Finally, Apple now have made its move to have a new repair program for the plagued iPhone 6 Plus hardware malfunction we already know as the “touch disease”. For those who don’t know about it yet, the touch disease makes the touchscreen of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus specifically completely useless. This shows a thin grey line at the top of the display so it’s so easy to tell if your phone has it.
Though Apple already declared that it’s not a lack on their part but for the users who drops their iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus which causes this malfunctions. They don’t even want to repair these defective units for free and for those who would want it fixed, just pay Apple $149. That might not sit too well with the iPhone owners who filed class action lawsuits against Apple over the touch disease issue.
Apple says on its website,
“Apple has determined that some iPhone 6 Plus devices may exhibit display flickering or Multi-Touch issues after being dropped multiple times on a hard surface and then incurring further stress on the device. If your iPhone 6 Plus is exhibiting the symptoms noted above, is in working order, and the screen is not cracked or broken, Apple will repair your device for a service price of $149.”
Apple says those who have already paid for a service repair related to the issue are eligible for reimbursement equal to the difference between the original service repair cost and the new $149 price. The company says it has begun contacting those who have already paid for such a repair, but urges customers who think they’re affected to reach out and contact Apple Technical Support to expedite the process.
The problem that plagued the iPhone 7 users in the past few days is losing connection abruptly. Apple has a fix for that now via an update.
Apple just released an update today to fix the problems and from the complaints of thousands of Verizon customers who are plagued by their signals getting dropped and some weird issues with their GPS system on their iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. Update number 10.0.3 is available today to fix that cellular connectivity issues for the two new models. So if you have an older iPhone, you won’t have to install this one.
It’s still not clear as to what really is the issue with the phones’ communication radio but iPhone 7 users began complaining late last month and as October passed by, some devices are randomly dropping its LTE signal or just showing that dreaded NO SERVICE icon on top of the screen. This usually happens when users try to use Google Maps or Waze. This appears to be an issue mainly with how the phone interacted with Verizon’s network, and some users have theorized that it had to do with how the telecom handles transmitting voice and cellular data simultaneously. So toggling the “Enable LTE” function to “Data Only” in the settings panel seemed to temporarily solve the issue, according to Gizmodo.
Another theory suggests that this issue may be rooted from the basic flaw of how the new iPhone 7 is using iOS 10 to interact with any CDMA-based networks. These includes Verizon, Sprint, US Cellular and other international carriers. Some users of different networks have reported similar service problems, so this may have extended well beyond Verizon’s customer base. Whatever the true problem and its source, Apple has issued an official fix. So if you’re an iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus user who’s experienced wonky cell service over the course of the last month, check for an over-the-air software update.
Sydney, Australia – No iPhone 7 stocks for those waiting in line for hours outside of the Apple stores on the first day of release. What happened?
George St., Sydney, Australia – Aussie fans of the new iPhone 7 have been waiting for nearly 48 hours outside of the Apple Store in George St. just to be the first to have the latest Apple iPhone 7. This seems to be a lot of time lining up for a slab of aluminum and silicon but in a typical iPhone release date, this is just the norm.
Marcus Barsoum, a 16-year old is as disappointed as can be when an Apple staff informed him and the rest of the lining crowds of patrons that the new iPhone 7 Plus and the jet black iPhone 7 is already sold out. Yes, the jet black iPhone 7 that is super glossy and easily to be scratched is already out of stock due to online pre-orders.
Marcus and his three friends are already claiming the front of the line, swapping places when they had to go somewhere else. They had been offered $2500 to give up his spot in line but wasn’t trading it for anything.
When the announcement from the store came out that the options are going to be limited, it came out as very disappointing for the likes of Marcus who stood their grounds. According to him and his friends, they have missed a number of important school days just to wait in line. They are willing to spend that much time to stay in their line because they want to be the first to get the new iPhone.
They arrived at around 10AM on Wednesday morning and never left the line just taking turns when one has to leave. Marcus wanted the jet black iPhone 7 Plus. In fact, he already left twice to do an exam at school and just made his way back to the line they keep.
Marcus is no stranger to lining up for the iPhone launch, having been among the first 10 people to score the iPhone 6S last year and the 13th person to secure the iPhone 6 the year before.
Together with him are about 200 people who are queuing outside the Apple Store. Apparently, those who are by the end of the line have just been waiting an hour.
Only those who were quick enough to pre-order the Plus model will be lucky enough to get a September shipping date. Even if some models and color options will not be available, for those who would want a new iPhone 7 in any variant will be able to pick one up from any Apple Store around Australia.
Quick Specs for the iPhone 7
IP67 certified:dust and water resistant
CPU:Apple A10 chipset
Storage:32GB, 128GB, 256GB
Memory:2GB
Camera:12MP main camera, 8MP front facing camera
Battery:1960 mAh
Color options:Jet Black, Black, Silver, Gold, Rose Gold
If the rumors are true, Apple’s next big reveal will happen in March. 9to5 Mac reports that Cupertino is planning to pull the wraps off of the Apple Watch 2 at the event, which would be the second consecutive year the company held a product announcement in that month. Details are scarce on version 2.0 of the company’s smart watch for now, but reports suggest that Apple has a new camera, wireless connectivity, revamped sleep tracking and upgraded health sensor tech in the works for the device. Bands with built-in senors are also rumored to be on the way and the report says that the Watch 2 will go on sale in April.
What’s more, 9to5Mac’s sources say it’s possible that we may also see the long-rumored iPhone 6c break cover at the event. If you’ll recall, the 6c is said to offer a 4-inch handset in a metal chassis, differing from the “unapologetically plastic” shell of the iPhone 5c. The iPhone 6c is also rumored to house Apple’s A9 chip and NFC to drive mobile transactions with Apple Pay. As is the case with these reports, the company could change plans leading up to the event, especially given the fact that we’re three months out. That being said, 9to5Mac’s Mark Gurman has a solid track record as of late, so don’t be surprised if both of these gadgets are revealed this spring.
Apple is clearly hoping to clear its slate before the year is over. On top of that iPhone battery case, it just posted an iOS 9.2 update that brings big improvements to Apple Music and iBooks. For a start, it’s much easier to reconcile your iCloud Music Library with the streaming service — you can see whether or not any song has been downloaded, and quickly download whole albums or playlists. It’s easier to start a new playlist or add a song to a recent list, too. iBooks, meanwhile, supports both 3D Touch (for peeking at pages) and background audiobook listening while you browse books inside the app.
There’s more under the hood. This update brings USB Camera Adapter support to the iPhone, Mail Drop (from OS X El Capitan) for giant email attachments and Siri support in Arabic. The 9.2 release may also include AT&T’s unified NumberSync calling, although later betas didn’t include it — if you see it, let your fellow readers know in the comments. All told, there’s enough here that you’ll likely want to install the new version tout suite.
Apple and GT Advanced Technologies Inc. agreed to part ways back in 2014, after the latter filed for bankruptcy. Now the two have reached a deal that will eradicate GT’s $439 million loan from Cupertino, according to The Wall Street Journal. Apple originally tapped GT to make sapphire screens for its devices, but it became obvious that trouble was brewing when the iPhone 6 launched without one. It’s unclear what really happened behind the scenes, but GT accused Apple of shifting specs and requiring the company to manufacture millions of units the iPhone-maker wasn’t obligated to buy. Apple, on the other hand, said GT couldn’t meet its goals. Either way, GT ended up not having any clients that can sustain its business. Under the terms of the deal, the manufacturer will have to auction pieces of equipment, including some of its 600 sapphire-making furnaces, by November 23rd. It will then hand everything it couldn’t sell to Apple, which promised to nuke its debt completely
With Apple’s iPad business continuing to slow down, the upcoming iPad Pro is one of the more important products in the company’s pipeline. Apple introduced it in early September but declined to give a release date, only saying it would arrive sometime in November. For Apple, that usually means the end of the month, but it seems that’s not the case this time. According to the well-connected Mark Gurman at 9to5Mac, Apple’s 12.9-inch iPad should go on sale on Wednesday, November 11th both online and in stores. Alongside the giant new tablet, Apple will also start selling its new Pencil stylus and Smart Keyboard for $99 and $169, respectively. If you’re ready to buy into Apple’s vision of a big-screen tablet, get ready to dive deep into your wallet: the iPad Pro starts at $799 for 32GB of storage and goes all the way up to $1,079 for 128GB of storage and LTE connectivity.
If there are words and phrases you type out over and over again on your phone—from your email address to “I’ll be five minutes late”—then both Android and iOS include built-in tools to help you communicate faster. Here’s how to get the shortcuts set up and burn through emails and texts messages on your smartphone.
Android
Head into the Settings app, then tap Language & input and choose the Personal dictionary entry from the menu that appears. A list of all the words you’ve added to your personal dictionary appears on screen. Tap the plus icon (top right) to enter your word or phrase, then give it a unique shortcut code in the field underneath.
That’s just about all there is to it. Next time you’re tapping out a message, enter the shortcut code and the word or phrase appears as a suggestion on screen. If you prefer, you can make use of a third-party app to do the same job—Texpand seems to be the most useful and most recently updated option out there at the moment.
iOS
On recent versions of iOS, you can find the keyboard shortcuts feature by going to the Settings app, then tapping General and Keyboard. Select Text Replacement and you can start working on your shortcuts. As on Android, a tap on the plus icon in the top-right corner lets you create a new one.
The process is almost exactly the same as it is on Google’s mobile OS—input your word or phrase, specify a shortcut, tap Save and you’re good to go. The next time the iOS keyboard pops up on screen, you can type out your shortcut and then choose your specified word or phrase from the suggestions that appear above the keys.
At some point or another, it’s likely your iPhone will need the attention of special attention from Apple’s Genius Bar crew. And now it seems the company has apparently devised a way to fix broken iPhones faster than ever before thanks to a new repair program.
According to 9to5Mac’s well-connected Mark Gurman, Apple will introduce this week a new repair program for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6s in select stores in the U.S., Europe, and Japan.
Instead of repairing the broken iPhone in store, Apple will simply issue a temporary replacement as the original device is sent out to an off-site repair center.
In case the device is unable to connect to iTunes or a computer, if it won’t power on, and if it doesn’t boot up past the Apple logo, then Apple Store Genius Bar employees will simply ship the handset off to a specialized center and offer the customer a 16GB iPhone 6 model as a replacement. An automated system would tell the Genius whether the phone can be repaired in store or if it has to be sent away.
This might be a win-win situation. The user gets an entirely functional phone on a loan basis, and he or she can simply restore from an iPhone backup and use the device while the broken model is fixed. Apple, meanwhile, will be able to deal with these problems even faster and devote human resources to other customers.
The solution isn’t necessarily perfect, as it requires a second visit to the store to pick up the repaired device.
The other more obvious problem, of course, is that iPhone buyers who purchased 64GB or 128GB phone versions will have to make do with the limited storage available on the 16GB iPhone 6 and miss out on several iPhone 6s features they may have gotten used to.
On the other hand, if a device needs off-site repairs and Apple didn’t offer a replacement iPhone, the user would have no iPhone to use during repairs. Under the new program, Apple puts a fully working iPhone in your hand, letting you go about your day without the hassles of not having your most important computing device.
The program will debut as a pilot, so it won’t be available in all stores initially.
What’s interesting to note here is that Apple might have an interesting resource to use up for this particular kind of service in the form of its iPhone Upgrade Program. Apple now sells iPhones under its own trade-in and upgrade program, so the company might as well use some of the iPhone 6 units that are traded in for this iPhone loaner repair program. This, however, is just speculation at this point, as there are no official details on the matter.
I’ve had the HTC One A9 in my hands for a few days but didn’t want to give my initial thoughts until the Taiwanese smartphone maker pushed an update fix to the Android 6.0 phones yesterday.
I’ll get the obvious out of the way right off the bat: Yes, for better or worse, it looks like an iPhone 6. Sure, HTC invented the antenna strips with the M7 a few years ago and there are significant differences like the size (5-inches, halfway between the iPhone and iPhone Plus models) camera placement at the center top as opposed to corner and oval fingerprint reader instead of Apple’s circle. But the rounded edges speaker grill, colors and other design tweaks look way too much like the iPhone.
In fact, I’ve mistaken the A9 for my iPhone on a few occasions over the past few days and the A9 is black and my iPhone is white/silver! The iPhone resemblance is a big bummer because HTC has long taken pride in their distinctive, if not overly-heavy, phone designs.
Now that that’s out of the way, there are plenty of things to like about the new One A9, including the size as I mentioned before being right in between the two iPhone models. For me, 5 inch screens is the sweet spot, no question. HTC has removed most of everything else around the screen so this is really a svelte phone. The curves feel great in the hand, the buttons are placed perfectly. The power button has a distinct feel so you won’t mistakenly hit it when you are trying to turn up the volume.
Speaking of that, HTC definitely took a step back in their speaker department. Instead of the stereo front speakers that HTC pioneered (and others like Motorola took the baton from), here is a solid yet pretty standard bottom facing speaker, which is a disappointment.
Initial tests with the camera are excellent, which is great news for HTC because that’s typically an area where they’ve been lacking. Shots are instant, lighting is good and the software is fairly easy to use and understand.
The screen is probably my favorite part. a 1080P AMOLED has incredible blacks, and excellent color. It really holds its own against anything else, including again the iPhone in color reproduction.
Speed is also excellent across the board including the fingerprint sensor which is almost instant. The downside is of course Sense which makes even the Android 6.0 Marshmallow experience unfamiliar to anyone of the limited number of people who have used HTC at length. HTC will have an unlocked GPE-ish version for sale but I don’t know how much Sense will be on it. I’d reccomend that especially since they’ve promised to have a 15-day upgrade to Nexus level software guarantee.
I’ll have a lot more when I get more time on this phone but if my initial thoughts are any indication, I think this will be a popular phone – something HTC desperately needs.
Full Specs:
NETWORK Technology
GSM / HSPA / LTE
LAUNCH Announced 2015, September
Status Coming soon. Exp. release 2015, November
BODY Dimensions 145.8 x 70.8 x 7.3 mm (5.74 x 2.79 x 0.29 in)
Weight 143 g (5.04 oz)
SIM Nano-SIM
– Fingerprint sensor
DISPLAY Type AMOLED capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors
Size 5.0 inches (~66.8% screen-to-body ratio)
Resolution 1080 x 1920 pixels (~441 ppi pixel density)
Multitouch Yes
Protection Corning Gorilla Glass 4
– HTC Sense
PLATFORM OS Android OS, v6.0 (Marshmallow)
Chipset Qualcomm MSM8952 Snapdragon 617
CPU Quad-core 1.5 GHz Cortex-A53 & quad-core 1.2 GHz Cortex-A53
GPU Adreno 405
MEMORY Card slot microSD, up to 200 GB
Internal 16 GB, 2 GB RAM
32 GB, 3 GB RAM
CAMERA Primary 13 MP, 4128 x 3096 pixels, optical image stabilization, autofocus, dual-LED (dual tone) flash
Features Geo-tagging, touch focus, face detection, panorama, HDR
Video 1080p@30fps
Secondary 4 MP, 1080p
SOUND Alert types Vibration; MP3, WAV ringtones
Loudspeaker Yes
3.5mm jack Yes
– Dolby Audio
– Hi-Res Audio
COMMS WLAN Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, hotspot
Bluetooth v4.1, A2DP, apt-X
GPS Yes, with A-GPS, GLONASS
Radio FM radio
USB microUSB v2.0
FEATURES Sensors Accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass
Messaging SMS (threaded view), MMS, Email, Push Email
Browser HTML5
Java No
– Fast battery charging (Quick Charge 2.0, 3.0)
– Active noise cancellation with dedicated mic
– MP4/H.264 player
– MP3/eAAC+/WAV player
– Document viewer
– Photo/video editor
BATTERY Non-removable Li-Ion 2150 mAh battery
Stand-by Up to 432 h (3G)
Talk time Up to 16 h (3G)
Music play Up to 60 h
MISC Colors Carbon Gray, Opal Silver, Topaz Gold, Deep Garnet
SAR EU 0.41 W/kg (head)