iPhone 6s Plus Component Costs Estimated to Begin at $236, $16 More Than iPhone 6 Plus
IHS iSuppli has once again taken apart the newest set of iPhones in an attempt to come as close as possible to estimating the actual component cost of the new devices. According to IHS iSuppli’s teardown of the iPhone 6s Plus, the bill of materials for a 16 GB version comes to $231.50, with manufacturing costs and other minor items raising the overall price slightly to $236.
One of the biggest areas of increased cost is related to 3D Touch, which adds about $10 to the overall component cost of the iPhone 6s Plus when combined with Apple’s Taptic Engine used to fuel the new feature. It’s these improvements that have boosted the new iPhone 6s Plus to cost around $16 more to manufacture than last year’s iPhone 6 Plus, according to IHS Technology senior director of cost benchmarking services, Andrew Rassweiler.
“3D Touch and Apple’s Taptic engine are among the more notable feature upgrades found in this latest round of iPhones,” said Rassweiler. “With each generation the company makes measured, incremental technology improvements to its iPhone line, and this time around those changes are increasing Apple’s per-unit material cost.”
Overall, the most expensive aspect of the new iPhone 6s Plus is its display, with the addition of 3D Touch slightly increasing the component cost to $52.50 this year. Other high-cost components include the iPhone’s new 12-megapixel rear camera and 5-megapixel front-facing camera that together are estimated to cost $22.50, and the A9 chip at $22.00. IHS also points out the incremental cost differences between each step-up in memory capacity, which sees a small component cost difference when in comparison to Apple’s $100 jump between capacities like 16 GB and 64 GB, for example.
“NAND Flash is now so cheap it’s almost irrelevant, but Apple monetizes this difference with consumers, to the tune of $100 for each additional step up in memory capacity,” Rassweiler said. “For example, a 64 GB iPhone now costs Apple about $17 more to make than a 16 GB iPhone, but Apple charges iPhone buyers $100 more for the increased memory. This is part of Apple’s ongoing strategy to improve profits by selling a product mix that is heavier in the higher-end iPhones.”
Overall, IHS iSuppli’s teardown concluded that the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus see most of their value additions in the form of overall durability for the new devices. This is thanks to new components like the 7000 Series aluminum case, an upgraded Gorilla Glass 4 cover, as well as “additional gaskets and seals” that IHS says improves the water resistance of the new iPhones, which has been studied in the days since release.
Earlier in the year, Apple CEO Tim Cook went on the record during one of the company’s annual earnings calls, denouncing component cost teardowns like IHS iSuppli’s of the iPhone 6s Plus. “I’ve never seen one that is anywhere close to being accurate,” Cook said.
Such estimates do not take into account an array of costs, including research and development, software, and licensing costs, making profit margins appear much larger than they actually are. And given the proprietary nature of many of the components, cost estimates can be rough. The estimates can, however, be somewhat useful in comparing differences between generations to get a general idea of the potential cost impact of hardware changes.
Improved Water Resistance of iPhone 6s Attributed to New Gaskets and Seals
iFixit began its teardown of the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus after the new smartphones became available last Friday, discovering the specifics of the smaller batteries, Taptic Engine, and 3D Touch display. After a few iPhone fans began extensive water resistance testing over the weekend, iFixit decided to revisit its teardown of the new devices with a renewed focus on components placed by Apple that could point to the company’s interest in a more liquid-proof smartphone.
The site closely inspected a strip of glue that acts as a gasket surrounding the entire inside edge of the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, accounting in total for a slight 0.3mm increase in width when in comparison to last year’s models. Described as “a string of sticky goop,” iFixit theorizes that if Apple hadn’t placed the gasket there to hold components in, perhaps “it was designed to keep liquids out.”
First, Apple takes this gasket business pretty seriously: they didn’t just run a strip of glue around the existing display like they were caulking a bathtub. Instead, it appears the iPhone’s frame has been subtly reworked to accommodate the new gasket. We noted a slight, but measurable, increase in the width of the lip running along the perimeter of the frame—it’s about 0.3 mm wider than on the iPhone 6, making it just wide enough for that little gasket to land on.
One-third of a millimeter may not seem like much, but given how tight the iPhone’s tolerances are nowadays, the change is big enough to see with the naked eye. And it’s almost certainly enough of a change that other components had to be subtly tweaked to match. Make no mistake, Apple gave this careful thought.
Even the logic boards of the new iPhones appear to be updated to at least partially protect against liquid intrusion, with all cable connectors on the logic board — “from the battery and display, to the Lightning port and buttons” — surrounded and reinforced with a small silicone barrier. As iFixit points out, the logic board’s various connectors are the most vulnerable to water within the iPhone’s body, so the fact that Apple has appeared to safeguard them against liquid damage is definitely notable.
Otherwise, the rest of the internal components of the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus — like the headphone jack, speaker, power, and volume buttons — didn’t showcase any forms of waterproofing by the Cupertino-based company. Today’s news follows a few days of water resistance talk about the new iPhones thanks to a handful of video tests created by various YouTubers, along with a new rumor pointing to the “iPhone 7” adopting a fully-waterproof body when it debuts next year.
Judgment day for Apple Music: Will you be subscribing once the trial ends?
Today marks the three-month anniversary of the launch of Apple Music, but more importantly, the end of the streaming service’s free trial period for anyone who signed up on day one. At last count, six weeks after its debut, Apple counted over 11 million trial users — a figure that could’ve only swollen since. But none of that really matters. The initial success of Apple Music will be defined over the coming days and weeks as the earliest of adopters decide whether or not to become subscribers, paying $10 or £10 each month for continued access to over 30 million tracks.
With a relatively generous trial period and several platform exclusives already, Apple’s made a concerted effort to win over early users. But, being late to the game, it’s up against strong competition from Spotify, Google Play Music and others — and many of you will have countless playlists and a comfortable familiarity with these established alternatives. Moreover, Apple Music doesn’t have a free listening option of any kind, so the only way to give it the thumbs-up is to open your wallet. Also remember that Beats 1, the online radio station launched at the same time, is free for everyone (at least for now). So, if you’ve been digging the big-name DJs and the celebrity guest spots, you can continue to do so without spending a cent.
It’s been suggested that plenty of Apple Music users have made their decision already. Just in case you weren’t aware, though, you need to switch off your subscription auto-renewal if you don’t want to get charged after the three-month trial period expires. Luckily, whether you want to do that on your iPhone or through iTunes, it’s not too much trouble. Within the Apple Music app for iOS, you need to prod at the “Account” icon (top left) and head into “View Apple ID.” From there, swipe down to the “Subscriptions” header and tap on “Manage,” where you’ll find the toggle to turn off auto-renewal.
Similarly, you can do the same in iTunes by clicking on the “Account” icon next to the search bar, and selecting “Account Info.” Scroll down to the “Settings” header, find the “Subscriptions” field and click on “Manage.” This is where you’ll find the option to “Edit” your Apple Music Membership preferences and disable auto-renewal. If you’re quite happy to pay for continued access to Apple’s streaming service, however, then you can ignore these instructions. So, tell us: will you be subscribing?
Apple ordered to pay $4.2 million for botched iPad program in LA
The LA Unified School District (LAUSD) will receive a settlement worth $4.2 million from Apple for the ill-fated program that aimed to put an iPad in the hands of 640,000 students in the city. Cupertino was supposed to earn $30 million from the $1.3 billion project, but it was apparently riddled with issues from the beginning. It didn’t take long for the initiative to crumble, and LAUSD — accused of mismanagement, miscalculation and corruption among other things — is now under FBI investigation for the bidding process that spawned the contract.
Lenovo, the other tech company involved in the project aside from Apple, agreed to let the district have the $2.2 million worth of laptops it recently ordered for free. LAUSD will also get $6.4 million (it’s still a tentative amount, though) from education software maker Pearson, which was contracted to conjure up math and English curriculum to use with the project. The district says the software company only ever provided a partial curriculum. While the FBI investigation still isn’t done, LAUSD plans to use most of the money from the settlement to buy computers for a completely different initiative.
[Image credit: Diane Collins and Jordan Hollender]
Via: 9to5mac
Source: Los Angeles Times
Apple Music and iTunes Movies hit China today
Folks in China don’t have access to the record-breaking iPhone 6s until October, but Apple’s making sure they they’ll be able to get their hands on iBooks, Apple Music and iTunes Movies ahead of that. Those services are available starting today, and Music in particular is getting some very region-specific special treatment. The streaming catalog includes work from Eason Chan, Li Ronghao, JJ Lin and G.E.M.. Apple writes that there will be a raft of movies from Chinese studios too, saying that this is the first time that its customers in the country will be able to jump into the ecosystem. There’s a three-month trial period, which gives way to a 10 RMB/month subscription. Family plans are part of the deal as well. And if you don’t own an Apple handset but still want in on its music service, Music will hit Android phones later this fall.
Source: Apple
Apple Brings Apple Music, iTunes Movies and iBooks to China
Apple today announced that it would be bringing three of its entertainment services — Apple Music, iTunes Movies and iBooks — to customers in China today. This marks the first time customers in China will have access to Apple’s entertainment ecosystem.
“Customers in China love the App Store and have made it our largest market in the world for app downloads,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Internet Software and Services. “One of the top requests has been more great content and we’re thrilled to bring music, movies and books to China, curated by a local team of experts.”
Customers in China will be able to sign up for the three-month free trial of Apple Music starting on September 30. The service will include music from Chinese artists like Eason Chan and JJ Lin in addition to international artists like Ed Sheeran and Taylor Swift. Likewise, iTunes Movies will include movies from Chinese film studios in addition to Hollywood blockbusters like Jurassic World and Avengers: Age of Ultron. iBooks will include free and paid Chinese language books.
Apple says that as a token of appreciation, the recent Chinese hit film The Taking of Tiger Mountain will be available for free to all customers in China for a limited time.
China has become increasingly important to Apple in recent years. Recently, the Cupertino company included China in the first wave of countries to be able to purchase the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus.
Google Maps now works on the Apple Watch
Sure, Apple Maps has improved significantly in the past few years since it launched, but for many Apple users it still doesn’t hold a candle to Google Maps. But if you’re an Apple Watch user who wanted to use your watch for directions, Apple Maps has been your only option — until today. A new update for Google Maps on iOS rolled out today that includes full Apple Watch support, among some other useful features.
When you open up Google Maps directly on your Apple Watch, you’re presented with two very simple options: directions to get you either to your home or your work (as already set in your Google account). It’s a smart but very minimalist way to use the Watch; it doesn’t look like there’s a way to actually display a full map here, unlike in the Apple Maps app. A force press on the screen lets you swap between driving, walking, and transit directions. You can also quickly tap to get directions to recent places you’ve navigated to in Google Maps. And, of course, if you kick off a route on your phone, it’ll appear on your Watch as you navigate to your destination and notify you of upcoming turns.
The other big change shows up on your phone, rather than on the Watch. There’s a new, much improved navigational element for swapping between walking, driving, and transit directions — and it shows you the expected time to your destination for each all in one view. The old method for swapping between direction types was pretty unintuitive, so we’re happy to see this change. But overall, the big appeal of this update is definitely for Apple Watch owners. It’s particularly timely given that WatchOS 2 and iOS 9 now support transit directions — this update makes it a lot easier for Watch users to stick with Google. Go get it now in the iTunes Store.
Source: iTunes Store
Google Maps for iOS Gains Apple Watch App
Google today updated its Google Maps app for iOS to version 4.11.0, adding support for the Apple Watch. As of today, there’s a Google Maps app that delivers directions on Apple’s wrist-worn device.
Along with a new Apple Watch app, today’s update also includes a tool for comparing estimated travel times across driving, transit, walking and biking directions, and it adds a feature for calling businesses and getting directions from a list of places. As with most updates, there are also unspecified bug fixes.
What’s New
– Easily compare ETAs across driving, transit, walking & biking
– Call business & get directions directly from a list of places
– Get directions to places now on your Apple Watch
– Bug fixes
This isn’t Google’s first app for the Apple Watch, but it will arguably be the most useful as there are many iOS users who still prefer to use Google Maps over Apple Maps.
Google Maps can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]
Tim Cook: Apple won’t merge iOS and OS X
Now that Apple is blurring the lines between its mobile tablets and PCs with the iPad Pro, it’s tempting to imagine iOS and OS X merging into a single operating system (Windows 10-style) that works on virtually every device the company makes. You’ll want to put any such ideas on hold, though. In a chat with Box’s Aaron Levie, Apple chief Tim Cook dismissed the prospects of unifying iOS and OS X. It “subtracts from both,” he said, arguing that you “don’t get the best experience from either.” This isn’t a completely new idea from Apple (it once explained in detail why OS X doesn’t have touch), but it’s clear that Cook doesn’t feel any pressure to follow in Microsoft’s footsteps on this front.
Not that Cook and crew are giving Microsoft and its ideas the cold shoulder — just the opposite, in fact. The exec said he doesn’t believe in “holding grudges” against Apple’s frequent rival, and that the two tech giants can “partner on more things” than they compete in. Witness the slew of iOS-friendly Office updates that were unveiled in tandem with the iPad Pro and iOS 9, for example. The enterprise crowd, Cook adds, would rather see Apple and Microsoft collaborating than fighting.
On that note, the CEO contended that Apple isn’t nearly as work-phobic as it used to be. The company is big on enterprise deals (it made $25 billion in enterprise revenue in the space of a year), and that there’s no real distinction these days between personal and office-focused devices. You don’t buy enterprise smartphones any more than you buy enterprise cars, he said. We’re sure that BlackBerry won’t be happy with that last statement, but it’s hard to dispute — with occasional exceptions, software is the only thing distinguishing an off-the-shelf smartphone from a locked-down corporate handset.
[Image credit: Michael Short/Bloomberg via Getty Images]
Twitter to Expand 140-Character Limit With New Product
Twitter is planning to introduce a new solution that will allow users to create tweets that exceed 140 characters in length, reports Re/code. Twitter will implement longer tweets through a new product, but it is not yet clear what that product will look like or how it will work.
There are existing services designed to let users publish long-form content on Twitter, like TwitLonger, which directs users to a website to read a full tweet, or OneShot, which lets users post images of text, but Twitter may have a better solution in mind for its own product.
Twitter is also said to be considering removing links and usernames from character counts, which would also expand the allowed length of tweets.
In addition to the long-form product, execs have been openly discussing the idea of tweaking how Twitter measures its 140-character limit by removing things like links and user handles from the count, multiple sources say. In the past, Twitter has tinkered with the limit in other ways. Twitter Cards are still beholden to the 140-character limit but are intended to help people (and advertisers) share lots of information, and Twitter added a “retweet with comment” option in April to give people more room to comment on tweets they share.
Twitter has already been making moves towards expanding its signature limitations. Earlier this year, the company officially removed the 140-character limit from Direct Messages, allowing for unrestricted conversation much like other chat and messaging apps.
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