Foxconn Facing Display Shortages as it Struggles to Meet iPhone 6 and 6 Plus Demand
Apple’s iPhone 6 and 6 Plus supplies may continue to be constrained as Foxconn reportedly is struggling to keep up with demand for the handsets, reports the Wall Street Journal. Unlike previous years that saw Foxconn handling the launch of one flagship handset, the manufacturer is now tasked with producing two iPhone models that are in high demand.
The Taiwan-based manufacturer, which has more than one million workers in China, is operating about 100 production lines around the clock in Zhengzhou. The challenge is to manufacture two complicated new iPhones on a large scale at the same time because Foxconn is the sole assembler of the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus. It also makes the majority of the iPhone 6 that comes with a 4.7-inch display, the people said.
Foxconn reportedly has hired more than 200,000 workers at its Zhengzhou site to work on Apple’s new iPhone. Even with this large labor force and daily output volumes of 140,000 iPhone 6 Plus units and 400,000 iPhone 6 units, the company is still not able to meet pre-order demand.
One issue reportedly facing the manufacturer is a shortage of 5.5-inch displays, which are still only at being produced at a 50-60 percent output rate, leading suppliers to reject almost half of the display units that come off the production line.
Apple has faced similar shortages with previous iPhone models and has been able to gradually ramp up supply to meet demand. Apple will begin selling its new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus starting Friday, September 19th in a handful of launch countries. A larger global rollout is planned the following week with sales beginning on September 26th.
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Fleksy’s Speed-Focused Gesture Keyboard for iOS 8 Launching Today [iOS Blog]
With today’s release of iOS 8, a number of new systemwide alternative keyboards will also be debuting in the App Store. Yesterday, we covered SwiftKey, and today sees the introduction of another major entrant: Fleksy.
Fleksy’s primary claim to fame is speed, having been recognized as the fastest keyboard in the world. The keyboard relies on advanced autocorrect features to interpret input and includes extensive gesture support to make it easy for users to delete, add punctuation and spaces, or select an alternate autocorrect suggestion by swiping anywhere on the keyboard.
Fleksy also includes built-in support for hundreds of emoji, as well as a resizable keyboard and support for 40 languages at launch. And as with some other popular alternative keyboards, Fleksy learns from the user’s typing patterns, improving its performance with time.
Fleksy arrives today as a free download with several colorful themes to allow users to personalize their keyboards, with additional premium themes available for purchase. It is compatible with iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch.
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‘Goat Simulator’ is now ruining picnics and butting heads on iOS and Android
Can’t wait for the Xbox One version of Goat Simulator‘s absolute madness and have an iOS device? (Update: Or an Android one?) Well, then Coffee Stain Studios has you covered. The team’s not-at-all serious (or realistic) depiction of goat life is now available for your Apple-branded mobile gizmos, as spotted by the ever vigilant Wario64. A majority of the game’s charm comes from how intentionally glitchy and broken it is, so don’t be alarmed if, say, your hoofed avatar’s head gets stuck inside a wall. Or worse. Depending on where you live, though, it might be cheaper to keep an actual goat that to download this $5 game to your smart device of choice.
Goat Simulator out now on iOS, $4.99 http://t.co/mFttCENxZV
– Wario64 (@Wario64) September 17, 2014
Filed under: Cellphones, Gaming, Tablets, Mobile, Apple
Via: Wario64 (Twitter)
Source: iTunes, Google Play
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LG to Supply Apple Watch Displays, Apple Aiming to Sell 50 Million Units in 2015 [iOS Blog]
LG Display will supply the AMOLED displays for the Apple Watch when it launches in 2015, reports Digitimes. According to the report, Apple is also expecting to ship five million units of the wearable device a month, and is aiming to sell more than 50 million Apple Watches in 2015.
Apple was also said to be in talks with Samsung to provide AMOLED panels for the device, however the company ultimately decided that all displays for its smartwatch would come from LG. The news is similar to a report last October from The Korea Herald, which noted that Apple was close to striking a deal with LG to supply panels for its wearable after talks with Samsung were said to be “not productive.”
The Apple Watch will begin shipping in early 2015 and come in two sizes of 38mm and 42mm (1.5 and 1.7 inches), with six available casing materials and six different bands. The Apple Watch will be also organized into three editions, including the entry-level Apple Watch Sport collection, the stainless-steel Apple Watch collection, and the high-end luxury Apple Watch Edition collection. Pricing will start at $349.
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iOS 8 doesn’t play well with Dropbox’s automatic backup feature
You excited that iOS 8’s scheduled to land on your iPhones and iPads later? Cool, but if you avidly use Dropbox to back up your photos and videos, the new software comes bundled with a dash of disappointment. According to Dropbox, its service has an unfortunate compatibility issue with Apple’s latest mobile platform that specifically affects the Automatic Backup function. The new software apparently prevents both Dropbox and its photo managing app Carousel from properly uploading photos and videos to the cloud.
The company says it’s working with Apple to resolve the issue, but for now, it advises those who choose to upgrade their software to refrain from deleting their files until it issues a fix. Also, you’ll get a Dropbox and a Carousel update soon (if you haven’t yet) that temporarily suspends Automatic Backup to prevent confusion on which files have actually been uploaded. Of course, you can always upload photos and videos through a computer, but if you’re too lazy to find that cord, you may want to cross your fingers for a quick patch.
iOS 8 compatibility issue may prevent Dropbox and Carousel from backing up photos and videos. Fix coming soon. Info: http://t.co/gsGo4iuR4k
– Dropbox Support (@dropbox_support) September 17, 2014
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Apple
Source: Dropbox
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1Password for iOS Available for Free Ahead of iOS 8 Launch [iOS Blog]
AgileBits’ popular iOS password manager 1Password is now available for free ahead of tomorrow’s public release of iOS 8. The app has usually been offered for $17.99, although it did see a price cut last month which brought it to $9.99.
It is unknown as to why AgileBits has decided to offer 1Password for free, however the app will soon receive a significant update to take advantage of some of the new features in iOS 8, including support for Touch ID access and the ability to input saved passwords in Safari and ot1her apps.
1Password can be downloaded from the App Store and is compatible with both the iPhone and iPad. [Direct Link] 
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Official iPhone 6 Plus Reviews Report 1 GB RAM [iOS Blog]
Earlier today, a screenshot from iPhone monitoring app System Status suggested Apple’s larger iPhone 6 Plus might be limited to 1 GB of RAM, much like the iPhone 6.
Several iPhone 6 Plus reviews, which were released this evening, appear to confirm that hypothesis, with multiple sites reporting the device has 1 GB of RAM. In its review, Macworld says that the iPhone 6 and the 6 Plus both “appear to have the same 1GB of memory as last year’s devices.”
TechRadar has a similar claim, stating that both the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus have 1 GB of RAM, as does The Guardian, listing 1GB of RAM in the specifications of the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus. T3, TechRadar‘s sister site, said the iPhone 6 Plus’s 1 GB of RAM seemed to handle all tasks thrown at it fairly well.
The 1GB of RAM inside, again, doesn’t sound too beefy, but seemed to handle the new multi-tasking features well and propped up some simultaneous emailing, video watching and HD gaming. Internal tweaks such as the Metal graphics upgrade we must wait to see the benefit of, but the new BioShock port is one of the most demanding games on iOS currently and it performed great, as did The Wolf Among Us (check out that colour spectrum) and Asphalt 8 (speeeeeeed).
Aside from the size difference between the 4.7 and 5.5-inch iPhone 6 devices, the appearance of 1GB of RAM in both phones suggests that they have nearly identical internal specifications, offering the same A8 chip and memory. The larger iPhone 6 Plus does, however, have a larger battery due to its size and it also offers optical image stabilization as a differentiating factor.
Apple’s iPhone 6 and 6 Plus will be arriving in stores and in the hands of customers beginning on Friday, September 19. We’ve rounded up a full list of all the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus reviews that have been released so far, giving users a clear picture of the two devices ahead of launch.
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First iPhone 6 Unboxing Video Surfaces [iOS Blog]
As the first reviews of both the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus hit the Internet, T3 took the opportunity to post the first unboxing of the iPhone 6, depicting the specific packaging and layout of the box for the smaller device.
The video starts off showing off the new packaging for the iPhone 6, which, unlike the packaging for other Apple products, does not feature a color photo of the device on the outside. Instead, the box features a white, textured silhouette of the device inside. The rest of the video goes through standard unboxing protocol, showing off included documentation, the EarPods and the Lightning cable.
Apple will begin selling both the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus this Friday, September 19. The standard 16 GB configuration of the iPhone 6 will start at $199 with a two-year contract while the iPhone 6 Plus will start at $299.
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SwiftKey’s Systemwide Gesture Keyboard Launching Alongside iOS 8 for Free [iOS Blog]
Earlier this year, popular Android alternative keyboard maker SwiftKey expanded to iOS with a note-taking app integrating the company’s gesture keyboard. And with Apple opening up iOS to systemwide third-party keyboard as part of iOS 8, SwiftKey is ready to expand its presence.
In a blog post and appearance at TechCrunch Disrupt last week, SwiftKey showed off its iOS 8 gesture keyboard and announced that it will launch alongside iOS 8 when the new operating system debuts tomorrow. In addition to allowing users to type by dragging their fingers from key to key and offering predictive suggestions, the keyboard will integrate with SwiftKey Cloud to allow the user’s preferences and learned language data to be backed up and synced across devices. And in the biggest news for the release, SwiftKey’s keyboard will be available free of charge, allowing anyone to give the keyboard a try.
SwiftKey has also released a short promotional video narrated by Stephen Fry:
We’ve had some time to try out SwiftKey for iOS 8 and can say that it works very well. Available in dark and light themes, SwiftKey is accessible systemwide as is typical for these new keyboards under iOS 8, and users can easily switch between keyboards by tapping the globe icon on the keyboard.
In our testing, we found Swiftkey’s suggestions to be relevant both in relation to words being typed and contextually with preceding words. The optional “SwiftKey Flow” input method of dragging from letter to letter also works well in most situations, accurately interpreting the patterns being traced out as the intended words.
SwiftKey for iOS allows users to type in two languages simultaneously without switching keyboards, and the keyboard will support over a dozen language-country combinations at launch with more to come. The keyboard will be available for all iOS 8 devices, including iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.
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First iPhone 6 and 6 Plus Reviews: ‘Thin and Sexy’, ‘Bigger and Better’, Impressive Battery Life Up to 2 Days
At its September 9 iPhone event, Apple provided multiple publications with iPhone 6 and 6 Plus review units. The embargo has now lifted on review posts, so we have gathered some of the relevant excerpts from each site in order to highlight general release reactions to Apple’s iPhone 6 and 6 Plus.
Apple’s two new devices are essentially identical in design aside from the difference in screen size and the battery life/optical image stabilization in the iPhone 6 Plus, so we’ve chosen to combine the device reviews into one post.
Brad Molen, Engadget:
Both iPhones are thinner than their predecessor. Whereas the 5s was 7.6mm thick, the 6 comes in at 6.9mm, with the 6 Plus measuring a hair thicker at 7.1mm. I don’t always subscribe to the “thinner is better” mantra, but it’s a benefit in this case because larger iPhones wouldn’t feel as comfortable if they had the same shape as the 5s. If I had to choose based on in-hand feel alone, I’d pick the 6 over the Plus. I can still wrap my fingers around the 6 just as easily as I could with the 5s (and its curved sides don’t cut as sharply as the edges on the 5s), but the large-screened 6 Plus is… well, it’s manageable.
Both the 6 and 6 Plus use an IPS Retina HD display, but the Plus is even more high-def than the 6. It has a screen resolution of 1,920 x 1,080, which means you’ll get a pixel density of 401 pixels per inch. On the flipside, the 6 maxes out at 1,334 x 750, which translates into 326 ppi. (That’s the same screen density as the 5s.) Both displays are sharp, but I do see some minor differences between the two when I look at them side by side. Specifically, the Plus’ text and images are sharper, with no jagged lines whatsoever.
Walt Mossberg/Lauren Goode (iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus), Re/code:
[iPhone 6, Mossberg] And, despite the larger screen, all my apps — by Apple and third parties — just worked. None that I tested looked distorted or blurry. Apple says its App Store now offers 1.3 million apps, a new high.
[iPhone 6, Mossberg] In my tests, I found the iPhone 6’s Wi-Fi speeds — both downstream and upstream — were roughly double those of the 5s, and about 25 percent faster than those of the Samsung Galaxy S5. But I saw little difference in LTE speeds, either on Verizon or AT&T.
[iPhone 6 Plus, Goode] Oh, and if, like me, you rarely get a full day out of your current iPhone’s battery, this might excite you: In my tests, which involved setting the display brightness to 50 percent and cycling through my regular routine of apps and phone calls, the iPhone 6 Plus would last from early one morning until evening the following day. (Calls sounded great, as well.)
Jim Dalrymple, The Loop:
[iPhone 6] It is tough to reach the far top edge of the screen, but I can do it with a little stretch. It’s easier to shimmy my hand up the phone and touch the far edge, if I need to, but to be honest, holding the iPhone in my left hand, there isn’t much on the far right side that I ever need to touch.
[iPhone 6 Plus] The 6 Plus was awkward for me to use at first–it was kind of like using a smaller version of the iPad mini, but it was a phone. I had a hard time wrapping my head around the idea of using it on an ongoing basis, but the larger screen eventually won me over.
[iPhone 6 Plus] I still can’t imagine walking around with a device as big as the iPhone 6 Plus to my ear, talking on the phone. That would just look silly. I’ve said it about other devices this size in the past and my opinion on that hasn’t changed. Maybe a Bluetooth ear piece would be a nice add-on for the iPhone 6 Plus.
David Pierce/Nilay Patel (iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus), The Verge
[iPhone 6 Plus] Huge phones get to have huge batteries, and the iPhone 6 Plus is a huge phone with a huge battery: I consistently got about two days of battery life from the 6 Plus in regular daily use — slightly more than the day and half we got from the iPhone 6, and basically the same as the Note 3.
[iPhone 6 Plus] That aluminum feels quite nice, but it’s also a little slippery, especially when you factor in the size of the phone and its rounded sides. The iPhone 6 Plus is the first iPhone that looks and works better in a case — I’ve been using Apple’s leather sleeve and it makes the phone easier to hold, evens out that camera bump, and hides the weird lines on the back.
[iPhone 6] There’s something perfectly polished about the way it feels to use this screen. I’ve never felt so much like I was truly moving things around under my finger, manipulating icons and pictures by hand. It’s organic and natural in a distinctly Apple way.
David Pogue, Yahoo
Inside, Apple has been up to its usual tightening and polishing. There’s a new chip inside that Apple says is 25 percent faster. You wouldn’t notice it without testing the old and new phones side by side. Apps, for example, pop open about a half-second faster on the new phone.
The Plus model has optical image stabilization — the lens jiggles in precise motion to counteract the handheld movement of the phone itself — that works supremely well.
Also on the Plus: When you’re typing in landscape mode, there’s so much extra space that Apple has thrown in some additional on-screen keys. On the left: buttons for Cut, Copy, Paste, Bold, and Undo. On the right: Punctuation keys and actual cursor keys–a first on the iPhone.
Darrell Etherington (iPhone 6, 6 Plus), TechCrunch:
[iPhone 6] New also to this generation is the all-metal back casing, which replaces the glass top and bottom panels with thin connecting seams instead. This makes for a more unified look when you turn the phone around, and something that gets closer to the unbroken single plane of the iPad mini and iPad Air’s rear shell. The Space Gray version I tested benefits very much from this unbroken look, and the front of the device is no less impressive.
[iPhone 6 Plus] Touch Assist is the feature Apple created to help users deal with much larger devices, regardless of the size of their hands and digits. The iPhone 6 Plus leans on this especially, as it’s impossible for anyone not in the NBA to reach their thumb across to the top opposite corner. I find it difficult to even reach across the other side of the screen, let alone the corner, when one-handing the device.
[iPhone 6 Plus] For most tasks, I find the iPhone 6 Plus to be a two-handed device — but I also find that I’m absolutely fine with that. The 6 Plus is closer in usage style to an iPad mini, in my experience, albeit one that’s pocketable and capable of full cellular voice communications.
Other reviews:
Stuart Miles (iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus), Pocket-lint
Gareth Beavis (iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus), TechRadar
Geoffrey Fowler, The Wall Street Journal
Molly Wood, The New York Times
Edward Baig, USA Today
Joshua Topolsky, Bloomberg
Harry McCracken, Fast Company
Lance Ulanoff (iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus), Mashable
Charles Arthur (iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus), The Guardian
David Phelan (iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus), The Independent
Matt Hill (iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus), T3
Apple’s iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus will be available to the public beginning on Friday, September 19. Apple is currently accepting pre-orders for the devices in its online store, but shipping estimates for the iPhone 6 are at 7 to 10 days while estimates for the 6 Plus are at 3 to 4 weeks.
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