iPhone 6S & 6S Plus | New Features & Rumor Roundup
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iPhone 6S & 6S Plus | New Features & Rumor Roundup
Archive for June 2015
Can my iPhone or iPad get iOS 9 ? Full list of iOS 9 Compatible Devices
Apple took to the stage at WWDC 2015 to show off iOS 9, and with the unveiling of the new mobile operating system came the announcement about which iPhones, iPads and iPods will be able to get it when it is released in autumn. Though iPhones and iPads are top of the range when released, as the years go by and new iterations of iOS are released, devices become slow and sluggish. This is because they’re typically designed for the iteration of iOS that’s released alongside them, and as new versions of iOS are released for newer and faster hardware becomes available, older devices become sluggish and get dropped.
Here’s a list of every Apple device that supports iOS 8:
- iPad 2, iPad 3, iPad 4, iPad Air, iPad Air 2
- iPad mini, iPad mini 2, iPad mini 3
- iPhone 4s, iPhone 5, iPhone 5c, iPhone 5s, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus
- iPod touch (fifth generation)
Will your iPhone or iPad be able to run Apple’s latest version of iOS, iOS 9? Read on to find out.
Will my iPhone run iOS 9?
So, the question on everyone’s lips is “will my iPhone run iOS 9?” Now we know for sure and it turns out that the reports claiming that the iPhone 4S is safe for another year were right! All of the iPhones compatible with iOS 8 (as listed above) are also compatible with iOS 9.
Will my iPad run iOS 9?
Unlike iPhones, iPads last a while longer at the bottom of the iOS update table, with the original iPad lasting three iOS updates before it was culled. A great example of this is the second-generation iPad, the iPad 2, which was launched in early-2011 and is still supported on iOS 8. However with this being said, people are suffering with speed issues with the iPad 2 running iOS 8, so we thought its days might be numbered. However, as with iPhones, Apple is making all of the iPads compatible with iOS 8 compatible with iOS 9 too. We'll have to wait and see how sluggish it makes it, though.
The same goes for iPad mini, so despite our predictions the iPad 2 and original iPad mini will get iOS 9, as well as their successors, as listed below:
- iPad 2, iPad 3, iPad 4, iPad Air, iPad Air 2
- iPad mini, iPad mini 2, iPad mini 3
iOS 9 isn't coming until later this year, so if read on to find out more about compatibility with iOS 8, Apple's current mobile operating system.
Which iPads and iPhones can run iOS 8?
When a new version iOS is launched, promising exciting new features and a polished (or entirely revamped) interface, many Apple fans on slightly older devices are forced to make a hard decision: abandon their cherished old iPhone or iPad - which may get an incomplete feature set, run slower or fail to run the new iOS at all - or miss out on the new iOS update. Well, iOS 8 is here, along with the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, and it's jampacked with great new features. Obviously the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus run iOS 8, but can your iPhone or iPad run iOS 8? And has the time come to upgrade your hardware in order to make the software upgrade?
Some Apple fans will be crushed to learn that their devices won't be able to run the iOS 8 operating system. But there's good news for iPad 2 owners. Here's the official list of iPhones, iPods and iPads that made the cut, and can run iOS 8 (information from Apple's website):
- iPhone 4s, iPhone 5, iPhone 5c, iPhone 5s, iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus
- iPad 2, iPad 3, iPad 4, iPad Air (...plus presumably the iPad 6 and/or iPad Pro when and if they launch)
- iPad mini 1 and iPad mini 2 with Retina display (...and the iPad mini 3 when/if it launches)
- iPod touch 5G
Apple iPhone 6S UK Release Date REVEALED
THE final release date for Apple's upcoming iPhone has been revealed by an unlikely source.
A leaked memo from Vodafone, seen by Mobile News, has confirmed that a new iPhone will hit stores on September 25th 2015 with pre-orders set to start on September 18th.
The phone, simply referred to as 'the new iPhone' doesn't come with any further details on whether it will use the 6S or 7 naming convention.
The information was reportedly leaked to Mobile News after being sent via an email to staff at Vodafone.
Recent reports suggest the device will run on a new operating system called iOS 9 and could include a new higher resolution screen, as well as an upgraded camera and processor.
Apple Watch technology included the ForceTouch display may also be incorporated into the new smartphone.
Force Touch uses tiny electrodes around the flexible display to add a new pressure-sensitive dimension to the user interface.
The tech giant may reveal more during Monday's WWDC event in San Francisco.
Apple's new music service could also make an appearance onstage during the show, which will see Beats Music and Apple's existing Music app combine.
iPhone 7 : Apple to launch entirely new smartphone
LAST UPDATED AT 13:09 ON Sat 6 Jun 2015
While technology analysts debate whether this year's flagship Apple launch will be called the iPhone 7 or the iPhone 6S, the company itself is apparently preparing for a more substantial product revamp next year.
"Apple has a few tricks up its sleeve for 2016," says Yahoo news. "The company has plans to launch a new, completely redesigned iPhone next year — and it won't be the iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus we’re all expecting."
Today's report rekindles rumours that Apple is working on a compact version of the iPhone 7, which will have a four-inch screen. The iPhone 6, which went on sale last September, comes in two screen sizes, measuring 4.7 and 5.5 inches.
According to Taiwanese website Economic Daily News, a component manufacturer called AUO has been recruited by Apple to supply four-inch screens for the small version of the iPhone 7.
The new model is likely to be named the iPhone 7C, the report suggests, reviving the brand suffix last used on the iPhone 5C – a cheaper, plastic-backed version of the smartphone. So far there has been no similar version of the iPhone 6.
The Taiwanese report suggests that AUO will begin to deliver the four-inch screens in the first quarter of 2016, "which would suggest that Apple plans to release the iPhone 7C alongside the other two iPhone 7 models later in the year," Yahoo says.
No other details about the prospective specification of the iPhone 7C has emerged, and Apple never comments on new products in advance of their official unveiling.
iPhone 7: super-HD camera for Apple smartphone
June 5
Apple's new iPhone will feature a 12-megapixel camera, a substantial leap forward from the photographic capabilities of the existing model, according to the latest reports.
Other reports suggest that the iPhone 7 (or iPhone 6S – the technology world is in two minds about what Apple will call it) will incorporate a "revolutionary" new type of camera built by an Israeli company bought by Apple earlier this year for $20m (£13.2m).
The new phone is widely expected to make its debut in late summer or autumn this year. Apple does not comment on products in development, but the company has upgraded its flagship iPhone model in September or October for several consecutive years, and it would be a huge suprise if no new handset appeared.
According to Kevin Wang, the research director of analyst IHS Technology, this year's upgrade will focus on the camera, increasing image resolution from eight megapixels for the iPhone 6 to twelve megapixels for the iPhone 6S or 7.
That follows a similar claim made by Ming-Chi Kuo, an analyst with a good track record of revealing pre-launch information about Apple products. He said two weeks ago that the iPhone 7 would come with a 12-megapixel camera.
If the reports prove true, the pixel count on Apple's smartphone would move closer to that of many of its rivals. The Sony Xperia Z4, for example, has a 20.7-megapixel camera.
Apple has traditionally remained aloof from the pixel arms race, but commentators say that it cannot hold out any longer.
"The iPhone 6 makes very good use of its relatively modest camera hardware, holding its own against much higher on-paper specifications," says Forbes, "but the time has come to step into 2015 and increase the level of detail."
However, the new iPhone 7 sensor may come with a sting in its tale, according to Business Insider. "Although Wong says Apple will add more megapixels, he also notes that they will be smaller, which means they may not be able to capture as much light."
That could result in a "new, improved" camera that in certain low-light conditions is less accomplished than the model it replaces.
'DSLR-level' images
The suggestion that the iPhone 7 camera upgrade will involve more than a few extra megapixels of resolution originated in February, when respected tech blogger John Gruber passed on reports he had heard that the new phone would come with a "weird dual-lens system" that would produce images comparable with those captured by an SLR camera.
Little more was heard of the rumour, until two months later, when Apple bought Israeli company LinX, which specialises in small, high-quality image sensors.
Now, reports appear to confirm that the iPhone 7 is likely to be the beneficiary of that purchase, which will allow Apple to improve the camera on its flagship smartphone in several significant ways.
"Apple itself has not sent out confirmation about what it was planning to do with the iPhone 7 or the imaging company, but our sources tell us that the purchase was made with the new iPhone in mind," says tech news website GeekSnack.
"That leads us to believe that the iPhone 7 will improve smartphone photography considerably, as our sources tell us that the camera setup on the iPhone 7 will be revolutionary and a first in the industry."
The report gives no more detail about its "sources", except to say that they are "trustworthy insiders".
LinX's technology, which replaces the single sensory used by most smartphone cameras with several much smaller ones, "provides better performance in terms of low light shooting, HDR, refocusing, color fidelity, and shutter lag," according to an analyst with the investment bank Macquarie quoted by Business Insider. It would also " improve sensitivity and sharpness in a low-light environment, and enable 3-D object modeling".
One further advantage is that LinkX lenses take up less space, which would allow Apple to abandon the protruding camera lens of the iPhone 6. The design was criticised at launch for spoiling the sleek lines of the handset, and exposing the lens coating to scratches.
Pixels: quantity versus quality
While most camera-makers boast of the number of megapixels their image sensors can capture, pixel count alone is not necessarily a good guide to photographic chops.
Alongside the quality of the lens and the sophistication of the image-processing software, the physical size of the sensor is crucial – all else being equal, a large five-megapixel sensor will produce better quality images than a small five-megapixel sensor, particularly in low-light conditions. That's because a bigger sensor can capture more light.
"Larger sensors are the reason that 8 megapixels from a digital SLR camera (or 5 or 13) best those 8 megapixels from a smartphone camera," explains CNET. "You get roughly the same number of pixels, but the pixels on the dSLR get to be larger, and therefore let in more light. More light (generally) equals less-noisy images and greater dynamic range."
How else could Apple improve the iPhone 7 camera?
Only the larger of Apple's two current iPhones, the 6 Plus, features, optical image stabilisation – which helps to prevent blurry images, especially in low-light conditions. The most obvious improvement would therefore be to extend that feature to the smaller version of the iPhone 6S or 7 as well, although size constraints may prove challenging.
Here are three other ways in which Apple could beef up its smartphone's camera:
Two lenses: A few months ago rumours started circulating that apple was experimenting with a dual-lens camera that would bring DSLR-level photography to the iPhone 7. Details were sketchy and much of the tech community was sceptical, but many analysts still believe that Apple is planning a substantial upgrade for its smartphone cameras.
Faster camera launch: One simple way in which Apple might improve the camera is to speed up the launch process and make it more accessible whatever you're doing with your phone at the moment a photographic opportunity arises. The iPhone 6 is no laggard, but rivals from Samsung, LG and Sony have recently overtaken Apple's launch procedure. Shaving a second or two off the process may not make any headlines, but it would please millions of iPhone photographers.
Faster, brighter lens: The aperture of the lens on the iPhone 6 – which determines how much light the camera sensor receives – is a respectable f/2.2, but it has been superseded by rival smartphone makers offering cameras with f/1.8 apertures. "While these might seem like very small numerical differences, the extra light gathering capability is really rather large," says Forbes. "When all other parameters remain equal, an aperture of f/1.8 gathers 50 per cent more light than an aperture of f/2.2." Stepping up the brightness of the lens could help to counteract the effect of reducing the iPhone 7's pixel sensor size (see above).
Variable aperture: This would allow Apple to take a substantial step towards the "DSLR quality images" touted by many commentators. The size of the camera lens aperture – in simple terms, the hole through which light passes to reach the sensor – determines how much of the image is in focus. A wide aperture produces a narrow depth of field – which means, for example, that a pin-sharp subject in the foreground of a photo will stand out against an out-of-focus background. A narrow aperture keeps much more of the image in focus, which is useful in landscape photography. Equipping the iPhone 7 with a variable aperture would give smartphone photographers the kind of controls over depth of field that SLR cameras have offered for decades.
Ultrahigh-definition 4K video: Most of Apple's rivals already offer this feature, but the relatively modest eight-megapixel camera on the iPhone 6 isn't up to the job. That may not be too much of a concern to most consumers, and Apple has often proved resistant to adding features simply for the sake of a higher number on the specs sheet, but it is boosting the iPhone 7's pixel count for other reasons it may as well add 4K video too.
Better image stabilization: A patent application suggests that Apple is working on an all-new optical image stabilization system. While the current iPhone 6 Plus uses data from the handset's gyroscope to counteract the effect of camera shake, the proposed new system would be far more mechanical – and closer in execution to the image-stabilization systems used in SLR cameras. According to the technical document filed by Apple, the new technology would include "a plurality of movable lens elements arranged to be moved independent of one another".
Optical zoom: Most smartphones, including the iPhone, have a zoom function on their cameras, but they are digital rather than optical. What that means in practice is that zooming actually just magnifies one part of the photo without increasing its resolution, leading to a fall in image quality. The patent application mentioned above raises the prospect of an optical zoom on the iPhone 7, meaning that magnification is achieved using moving lenses rather than digital trickery, and that the camera's full resolution is brought to bear on all images, whatever zoom settings are used.
3-D camera: This is certainly a long-shot for the iPhone 7, but not entirely out of the question for a future Apple phone. The company has recently bought LinX, an Israeli company that specialises in high-tech camera sensors. That, according to Business Insider, could have a dramatic effect on the camera capability of the iPhone 7. "LinX's technology won't only enable the iPhone to take better, sharper images – it could also allow the phone to capture three-dimensional photos, eliminate an annoying aesthetic problem where the cameras on the latest iPhones stick out, and solve a bunch of other problems." Having spent $20m acquiring the company, Apple is bound to be looking at ways of turning the investment into a profit, but whether the technology makes it into the iPhone 7 may well depend on when that handset comes out. If it debuts this year then it's unlikely that Apple would get a LinX camera unit into production in time, but if, as initially believed, the iPhone 7 is scheduled for 2016, that might allow enough development time.
iPhone 6S Release Date Rumors & New Features
iPhone 6S release date Rumors & new features:
Force Touch display, Rose Gold Edition, 2GB RAM, 12Mp camera & more predicted.
iPhone 6S rumors: Is Apple skipping iPhone 6S & going straight to iPhone 7?
Reports that recently hit the web claim that the iPhone 6S may never launch, and it was actually the very same analyst who predicted this back in April. Kuo claimed that the iPhone that launches this September might have such significant new features that Apple skips the iPhone 6S and goes straight for the iPhone 7, and his latest report seems to confirm that the new features are indeed significant.
Ming-Chi Kuo from KGI Securities iPhone 6s predictions
In May, trusted analyst Ming-Chi Kuo from KGI Securities has revealed several key features that he has reason to believe will be present in the iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus when they launch later this year.
According to Kuo, who made these claims during a talk with investors, the iPhone 6S will boast the following (click the links to skip straight ahead to more detail about each rumoured feature or read on for the full story):
Force Touch display: This will be the standout feature of the new iPhone according to Kuo. However, it could mean that demand significantly outweighs supply so expect the iPhone 6S to sell out even faster than usual.
The screen sizes are set to remain the same: 4.7in and 5.5in. There won't be a new iPhone 6C with 4in display this year.
A rose gold iPhone 6S is indeed coming, in addition to the already available gold, silver and space grey.
The iPhone 6S will have a 12Mp camera on the rear and a microphone on the rear for better audio quality in videos.
2GB of RAM is expected in the A9 processor.
A new casing material and internal mechanical design should prevent a repeat of #bendgate.
Touch ID is expected to be significantly improved as Apple Pay becomes more prominent.
Mass production is expected to begin in August, and Kuo expects total shipments to reach 90 million in 2015, with the 4.7in iPhone outselling the 5.5in iPhone 2 to 1.
iPhone 6S release date rumors: When is the iPhone 6S coming out?
The most likely release date for the iPhone 6S is September 2015, which would follow Apple's iPhone release schedule history. The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus were released in September 2014, the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c in September 2013, the iPhone 5 in September 2012 and the iPhone 4S in October 2011.
Martin Hajek has come up with several realistic concept images of what the rose gold iPhone 6S might look look like, as shown below. See more over on his website.
