Skip to main content

iPhone

See All Stories

Introduced in 2007 by Steve Jobs, iPhone is Apple's flagship iOS device and easily its most popular product around the world. The iPhone runs iOS and includes a large collection of mobile apps through the App Store.

iPhone 9to5Mac

Introduced in 2007 by Steve Jobs, iPhone is Apple’s flagship iOS device and easily its most popular product around the world. Software wise, it runs iOS and includes a large collection of mobile apps through the App Store.

Since its introduction, Apple has released at least one new phone every single year. In recent years, that has typically been in the fall. iPhones are sold through multiple retail channels including Apple Stores, cellular stores, Best Buy, and other major electronic retailers. iPhones can be bought with a single up front payment, financed through the iPhone Upgrade Program, or financed through a cellular carrier.

Apple’s smartphone has become much more than just a phone since its debut. The iPhone can act as your primary camera, music player, GPS device, email client, mobile banking system, messaging device, movie player, and much more.

Current Lineup for 2019:

Discontinued Models:

Read below for all of our coverage

iPhone maker Foxconn has replaced more than half its workforce with robots since iPhone 6 launch

The South China Morning Post reports that iPhone maker Foxconn has replaced more than half of its workforce with robots since the launch of the iPhone 6. The figures were provided by the local government in Kunshan, where the company is based.

“The Foxconn factory has reduced its employee strength from 110,000 to 50,000, thanks to the introduction of robots. It has tasted success in reduction of labour costs,” said the department’s head Xu Yulian … 


Expand
Expanding
Close

Review: OtterBox uniVERSE iPhone case integrates popular accessories as modular components

For the last week or so I’ve been playing with a new OtterBox product called the uniVERSE case. It’s a modular system that allows users to swap in and out various accessories that are made to slickly mount to the case.

The company has partnered with makers of various smartphone products— camera lenses, speakers, tripods, card readers, battery packs, etc— and each has made a module that easily attaches to the new uniVERSE case.


Expand
Expanding
Close

Apple hit with dumbest patent troll claims yet: ‘iPhone makes phone calls & sends emails’

Making a phone call: one of several claimed patent infringements …

Patent trolls – companies that buy old patents purely to sue companies for claimed infringements – love to get their hands on very generic patents, as those give them the maximum number of possible targets. But Texas-based Corydoras Technologies LLC wins the prize for the dumbest claims yet against Apple. It is alleging, among other things, that the iPhone infringes its patents by making phone calls and sending emails …


Expand
Expanding
Close

9to5Toys Last Call: True Skate iOS game free, iPhone 6/s Wallet Case $12, Acer 32-inch WQHD Monitor $370, more

Keep up with the best gear and deals on the web by signing up for the 9to5Toys Newsletter. Also, be sure to check us out on: TwitterRSS FeedFacebookGoogle+ and Safari push notifications.

TODAY’S CAN’T MISS DEALS:

Last Call Updates:

National Streaming Day: I finally cut the cord and haven’t looked back, here’s how I pulled it off…

True Skate sim app for iOS goes free for the first time this year (Reg. $2)

Smartphone Accessories: Verus Damada Wallet Cases for iPhone 6/s & Galaxy S7/Edge $12 Prime shipped, more

Outfit your new iPhone SE or iPad Pro with one of these stylish cases from just $3 shipped

Daily Deals: Acer 32-inch WQHD Monitor w/ 2 HDMI inputs $370, Samsung 55-inch 4K LED Smart Ultra HDTV (Refurb) $600, more

Make the leap to 4K w/ Dell’s 27-inch LED Ultra HD Monitor for $450 shipped (Reg. $500+)

Apple’s most powerful standard config MacBook Pro gets a big price drop: $1,940 shipped (Reg. $2499)

Save $399 on Apple’s 15-inch 256GB Retina MacBook Pro, now $1,600 w/ free shipping

Best Buy hands Apple’s 9.7-inch iPad Pro its first significant discount, 128GB model now $650

Apple 12-inch MacBook 1.1GHz/8GB/256GB (2015): $899.99 shipped (Orig. $1,299)

App Store Free App of the Week: Pull My Tongue goes free for the first time ($1 value)

Transistor action-RPG for iOS once again matching its lowest price yet: $3 (Reg. $10)

Awesome Note 2 task/calendar app for iPhone, Apple Watch and iPad: $2 (Reg. $4)

iTunes $50 Gift Card for $42.50 shipped – save 15% on games, apps, subscriptions, more

Review: We flew DJI’s impressive Phantom 4 drone towards a wall at 20MPH and nothing happened

MORE NEW GEAR FROM TODAY:

Pick up a refurb VIZIO Sound Bar for your HDTV in today’s Amazon Gold Box, prices start at $60 shipped

MORE DEALS STILL ALIVE:

Boost your iPhone’s battery w/ mophie’s juice pack reserve case for $40 Prime shipped (Reg. $60)

Roundup: The best power strips w/ USB ports to quickly (and safely!) charge all of your devices

NEW PRODUCTS & MORE:

Roboterra’s K’NEX-like coding system aims to empower young engineers

Declining sales and growth of Chinese brands sees iPhone’s worldwide market share drop three points

Apple’s falling sales coupled to strong growth from emerging Chinese brands saw the iPhone’s worldwide market share drop just over three points from 17.9% in the first quarter of 2015 to 14.8% in the same quarter this year, according to Gartner.

Although a saturated smartphone market is part of the challenge faced by Apple, global smartphone sales did continue to grow, by 3.9% to 349M units.

Market leader Samsung also saw its share fall in the same period …


Expand
Expanding
Close

Infuse 4.2 update for iOS + tvOS adds Library View on Apple TV, Spotlight search, and more

We’ve covered Infuse a few times — a slick media player for iOS devices and as of late last year the new Apple TV. Today the apps are getting updates to version 4.2, bringing a handful of notable features to both the iOS and tvOS apps.

The highlights include a new Library View with Smart Filters on Apple TV and Spotlight search on iPhones and iPads, but there is a long list of other new features and improvements for both.


Expand
Expanding
Close

Apple opening new office in India to develop Apple Maps, creating up to 4000 jobs

In a press release, Apple has announced it is opening a new development office in Hyderabad, India. The team located here will apparently focus on improving Apple Maps, which is deeply integrated across Apple’s hardware and software as dedicated apps and embedded in other services, like Siri. The new center will create up to 4000 new jobs in the local economy. It is currently unclear as to the nature of the workforce, as Apple has preferred to keep its core software engineering team in California with most working solely in Cupertino.


Expand
Expanding
Close

Bezel-free iPhone a step closer as third Apple patent published for Touch ID sensor embedded in display

Concept image: Martin Hajek for Computer Bild

Concept designers have been creating renderings of bezel-free iPhones – where the display extends all the way to the edges of the phone – for years now. One major barrier to realizing this vision has, of course, been the Home button with its embedded Touch ID sensor.

Third-party companies have already developed transparent fingerprint sensors capable of being embedded into a smartphone display, and an Apple patent filed in March of last year but only published yesterday describes the exact same approach …


Expand
Expanding
Close

Purported iPhone 7 images show new tapered antenna design, possible laser auto-focus feature

Site default logo image

Leaks regarding the iPhone 7 have been plentiful so far this year. We’ve seen a handful of schematic drawings, component pictures, and a few purported photos of the device itself. Now, another set of images has appeared on Chinese social media site Weibo claiming to show the upcoming 4.7-inch iPhone 7 variant. As has been reported in the past, the design is largely similar to that of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6s, but with a few tweaks. (via LettemSvetemApplem).


Expand
Expanding
Close

UBI Research forecast adds fuel to idea that only larger iPhones will get OLED screens initially

Site default logo image

iPhone concept: Yasser Farahi/Ovalpicture

With most reports now agreeing that Apple will switch to OLED displays in iPhones in either 2017 or 2018 (but no consensus yet on which of the two years), UBI Research has now added fuel to the idea that not all models will benefit from the new screen technology.

The Korea Herald reports the firm’s president and chief analyst suggesting numbers that indicate a gradual rollout across models.

Lee Choong-hoon predicted an OLED iPhone with a curved screen would debut in 2018, saying OLED models would make up 30 percent or 100 million units of total iPhone shipments in the year and the figure could surge to 80 percent by 2020.

While the 30% figure could be explained by Apple launching its new iPhones late in the year, the ‘80% by 2020’ number would mean Apple continuing to manufacture some new models with the older IPS LCD screen tech for some time to come …


Expand
Expanding
Close

Tim Cook visits China, speaks with app developers, takes a taxi using Didi Chuxing

Tim Cook Apple Didi Chuxing

As reported earlier, Apple CEO Tim Cook is visiting Beijing, China this week. The earlier Reuters report suggested Cook was intending to talk with government officials about company matters amidst increasing tensions between the country and Apple, following trademark disputes and the ban on iTunes Movies and iBooks content.

On Monday, though, Cook met with Chinese app developers at an Apple Store. The talk was hosted by Jean Lui, president of taxi company Didi Chuxing, of which Apple has invested $1 billion dollars. A plethora of Chinese app publishers were in attendance, including a Groupon-esque clone ‘Meituan’,  photo app MeituPic, news provider Toutia.com, cooking app DayDayCook and game developer Tap4Fun (via CNBC).


Expand
Expanding
Close

KGI: Apple’s full iPhone 7 Plus 5.5-inch lineup to adopt dual camera, 3GB of RAM

Contrary to a previous report, KGI’s Ming-Chi Kuo now believes Apple’s next-generation 5.5-inch iPhone, likely to be called the iPhone 7 Plus, will have a dual back camera across the whole line. Previously, KGI is quoted as saying only the high end configurations of the iPhone would adopt the new camera technology:


Expand
Expanding
Close

9to5Toys Last Call: 12” MacBook (2016) $1,199, iPhone 6/s Battery Case $24, 2-Pack MFi Lightning Cables $7, more

Keep up with the best gear and deals on the web by signing up for the 9to5Toys Newsletter. Also, be sure to check us out on: TwitterRSS FeedFacebookGoogle+ and Safari push notifications.

TODAY’S CAN’T MISS DEALS:

Last Call Updates:

Spigen Apple Watch 42mm Cases in two styles: $5 Prime shipped (Reg. up to $15)

[tweet https://twitter.com/9to5toys/status/728662759391543296 align=’center’]

apple-macbook-12-inch-laptop-with-retina-display-rose-gold-256-gb-newest-version

Apple MacBook 12-Inch Laptop (Newest Version) with Retina Display Rose Gold: $1,199 shipped ($100 off, tax in NY)

Apple 11-inch MacBook Air 1.6GHz/4GB/128GB (latest version) for $700 shipped (Reg. $899)

Apple 12-inch MacBook (Early 2015) 1.1GHz/8GB/256GB $930 shipped (Orig. $1,299)

Charge your iPhone 6/s on-the-go w/ this RAVPower 3000mAh 2A MFi Battery Case for $24 Prime shipped (Reg. $36)

Smartphone Accessories: 2-pack RAVPower MFi Lightning Cables $7, 12000mAh Car Jump Starter $43more

Anker 3-ft reinforced Lightning cable (multiple colors): $8 Prime shipped (Reg. $10)

App Store Free App of the Week: Camera Plus w/ AirSnap goes free for the first time in months (Reg. $2)

Grand Theft Auto iOS Sale: Liberty City Stories $3, China Town Wars $3, San Andreas $4, more

Best Buy’s latest Apple sale takes $100 off iPad mini 4, up to $100 off Apple Watch & $25 off Apple TV

MORE NEW GEAR FROM TODAY:

Games/Apps: Brave Guardians TD Free, Star Walk 2 $1, Hitman Absolution $10, iOS freebies, more

MORE DEALS STILL ALIVE:

Take to the skies w/ DJI’s Phantom 3 Standard Quadcopter for $399 (Reg. $499), Professional $779 (Reg. $999)

NEW PRODUCTS & MORE:

Straight out of Chicago, this mid-century modern Bluetooth stereo cabinet is beautiful

Report: Tim Cook to visit China later this month to meet government officials

Reuters is reporting that Apple CEO Tim Cook will visit China later in May to meet with government officials and address current tensions between Apple and China, seen by many as the main driver of revenue growth for the company going forward.

Apple has faced some significant setbacks in China in the last few weeks. The company has had to stop selling iBooks and iTunes Movies in the region following new governmental policy that restricts online publishing. Apple also ceded exclusive rights to the iPhone trademark after losing a court case, although it plans to appeal.


Expand
Expanding
Close

Apple Music adds student membership subscription at 50% discount, $4.99 per month

Apple is today introducing an Apple Music plan aimed at students. The service is identical in features to the standard plan but rather than paying $9.99 per month, qualifying students can subscribe to Apple Music for $4.99 per month. The offering is rolling out today in the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia and more countries (via TechCrunch). Prices vary per region but the discount should be around 50% of the normal Apple Music price.

To qualify, students must be currently attending an eligible university or college and gain the discount for up to four years. Apple has partnered with UNiDAYs to verify people who sign up to the student plan are legitimate students attending a school.


Expand
Expanding
Close

Apple will appeal loss of iPhone trademark rights at China’s highest court

In a statement, Apple has said that it will appeal a Chinese trademark ruling which saw the company lose exclusive rights to the iPhone name, allowing other Chinese companies to use the name for leather goods products. Obviously, the iPhone is Apple’s cash cow so the initial ruling was a big blow allowing legal dilution of its most-valuable brand.

Apple will take the appeal to the Supreme People’s court, the highest court in the Chinese law system …


Expand
Expanding
Close

Moog brings its $10,000 Model 15 synth to iPad and iPhone w/ new $30 app

Moog Music has been known for producing some of the most popular synthesizers since the 70s— we reviewed a couple of the newer models in our Logic Pros series and noted that iPad/Mac synths still can’t quite capture the experience of even a $1,000 Moog. But today Moog is releasing its own iPad and iPhone version of its popular $10,000 Model 15, aiming to offer a similar experience in a $30 mobile app. 

Moog’s own techs helped program the app at the Moog Factory in Asheville, NC, according to the company, with the app both resembling the look and sound of the original 1970’s Model 15 hardware:


Expand
Expanding
Close

Apple loses right to exclusive use of iPhone trademark in China after losing court case

Apple has lost the right to the exclusive name of the iPhone trademark in China after the Beijing Municipal High People’s Court ruled against the company. Apple retains the right to the trademark for electronic goods, but a local company that has been using the name for leather goods remains able to do so.

The ruling was reported by Legal Daily, which the BBC says ‘is widely recognised as the official mouthpiece for the country’s Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission.’

The trademark dispute over the iPhone trademark has been a long-running one in the country …


Expand
Expanding
Close

iPhone tops TIME’s list of most influential gadgets of all time

Site default logo image

TIME Magazine today released its list of the 50 most influential gadgets of all time and Apple appears on the list more than once. At the top of the list, however, is the iPhone. TIME says the iPhone is the most influential gadget of all time because of it “fundamentally changed our relationship to computing and information.”


Expand
Expanding
Close