Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak has not worked at the company he created with Steve Jobs for nearly three decades, but his thoughts are still well respected within the tech community. In a recent interview with CNN at Capital One’s new Innovation Center in Plano, Texas, he offered up his latest opinion: Apple should have made a larger iPhone three years ago.
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If imitation truly is the sincerest form of flattery, then the designers at Lenovo must adore the iPhone 6.
Samsung has caught a lot of flak for—and been taken to court over—some of its iPhone-like smartphone design choices, but nothing the Korean company has ever produced comes close to the shamelessly derivative Lenovo S90. Not only does the S90 seem to take more than a few design cues from Apple’s latest smartphone, but its entire advertising campaign seems to be a carbon copy of Apple’s own.
Take, for example, the image above (found on Weibo, via PhoneArena). If it looks a little familiar to you, that might be because it’s the exact same thing you’ll find on Apple’s iPhone webpage. There are about ten of these images total, and nearly all of them look like they were ripped right from Apple’s website.
The latest numbers from advertising company Chitika Insights show that iPad web usage in North America rose nearly 2% in September, marking a slight increase over the third quarter. Chitika found the iPad to have a 79.9% share of tablet web traffic in the United States and Canada during the month, compared to a 78.0% share reported in July.
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Apple has overtaken Samsung as the mobile brand scoring highest in both awareness and loyalty in China, reports CNET. Samsung had previously held the top slot in the China Brand Power Index since 2012 …
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Samsung decided to publish an editorial on the history of portable audio devices today and it conveniently leaves out Apple and the iPod. It instead jumps straight from cassette players to the company’s first MP3 Player, the Samsung YEPP (You remember the Samsung YEPP, right?). Who needed to wait two more years for an iPod when you could hold a whole 10 4-minute songs on your 40MB YEPP?
Samsung then jumps to smartphones: “Starting in 2006, as smartphones became more prominent, and featured a music player function, MP3 players started to phase out.” iPhone? What iPhone?
Samsung points out support for 24 bit, 192kHz audio in the new Galaxy Note 4 music player, the one thing that Apple doesn’t yet support. It’s also the one thing that the majority of consumers, apart from audiophiles, simply don’t care about.
The WSJ is reporting that Apple’s iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus went on preorder in South Korea on Friday, following their official launch this Friday, October 31st, as part of the next wave of iPhone rollouts. Analyst estimates show that presales for the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus topped 100,000 units. By comparison, Samsung’s Galaxy Note 4 recorded a third of that number (around 30,000) in preorders in a similar timeframe when it launched in September.
iPhone assembler Foxconn is apparently hoping to move beyond its relatively low-margin work into more profitable high-end component manufacturing in order to take a bigger slice of revenue from Apple, reports the WSJ.
Apple Inc.’s major assembler Foxconn is in preliminary discussions with a provincial government in northern China for an investment in a new factory that would make high-end screens for iPhones and other mobile devices, people familiar with the talks say.
Foxconn already manufactures some iPhone components, but currently only low-margin ones like metal casings and cables …
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Today we’re going to be comparing Apple’s iPhone 6 Plus to Samsung’s Galaxy Note 4. I realized that there are a limited range of “comparisons” that can happen between these two devices, but we’re going to touch on some of the most important factors between the two such as design, software, features, and cameras.
I’m not going to make this a battle between iOS and Android as many people have their own preferences which lead them to one platform or another. Either way, these two devices are shaping up to be the most coveted large screen smartphones of 2014 and it makes sense to compare them and help you make an informed decision…
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrhCz6PnT78]
You might have thought the whole iPhone 6 Bendgate controversy had been put to bed following extensive testing and responses from Apple, but Samsung wants you to know that, unlike the new iPhones, its new Galaxy Note 4 won’t bend in your back pocket:
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At a press conference, ZDNet says that Samsung president of the company’s semiconductor arm is looking forward to reversing its profit forecasts when it starts producing chips for Apple using its next-generation technology.
Kim Ki-nam, president of the Korean electronic giant’s semiconductor business and head of System LSI business, told reporters at Samsung’s headquarters in Seoul that once the company begins to supply Apple with chips using its latest technology, profits “will improve positively”.
Samsung is expected to start producing application processors (APs) for clients such as Apple, Qualcomm, and AMD, using its 14-nanometre process around the end of the year.
Effectively, Samsung has all but confirmed that it is signed up to manufacture Apple’s next-generation SoC for iPhones and iPads, likely named ‘A9’, probably using a 14 nanometer process. The current A8 chip is produced using 20 nanometer fabrication, with most orders being taken by TSMC.
Be sure to follow 9to5Toys to keep up with the best gear and deals on the web: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+ and Safari push notifications.
Today’s can’t miss deals:
Headphones: Bose SIE2i Sport in-ears (multiple colors) $100 (orig. $150), Harman Bluetooth over-ears (refurb) $99 (orig. $250), more
Daily Deals: Samsung Mono Laser Printer: $100, Creative Bluetooth speaker: $30, more
Apple 32GB WiFi iPads: Air (Silver or Space Gray) $490 (reg. $599), mini (Space Gray) $280 (orig. $429)
Ends today! ZAGG 20% off sitewide coupon: iPhone 6/6 Plus protection from $12 http://t.co/qDq5r01bcc pic.twitter.com/F61gzJacAG
— 9to5Toys (@9to5toys) September 30, 2014
Relonch accessory camera lets your iPhone 5/6 take “magazine-class” photos
Pebble Smart Watch for Apple and Android $100 (Reg. $150), Moto 360 Stone Leather: $250
Small States: Owen & Fred send a message and look good doing it, giveaway worth $412, 10% promo code
Other new deals:
“@amazon: Need a portable charger for your new phone? Check out this 77% off Lightning Deal http://t.co/5JSqkYZCny pic.twitter.com/nlgStFHgpa”
— 9to5Toys (@9to5toys) September 30, 2014
More deals still alive:
Back in stock! Seagate Expansion 2TB USB 3 portable hard drive: $80 shipped http://t.co/Zj4X2GK4oO
— 9to5Toys (@9to5toys) September 30, 2014
More iPhone 6/6 Plus deals, accessories, and trade offers:
New products/ongoing promos:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHEmO-kRCSs?feature=player_detailpage]
Apple’s new iPhones have sold quite well, but their launch hasn’t exactly been smooth sailing. From hardware issues to botched software, the Cupertino-based software giant has had a lot on its plate over the past few days and of course critics have been quite vocal about the company’s recent challenges. Recently, late night TV funny man Conan O’Brien joined in on the Apple ribbing by putting together a bogus Samsung ad that offers a solution to troubled iPhone owners.
The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus cameras have taken joint first place in the influential DxOMark Mobile ranking of smartphone cameras – three points ahead of the two Android smartphones which previously headed the list, the Samsung Galaxy S5 and Sony Xperia Z3.
DxO Labs tests the image quality of literally thousands of cameras from entry-level smartphones to professional DSLRs, and is considered by many in the photography field to be the definitive database. The company said that Apple has “set the gold standard for smartphone image quality” …
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Apple has once again retained its top spot in the annual American Customer Satisfaction Index in the personal computers category – though three points down on its 2013 score. Apple has now held top billing for eleven straight years.
The ASCI continues to lump computers and tablets into the same category, so the scores reflect satisfaction with both Macs and iPads. Scores reflect customer expectations pre-sale, perceived quality, perceived value, customer complaint incidents and customer loyalty …
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Apple may be struggling to meet demand for the iPhone 6 Plus, but the effort will be worthwhile according to some number-crunching by IHS cited by Bloomberg: it makes an extra $84.50 in profit on the larger model.
It costs an additional $15.50 to make the larger iPhones, according to a breakdown by researchers at IHS, but the sticker price is $100 higher than the iPhone 6 […] The main difference in cost between the two phones comes from the supersize screen, which adds $7.50 to Apple’s production cost. The camera and battery subsystems also cost slightly more.
While everyone doing these analyses seems to come up with a different set of numbers (none of them having access to the actual deals negotiated by Apple so having to rely on a whole bunch of assumptions), everyone seems to agree that margins are significantly higher on the iPhone 6 Plus.
Samsung is said to be so worried by record sales of the new iPhones that it has brought forward the planned launch of the Galaxy Note 4 to September 26th, the same day Apple puts the iPhone 6/Plus on sale in 20 more countries.
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpx6r5FVXPo&start=47]
In iFixit’s ritual dismantling of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus last week, the repair company noted that Apple had started including rubber gaskets around the power and volume buttons likely in an effort to make the iPhone more water and dust resistant.
Similar gaskets surround the volume buttons. Altogether, this seems to represent a move toward increased water/dust resistance, and therefore improved durability.
iFixit
How did Apple do? Well iPhone warranty provider Squaretrade was able to dunk both the 6 and 6 Plus for 10 seconds without any real damage. While this is indeed nice to have, especially for those of us who like to take our iPhones with us to the pool, it is by no means a guarantee like Samsung and Sony have on some of their phones.
And then there is the toilet. If you are willing to go after your iPhone 6 within a few seconds, you might actually have a good chance at saving it.
The slightly amphibious nature of the iPhone 6 isn’t entirely new either. Previous iPhones have been able to go underwater for a few seconds (see iPhone 5c below) but as you can see buttons and features rapidly begin to fail.
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A product teardown of both the new 4.7-inch iPhone 6 and 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus devices last week confirmed earlier reports that Apple is indeed opting for TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company) to produce the 20nm, second generation 64-bit A8 chip that drives the new iPhones. Research firm IHS, however, has shared a teardown analysis report with Re/code that claims Samsung is still responsible for a fraction of Apple’s A8 chips produced.
Rassweiler said the processor he saw during the teardown was manufactured by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., the massive chip-factory-for-hire based in Taipei. […] Rassweiler says TSMC is manufacturing about 60 percent of the chips for Apple, while Samsung is still turning about about 40 percent.
Samsung has reportedly decided to move up the launch of its new Galaxy Note 4 smartphone following a positive reaction and strong first week sales from Apple’s new larger iPhones 6 models. The KoreaTimes cited an unnamed employee in Samsung’s marketing department who said “the positive reaction from consumers to those two Apple devices prompted us to launch the Note 4 earlier than previously scheduled.”
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As the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus hits retail and reaches customers today, the teardown process to find out exactly what’s inside of the new iPhones this year has already begun with iFixit kicking off their live stream of the process this morning and comparing the new battery sizes for the new devices. In addition to the usual list of internals you would expect to find in the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, though, and a more nuanced detail iFixit notes as discovered Chipworks.
Latest news from @Chipworks: The A8 processor was fabricated at TSMC and uses a 20 nm CMOS manufacturing process.
— iFixit (@iFixit) September 19, 2014
The second-generation 64-bit chip powering the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus that Apple calls the A8 is confirmed by Chipworks to have been fabricated by TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company) as we told you The Wall Street Journal reported in July.
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A DigiTimes report is claiming that Apple has rejected Samsung as a supplier of displays for the Apple Watch, and that all of them will be made by LG.
LG Display will supply Apple AMOLED panels for the Apple Watch, with shipments expected to reach about five million a month in 2015, according to sources at LG Display.
The company had been expected to split display production between the two companies, and the usual caution needs to be applied to DigiTimes stories, which rely on anonymous supply-chain sources.
The report claims Apple is hoping to sell upwards of 50 million smartwatches in 2015. Analyst estimates for sales of the Apple Watch range from 10M to 37M.
Apple has not yet given a launch date for the new device, stating only that it will go on sale “early next year.” The entry-level model will cost $349, but Apple has not revealed pricing for more expensive models. The top-of-the-range Edition models featuring solid gold cases are expected to go well into four figures.
Apple Watches will contain NFC chips that allow them to be used for mobile payment via Apple Pay with older iPhones. You’ll need to authorize the watch when you first put it on in the morning, and it will then remain validated for payment for as long as it remains in constant contact with your wrist.
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxhSnNZH3Rk]
Up is down, black is white. Bizarro.
Samsung was already taking shots at the iPhone 6 this morning with some new ads, but the Android handset maker has gone even further by releasing a set of new videos on YouTube today mocking everything from the iPhone 6 livestream problems to the device’s hardware (via Engadget). The ads are part of the “Note the Difference” campaign, and these specific videos belong to a playlist called “It Doesn’t Take a Genius.”
The ads feature two guys in blue shirts—the titular Apple Store “Geniuses”—discussing the upcoming device’s features (and lack of a stylus) and the companion Apple Watch. Each ends with a promotion for Samsung’s Galaxy Note 4 smartphone. You can check out all six ads in the playlist below:
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQopSbASO40]
The iPhone 6 leaks are coming fast and furious ahead of Tuesday’s event. This latest video is a supposed review of the iPhone 6 in Mandarin. We won’t know how legit it is for another 48 hours but it is certainly convincing.
One notable feature of these latest leaks is the Passbook (which they conveniently failed to open) icon which looks to have a Credit card on top. Update: The Weibo Account owner opened up Passbook and screenshotted (below)
A brief translation of the video from Stan1028 below (more in comments):
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A new report published today by non-profit organization Green America and industry watchdog China Labor Watch accuses Apple of various violations of Chinese labor laws at one of its suppliers in the country (via NYTimes). The investigation focused on Apple supplier Catcher Technology in Suqian, China and claims to have found violations similar to those found during an audit of the same supplier last year:
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