Apple iPhone and related items (cont.)

[RedDragon]

T'net is awash with 5* reviews today - i just cannot believe how amazing this phone is!

There's obviously been an embargo on early reviews being released (signed agreement?) - those journalist complying should say so in their articles.

 

[editor]

Looks like that OMG amazing-extended-awesome battery life might be actually worse than the iPhone 5.
http://www.timesunion.com/technolog...ke-Battery-Life-Might-Still-Be-An-5760663.php

 

[elbows]

Variations in battery life reviews are quite understandable given different testing methodologies. It is useful to do a test with the screen on 100% brightness, but it's not the only metric that should be used.

For example from the Wall Street Journal article that article you linked to mentions:

http://online.wsj.com/articles/ipho...id-envy-1410915695?mod=WSJ_hp_RightTopStories

The iPhone 6's biggest drawback is its battery. It isn't a deal-breaker—I was able to make it through the day on a single charge. But when I stress-tested the handsets by cranking up screen brightness to 100% and streaming video, the iPhone 6 battery died just before my iPhone 5S's did.

The iPhone 6 Plus, with its larger battery, lasted about 15% longer than its sibling. But Samsung's Galaxy S5 blew away the competition, lasting 40% to 50% longer than the iPhone 6. (Plus, you can also replace the Galaxy battery any time. Apple's are sealed inside.)

In tests with all the phones' brightness set to automatic, the new iPhones were more conservative in their power usage and managed to match or beat their predecessor and arch rival.

In my opinion they shouldn't really compare it seriously to an iPhone 5S unless they have iOS 8 on their iPhone 5S, especially when auto-brightness is on. iOS 8 might not make much difference, but thats certainly not a safe assumption to make at this stage.

 

[RedDragon]

Mr Fry, all this fence sitting will result in arse splinters.

..I believe them to be, the best and most beautiful mobile telecom technology ever yet produced...
Guardian

 

[UnderOpenSky]

That's still over £20 a month more than / nearly 3 times the price of my Mum's Moto G.

Madness :/

Or £7 a month more then my Note 2, which also comes with unlimited data (I know that's not cutting edge any more, but I've had it 18 months now)

 

[editor]

Mr Fry, all this fence sitting will result in arse splinters.

Will they have been celebs with a cosy relationship with the manufacturer frothing and swooning over new products by other manufacturers?

No, of course not.

This comment sums up the fawning advertorial well:

Exquisite.
Ravishing.
Utterly gorgeous.

Utterly embarrassing.

And..

Good grief. It's like getting a Ford driving, Ford employed executive to review a Ford Fiesta.

What's the point? Really, it's utterly pointless to hear - yet again - Fry wax lyrical about the latest Apple product. It adds nothing, absolutely nothing.

 

[elbows]

If you get bored you should have a look at what chunks of the 'fashion press' appear to have been saying about the apple watch as well. Not as universally gushing as the tech press when it comes to Apple, but some indications that the same sort of shit may be going on with this new arena.

 

[RedDragon]

 

[editor]

How the fuck is some cash laden consumer buying an expensive consumer news anyhow?

 

[gabi]

They brought them around our office today. It was like kids in a fucking candy shop. I assume we weren't the only office being treated to an 'exclusive' chance to be amongst the first to own this fucking thing. Yes, it was beautiful, but fucking hell. 600 quid or something, way more for the golden one.

It's a phone. Unfortunately I live in a country where people actually judge you on what handset you tap away on while sitting opposite your friends. Gah.

 

[RedDragon]

This morning my poor iP4 became even more downgraded - hope I don't breakout in a status anxiety rash

 

[elbows]

They brought them around our office today. It was like kids in a fucking candy shop. I assume we weren't the only office being treated to an 'exclusive' chance to be amongst the first to own this fucking thing. Yes, it was beautiful, but fucking hell. 600 quid or something, way more for the golden one.

The gold colour option doesn't affect the price of the iPhone. The 'really gold' watch on the other hand will give people good cause to moan.

 

[Kid_Eternity]

Does anyone know whether iOS 8 will work on a 4s and what the actual benefits are?

I've read a few things that say to not put it on 4S as it really doesn't run well. It works very well on my 5S (better than 7) and some things are actually faster (spotlight is lightening quick and doesn't judder). The big thing for this one is it really feels like an incremental change, there's so few things that I found myself going 'ah that's quite useful'. I'm no fan of widgets, and Apple's solution is as boring as any other. The in notification reply stuff is ok for text, being able to see photos you've shared in iMessage history? Big deal.

Think the key thing is this is partly half a release as all the big features that I really like the look of require the new OS X (answering calls on my MacBook Pro or the hand off thing are very neat)...

 

[Kid_Eternity]

Oh actually there's is two things I do find useful:

1. 1 Password Touch ID opening!
2. Evernote clipping in Safari (finally!)

...

 

[Me76]

I held a 6 yesterday. Too light, thin and big for me.

 

[elbows]

Oh actually there's is two things I do find useful:

1. 1 Password Touch ID opening!
2. Evernote clipping in Safari (finally!)

...

Yeah, even for those that don't find widgets useful, there is a lot else in this release that requires 3rd party devs to make the most of.

 

[editor]

A little counterbalance:
Chinese workers make $17 a day building the iPhone 6, but it’ll cost them $4,000 to buy one

 

[elbows]

I'm not really sure what that is counterbalancing exactly? Nor does that article mention that iPhone 6's aren't officially available in China yet because their regulator hasn't finished approving them. Plus blackmarket prices there appear to start from $1303. (e.g. see http://www.cnet.com/news/iphone-6-delay-in-china-triggers-black-market-sales/ )

The plight of poorly paid Chinese workers whose conditions of employment often suck is always worth focusing on. But I'm not really sure what comparing their wages to stupidly over-inflated blackmarket prices actually achieves.

 

[dweller]

How the fuck is some cash laden consumer buying an expensive consumer news anyhow?

Did you read Stephen Fry's advertorial in the Guardian? It was a barf a minute.

 

[UnderOpenSky]

I'm not really sure what that is counterbalancing exactly? Nor does that article mention that iPhone 6's aren't officially available in China yet because their regulator hasn't finished approving them. Plus blackmarket prices there appear to start from $1303. (e.g. see http://www.cnet.com/news/iphone-6-delay-in-china-triggers-black-market-sales/ )

The plight of poorly paid Chinese workers whose conditions of employment often suck is always worth focusing on. But I'm not really sure what comparing their wages to stupidly over-inflated blackmarket prices actually achieves.

Indeed. It would hit home harder if they had the cost or retail as it will still be a massive difference.

 

[RedDragon]

I got to play with the 6+ earlier: it's a big iPhone and not a small iPad - I'm still waiting for the perfect hybrid

 

[elbows]

Some benchmarks and battery life stuff for both models from Anandtech:

http://www.anandtech.com/show/8559/iphone-6-and-iphone-6-plus-preliminary-results

 

[gabi]

A little counterbalance:
Chinese workers make $17 a day building the iPhone 6, but it’ll cost them $4,000 to buy one

What kind of phone do you use out of interest? I gather samsungs are made in the same factories. Not sure why you're singling out apple here.

 

[Winot]

I held a 6 yesterday. Too light, thin and big for me.

Had a quick look at them in the Apple store in Regent St - the 6 Plus is *huge*!

(Couldn't get close enough to the desk to actually hold one mind).

 

[editor]

What kind of phone do you use out of interest? I gather samsungs are made in the same factories. Not sure why you're singling out apple here.

Maybe because they make more money than anyone else, they're seen as the coolest, most aspirational brand of all, they're the richest tech company on the planet and they've give less back to charitable causes than any of their peers? And, worst of all, they gave $100bn to fellow tax dodgers fucking U2.

 

[elbows]

Maybe because they make more money than anyone else, they're seen as the coolest, most aspirational brand of all, they're the richest tech company on the planet and they've give less back to charitable causes than any of their peers? And, worst of all, they gave $100bn to fellow tax dodgers fucking U2.

I don't think they gave them 100 billion!

 

[editor]

I don't think they gave them 100 billion!

It's $100m but $100bn's worth of hurt.

 

[tony heath]

they gave $100bn to fellow tax dodgers fucking U2.

boy oh boy

 

[RedDragon]

20p a download

 

[RedDragon]

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