone 6 Plus Reportedly in Very Short Supply for In-Store Launch Posted: 18 Sep 2014 11:49 AM PDT Ahead of tomorrow's launch of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus in a number of countries, customers who didn't place pre-orders for delivery have been lining up at Apple's retail stores and those of its carrier and retail partners hoping to obtain one first thing in the morning.
The report notes that stores are seeing decent supplies of iPhone 6 units, with all colors and capacities available, but much like with the gold iPhone 5s last year, it appears that only a handful of customers at the very front of store lines will be able to purchase an iPhone 6 Plus at many locations. Update: Multiple carriers have confirmed that supplies of the iPhone 6 Plus will be constrained, reports Re/code , with a Sprint representative saying the company's inventory is "extremely limited." Recent Mac and iOS Blog Stories
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SwiftKey's iOS 8 Keyboard Hits One Million Downloads in Under 24 Hours Posted: 18 Sep 2014 10:20 AM PDT Earlier today, we highlighted how a number of new third-party systemwide keyboard for iOS 8 are topping the App Store charts, with SwiftKey Keyboard [Direct Link] displacing Facebook Messenger from the top spot on the free iPhone app chart in the United States. Moving beyond the charts to look at raw download numbers, the success of these new keyboards is even more clear, with SwiftKey telling MacRumors that its iOS 8 keyboard has just passed one million downloads in less than 24 hours.
SwiftKey is certainly benefiting from its positioning as a free app compared to competitors such as Swype and Fleksy, but it offers users a good opportunity to try out an alternative to Apple's default keyboard. SwiftKey will continue to upgrade its keyboard over time, no doubt at some point adding in premium features to generate income for the company. Recent Mac and iOS Blog Stories
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