iPhone 6 Plus Sells Out: Apple’s Biggest iPhone Launch Ever?

Anyone who can appreciate technology (or those who live within the Apple ecosystem) was on edge watching Apple’s recent keynote speech in which Tim Cook and team launched two iPhones and the long awaited Apple Watch. Launching 3 products in an extreme task of design and engineering, especially when you are creating a device this technologically advanced.

Pre-orders for the device began Friday September 12th on all national carriers in which Apple has agreements. With a starting price of $199 for the iPhone 6 and $299 for the iPhone 6 Plus most experts agreed that the iPhone 6 would sell out before the Plus. The release of a larger iPhone is a first for Apple much less the release of two larger iPhones, one being 5.5 inches far beyond Jobs’ idea of the “perfect device”.

Well…

The iPhone 6 Plus has sold out on all major carriers including Sprint, Verizon, and AT&T within the United states. One is to wonder how fast the remaining stock will sellout when overseas pre-orders begin on September 26th.

Luckily those in our team were able to get a few iPhone 6 Plus orders placed before the sellout and we’ll be sure to show everyone a complete tear down of Apple’s new creation. We will also have an iPhone 6 (4.7 inch, Space Grey).  We are current stocking replacement parts and working on iPhone 6 Repairs for our local Lehigh Valley customers and our national corporate clients. We will begin offering online repairs within 2-4 weeks after the initial release date in order to ensure we can deploy the new devices to those clients whom are part of our program.

We will have the tear down of both new iPhones coming soon!

Apple’s Keynote: The Aftermath of Success

September 9th: A Date To Remember
Well that was by far the greatest keynote presentation Apple has ever done in the history of the company. As we posted a blog last month about the significance of the September 9th date we had a feeling this was going to be a knockout punch presentation, and boy it was!

Let’s try to recap everything that just happened, this may prove difficult with the bomb that Tim and the team at Apple just dropped.

New iPhone 6 & iPhone 6 Plus
We predicted the iPhone 6 4.7 inch and had rumors of stalled production of the 5.5 inch version of the iPhone. Apple had everyone fooled this time and now that I think about it all the leaks for the 4.7 inch iPhone make complete sense. It kept the rumor mill churning while keeping their real vendetta (the 5.5 and the iWatch) under wraps.

A few of the other features of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus:

• A faster Apple A8 processor, which Apple claims is 25 percent faster than the previous processor.
• A better battery life than the iPhone 5s.
• “Ion-strengthened” Retina HD resolution displays.
• The iPhone 6 is only 6.8 millimeters thick and the iPhone 6 Plus is 7.1 millimeters — both thinner than the 7.6-millimeter iPhone 5s.
• An improved FaceTime camera capable of HDR photo and video, and burst mode for selfies.
• A new NFC payment system called Apple Pay that lets people pay with their iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.

So as most of you know Apple is releasing not one, but two iPhone models. One model boasts a 4.7 inch screen while the other is sporting a 5.5 inch screen. One statistic that had me pretty impressed was the new A8 processor and the fact that this iPhone is 50 (yes, 50) times faster than the first iPhone. The graphics that can be rendered with this new iPhone are better then the next generation gaming consoles…yes you read that correctly…amazing.

As we predicted the power button has been moved to the right side of the device assisting in one hand operation. A double touch of the touch ID sensor lowers the controls of iOS 8.0 to the middle of the screen allowing seamless operation with one hand.

The iPhone 6 Plus was also announced with a 5.5 inch screen and the same internal specs of the iPhone 6. Both models kept the 8MP camera but as with Apple the internals of the camera have been completely upgraded allowing for 120FPS and 240FPS slow motion recording. That is unheard of for most cameras much less a camera on a mobile device.

That’s an amazing improvement proving that megapixels are not a factor in true HD recording or picture taking. A feature that was announced early in the keynote speech was the landscape function for the operating system. This allows you to use your home screen in landscape mode as seen below.

Along with these two model iPhones the new operating system has more than a handful of new features that are far ahead of any other smartphone on the market. We will write a full blog on the software features in a separate write-up in order to cover the full details (because there’s a lot!).

Pre-orders for both the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus begin on September 12th, both devices are expected to sell out within 24 hours.

The iPhone 6 will start at $199 with a two-year contract, while the iPhone 6 Plus will start at $299. Pre-orders begin on September 12, with phones actually shipping on September 19. The pricing is impressive, with all the new technology, the Retina HD display, the processor, etc. we are very impressed that Apple was able to keep the same general pricing when using an upgrade through your service provider. Did we mention that the new iPhones will both be available in 128GB storage form factors?!

Just as the crowd thought the product releases were over, Tim took the stage and told the audience “We have one more thing…”. At this point I was praying and hoping that the iWatch had finally become a reality and boy has it ever! The iWatch is absolutely stunning. With the features of this device alone are worth a completely separate writeup in order to provide all of the details. The iWatch will be available in two different sizes with a sapphire crystal display sporting a flexible Retina HD screen. Apple’s first foray into wearables will be available “early next year” for $349.

We will have our hands full covering all of the new features on the iWatch as well as iOS 8 so stay tuned and don’t forget to pre-order your choice of the new iPhone!

iPhone 6 Final Predictions

Final predictions:

iPhone6 with a 4.7inch screen, unibody design, iOS8.0, Apple’s Health book, 3MP FaceTime camera moved back to the left side of the earpiece, rear camera larger lens with iSight technology (not expecting higher MP since their chip technology doesn’t need it for better photos), 2,100 mAh battery, and of course touch ID.

Personally I don’t think sapphire production is yielding what it needs to be for profitable displays. My final prediction is if we see a sapphire display it will be for a smaller screened iWatch but will be appearing on iPhones in the near future.

As I’ve said for the last few months after reviewing the sheer size (in GB) of iOS 8.0 and the size of current apps I don’t predict Apple to release a 16GB version. If they do they will skip the 32GB version and go straight to 64GB & the mother of all storage: 128GB. Many people have debated with me on this prediction but I’m holding firm, we will see a 128GB iPhone today.

Watch the live keynote here:
http://engt.co/apple9914

Let’s see what happens!

Josh
Mobile Genius

iPhone 6 Release September 9th?

Apple’s Event: Why September 9th?

iPhone 6, The iWatch?

Over the last 5 years we’ve been fortunate enough to follow the iPhone rumor mill and utilize our contacts overseas at times to validate or disclaim statements throughout the industry. 

With these contacts and our dedicated team we’ve been able to accomplish some amazing things. We were the first U.S. company to have a white iPhone 4 in the early stages of our startup and the first in the world to have an iPhone 5 ahead of major players in the industry. 

Most of those who follow the mill know about this but those whom don’t: 5 days ago an insanely credible (we can vouch for the last 5 years) source stated that Apple will hold it’s next big event on September 9th. 

This source also informed that this event will result in the release of the iPhone 6 as well as the iWatch. We’ve spoke about the iWatch for almost 2 years now, jeez rumors mills are traps!

So let’s break it down:
Credible source states September 9th event (not yet announced by Apple). 
Event will announce two devices both the larger 4.7 inch iPhone 6 as well as the rumored curved display iWatch. 
We can take this as 99% correct as this source has had a 100% success rate over the last half a decade. 
Almost all of the industry companies are reported these statements as in fact true knowing the source of information.
 
An earlier release date accomplishes a few positive business strategies for Apple:
More time to sell units before the end of the last quarter holiday sales goals.
Create more full priced sales within it’s own retail environment than through service providers due to conflicting upgrade dates. 
Close the gap between iPhone and iPad releases as the company wants customers to utilize both devices daily.
So Why Is September 9th Important?

Apple has used this date only twice in the history of the company and both times were iPod related. Coincidently the two times they used this date two revolutionary products were released, the iPod and iTunes. This date is much earlier than any past iPhone release. With both Foxconn and Petragon both full filling Apple’s 90 million unit order we are wondering if we will see a higher failure or defect rate than usual. We have noticed the difference in quality of the internals of the current iPhones assembled by Petragon. 

As usual we can all assume the new iPhone will be faster, thinner, lighter, etc, etc as is always the case but from where we stand now with facts and rumors this new release should be a game changing device. 

We reported last year that Apple had purchased some pretty pricey machines that were made to produce a curved piece of glass. After they were purchased not much more news surfaced but for the time being we concluded that this was for the iWatch project. 

We’ve now learned over the last couple years those machines were used in an attempt to create curved glass screens for an iWatch prototype with little success. The failure lied with the final product of the process with either: the product or the process, soon after the idea of curved glass was scraped. The team at Apple seeked an alternative solution and sapphire kept popping up internally and the decision was made that Apple was going to make this happen. 

Problems they face is the high cost and low yield of production, the long timeframe to construct a facility, and the ability to even produce a large enough piece of flawless sapphire. 

The solution? Find a partner who has all of the above. Apple know there’s no need to reinvent the wheel. This brings on Apple’s relationship with GT Technologies. 

The relationship with GT Technologies is a public one, something Apple isn’t used to doing. For those who don’t know about GT: They are a sapphire manufacturer that Apple outfitted with all of its sapphire needs. While the 5S home button is sapphire a company wouldn’t make that large of a move strategically to lower the cost or innovate upon the home button alone. This material although not crack proof is worlds of difference than what Apple has used in the past.

The timeframe of this partnership either shows there’s now a product made or damn close to it. As a company we can say sapphire is coming to iDevices. What does this mean for repair shops? 

Diversify. Also purchase authentic sapphire for screen replacements. This will definitely be a glass only repair. Don’t cheapen your product for the sake of short term profit.

iFixit “Owners” Toolkit How To: Thin as a Quarter

As a smartphone and tablet repair shop owner (especially those with multiple locations) you already have plenty to carry around with you on a daily basis. Everything from a laptop, tablets, files, external hard drives, battery backups, business cards, snacks, etc. seem to make any work bag scream at the seams. 

Most owners carry a toolkit with them at all times only adding to the bulk of your daily carry bag. Personally I am always looking for ways to minimize what I carry. When my bag simply couldn’t hold any more items (currently carrying: 15″ i7 MacBook Pro, iPad Mini, note pad, file folders, spare contacts, mints, business cards, business checks, Mophie block, USB cables, Square reader, highlighters & pens, B2B materials, and I’m sure I’m missing a few things) I decided to perform my annual “purge” of items. 

My preferred toolkit is a Pro Kit from iFixit:

(we all know they’re the best!) but it was causing massive space issues, so I made some modifications with the goal of achieving a thickness of a quarter (maybe a penny?) or less.

The first thing I did was to inventory the iFixit kit and focused on the following:

• What do I need in case of emergency repairs while managing my B2B clients
• What do I have at each store that I can use if I’m at a location
• What can I afford to not carry daily when driving my usual 100+ miles

This resulted in removing the ESD wrist strap (as we have plenty, everywhere) and substituted this with a pair of blue gloves (the best of the best if your searching for the right brand).

Now, we have plenty of gloves at each location but off-site these are a must and it’s much easier than carrying an entire box with you everywhere you go.

The next thing I can “afford to lose” is the plastic driver/bit case in the center of the kit. This is the main culprit when it comes to decreasing the thickness of the kit overall. I know, I know if I take this out then what am I going to use for drivers and bits? I’m not insane (well, not on paper) let’s keep rocking here…

I can simply put the driver in the right pocket and the most popular bits (you won’t have them all but you’ll have enough!) in the bottom left pocket since I now have room without the ESD wrist strap in play. You can even create your own “mix of bits” in each rubberized holder creating even more options at your disposal.

Since iFixit has the great rubber bit holders they fit well and there’s no worrying about losing one bit due to it slipping out of the kit rushing out of one place to goto another.

With all of this done I was pretty happy with the results. I have everything I could possibly need if something were to go haywire while I’m in between locations and/or clients. Best of all the end result is thinner than a Quarter and fits perfectly in my “daily carry” work bag.

It can even be as thin as a penny if you give it a good flattening lol.

If anyone has done this drop a comment below and let me know what your carrying daily versus what I have here. The best results always come from different sources, and remember two brains are better than one!

As always keep rockin!
Josh MacGown
Josh@FixMyiPhone.com