TREKS IN SCI-FI FORUM

Some news about iOS 7 and the next gen iPhone. Rumors right now say that the next iOS version is behind schedule and that Apple had to pull devs from the Mac OSX team. Sounds like they're doing some new UI changes to iOS which is a good thing. It could use some consistency and from what we've seen of the Apple Podcast app update, (which removed the animated tape reel and solidified the app) they're going to be moving away from the skewmorphism that's been showing up in a lot of apps of Apple's. Be interesting to see what they come out with.

http://www.theverge.com/2013/4/2/4176914/ios-7-behind-schedule-new-look (http://www.theverge.com/2013/4/2/4176914/ios-7-behind-schedule-new-look)

From what I've read iOS 7 is delayed but the phone is not. This should be interesting as Apple usually like new hardware to come with a new iteration of iOS.

Apple iPhone event confirmed for September 10, one week away.  Anyone care to post their predictions?  New premium iPhone?  Cheaper, smaller iPhone mini?  New iPad revision?  I'd be most interested in some news on the Apple television set rumored last year and has been hush-hush ever since.  All questions answered in one short week.

http://www.engadget.com/2013/09/03/apple-confirms-september-10th-iphone-event/ (http://www.engadget.com/2013/09/03/apple-confirms-september-10th-iphone-event/)

iPhone 5S - new premium phone.

iPhone 5C - budget phone with a plastic case.

LOTS of colour choices.

It seems Hell has frozen over and Apple are having to change tactics in an attempt top retain a little market share.

I've heard that iOS 7 has matured nicely and is working very well, especially in UI performance though.

I'm hearing there will be a thumbprint reader built-in to the home button.

Quote from: Rico on September 03, 2013, 12:11:05 PM
I'm hearing there will be a thumbprint reader built-in to the home button.

Really? Wouldn't have thought the home button would be big enough.

Quote from: Dangelus on September 03, 2013, 12:29:08 PM

Quote from: Rico on September 03, 2013, 12:11:05 PM
I'm hearing there will be a thumbprint reader built-in to the home button.

Really? Wouldn't have thought the home button would be big enough.

The word I heard is they are putting a metal ring around it to help on that.

Too bad about the OS, I'm more excited about iOS7 then new hardware despite the fact this is likely the generation I'll be upgrading my old reliable iPhone 4.

Quote from: Rico on September 03, 2013, 12:43:31 PM

Quote from: Dangelus on September 03, 2013, 12:29:08 PM

Quote from: Rico on September 03, 2013, 12:11:05 PM
I'm hearing there will be a thumbprint reader built-in to the home button.

Really? Wouldn't have thought the home button would be big enough.

The word I heard is they are putting a metal ring around it to help on that.

I think it would make more sense to make the screen the thumb reader personally...

Wheres Bryan? ;)

Quote from: Meds on September 03, 2013, 12:56:56 PM
Wheres Bryan? ;)

My current iPhone tells me he's posting on Facebook :)

Looks like it might be iPhone 6 before the thumb reader gets built in.

http://www.applebitch.com/2013/08/07/what-could-fingerprint-recognition-on-an-iphone-actually-be-used-for/ (http://www.applebitch.com/2013/08/07/what-could-fingerprint-recognition-on-an-iphone-actually-be-used-for/)

Facebook is annoyingly way more populated than these forums.

Quote from: Jobydrone on September 03, 2013, 01:22:35 PM
Facebook is annoyingly way more populated than these forums.

I've noticed that on quite a few forums I frequent.

Quote from: Dangelus on September 03, 2013, 01:13:56 PM
Looks like it might be iPhone 6 before the thumb reader gets built in.

http://www.applebitch.com/2013/08/07/what-could-fingerprint-recognition-on-an-iphone-actually-be-used-for/ (http://www.applebitch.com/2013/08/07/what-could-fingerprint-recognition-on-an-iphone-actually-be-used-for/)

And I see your link and raise you a couple others...

http://9to5mac.com/2013/08/19/the-gold-iphone-5s-fingerprint-scanners-and-the-future-of-ios/ (http://9to5mac.com/2013/08/19/the-gold-iphone-5s-fingerprint-scanners-and-the-future-of-ios/)

http://www.iphonehacks.com/2013/09/leaked-iphone-5s-home-button-flex-fingerprint-sensor.html (http://www.iphonehacks.com/2013/09/leaked-iphone-5s-home-button-flex-fingerprint-sensor.html)

Quote from: Rico on September 03, 2013, 02:00:42 PM

Quote from: Dangelus on September 03, 2013, 01:13:56 PM
Looks like it might be iPhone 6 before the thumb reader gets built in.

http://www.applebitch.com/2013/08/07/what-could-fingerprint-recognition-on-an-iphone-actually-be-used-for/ (http://www.applebitch.com/2013/08/07/what-could-fingerprint-recognition-on-an-iphone-actually-be-used-for/)

And I see your link and raise you a couple others...

http://9to5mac.com/2013/08/19/the-gold-iphone-5s-fingerprint-scanners-and-the-future-of-ios/ (http://9to5mac.com/2013/08/19/the-gold-iphone-5s-fingerprint-scanners-and-the-future-of-ios/)

http://www.iphonehacks.com/2013/09/leaked-iphone-5s-home-button-flex-fingerprint-sensor.html (http://www.iphonehacks.com/2013/09/leaked-iphone-5s-home-button-flex-fingerprint-sensor.html)

It seems they may have left it out until the last minute to perfect it. I guess we will fund out on the 10th! :-)

I first heard about the print reader a few weeks back on the Twit podcast. Guy seemed to have a reliable inside Apple source.

Is this the generation I'll end up updating my iPhone 4 to? Probably...

The question is, do I get a 5S or go for one of the new 'cheap and cheerful' versions?

As uusl i would hold out till they fix all the teething problems. They really need to sort out the print ability. Annoys me something rotten having to put stuff i want to print out into a different app for it to work on my epsom printer.

Quote from: Feathers on September 04, 2013, 09:08:38 AM
Is this the generation I'll end up updating my iPhone 4 to? Probably...

The question is, do I get a 5S or go for one of the new 'cheap and cheerful' versions?

The cheap and cheerful version may only be for emerging markets...

Quote from: Dangelus on September 04, 2013, 02:20:23 PM

Quote from: Feathers on September 04, 2013, 09:08:38 AM
Is this the generation I'll end up updating my iPhone 4 to? Probably...

The question is, do I get a 5S or go for one of the new 'cheap and cheerful' versions?

The cheap and cheerful version may only be for emerging markets...

Hey, I moved house last year and that cost money. I'm only just emerging back into the market now, doesn't that qualify me? ;)

The ad they're using to promote the announcement says "This should brighten everyone's day" so I'd be very surprised if the new colors are only available in say, China or something.

You'll just have to be patient and wait for the 10th to find out :)

Not an Apple user so I have no horse in this race but I hope what they have to show is a little more exciting than the fact they've finally discovered colours. It will be interesting to see what they include in the rumoured cheap(er) iPhone and what the consider to be cheap lol.

The rumors are it's an iPhone 5 in a plastic shell.  I'd be very surprised if it's any less powerful than that because they want everyone to be able to utilize the benefits of iOS 7 and be able to run all the new apps, because of course the real money makers are in the app store.  My guesses are one sku only, in multiple colors, with 16GB flash memory, and $99 + 2yr contract for the "cheap phone".

Quote from: Jobydrone on September 05, 2013, 10:50:58 AM
The rumors are it's an iPhone 5 in a plastic shell.  I'd be very surprised if it's any less powerful than that because they want everyone to be able to utilize the benefits of iOS 7 and be able to run all the new apps, because of course the real money makers are in the app store.  My guesses are one sku only, in multiple colors, with 16GB flash memory, and $99 + 2yr contract for the "cheap phone".

That would be pretty attractive to quite a few people still on the fence. I think they need to go with a bigger screen on the 5S.

Quote from: Dangelus on September 05, 2013, 11:06:06 AM

Quote from: Jobydrone on September 05, 2013, 10:50:58 AM
The rumors are it's an iPhone 5 in a plastic shell.  I'd be very surprised if it's any less powerful than that because they want everyone to be able to utilize the benefits of iOS 7 and be able to run all the new apps, because of course the real money makers are in the app store.  My guesses are one sku only, in multiple colors, with 16GB flash memory, and $99 + 2yr contract for the "cheap phone".

That would be pretty attractive to quite a few people still on the fence. I think they need to go with a bigger screen on the 5S.

I agree with both those statements, though I'm not sure we'll see a bigger screen this time around.  I'd like one though, and it's about the only feature that could convince me to upgrade.  The size increase in the most recent iteration was not that noticeable and for most gaming, I think the screen is still way too small to be enjoyable.  If you think about it, they always offer deep discounts on the previous models whenever a new iteration of the iPhone is released.  I think the "cheap iPhone" will mirror that policy in every way.

Yeah you're probably right and the bigger screen will come with iPhone 6. It's a dangerous game Apple are playing though. I don't think there is another premium smartphone manufacturer that is still on that size screen...

Quote from: Dangelus on September 05, 2013, 12:40:24 PM
Yeah you're probably right and the bigger screen will come with iPhone 6. It's a dangerous game Apple are playing though. I don't think there is another premium smartphone manufacturer that is still on that size screen...

Actually I think HTC One Mini might be close.

Quote from: Ktrek on September 05, 2013, 01:28:59 PM

Quote from: Dangelus on September 05, 2013, 12:40:24 PM
Yeah you're probably right and the bigger screen will come with iPhone 6. It's a dangerous game Apple are playing though. I don't think there is another premium smartphone manufacturer that is still on that size screen...

Actually I think HTC One Mini might be close.

Yeah that's my point. All other phones that size that are not budget phones are called 'mini' which by implication means the screen size is reduced from the standard size these days.

Wow. If they go with a bigger screen then I'm outta here! (Or I'll get an 'old' iPhone 5 and live with that until it dies or I do).

There's no way on this earth that I want a screen much bigger than that of the 4 I currently have. I'll accept a bit longer but wider would be a killer. I guess my view may change in future but I can't see it at the moment.

Quote from: Feathers on September 06, 2013, 04:01:25 PM
Wow. If they go with a bigger screen then I'm outta here! (Or I'll get an 'old' iPhone 5 and live with that until it dies or I do).

There's no way on this earth that I want a screen much bigger than that of the 4 I currently have. I'll accept a bit longer but wider would be a killer. I guess my view may change in future but I can't see it at the moment.

Well, you definitely are not the status quo. We are not selling but one I5 for every ten Samsung Galaxy S4s right now, and that doesn't even include the HTC Ones, Moto Xs etc. etc. At least 1/4 of those are people who are leaving Apple because of the benefits of the the larger screen and superior performance of the Galaxy S4. Apple is losing ground every day and if they want to gain some of it back they need to come up with a larger screen. There are too many things that phones do now that the smaller screens do not make good sense. And if anyone thinks that people are gonna be so impressed that the new phone "might" have a fingerprint scanner then they just live in a fantasy world. When I talk to people looking at phones they poo poo the idea and many are disappointed that Apple isn't moving to a larger screen. If all you guys do is read the geek hype online for your information you ought to get out here and deal with the public that's buying these phones on a daily basis like I do. It might help your perspectives!

Kevin

Oh, I fully accept that the market is moving this way fast but, at the moment, it's simply not what I want. It's interesting to hear the perspective from the 'real world' though.

Now, I said I had no use for an iPad and I'm writing this reply on an iPad mini so my views do change but, at the moment, this is where I stand.

Apple testing large screen sizes but the size is unlikely to change this year.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324577304579057262388733816?mg=reno64-wsj.html?dsk=y (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324577304579057262388733816?mg=reno64-wsj.html?dsk=y)

I see that thumbprint reader is in there like I had heard.  Start collecting those prints of your closest friends.  :)

It's really telling how little fuss their has been with this year's iPhone upgrades.

I think they've fine a good job with the 5S, a nice upgrade from the 4 series of you need one. I like the new shell and colours too.

Press coverage seems focused on the 5C though. We know one thing, the C didn't stand for cheap! Tech commentators are speculating that if this phone is an attempt to increase market share in emerging markets then Apple are going to struggle.

Should be an interesting Q4! :)

I think these mid cycle upgrades are like that. Plus, many of the changes were known already. Lastly, many people seem to just get every other new version since people generally can't get a new phone every year.  I wish work would give us more choice in a phone. These Nokia Windows phones are pretty bad. But hey, it's free.

I said this with the 5 a s well, looking around at the market it seems we've gotten to the point where the huge leaps of innovation are done. I can't recall the last phone announcement (be it iOS, android, windows phone , blackberry or otherwise) that cursed a sensation.

We're at a point where we are simply iterating to the next incremental step, jut like pc hardware is. New generation of intel CPUs? Great, put them in my next pc, no need for a world shattering event.

I'm seriously considering leaving the Apple ecosystem for good...not for any particular reason, although I have had pretty bad luck with my iPhone and iMac as far as needing repairs and such (my launch iPad is still operating perfectly though). But there are just products out there that I am more interested in feature and price wise.  I find the Galaxy Note series of phones very appealing with the huge screen as a potential replacent when I  ready to replace this iPhone. For a new tablet, I want something that runs
Windows apps and can play WoW and other less intense games. And my first purchase will be a new home computer, and it will definitely be a better system for gaming.  I do love the seamless ways iPad, iPhone, and iMac all interact currently, but I think that experience wouldn't be too dissimilar with non Apple devices.

Yes, it was certainly a mixed bag. I think the thumbprint recognition system is the most interesting. The biometric identification system for making payments is a HUGE potential market and if Apple makes this work well, it opens the door to secure thumbprint payment serives, which is a bit of a Holy Grail in the tech space right now. I am most dissapointed there was no announcement of a deal with China Mobile.

Quote from: Jobydrone on September 11, 2013, 05:23:55 AM
I'm seriously considering leaving the Apple ecosystem for good...not for any particular reason, although I have had pretty bad luck with my iPhone and iMac as far as needing repairs and such (my launch iPad is still operating perfectly though). But there are just products out there that I am more interested in feature and price wise.  I find the Galaxy Note series of phones very appealing with the huge screen as a potential replacent when I  ready to replace this iPhone. For a new tablet, I want something that runs
Windows apps and can play WoW and other less intense games. And my first purchase will be a new home computer, and it will definitely be a better system for gaming.  I do love the seamless ways iPad, iPhone, and iMac all interact currently, but I think that experience wouldn't be too dissimilar with non Apple devices.

It's not that dissimilar. I have a windows phone, surface, laptop, desktop, and xbox. The level of integration is pretty nice. I find it pretty convenient to pull up work documents I left on my home PC to my phone at a moment's notice.

The Trojan Horse many are missing about this mid-term upgrade is the potential of the fingerprint ID. for a number of years now, a lot of companies have been trying to create a biometric based payment system. in other words no more cash, no more credit cards. You just use a fingerprint to make a purchase at a retail store. If Apple can make people feel comfortable that this technology can secure their phones and personal info on their phones, then what is to stop then from creating an ap where you can use your iPhone to make purchases using your fingerprint as authorization? Compelling.

Quote from: Bryancd on September 11, 2013, 04:01:39 PM
The Trojan Horse many are missing about this mid-term upgrade is the potential of the fingerprint ID. for a number of years now, a lot of companies have been trying to create a biometric based payment system. in other words no more cash, no more credit cards. You just use a fingerprint to make a purchase at a retail store. If Apple can make people feel comfortable that this technology can secure their phones and personal info on their phones, then what is to stop then from creating an ap where you can use your iPhone to make purchases using your fingerprint as authorization? Compelling.

I don't know how well it will work. There are tons of laptops already out there with fingerprint scanners. It's not exactly reinventing the wheel here and I think too many people are really concerned about someone having their finger prints on some file. Just imagine the privacy issues when the database is taken with a warrant and added to CODIS for some criminal investigation.

Quote from: X on September 11, 2013, 04:41:49 PM

Quote from: Bryancd on September 11, 2013, 04:01:39 PM
The Trojan Horse many are missing about this mid-term upgrade is the potential of the fingerprint ID. for a number of years now, a lot of companies have been trying to create a biometric based payment system. in other words no more cash, no more credit cards. You just use a fingerprint to make a purchase at a retail store. If Apple can make people feel comfortable that this technology can secure their phones and personal info on their phones, then what is to stop then from creating an ap where you can use your iPhone to make purchases using your fingerprint as authorization? Compelling.

I don't know how well it will work. There are tons of laptops already out there with fingerprint scanners. It's not exactly reinventing the wheel here and I think too many people are really concerned about someone having their finger prints on some file. Just imagine the privacy issues when the database is taken with a warrant and added to CODIS for some criminal investigation.

Yes, but laptops are not portable devices and is Apple can demonstrate that it is a secure system and only based on their device hardware, you have a game changer.

Laptops aren't portable devices?

To expand the use of this device then users would have to trust Apple to store their fingerprint in the cloud, which they area currently claiming is not happening. A little confusing because in sure there was mention of using this system for purchases in Apple stores.

I think I read that the prints are only stored in a secure area on the A7 chip....no doubt in a place even the NSA cannot access...   ;)

Quote from: Dangelus on September 11, 2013, 10:22:02 PM
Laptops aren't portable devices?

To expand the use of this device then users would have to trust Apple to store their fingerprint in the cloud, which they area currently claiming is not happening. A little confusing because in sure there was mention of using this system for purchases in Apple stores.

I think it's going to function exactly like the password finger print on an HP, but I don't see it being any sort of game changer. For purchases outside of the Apple store, you would 100% need some sort of database to confirm your id and I really can't see anyone jumping onboard that. If apple is prefacing the tech with the fact where data will and won't be stored, I think they don't see it either.

Quote from: Bromptonboy on September 12, 2013, 04:58:49 AM
I think I read that the prints are only stored in a secure area on the A7 chip....no doubt in a place even the NSA cannot access...   ;)

Yeah, they are stored on the device. And when I say portable I mean something you carry in your pocket, not in a shoulder bag, clearly. Everyone always has their phone with them and this could eliminate the need to carry cash or physical credit cards.

I agree that workable fingerprint security - along with NFC down the road - could make for EZPass-like convenience at any store checkout

Quote from: Bromptonboy on September 12, 2013, 06:25:56 AM
I agree that workable fingerprint security - along with NFC down the road - could make for EZPass-like convenience at any store checkout

Exactly.

I want to use DNA to make purchases by spitting on my phone. Lol!

Quote from: Rico on September 12, 2013, 07:13:43 AM
I want to use DNA to make purchases by spitting on my phone. Lol!

Has Brother Rico been watching Gattica again?!  :)  I am waiting for urinals or toilets that diagnose us after we avail ourselves of their utility...

TouchID has already been defeated:

http://www.ccc.de/en/updates/2013/ccc-breaks-apple-touchid (http://www.ccc.de/en/updates/2013/ccc-breaks-apple-touchid)

"The biometrics hacking team of the Chaos Computer Club (CCC) has successfully bypassed the biometric security of Apple's TouchID using easy everyday means. A fingerprint of the phone user, photographed from a glass surface, was enough to create a fake finger that could unlock an iPhone 5s secured with TouchID. This demonstrates – again – that fingerprint biometrics is unsuitable as access control method and should be avoided."

Well for your average non-James Bond user I think it's as useful and secure as a four digit pass code. Way cooler too.

Quote from: Jobydrone on September 22, 2013, 02:43:30 PM
Well for your average non-James Bond user I think it's as useful and secure as a four digit pass code. Way cooler too.

LOL! Yeah, look, if someone is motivated enough, cracking a 4 digit code or targeting a specific individual in an effort to lift their fingerprints they will.

If your 4 digit passcode is discovered you can change it :-)

Quote from: Dangelus on September 22, 2013, 03:15:38 PM
If your 4 digit passcode is discovered you can change it :-)

And it is far more likely to be hacked using software in some backwater country then an involved sting operation designed to specifically target me and my phone by a bunch of ex-KGB. If they were so motivated they could really steal my identity and that could happen to anyone, anytime. I seriously doubt my phone has enough value to warrant such a crusade.

Quote from: Dangelus on September 22, 2013, 03:15:38 PM
If your 4 digit passcode is discovered you can change it :-)

I think you are missing the point.  The fingerprint reader was put in for convenience - not necessarily for better security.  How secure is your home?  Most locks are much easier to crack than a password or fingerprint reader.  Does your phone really need more security than your home? 

Quote from: Rico on September 22, 2013, 03:33:27 PM

Quote from: Dangelus on September 22, 2013, 03:15:38 PM
If your 4 digit passcode is discovered you can change it :-)

I think you are missing the point.  The fingerprint reader was put in for convenience - not necessarily for better security.  How secure is your home?  Most locks are much easier to crack than a password or fingerprint reader.  Does your phone really need more security than your home? 

Exactly. Biometric screening is a far superior way of identification then alpha/numeric pass codes. However it can be defeated with a very specific and targeted effort. If you are the victim of that, then you would simply no longer use that to secure your personal information. Simple. Biometrics aren't the answer to all security issues, but it is a VERY convenient way to do things like make purchase, unlock your phone, whatever, and that's it. It will likely gain a lot of traction now that Apple has incorporated tis into the iPhone. Credit cards may become a thing of the past and I have at least one client per year who is the victim of credit card fraud because someone stole or hacked their number.

Quote from: Bryancd on September 22, 2013, 03:42:08 PM

Quote from: Rico on September 22, 2013, 03:33:27 PM

Quote from: Dangelus on September 22, 2013, 03:15:38 PM
If your 4 digit passcode is discovered you can change it :-)

I think you are missing the point.  The fingerprint reader was put in for convenience - not necessarily for better security.  How secure is your home?  Most locks are much easier to crack than a password or fingerprint reader.  Does your phone really need more security than your home? 

Exactly. Biometric screening is a far superior way of identification then alpha/numeric pass codes. However it can be defeated with a very specific and targeted effort. If you are the victim of that, then you would simply no longer use that to secure your personal information. Simple. Biometrics aren't the answer to all security issues, but it is a VERY convenient way to do things like make purchase, unlock your phone, whatever, and that's it. It will likely gain a lot of traction now that Apple has incorporated tis into the iPhone. Credit cards may become a thing of the past and I have at least one client per year who is the victim of credit card fraud because someone stole or hacked their number.

It seems that you think you agree with each other but your two statements are in conflict.
I agree it's a convenience thing not hard security which is why it will not be used for anything other than what it does now. No consumer grade fingerprint scanner has avoided being cracked so far. I can't see credit cards ever allowing a system like this. Ironically if somebody got hold of your card I'm sure there would be some lovely prints on it that they could lift and then crack your account!

The genie is already out of the bottle. You can unlock an iPhone with a print and then have access to make purchases.  Just like if your wallet is stolen, if you lose your phone you need to cancel your accounts.  Using a password or print doesn't matter.

Actually you can remotely wipe your phone of all data and not have to cancel anything. Better than a lost wallet!  Just implant a chip into my wrist already and be done with it!

Is that remote wipe something you can do yourself?

Quote from: Dangelus on September 22, 2013, 11:16:42 PM

It seems that you think you agree with each other but your two statements are in conflict.
I agree it's a convenience thing not hard security which is why it will not be used for anything other than what it does now. No consumer grade fingerprint scanner has avoided being cracked so far. I can't see credit cards ever allowing a system like this. Ironically if somebody got hold of your card I'm sure there would be some lovely prints on it that they could lift and then crack your account!

You would be incorrect in that assumption. The card companies suffer a tremendous amount of loss from card fraud. Cards are stolen, lost, numbers copied, ect., and within moments $1000 of dollars of charges are billed before they are stopped. That loss is covered by the card company for the consumer but it greatly increases the cost to everyone in general for banking services. Biometric is far superior simply because it has a much higher threshold of technical skill to steal, Sure it can be done, but I am less likely to be a victim of this sort of orchestrated theft then simply leaving my card on a counter somewhere accidentally. The barrier to biometrics isn't security, it's adoption. It hasn't caught on as it's been sort of scatter shot they way it's been attempted to be implemented. The iPhone could go a long way to making people feel more comfortable using it and I wouldn't be surprised to see the industry really start to take off. It is a better system then using cash or cards, more efficient, more convenient, and if that drives more purchases, better for the banking companies.

Quote from: Rico on September 23, 2013, 04:48:16 AM
Is that remote wipe something you can do yourself?

Yup. You can remotely send a message to the phone, remotely passcode lock it and then finally remotely wipe it. With iOS 7 you can also do an "activation lock" which will requrie an iTunes account password to unlock the phone at all. All that from the "Find my iPhone" app on another iOS device or via the web.

9 million iPhone 5S and 5C's sold over the weekend, a new record. 200Million devices using iOS 7. Wow, glad I got aggressive buying it recently.

Yeah, I'm looking to upgrade in the near future but I think I may have to wait at least a month or so at this point.

The New York City police department are recomending people upgrade to iPhones using the touch sensor because they feel it is more secure. Who am I to agrue with the boys and gals in blue from the Big Apple! :)

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/09/23/ios7-nypd_n_3974315.html?utm_hp_ref=uk-tech&ir=UK+Tech (http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/09/23/ios7-nypd_n_3974315.html?utm_hp_ref=uk-tech&ir=UK+Tech)

Can you use both fingerprint and pass code? That would be really secure.

Quote from: Rico on September 23, 2013, 09:31:45 AM
Can you use both fingerprint and pass code? That would be really secure.

My phone has both fingerprint and passcode.

Belt and Braces.  :)

I must say I am confused by all the hysteria and hyperbole surrounding this technology. It's never been sold as the ultimate form of security, it's simply convenient. I love unlocking my phone with my finger, it's so simple and fast.

Quote from: Bryancd on September 23, 2013, 09:59:16 AM
I must say I am confused by all the hysteria and hyperbole surrounding this technology. It's never been sold as the ultimate form of security, it's simply convenient. I love unlocking my phone with my finger, it's so simple and fast.

This. Honeslt,y the only reason I even have a passcode on my phone is because it's a policy from work (since I have my work email going to my iPhone). A 4-digit code isn't going to stop anyone from breaking in.

Quote from: Bryancd on September 23, 2013, 04:49:40 AM

Quote from: Dangelus on September 22, 2013, 11:16:42 PM

It seems that you think you agree with each other but your two statements are in conflict.
I agree it's a convenience thing not hard security which is why it will not be used for anything other than what it does now. No consumer grade fingerprint scanner has avoided being cracked so far. I can't see credit cards ever allowing a system like this. Ironically if somebody got hold of your card I'm sure there would be some lovely prints on it that they could lift and then crack your account!

You would be incorrect in that assumption. The card companies suffer a tremendous amount of loss from card fraud. Cards are stolen, lost, numbers copied, ect., and within moments $1000 of dollars of charges are billed before they are stopped. That loss is covered by the card company for the consumer but it greatly increases the cost to everyone in general for banking services. Biometric is far superior simply because it has a much higher threshold of technical skill to steal, Sure it can be done, but I am less likely to be a victim of this sort of orchestrated theft then simply leaving my card on a counter somewhere accidentally. The barrier to biometrics isn't security, it's adoption. It hasn't caught on as it's been sort of scatter shot they way it's been attempted to be implemented. The iPhone could go a long way to making people feel more comfortable using it and I wouldn't be surprised to see the industry really start to take off. It is a better system then using cash or cards, more efficient, more convenient, and if that drives more purchases, better for the banking companies.

I guess I'm struggling to see how it is secure. If you lose your phone / card and your finger print can be easily lifted from the device (the glass screen is covered with your prints) with household materials how's is this secure? Isn't it the same as losing your card when you've scribbled your pin number on the back of it?

File it Bryan and we shall see what happens in the future. What is your prediction? I mean how many years before we see a credit card using this sort of biometrics?

Hacked already ( kind of)

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/apples-iphone-5s-fingerprint-sensor-successfully-hacked-days-after-going-on-sale-8834114.html (http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/apples-iphone-5s-fingerprint-sensor-successfully-hacked-days-after-going-on-sale-8834114.html)

Quote from: Dangelus on September 23, 2013, 01:07:50 PM
I guess I'm struggling to see how it is secure. If you lose your phone / card and your finger print can be easily lifted from the device (the glass screen is covered with your prints) with household materials how's is this secure? Isn't it the same as losing your card when you've scribbled your pin number on the back of it?

File it Bryan and we shall see what happens in the future. What is your prediction? I mean how many years before we see a credit card using this sort of biometrics?

I'm struggling to understand how you consider copying a fingerprint easy as it requires the following. One, you must target an individual and acquire their fingerprint. Two, you must do all the steps mentioned to create a facsimile. Three, you must then steal the device for which this fingerprint is being used to secure. Seems to be stealing a credit card number is a far sight easier. A random numeric software code can simply defeat most credit card numbers given some time and don't require you being in proximity to the intended victim. When I make a purchase or cash withdrawal using my debit card, I use a 4 digit pin, just like I can do with my phone, so it's not much of a step to make purchases using a fingerprint vs. a 4 digit pin, it's six of one, half dozen of the other. The NYPD seem to feel it's more secure and they have skin in the crime fighting game.

This is the first mass market consumer device to implement this technology. If consumers respond favorably and become more comfortable with technology then we could easily see that become more prevalent in other devices as a means of security and making purchases. I think in the next 5 years it could become much more widespread, my only issue is the companies that do this are very small and their stocks very volatile and like most industries, there will be a lot of chaff among the wheat.

My concern was based around the fact that if the system had been defeated and if the example can be replicated the very items protected by the fingerprint scanner has fingerprints on them. You steal the device,  you get the prints.

The NYPD thing is admirable but what will they achieve? Say that they convince every 5S owner to use Touch ID.  Will this reduce thefts? Only if muggers start asking victims which phone they gave and decide not to mug if they have a protected 5S. It will reduce the loss of personal data and further thefts after the I initial theft yes, but the phone will still be lost and made inactive and wiped just like any other phone. Insurance companies will still be paying out etc.

Quote from: Dangelus on September 23, 2013, 02:01:30 PM
My concern was based around the fact that if the system had been defeated and if the example can be replicated the very items protected by the fingerprint scanner has fingerprints on them. You steal the device,  you get the prints.

The NYPD thing is admirable but what will they achieve? Say that they convince every 5S owner to use Touch ID.  Will this reduce thefts? Only if muggers start asking victims which phone they gave and decide not to mug if they have a protected 5S. It will reduce the loss of personal data and further thefts after the I initial theft yes, but the phone will still be lost and made inactive and wiped just like any other phone. Insurance companies will still be paying out etc.

Of course it can be defeated, it's not intended to be the be all end all in security measures, thus my previous comment about the hyperbole of critics of this technology. It is better then alphanumeric in a lot of instances but more important, it's, as Rico also said earlier and others in this thread, CONVENIENT. This is not the end game, this is simply a bit better mouse trap.

Hey speaking of all these fun phones... my daughter is looking for a used iPhone-- if you want to get rid of  yours or want to sell it... let me know.  THANKS!
Just send me an email...   rick@ragtagfugitivefleet.com

Thanks!

I don't see how this is the first mass market consumer device with bio-metrics. It's far from it. My laptop has bio-metric fingerprint locks. There have been other devices for years that have used the much harder to fool facial recognition security software. As Apple and several other companies have a foot in the door to the FR bio-metrics, I can easily see how this could become a much more secure and usable technology that would be much easier to adopt. A quick pic to make sure that you are you and bam, you have a more secure means of future transactions.

Hell, they already attempted a non-tech version of this by putting pictures on credit cards. Combine FR and NFC and you have a serious contender for security.

Currently, every single print rec on a mobile device or laptop seems more a sales gimmick than an actual security feature.

So far the store has not had one customer who wanted the 5s for the fingerprint ID in fact there have been a lot of negative comments about it and it's usefulness. Not only that we are seeing far more interest and sales for the 5c than the 5s. Probably a ten to one ratio or thereabout. I do like the new IOS 7 though even if it is a little cartoonish looking.

Kevin

I do laugh at the use of the term 'hacked' for what's, effectively, an example of espionage.

Surely a 'hack' of the fingerprint reader would be a software patch, applied to a phone, that would anable it to accept fingerprints other than the ones that it was programmed for. All that's happened here is that someone has come up with a high enough resolution copy to bypass the lock.

This stuff has been done in films for years now, why the hysteria over the fact that it can be done in reallity too? Seems like a massive storm in a teacup to me (not helped by the naysayers waving fingers around and screaming 'I told you so'.)

Sorry, I'm not even sure why this is news. Are we locking Fort Knox using an iPhone fingerprint sensor these days? (I would have said Bank of England, but Gordon Brown sold all our gold years ago).

Quote from: Feathers on October 01, 2013, 04:25:52 AM
Sorry, I'm not even sure why this is news. Are we locking Fort Knox using an iPhone fingerprint sensor these days? (I would have said Bank of England, but Gordon Brown sold all our gold years ago).

Queue the theme to ....GOLD FINGER!

A lot of outlets are reporting a 50% or higher price cut on the new "cheaper" iPhone 5C.  Walmart and Radio Shack are both selling for $45 or $50 until the end of the holidays.  I wonder if this is because of a lack of interest in the new colorful device or just an effort to sell more 2 year phone contracts?

I have an old iPhone 4 that I am dying to upgrade.  Since getting the latest apps & OS patches, it takes forever to open applications (too much for a beleagured processor).

Can't wait for the new release, since I will either get one of them, or get a price reduced 5S.

I also am thinking of switching to a 4-phone family share program with AT&T.  I would have to give up my unlimited data plan, but I am barely scratching the surface on usage.

I have the 5s also had the 5 but i am looking forward to upgrading to the 6 hopefully there will be the 4.7 and the 5.5 inch i would buy the 5.5 one for sure.

Yes, I think I would like the bigger one as well.  The 4 is too small for my liking these days.

I could go for the 5.5" screen myself, I was seriously considering leaving the Apple ecosystem for the Galaxy Note before I got my iPhone 5 a couple years ago.  I'd love a bigger screen for on-the-go streaming (Netflix/You Tube/HBO Go allow you to stream over LTE whereas Xfinity & Amazon continue to require a Wifi connection).  But I probably wont be upgrading just yet, my iPhone 5 is still working great.  Still excited to see what the new oferings look like.

Well, only a few more weeks to see what they are offering.  Any rumors about the storage capacity?  64GB still the upper limit?

Nope one of the rumors I read says high end of 128 finally

Looks like if you are wanting the larger screen of the Iphone 6 you will have to wait about another 6 months. There is an issue with touch sensitivity on the edges of the screen. So, back to the drawing board.

Kevin

Quote from: Ktrek on August 26, 2014, 09:24:07 PM
Looks like if you are wanting the larger screen of the Iphone 6 you will have to wait about another 6 months. There is an issue with touch sensitivity on the edges of the screen. So, back to the drawing board.

Kevin

Rumor or fact? I have had similar things, but nothing confirmed yet. Heck, I don't think they have even officially confirmed a bigger screen yet.

Yes I just came across that 128GB rumor.  The 4.6" screen might suit my tastes, I'll have to wait and see.  This liquid metal I read about sounds intriguing - very 'terminator-esque'..   :)

Quote from: Rico on August 27, 2014, 03:59:03 AM

Rumor or fact? I have had similar things, but nothing confirmed yet. Heck, I don't think they have even officially confirmed a bigger screen yet.

It's rumour but from analyst Ming-Chi Kuo who has a pretty good record when he reports. In any case we will all know in September. I've also heard similar things at the store so my personal opinion is that the large screen will be delayed. Probably until 2015.

Kevin

Lots of other big phones do it, why would it be so hard to do for Apple?

What I would really love, but will never see from Apple - is a MicroSD slot..

Quote from: Rico on August 27, 2014, 09:42:17 AM
Lots of other big phones do it, why would it be so hard to do for Apple?

Rico - I think it has something to do with that new material they are using for the screen. The sapphire screen is what I think they call it.

Kevin

Yeah, I have heard that too. Guess we will know for sure soon.

Quote from: Rico on August 28, 2014, 03:43:23 AM
Yeah, I have heard that too. Guess we will know for sure soon.

9/9 to be specific.

Hopefully this sluggish iPhone 4 of mine will make it to that date.

Is 9/9 the announcement day or the possible day you can get the new phones? 

I think it is the rumored announcement day.

DOH!  I was looking at August.  Yeah, 9/9 is a Tuesday.  Makes sense.

Wouldn't you know it!  My old iPhone 4 (which can barely start apps these days) is starting to crackle loudly during calls.  I just need a few more weeks out of it!

yes Pete, my 4s is on it's last legs, I used the crud out of it.  I am holding out the the Iphone 6, I wast the bigger screened one.

Quote from: moyer777 on August 30, 2014, 05:47:50 PMI wast the bigger screened one.

Do woo weawy? Or do you want to go wabbit hunting? ROFL!!!

Hmmm..iPhone 6 and 6+.  I cannot get through to the streaming events - my company firewall blocks me.  :(

looks like the iPhone 6 is $199/299/399+contract for 16Gb, 64Gb, & 128Gb, iPhone 6 Plus is $299/399/499+contract for the same capacities.  Rumors were true about screen sizes, 4.7" and 5.5", and both release 9/19.

Cool - i'll probably go for the 6+ for myself.  Thanks.

Moving up from the 5s to the 6 Plus for sure no brainer...

Looks like the bigger glass wasn't that big of an issue for the bigger iPhone.  What do people think of the watch?

Watch looks amazing.  Just watched the video with my son.  I'll be interested in trying one out, and might even but one depending on the price.  Did they mention price?

can't wait to get a few watches ..... love how you navigate through the UI. Pretty slick and this is the first Gen!

Isn't it interesting how Apple has given Samsung so much grief with lawsuits because Samsung phones have looked like IPhones and now the new IPhone looks a whole lot like the Galaxy series. I hope our store gets some at or near the 19th. I want to see a working model and see how it feels in the hand. I'd never buy one for myself as I love Samsung products but I understand why lots of folks like the Iphone. To each his own I always say.

Kevin

Lawsuits are for lawyers. For me, it's all about the OS and not the look. Heck, I use a Windows phone because work provides it for free. But I'd do an iPhone if I had that option because I like iOS.

Yeah, I don't mind the Windows phones at all - I like the interface.  I am just so heavily invested in iTunes and Apple apps.  If work gave me one, I would happily use a Windows phone.  They used to give us phones years ago (Nokia 6162 was my last work supplied phone).

The Windows interface is ok, but this Nokia has issues. Windows is still way far behind in App availability. Funny thing is, yesterday Windows phones got a big OS update. Seems funny to happen the same day new iPhones get announced.

I see Samsung is still going to have them beat on the camera side of the technology. The Iphone 6 only has 8 megapixels. I was hoping for better. So many people use their phones for cameras these days and IPhone pictures printed look like crap unless the conditions are ideal. Yea they look great on the phone they just don't look good printed. Samsung's Galaxy S5 has a 16 megapixel camera and the quality of photos comes pretty darn close to an inexpensive pocket camera, which means acceptable for the majority of pictures printed. I can't believe that Apple can't find a way to improve their camera sensor. That's a real shame. Since the majority of my job has to do with photography that's a pretty important feature and another reason I'll continue to promote the Galaxy S5 to customers that like to use their phones for photo memories.

Kevin

Its not the amount of megapixels anymore its the quality of the camera.....the new iPHONE Camera & its technology smokes the competition.

I heard the watch is going for around $350 and is available early next year.  That price is way too high for me, I've always hated wearing a watch anyway.  That's what phones are for now!

As for an upgrade, my iPhone 5 is still making me pretty happy, I'll keep it until I start to have significant problems with it.  I was surprised and intrigued by the claims of dramitcally improved battery life on the 6 Plus.  This is the most frustrating thing about my iPhone 5...playing a game for like a half hour drains my battery from full to almost 50% or less, making it pretty much a no go for any kind of gaming unless I have access to a charger nearby.  Watching streaming video kills the battery quickly too. 

I'm so tempted anyway, I was drooling over the most recent iteration of the Galaxy Note (3 I think?) but went with an iPhone 5 anyway.  Now being able to stay in the Apple ecosystem with all my apps and purchases from over the years, and still have the benefits of a big screen phone make it hard to resist.  Our family is broke like no joke though, so there's no way I can justify it.  I wish I could use my iPad with my current ATT contract, even just for data...but I'm still grandfathered into the unlimited data plan from when ATT bought out Cingular Wireless, so no tethering for me.

I have the unlimited data plan as well.  My old iPhone 4 is barely holding on, so this upgrade is a no brainer for me.  Like you, I am heavily invested in the iOS ecosystem. 
I love the idea of the Watch, since I am constantly getting 'pages' from the office.  It would be great to just glance at my wrist, and not have to pull the phone out of my pocket - pouch.

Quote from: MARKO on September 10, 2014, 07:43:26 AM
Its not the amount of megapixels anymore its the quality of the camera.....the new iPHONE Camera & its technology smokes the competition.

I'll reserve my judgment until I actually see prints from the phone but your statement is inaccurate. There are three main components in cameras that determine quality. The sensor being the most important aspect and the sensor needs megapixels and the more megapixels the more detail will be picked up on the sensor. Thirdly the lens must be good quality. Now since I sell cameras I can tell you for sure that a lens the size of a pencil eraser is never going to produce pictures of real quality. Only acceptable quality. I have seen photos made from every phone out there over the last four years and I can honestly tell you that Iphone photos, in general, are pretty poor quality. Nowhere even near pocket camera quality. The Samsung S5 has the best photos I have seen printed so far. The HTC One M8 does a pretty fair job in a lot of ways. IPhones have to have perfect or near perfect conditions to get printable quality copies and I have seen nothing yet that indicates any substantial change in their sensor technology to improve that. Eight megapixels is pretty poor by most camera standards. I can only imagine that it's a generational thing in an acceptance of mediocre (like mp3s vs CD) quality. As I have told so many of our customers that phone pictures are made to look at on an LCD screen and never meant to be printed. I know firsthand though that the Galaxy S5 creates far more good photos than the Iphones do. The next generation of Galaxy phones I expect will be almost as good as a pocket camera for anything up to a 12X16 print. In certain cases the S5 already can do that depending on the photo. Never would I recommend any Iphone user to submit a photo larger than 8X10 and actually the majority of those look pretty "pixelated" (so don't tell me pixels don't matter). 4X6 is the best quality on Iphones and 5X7 can be OK. I work with this stuff every single day and have for over four years. So, until I see prints from the new Iphone I can't speak about it specifically but I certainly have enough experience with phones and phone print technology to be pretty skeptical that there can be any significant improvement of their photo quality.

Kevin

I'm actually going to second everything you said about digital photos. lens and megapixels are the sole determining features on the quality of a non-enhanced photo. I have both a Lumia 920 windows phone with Carl Zeiss optics and a Galaxy S5, but the vast majority of my photos are taken on my 14mp Fuji. As the days turn to years, it's becoming more and more clear that there is a huge expectation gap between a pic and a picture.

They look super and I like the way they give the option on size but I find the 5 a bit too big for me as I like the 4s size. Still it's a lovely looking but of kit.

Reviews are starting to appear, I had better start avoiding them because I really want a 6 Plus. It seems like the answer to the all in one device I've been looking for, for movies, games, reading, and all my communication needs. Here's a link to the Verge review posted today:
http://www.theverge.com/2014/9/16/6155009/apple-iphone-6-plus-review (http://www.theverge.com/2014/9/16/6155009/apple-iphone-6-plus-review)

One thing I find interesting about the review is how the author says he's less likely to pull out his iPad or laptop. The 6 Plus seems poised to really cannibalize sales of their other devices, especially the hugely popular iPad mini

i have half my money saved up... a little bit more and I'll order the 6plus 64 gig... oh my!  So excited!

Cool!  I am vascilating again on the 6 or the 6 Plus.  I want to hold both before making my decision.  Ticked off I cannot keep my unlimited data plan.

What? Why not?

On our last upgrade cycle, we had the option of keeping the unlimited data plan in exchange for being unable to access the 4G/LTE (higher bandwidth) networks.  Have they changed that?

FWIW, we ended up adding a third phone to our plan, switching to combined 10G data, for an extra $10-20/mo. Most months we hit maybe 2G actual usage. I think once we topped 4G. That's for 3 of us...

Given that both my wife and I are eligible for upgrades, we are seriously considering upgrading her 5 and my 4s, and rotating the 5 to our daughter. Darned grown up budgeting...

Quote from: Jobydrone on September 17, 2014, 03:41:26 PM
What? Why not?

I was poking around the AT&T site where you can 'pre-order' the 6 or 6 Plus, each time I went through on a test run, it would force me to change my data plan.

http://www.slate.com/blogs/moneybox/2014/09/16/iphone_6_what_unlimited_data_looks_like_on_verizon_at_t_and_t_mobile_plans.html (http://www.slate.com/blogs/moneybox/2014/09/16/iphone_6_what_unlimited_data_looks_like_on_verizon_at_t_and_t_mobile_plans.html)

So, tomorrow is the big day. Anyone getting one right away?

Quote from: Bromptonboy on September 18, 2014, 08:21:50 AM
http://www.slate.com/blogs/moneybox/2014/09/16/iphone_6_what_unlimited_data_looks_like_on_verizon_at_t_and_t_mobile_plans.html (http://www.slate.com/blogs/moneybox/2014/09/16/iphone_6_what_unlimited_data_looks_like_on_verizon_at_t_and_t_mobile_plans.html)

Ah so AT&T will throttle me if I go over 3-5GB, I am pretty sure they are already doing that, I've gotten the occasional message about going close to that limit.

I am going to hit the AT&T store on the way home from work.  Once I figure out which size I prefer, I will probably pick it up.

Pete..... they will be sold out when you get there.

Hmm, maybe.  I hope they have a floor sample just so I can see them.  I'll like either one I am sure.

Well guys I got to play with a new 6 today and I have to say it's a very nice phone. I really like the design and thinness of it. The OS is really smooth and fast. I haven't gotten a chance to try the camera yet. I hope to do some test prints tomorrow with the demo unit. I think that most IPhone fans that want a larger screen will like this latest edition to the Apple family. Even though I would never buy one I still give it two thumbs up.

Kevin

Quote from: Rico on September 18, 2014, 04:24:19 PM
So, tomorrow is the big day. Anyone getting one right away?

not I, as much as the big 6+ appeals, $400 is out of my reach for now.  I will likely get one soon, maybe for the holidays if the stock is there.  I have a feeling these aren't going to be easy to get for a while, especially the 64g pluses.

Quote from: Ktrek on September 18, 2014, 06:54:28 PM
Well guys I got to play with a new 6 today and I have to say it's a very nice phone. I really like the design and thinness of it. The OS is really smooth and fast. I haven't gotten a chance to try the camera yet. I hope to do some test prints tomorrow with the demo unit. I think that most IPhone fans that want a larger screen will like this latest edition to the Apple family. Even though I would never buy one I still give it two thumbs up.

Kevin

Cool - looking forward to a test drive.

I popped into a Verizon store near my office during lunch.  No crowds - and I got a chance to see the size of the phones.  The 6 Plus is huge.  Might be too big for my tastes, but might not..  :)  I am still on the fence.

I think the size depends a lot on what you use the phone for.  For me personally, I don't do a ton on my phone so I don't need it to be huge.  But some people seem to use their phone for everything and bigger is probably better for that.  I think many will end up actually with just the smaller of the two new iPhones.  I know that is the way my younger son is going.

Right.  I don't tend to play games, or watch media on my phone.  Mostly email, actually talking - GASP! - pictures, etc.

Kind of a disappointing turn out at the store for the 6 today. We only sold three phones. Oh well.

Oh... and for you techie types out there I thought you might be interested to know that the battery took about 5 hours to reach a full charge. Here's a link to I fixit's teardown on the device. Take a gander at the size of the battery!

https://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/iPhone+6+Teardown/29213 (https://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/iPhone+6+Teardown/29213)

That is quite big.  I wonder how the sales overall are going.

So I went into the AT&T store today all determined to walk out with a new iPhone, and I totally balked at the overall price.  The sales practices are very deceptive regarding these family plans.  The monthly fees and charges are just outrageous.  I just can't bring myself to shell out that kind of money annually.  :(  I'll just wait until my iPhone grinds to a stop. 

How expensive can it be...i pay $189 a month for the wife and I on Verizon which is superior in service , used my iPHONE 5 all over the world. Life is too short order the good wine treat yourself to a new phone man.

Quote from: MARKO on September 20, 2014, 02:45:16 PM
How expensive can it be...i pay $189 a month for the wife and I on Verizon which is superior in service , used my iPHONE 5 all over the world. Life is too short order the good wine treat yourself to a new phone man.

I was looking for the new lowest level iPhone 6 for me and my wife, and then 2 regular talk-text only phones for the kids - 4 lines total, unlimited talk & text, and 10 GB of data for me and the wife to share.  It would end up costing around $260 a month according to the salesman (taxes, and fees, added on). 

Quote from: Bromptonboy on September 20, 2014, 03:12:06 PM
I was looking for the new lowest level iPhone 6 for me and my wife, and then 2 regular talk-text only phones for the kids - 4 lines total, unlimited talk & text, and 10 GB of data for me and the wife to share.  It would end up costing around $260 a month according to the salesman (taxes, and fees, added on). 

Ouch! We have three phones on AT&T with 10 gig shared data and unlimited talk and text and I pay $142.00 a month. Now if I upgrade any of the three phones it would add another $25.00 per line, but currently all our phones are paid and out of contract and thus the low price.

Kevin

I would talk with another sales person or go over to Verizon $260 sounds crazy.... my wife and i share 5gb and we never even come close to that. They gave me 4gb and other 1gb for free.

I'll do that.  $150 or so a month I can swallow.

So bizarre how everyone seems to pay different amounts for the same thing when it comes to stuff like cable, phones, internet service  etc.  My wife and I have iPhone 5, unlimited talk/text/data and pay $170 a month.  It's a lot and I wouldn't like to have to pay more...but it's inevitable as my oldest child is now ten and will soon be begging for her own phone.  At least it's still a couple years off before I have to think about giving in to that.

Yeah, same deal here.  13 year old daughter, and 12 year old son - doing after school sports, and 'the only kids without phones'....

Jobv i concur.... i have friends who have cable with more channels then me and pay like $90 a month and i pay $170 WTF..... you just have to keep calling them back until you get the right person on the phone.

Maybe I will try another store in a few weeks, once things cool down.

I just wish it all was simpler.  One price, no negotiating, no BS. It's purposefully obtuse in order to take advantage of people, especially those who are more conscious of the cost of things (usually because they are struggling financially).  So they give some folks an incremental savings to suck them in then nail them with charges some other way.

A lot of it has to do with different carriers. Lots of competition in the phone area right now so they try to cut you a great deal and then raise rates later. It's both a good and bad thing. Best thing is to shop around

we have five lines, 2 gigs each except for me, I have unlimited, but as soon as I get the iPhone 6 plus they will take away the unlimited.  I pay $325 a month!  And that is the best I can do around here... I have talked, talked, talked and talked more... but no breaks.  We have Verizon, and they are the only 4G folks with decent coverage here on the West Coast of Washington.  I am now only $110 away from ordering this bad boy...  went into Walmart and would have just bought it, but they didn't get ANY in at all.  Aberdeen.... fun.

Rick... my 6Plus won't be delivered until Oct 31st , but they had a sample at my local Verizon store and i was able to hold it. Its not that crazy big just a little taller then my wife's Galaxy S4.

I went ahead and got two iPhone 6plus phones pre-ordered today!  One for Amy, it is the gold 64 gig, and one for me, the silver 128 gig.  Verizon offered a GREAT deal.  They gave me $200 for my iPhone 4s and another $200 for the Iphone 5.  SO right there the price went down, that and with the money I saved up I got mine, then... I'm doing some extra voice overs to cover Amy's ... I'll get mine a day after my birthday on the 27th of October, and Amy will get hers on November 3rd, a day after her birthday...  kind of excited. 

COOL!  Those are BIG phones!

Just do not sit on them lol, bendy phones ;)

Sounds good!  I wonder what kind of a trade in - if any - I will get for 2 iPhone 4 - one 8GB the other 32 GB

I phone 4 8gb on Gazelle in excellent condition is $20 32gb is $30 ..... i keep my old iPhone as iPODS! not much value on the old 4's

Thanks!  Good idea, the kids can use them.

Quote from: Meds on September 26, 2014, 01:25:05 PM
Just do not sit on them lol, bendy phones ;)

I've never understood people putting a high end phone in their back pocket. Do they never sit down? I always keep my phone in my front pocket.

Or people with high-end phones that don't immediately get a protective case. It's just sillyness. A good Otter box will sort that out.

I always get a belt case - I hate keeping a phone in my pocket.

Problem with the otter box is that it turns your sleek thin future tech into a giant brick. Get Apple Care and don't worry.

So I went to the SAME Store and got a different person.  This time I was told I can keep my grandfathered plan, and that if I wanted to go for the 2 year contract, I can just shell out for the subsidized price for each phone, and my plans wouldn't change at all.
The AT&T website won't allow me to keep my data plan when I try there.
They hope to get a shipment of phones this week - so I will try to pull the trigger then if I can get one.

Quote from: Bromptonboy on October 06, 2014, 03:28:40 PM
So I went to the SAME Store and got a different person.  This time I was told I can keep my grandfathered plan, and that if I wanted to go for the 2 year contract, I can just shell out for the subsidized price for each phone, and my plans wouldn't change at all.
The AT&T website won't allow me to keep my data plan when I try there.
They hope to get a shipment of phones this week - so I will try to pull the trigger then if I can get one.

If it's with AT&T you likely will be paying an additional $25.00 a month and a one time "upgrade" fee of $36.00, plus the $199.00 subsidy price the day of contract. You better check carefully because that is the experience of most of our customers. If you're thinking you can get away with just the $199 I think that's unlikely.

Kevin

I don't mind paying the dues up front, and I know they will milk out fees.  I am braced for a bait and switch when I go in.  :)

I am planning on the 6 Plus - since I saw a friend at work use it to connect to a VDI at work over LTE (something we couldnt do before).  The extra screen real estate will make my life easier if I can remote into work to fix problems.

The Sprint deal which offers a "free" phone upon switching looked appealing at first, because the unlimited talk/text/data is so much cheaper than what I am paying now with AT&T and you get a new phone of your choosing at no cost at the beginning of your contract.  But doing the math, over the life of the contract you pay a monthly charge for the phone itself, on top of the contract charges, and wind up paying MORE than the unsubsidized cost of the phone over two years.  Not a bargain.  Not to mention their LTE network has the worst rating of all the major carriers, with terrible download speeds and coverage.  Don't be fooled.

Edit to add:  This Sprint deal is a very similar program to "AT&T Next" which also get you to pay monthly installments for the cost of the phone on top of your existing monthly charges if you choose to keep the grandfathered plan, but allows you to upgrade after 18 months.   

I need to have my head examined...my iPhone 5 works fine, and I have an iPad, no need for a 6 Plus.  Somebody stop me!

Quote from: Bromptonboy on October 07, 2014, 08:14:44 AM
I don't mind paying the dues up front, and I know they will milk out fees.  I am braced for a bait and switch when I go in.  :)

I am planning on the 6 Plus - since I saw a friend at work use it to connect to a VDI at work over LTE (something we couldnt do before).  The extra screen real estate will make my life easier if I can remote into work to fix problems.

Let me know when they get some, I am still looking for a 6 Plus as well.  The Apple Store lady I talked to said they sell out there about an hour after their shipments come in.

Quote from: Bromptonboy on October 07, 2014, 08:14:44 AM
I don't mind paying the dues up front, and I know they will milk out fees.  I am braced for a bait and switch when I go in.  :)

I am planning on the 6 Plus - since I saw a friend at work use it to connect to a VDI at work over LTE (something we couldnt do before).  The extra screen real estate will make my life easier if I can remote into work to fix problems.

I just saw that they have 64GB plusses at the Aple store in Marlton NJ if you feel like a little drive.

Quote from: Bromptonboy on September 26, 2014, 01:41:56 PM
Sounds good!  I wonder what kind of a trade in - if any - I will get for 2 iPhone 4 - one 8GB the other 32 GB

With ATT buyback, you can dial **(star,star)ATTBB and they will text you the amount you can get through the program for youfr current phone.  My iPhone 5 64 gig is worth $200 bucks still, pretty darn good for a 2 year old phone.

Quote from: Jobydrone on October 07, 2014, 09:11:03 AM

Quote from: Bromptonboy on September 26, 2014, 01:41:56 PM
Sounds good!  I wonder what kind of a trade in - if any - I will get for 2 iPhone 4 - one 8GB the other 32 GB

With ATT buyback, you can dial **(star,star)ATTBB and they will text you the amount you can get through the program for youfr current phone.  My iPhone 5 64 gig is worth $200 bucks still, pretty darn good for a 2 year old phone.

That is a good deal on your older phone!  Really offsets the bite of buying a new one.  The store I was talking to is in Warrington, PA.  The girl there told me if I special order one, it will not come to xmas..  :(  So I am hoping to get one in the next shipment.

I'll post here if they get some today.

I couldn't get to marlton until the weekend.  Good chinese place there - or used to be there!
:)

I'm patiently waiting for ours to arrive!    Ugh!

I canceled my order for the Plus and purchased a 64gb 6.... i am very active ride a bike everyday hike and so forth the 6 plus is just too big for my active lifestyle.

Marko

Pete- 64GB 6 Plusses currently available for pick up at Apple Store in Christiana Mall, Delaware.  If you do your upgrade through the Apple Store app or the store on line you can reserve it for pick up.

Quote from: MARKO on October 09, 2014, 07:43:31 AM
I canceled my order for the Plus and purchased a 64gb 6.... i am very active ride a bike everyday hike and so forth the 6 plus is just too big for my active lifestyle.

Marko

You have a 5S, right?  Is the additional screen size the deciding factor for you to upgrade?  It's pretty much an incremental upgrade otherwise isn't it?  If there wasn't a 6 Plus with a significantly bigger screen tempting me, I'd be fine with my iPhone 5 for the next year.

Quote from: MARKO on October 09, 2014, 07:43:31 AM
I canceled my order for the Plus and purchased a 64gb 6.... i am very active ride a bike everyday hike and so forth the 6 plus is just too big for my active lifestyle.

Marko

That was my same concern - since I bike commute to work most days.  What sold me on getting the Plus (for the moment) is that I can remote control some systems at work - and the little bit of extra screen real estate will be a real help in a pinch.
I often get called off hours, and on weekends - if I do a simple task through my phone and not have to haul a laptop around, or head home to log in, it will really help.

Well i borrowed my friends 6 plus and rode 20 miles it had a case on it which made it like a tablet in my pocket..... with the smaller phone i can take it out quick and with one hand and answer a call or reply to a text or use Map my ride all without worrying about dropping it because of its size. Also because i am so active i would have to put a good protective case on it and that just make it way too big. I have a 5s and yes the additional screen size of the 6 i held the 5s against the six and its a no brainer. I have an iPAD mini with cellular so if i need something bigger i always have that with me in my car.

I like the idea of the iPad mini!  Lately I have been putting my phone in my pannier - but I get the issue of it being in your pocket.  I always have to pull over to check any calls.  Once (back when I was carrying a 2-way pager - which shows my age!) I crashed when checking a page and moving along on my bike.  :) 

I am on the phone with AT&T premiere support right now.  I am not seeing the option on the website to keep my current data plan (unlimited) when ordering the new phone.  Seems to have the techs in IM stumped, so they had me call the support number.

My wife and i share 4 gb a month they took away the unlimited a few years ago..... we never come close to using it and they even threw in an extra 1gb per month for free.

Get a mini with the data plan its only $10 per month.

I don't get how if you stream movies or tv on the go how you could possibly stay under a 5gb data cap. I'd be over within a week I think.

I don't really come anywhere near to using much data.  I rarely use the old iPHone 4 for streaming content - but I might if I have a 5.5" screen.  When I do watch, it is at home and I use wifi.
As I said, I might change my habits if I have a good screen.

Quote from: Jobydrone on October 09, 2014, 02:04:20 PM
I don't get how if you stream movies or tv on the go how you could possibly stay under a 5gb data cap. I'd be over within a week I think.

Hey, over here we have things like 500Mb data caps. Don't knock 5Gb, that's huge.

But Mike is 500mb really typical? I easily go over that on my work phone every month with email, attachments, etc. and no streaming of TV or movies.

GRRRRR! 
Dear PETER FOLTZ,

Thank you for choosing AT&T as your service provider.

Per your request, unfortunately the plan this account is currently using is no longer supported within premier. You will need to purchase a new plan at this time.  If you need further assistance in choosing a compatible plan, please contact Customer Care at 1-800-331-0500 for your options.

So much for keeping unlimited data.  I'll call them and see what my options are.

Ok, I ordered the iPhone 6 Plus with 64GB.  I get to keep my unlimited data plan, and get my old talk-text plan.  $399 for phone, $40 one time upgrade fee, 2 year contract, 450 minutes talk - will be $79 per month (with my company service discount) all told.
Should get the phone in 25-35 days.  :(

forget to mention, the tech walked me through bypassing the data plan page.  You have to skip to the Voice tab, select a plan, then it allows you to keep unlimited data (if you are grandfathered in).

exciting!!!!

Quote from: Rico on October 10, 2014, 03:41:57 AM
But Mike is 500mb really typical? I easily go over that on my work phone every month with email, attachments, etc. and no streaming of TV or movies.

Typical? I don't know. Its typical in as far as everyone offers it (basic is 250 Mb) but I don't know who pays what for data. Higher levels are obviously available for more money.

On the iphone 6 front, I've reached the point where I'm just not prepared to spend that much. Maybe when the kids leave home...

Mike, I soul searched on the price, since I hate spending that kind of money (especially with university tuition fast approaching).  I want the larger screen for work - remote controlling stuff.  I tend to keep phones for a long time and squeeze every last farthing out of them.  :)

Pete - do you use your phone for work a lot?  Get them to pay for it! 

I have pages forwarded to my phone - and I have an email app that lets me connect to our Notes mail server.  The ability to remote would be to make my life easier.  They used to give us phones back in the day, but not any more.  :(  I will however deduct the phone as a non-reimbursed work expense..

No paid for work phone - no worky on it.  That's my take.

:)  If I dug my heels in, I would probably get some miserable old blackberry, and then want to carry an iPhone in addition.  Even worse, they might give me one of those god awful pagers.. 

Quote from: Rico on October 11, 2014, 07:22:11 AM
No paid for work phone - no worky on it.  That's my take.

Mine too. Sadly, they gave me a cheap one so now I have to carry 2.

Companies are really dumb sometimes. The hardware isn't the real cost - it's the plan.  So no matter what phone they give you it costs about that same overall.

I agree - I would like them to leverage the power of the Enterprise in pricing.  I do get 18% off on service from AT&T.

Grats Pete. As for the data caps, the whole point of the upgrade for me is to be able to stream over LTE on a screen I can actually feel good about viewing on. Xfinity, HBO Go, Netflix all support streaming on demand over LTE, and with unlimited data, on a good network, I'll be doing it all the time.

Thanks - although I could get by with much less, why give it up?  With the big screen, I will do more with it I am sure.

Arrrgh!  I never hit complete my order...had to do the whole thing over again today.  Looks like the clock will restart on my deliver.  :(

This is a bit off topic, but does anyone have a good suggestion for a phone for kids?  I just want to get them talk & text phones - not smartphones.

Our household works on the trickle-down philosophy: when the parenets upgrade their phones, the older phones go to the kids. My daughter complains about having to deal with my old iPhone 3GS, but she can call, text, and play some cool games. Also, the calendar feature helps coordinate schedules.

Are you sure you don't want your kid to have a smartphone?

We're much the same. Eldest got a cheap phone initially but now we're onto the middle one, he got a recycled Android device. Sadly for him I knocked out the internet to avoid data charges though.

My daughter would be ok with a smarth phone, but my son would do nothing but game on it - and we have to make sure he stays focused on school work, etc.

My wife's new iPhone 6 (16GB) will be here by Wednesday.  :)

Mine is supposed to be here on the Monday.. then Amy's a week later... ugh.. I am so excited!!

Cool - anxious for your thoughts on the phone.  I won't get my 6 plus until 11/20 at the earliest.

OK, I'm all set up with amy on our new iPhone 6 plus phones.  SO FAR... AMAZING.  So big, so cool.  Love the speed and ease of set up.  The camera is AMAZING.  Going to try using just the phone, no iPad for my radio program tomorrow.  I will give it the big test.  Oh the battery is so much better than my 4s.  Didn't have to charge it all day yesterday.   I will report more later.  heading in to do the next few days of my radio show.  WOO HOOOOOO!

 Cool!  I can't wait to get mine.  It should ship by the end of the month.  My wife has her 6 - which she really loves - and I am getting the 6 Plus.  We are both going from regular iPhone 4 - no S on the end.  They are so slowwwwww.

Quote from: Ktrek on September 18, 2014, 06:54:28 PM
Well guys I got to play with a new 6 today and I have to say it's a very nice phone. I really like the design and thinness of it. The OS is really smooth and fast. I haven't gotten a chance to try the camera yet. I hope to do some test prints tomorrow with the demo unit. I think that most IPhone fans that want a larger screen will like this latest edition to the Apple family. Even though I would never buy one I still give it two thumbs up.

Kevin

Only quoting myself because I wanted to follow up on the camera. After having seen at least 1000 photos taken with the 6 and 6plus I have to say in all honesty that the camera is not as good as the Samsung Galaxy S5, nor an improvement over the Iphone 5s. I don't understand why Apple does not invest more into their camera technology. I guess they just don't think it's very important. The pictures look great on the phone's screen no doubt, and even on a PC, but printed? NOPE! Lots of pixelation and color bleed and light refraction. I would never advise anyone to print an Iphone 6 picture on anything larger than an 8X10, and the conditions better be ideal. Never on textured products like canvas prints at all unless you just enjoy looking at pixelation exaggerated by the texture. I do like how the camera operates though as it's easy to use, but Samsung still wins by building in more functionality and a better lense. I will admit that the operating system on the 6 and 6 plus is really well done and I have to say they have Android beat on creating an OS that has few glitches. Remember guys this is what I do for a living and I literally see hundreds of pictures from phones every day. I can't wait to see Samsung's next Galaxy S6 model because rumours are that the camera is going to be even better than the 5. I'll probably be getting one when it comes out. I've been due for an upgrade now for well over a year. I may even upgrade my wife if she likes it, and wants one. She came really close to getting a 6 plus until she got a Galaxy Note 4 in her hand and she said there was no comparison outside of screen size. The Note won hands down for her. She's just not willing to shove out $300.00 for a the Note 4. Maybe by the time the S6 comes out the Note 4 will be down to $200 and she'll change her mind.

Kevin

I've had my 6 Plus for a couple days now...yes I pulled the trigger...and I LOVE IT.  On the day my upgrade eligibility began, I saw they had some 128 gigs available at the Apple store at the mall near me.  I dropped the kids off at home after work, got to the mall at six, and saw a long line of about 30 people in front of the store.  Going in, I registered with a greeter, told them what I wanted, and after they checked availability was given a reservation and sent to the back of the line.  About an hour later, having not moved more than an inch, a "genius" came out and told everyone behind me that due to the store closing nobody who was in line behind me would be able to have their reservations honored.  Much anger and frustration ensued, and people refused to leave.  The "genius" said they were welcome to wait but nobody was guaranteed to be waited on behind me.  True to form, I was ushered into the store five minutes before closing time (after waiting three hours).  I got my phone though, so although I felt sorry for the people behind me I was ultimately okay with how it turned out for me :)

There are really only two major differences for me, upgrading from an iPhone 5, obviously first and most major the screen size, and then the addition of touch ID makes turning on and unlocking the phone from sleep mode a real pleasure.  Many of my regular go-to apps have not been updated yet, and I've noticed some stuttering and performance issues but nothing major.  I haven't noticed much of an improvement in speed or basic functionality over the 5...but boy that screen is a game changer.  Watching video, reading, web browsing, all are so much better and easier on my middle aged eyes.

I had a very interesting conversation with the "genius" as she processed my upgrade.  She told me that a major reason why the stores sell out of phones so quickly right now (generally the day they come in on the trucks since release) is because there are consortiums of buyers from countries that restrict their networks (countries like China) who pay people in the US to buy up as many phones as possible from the US stores and ship them to these countries where customers can only buy phones with restrictions on the network, app stores and other features, and then resell them at a hugely marked up price, double or triple the cost of the unlocked base price.  So these "mules" are buying two phones at a time (the maximum one person can buy during one transaction), getting back in line, buying more, all day long until the phones are sold out.  Apple had a policy which was meant to restrict this practice by limiting the number of phones people could buy in one day, but they have lifted this restriction during the sales of the 6 and 6 plus.  So I was told that a vast majority of the phones coming in to the Apple stores are shipped overseas for people that want and are willing to pay a huge premium for full, unfettered and unrestricted access to the iPhone as opposed to whatever limited functionality is available to them through the phones on sale in their own stores.

Wow, you paid it forward for that phone!  I can't wait to stop using my sluggish iPhone 4 - and get a decent screen.  The screen size change will be dramatic for me.  I don't even have Siri on my phone.

I'm still digging this...  oh man... so nice and fast and bright.  Battery life is rocking.  I used garage band a bunch last night and finally got the battery down to 10 %.  That is with it not being plugged in since 7 a.m.

How do you carry it around?  Did you get a belt clip or pouch of some sort?

I got a wallet case similar to what I had on my smaller phone.  Six bucks on Amazon, keeps my train pass and work ID handy along with a folded up emergency $20, and keeps the screen protected in my pocket.  I was paranoid as heck that I was going to drop it the first two days until I got the case...the thing is so light and smooth without it.

I got a $15 case off of Amazon... I ordered Amy a Griffin Survivor case that should be here on Monday.  she drops hers all the time...

I'll probably get one of the belt pouches.

My new phone shipped!  Should get it today or Tuesday.

That took some time. Are these things still not just in stores to buy?

It turns out that I could have bought this model in an Apple store that is local.  I wasn't able to cancel my online order via the premiere site (I could 'refuse shipment') - so I had to wait.  The original estimate was 11/20 to 125 for shipment.

The iPhone 6 Plus arrived yesterday - so far I love it.  The size is a bit off putting, but I am getting used to the screen real estate. I have to play around with all the new functionality.

Has anyone else played with the health apps?  I guess that is iOS 8 - not phone specific.

Not me. 

I got used to the size in about a day and a half, now everyone else's phone looks ridiculously small to me :)

I am loving it so far. 

Hey guys...I was in the AT&T store today to look at getting the wife a new phone or a 4G tablet because she is starting a new job in January in an unfamiliar city. I found out while there that for no extra  charge, if you have the 10gig family share plan for $100, you can now get an extra 5 gigs at no additional cost. I've never used the 10 gigs but I figured what they heck? I might as well and if my wife winds up using more data on her new job I won't have to worry. Anyway, I thought I'd pass that along in case anyone has the same family share plan.

Kevin

Thanks Kevin, i think going family share would save us a few bucks but I'm going to stay with my grandfathered unlimited data for as long as I'm allowed.

I have a 1GB family share for my wife and kids (unlimited talk & text).  The kids have talk-text phones so don't use the data plan, and my wife doesn't use much data (wifi at home when she uses it most).
Like Joby I have the unlimited plan for myself (although in reality I probably barely do 1GB).

Thanks Kevin!  I added the five gigs to my plan and am thrilled!!!! (verizon copied them)

Nothing like getting more for less $

Quote from: Bromptonboy on December 05, 2014, 03:26:10 PM
Nothing like getting more for less $

Absolutely! :)

How does everyone feel about the new phone?  I am as happy as can be with the 6 Plus.  I did turn my old iPhone 4 into a regular iPod for the car (podcasts, audiobooks, music).

I am extremely happy with my phone (128G six plus) but I have a few concerns.

First of all, I don't know if anyone else experienced this, but I was forced to update my iMac in order to be able to use the phone with iTunes.  What's up with that?  I was running Snow Leopard on my 2009 iMac and never updated because it worked perfectly and met all my needs, and all I read about was how buggy Lion and Mountain Lion were.  But when I tried to plug in my phone I got a message saying the phone wasn't compatible with the version of iTunes I was running, and it turned out I couldn't update iTunes without upgrading my OS.  I was extremely annoyed and felt this should have been something that needed to be made very public before allowing people to buy these devices.  I did a ton of research for weeks before getting the phone, talked to people at the store of course as well, and nothing I read or heard indicated that I couldn't use the phone with the Snow Leopard OS.

It wound up ok, Yosemite was a free upgrade, and fortunately my pretty old computer was able to run it.  It actually turned out great for my computer: the OS runs well, it's kind of like having a brand new computer...but if my computer was any older it could have been a disaster, leaving the phone unable to sync or connect and basically a useless brick.

Other than that, I've noticed some odd bugs that haven't been fixed.  Both my mom and my wife, both with six plusses, have had instances where they had to hard reboot the phone (holding on/off button and home button at same time until reboot occurs) because either the screen froze, or turned off completely and wouldn't respond.  Also there have been issues with charging...sometimes even when plugged in the phone just won't charge, but a hard reset fixed that as well.  I've had weird bugs with the screen orientation...where it seems to lock in place and not realize which way I'm holding the device until I reset to home screen and open the app again.  It happens a lot in texts and email.  And I've noticed when watching videos and pausing in the middle, if I back out of the video to the root menu of the videos app, it doesn't keep where I was cached in memory, even though I have the settings set to do so.  Finally, my wife's phone has twice gotten "stuck" in headphone mode, even when headphones were not attached, meaning the external speaker wouldn't work. 

All of the above seem to be bugs with the operating system and will hopefully be fixed with future iterations of iOS 8.x.

Bugs aside, this is an amazing piece of hardware.  I love having it in my pocket.

Quote from: Jobydrone on January 30, 2015, 11:16:51 AM
I am extremely happy with my phone (128G six plus) but I have a few concerns.

First of all, I don't know if anyone else experienced this, but I was forced to update my iMac in order to be able to use the phone with iTunes.  What's up with that?  I was running Snow Leopard on my 2009 iMac and never updated because it worked perfectly and met all my needs, and all I read about was how buggy Lion and Mountain Lion were.  But when I tried to plug in my phone I got a message saying the phone wasn't compatible with the version of iTunes I was running, and it turned out I couldn't update iTunes without upgrading my OS.  I was extremely annoyed and felt this should have been something that needed to be made very public before allowing people to buy these devices.  I did a ton of research for weeks before getting the phone, talked to people at the store of course as well, and nothing I read or heard indicated that I couldn't use the phone with the Snow Leopard OS.

It wound up ok, Yosemite was a free upgrade, and fortunately my pretty old computer was able to run it.  It actually turned out great for my computer: the OS runs well, it's kind of like having a brand new computer...but if my computer was any older it could have been a disaster, leaving the phone unable to sync or connect and basically a useless brick.

Other than that, I've noticed some odd bugs that haven't been fixed.  Both my mom and my wife, both with six plusses, have had instances where they had to hard reboot the phone (holding on/off button and home button at same time until reboot occurs) because either the screen froze, or turned off completely and wouldn't respond.  Also there have been issues with charging...sometimes even when plugged in the phone just won't charge, but a hard reset fixed that as well.  I've had weird bugs with the screen orientation...where it seems to lock in place and not realize which way I'm holding the device until I reset to home screen and open the app again.  It happens a lot in texts and email.  And I've noticed when watching videos and pausing in the middle, if I back out of the video to the root menu of the videos app, it doesn't keep where I was cached in memory, even though I have the settings set to do so.  Finally, my wife's phone has twice gotten "stuck" in headphone mode, even when headphones were not attached, meaning the external speaker wouldn't work. 

All of the above seem to be bugs with the operating system and will hopefully be fixed with future iterations of iOS 8.x.

Bugs aside, this is an amazing piece of hardware.  I love having it in my pocket.

I have seen the orientation bug that you refer to - but it will eventually self correct.  I haven't had any occasion to hard reset my phone yet.  It charges up without issue (64GB 6 Plus AT&T).

I thought the big screen might be too much, but I am completely delighted with it.  When I use the old iPHone 4 - I can't believe I was used to that size.

I'm really enjoying mine.  Amy loves hers as well.  SO NICE!

So glad I kept unlimited data - as I am using more now that I have a view-able screen.  :)

Quote from: Bromptonboy on February 01, 2015, 02:39:04 AM
So glad I kept unlimited data - as I am using more now that I have a view-able screen.  :)

We actually ditched our unlimited data recently.  With the amount I stream in the wild, I was getting throttled every month due to their policy of throttling customers on unlimited plans who go over 5gb in a one month period.  Usually by the middle of the month my speeds halted to a crawl, rendering much of the functionality useless.

We wound up switching to a 30gb shared plan, which we have no chance of going over especially with the new rollover data, and saved $20 a month off our bill to boot.

Hmm, not bad thinking there.

If I had realized what was going on I would have done it awhile ago

I should do that - I don't stream near as much as you it seems!

I have a 40 minute commute by train twice a day, so that with my lunch hour equals quite a lot of daily streaming most days. Now that my cable providers mobile app allows on demand streaming over mobile connections I finally feel like the amount I pay for cable, Internet, and my phone service is actually worth it.

Once HBO go is available without cable I"ll be cord cutting.😃