iPhone 6

Apple has implemented improved reservation procedures and policies for employees dealing with the iPhone 6 launch today at retail stores, but the launch at the company’s Hong Kong store hasn’t gone quite as smooth as elsewhere. The store was hit by protesters from the Students and Scholars Against Corporate Misbehavior (SACOM) and also required police to help disperse customers that had waited in line without reservations.

SACOM protested outside Apple’s Hong Kong stores with the banner pictured above reading, “iSlave, Harsher than Harsher, Still made in sweatshops.”  To go along with the protest today, SACOM has also published a new report titled “The Lives of iSlaves” that reveals recent findings from an almost 1-year long investigation of three factories run by Apple’s manufacturing partner Pegatron. SACOM says its key findings include various infractions related to labor laws at the facilities:
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With the iPhone 6 Plus teardown complete, iFixit has commenced work on disassembling the iPhone 6. Unsurprisingly, the internals are similar to that of the 6 Plus, but adjusted to fit in a smaller space. Whereas the 6 Plus can contain a humongous 2915 mAH battery, the iPhone 6 has a 1810 mAH rated battery. This is still an improvement over the ~1500 mAh component in the iPhone 5s, but is roughly inline with relative increases in screen size. Apple’s official battery life tests indicate that the iPhone 6 performs roughly as well (in some instances, better) than the iPhone 5s in terms of battery longevity.

Elsewhere, images of the components is sort of de ja vu from all the component leaks leading up to the phone’s unveiling. The larger speaker assembly makes an appearance, first leaked in August. Like its larger brother, the NFC tag in the phone is a modified version of a standard component.

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In keeping with tradition, iFixit has started its live teardown of the latest iPhone hardware (an iPhone 6 Plus in this case), revealing all of the device’s internal components for the first time. So far we’ve already seen a 2915 mAh battery, which provides the increased battery life in the much larger of the two models.

The company will likely teardown the smaller iPhone 6 once the Plus model has been fully disected. You can follow along as the company discovers what makes the new handsets tick over on iFixit.com. We’ll keep this post updated as they add new information.

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iPhone buyers have already started lining up around the world to wait for the launch of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, which just went on sale in Australian stores. From Perth, Australia to Fort Worth, Texas, hundreds of customers have already appeared outside Apple Stores and other retailers eager to get their hands on the new device.

Most Apple retail stores wll be opening at 8 AM local time. If you’re hoping to grab an iPhone 6 Plus, you may already be out of luck at many locations, as reports of very, very limited stock have been coming in.

Check out the photos and tweets from customers already in line. You can also send photos of the line at your local Apple Store to tips@9to5mac.com.

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So it’s finally here. Apple has released iOS 8 to the masses and as you would expect, a decent amount of features come along with that. We’ve previously detailed our favorite hidden features in iOS 8, but today we’re letting it all out. We’ve put together a list of our top 20 favorite iOS 8 features that you can look forward to after updating…

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Over 60% of 9to5Mac readers are on iOS 8 following yesterday’s public release, but that’s not surprisingly representative of all users. In fact, adoption of iOS 8 this year seems to be lagging further behind previous releases, especially last year’s record setting adoption rate for iOS 7. A quick look at the various advertisers and research firms tracking adoption through apps and device usage on their platforms shows iOS 8 is sitting at around half of what iOS 7 had during the same time period.
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Reuters is reporting that Apple has now received one of the two licences needed to allow it to sell the iPhone 6 in China. There is no word yet on the second licence required before the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus can be launched in this hugely important market.

Apple Inc’s iPhone 6 received regulatory approval for use on domestic frequencies but still requires one more critical licence before it may be sold in the country, the official Xinhua news agency reported on Thursday […]

Apple still needs to obtain a critical network access licence for the iPhone, after which sales may begin, Xinhua said …

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In iOS 8, Apple is adding support for third-party keyboards. This means that iOS users can finally replace the default stock Apple keyboard with a myriad of choices already available on the App Store.

Keyboards are tied with an app. There is not a separate ‘keyboard store’. To find a keyboard, you search in the iOS App Store like any other app. Once you have downloaded an app that contains a custom keyboard, you must then enable it in Settings. Go to Settings -> General -> Keyboards -> Add New Keyboard and select the new app. This is kind of annoying, since it forces every app to instruct you how to install their keyboard in case you are new to the concept.

With that out of the way, what are the best keyboards available for iOS 8 to download today? Read on for 9to5Mac’s comprehensive roundup.

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After more than three months in beta, iOS 8 brings actionable notifications, improved group chat support, new picture and voice messaging features in Messages, Continuity and Handoff, third-party Today widgets in Notification Center, sharing extensions and much more. Apple has released iOS 8 for almost all of its devices that run iOS 7. The full list of supported devices is as follows:

• iPhone 4s, iPhone 5, iPhone 5c, iPhone 5s, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus
• iPad 2, iPad 3, iPad with Retina Display, iPad mini, iPad Air, iPad mini with Retina Display
• iPod touch, fifth-generation

iOS 8 is now available as an over-the-air update or through iTunes. Go to Settings -> Software Update on your iOS device to update right now. Naturally, iOS 8 will come preinstalled on Apple’s latest iPhones, the 6 and the 6 Plus, when they are delivered later this week.

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Credit Suisse analysts have estimated that Apple is making a smaller margin on the iPhone 6 than on any previous model – but predicts that the impact will be offset by year-on-year revenue growth of 14 percent, reports Quartz.

The iPhone 6 costs Apple $350.60 to produce, all in. Apple typically receives $599 on the retail price of $649, leaving it with $248.40 in gross profit. That’s 41.5%. Still very healthy, but not at the levels of previous models.

In contrast, the iPhone 5s left Apple with $274.30, giving it a 45.8% margin. The two-year-old iPhone 5 gave Apple $293.70 per unit, or 49% …

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Time is reporting that, in contrast to the many rumors (and GTAT investor claims), Apple had never planned to use sapphire displays for the iPhone 6, and the company may not use it for future iPhones.

Some reports stated that up until a few weeks before the iPhone announcement, Apple was going to use sapphire but dropped it because of yield issues. This is not true. My sources tell me that sapphire was never targeted for the iPhone 6 or 6 Plus and its role in future iPhones hasn’t even been decided yet.

Speculation about sapphire displays for the iPhone 6 began when Apple built a major new manufacturing facility in Arizona last November. But Time‘s Tim Bajarin says that while the scratch-resistance of the material may have made it sound superficially appealing, there were no fewer than five reasons it would not have made sense to use the material for the iPhone 6 display …

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The WSJ revealed some iPhone 6 production numbers as Foxconn struggles to meet demand from pre-orders: the company is operating around 100 production lines around the clock, has 200,000 workers dedicated to production of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus – and is manufacturing 540,000 units a day.

“We have been churning out 140,000 iPhone 6 Plus and 400,000 iPhone 6 every day, the highest daily output ever, but the volume is still not enough to meet the preorders,” said a person familiar with the matter …

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Early reviews confirm that the iPhone 6 Plus has the same 1GB RAM as the iPhone 6. It had been suggested by some that the 5.5-inch model might have a higher spec, with 2GB RAM.

They reveal that both models of the iPhone 6 have identical specs bar the display, battery and optical stabilisation in the camera of the larger model (the 4.7-inch model having only electronic stabilisation) … 
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The iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus will finally be available to the public this Friday, September 19th, but early reviews of the two new devices have gone live this evening from several publications. The iPhone 6 is the biggest iPhone yet, coming in with a 4.7-inch display, while the iPhone 6 Plus packs an even larger 5.5-inch panel. Both of the models feature “Retina HD” displays. The internals of the devices have also been upgraded to include a new second generation 64-bit A8 chip that Apple claims is 25% faster CPU-wise than ever before and 50% faster graphically.

Both models of the new iPhone went up for pre-order this past Friday and Apple says the devices set an all-time pre-order sales record. You can read our round-up of all the product reviews below:

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The big day is almost here. After months of speculation, a momentous keynote from Tim Cook, and record preorders, the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus will officially hit store shelves this Friday. Apple is going to great lengths to ensure that Friday runs smoothly for its customers and employees.

We’ve tracked down Apple’s retail gameplan so you’ll know what to expect on launch day including what percentage of iPhones Apple Stores are required to hold back, refreshment times (Starbucks usually) and Personal Setup details …

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An employee at Apple’s manufacturing partner Foxconn has reportedly been detained by Chinese police over allegations the 40-year old man stole and sold iPhone 6 shells in the week’s leading up to the device’s unveiling. The report comes from The Wall Street Journal, which cites local reports from Communist Party-run newspaper Taihang Daily:
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