Apple's next iPhone to have glasses-free 3D display: Report

Apple may be planning to introduce a glasses-free 3D display in the next iPhone, according to a new report from Economic Daily News (via MacRumors). 

The report claims Apple is working on a "naked eye 3D screen" alongside a new 3D "hardware and software ecosystem" for next year's iPhone. 

This would be Apple's first use of 3D in any of its consumer devices, and while Economic Daily News has a decent track record when it comes to Apple, it's important to take this report with a fairly large grain of salt. 

While moving from a 2D display to a fully 3D display and iOS ecosystem may seem unlikely, MacRumors points out that Apple has explored 3D in the past, applying for a patent for a glasses-free, stereoscopic 3D display more than six years ago. 

Another patent that Apple has applied for details a 3D "hyper reality" display that would alter the perspective of the iPhone's home screen as you moved your head. 

Apple also purchased a company that deals with 3D technologies: It acquired PrimeSense last November, which created the 3D motion-sensing technology behind Microsoft's Kinect accessory for Xbox, but had also been working on 3D solutions for other industries, including retail, health care, robotics, and even interactive displays for PC and mobile. 

Earlier this year, Amazon launched its Fire phone, which featured four "stereovision" cameras for tracking a user's head, used to create a 3D effect for the phone's lock screen. 

While flashy and somewhat interesting, consumers have generally shown they're not very interested in 3D-enabled smartphones. But people didn't think of wireless NFC payments as that interesting before Apple Pay came along.

iPhone 6, 6 Plus more durable than Samsung Galaxy S5, iPhone 5S: Study

NEW YORK: Apple's new and bigger iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus are more durable than last year's model and a leading Android phone, a study says.

Apple's iPhone 6, whose screen measures 4.7-inch, did the best across a variety of tests that measures how prone smartphones are to break due to every day accidents, SquareTrade, a company that provides extended protection plans, says.

The iPhone 6 Plus, whose screen measures 5.5 -inch, wasn't far behind but lost points because it could slip out of a person's hand since some users may have a hard time gripping its large but slim form, SquareTrade says.

The iPhone 5S, which measures 4-inch and came out last year, fared better than Samsung's Galaxy S5, which measures 5.1-inch. The Samsung phone got poor marks on several tests including the slide test. The more a phone slides, the greater its chance of falling off the edge of a table. 
Still, all four of the smartphones tested had a medium risk of breakage and had no drastic differences among them.

"The phones are getting more and more durable," says Ty Shay, chief marketing officer at SquareTrade. "Manufacturers are paying more attention."

SquareTrade examines the phones based on eight factors, including size, weight, grip and the quality of the front and back panels. The company measured how far the phones slide when pushed across a table on their backs and how well they withstand drops from 4 feet (1.2 meters) and being dunked in water for 10 seconds.

SquareTrade says it uses robots to do the testing to ensure consistency, and rates the phones on a 10-point durability scale, with 10 signifying the highest risk. Apple's iPhone 6 scored the best at 4; the iPhone 6 Plus scored a 5; the iPhone 5S a 6; and Samsung Galaxy S5 a 6.5.

Apple's iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus passed the slide test, but the iPhone 5S and Samsung Galaxy's S5 got poor marks in that area. The iPhone 6 Plus was the only one that didn't fare as well when dropped 4 feet (1.2 meters) by the robot. The glass screen survived, but the case separated from the glass. All four phones fared well in the water resistance test.

SquareTrade provided The Associated Press with the results ahead of Monday's announcement.

Aside from larger screens, the new Apple iPhones 6 and 6 Plus announced this month promises faster performance and offers a wireless chip for making credit card payments at stores by holding the phone near the payment terminal. The phones start at $199 with a two-year service contact. The phones went on sale this past week in the US and nine other countries.

Apple faithful line up for latest, larger iPhones

NEW YORK/SAN FRANCISCO: Apple Inc's latest phone lured throngs of gadget lovers, entrepreneurs and early adopters to its stores in New York, San Francisco and other cities around the world in the latest sign of strong initial demand for the new, larger generation of iPhones. 

Even the night before the phones' Friday debut, nearly 70 people were waiting in line in front of the Apple store in downtown San Francisco. Some eager to get their hands on the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, which feature larger screens and longer battery life, had been there since the night before. 

At the Apple store on Fifth Avenue in New York, the line of would-be buyers stretched for more than 10 blocks. Apple employees led them in a New Year's Eve-style countdown to herald the store's opening at 8 AM EDT and high-fived customers as they entered the glass cube leading to the underground store. 

In Atlanta, police were called in before 5:30 AM to assist with crowd control at one mall location because of worries about trampling, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. 

While it has become customary for swarms of people to greet Apple product introductions, Friday's long lines were still a sign of healthy demand for the new models. The phones drew more than 4 million preorder requests in the first 24 hours on September 12, more than double the 2 million for iPhone 5s in the same period two years ago. 

The enthusiastic crowds gathered despite signs that Apple's legendary "cool factor" may be dimming with some consumers, according to a recent Reuters/Ipsos poll. 

Sales predictions from investors tend to be optimistic. Apple watchers tracking the early sales of the new iPhones note that the precise number of units sold in the first weekend will depend on the strength of the supply chain. A Friday report from Barclays cited the long lines outside stores as a positive sign for demand, suggesting that combined first-weekend sales for the new phones could rise as high as 11 million units. 

Despite the high demand, sales could be choked by a limited number of iPhone 6 Pluses available immediately. A T-Mobile US Inc spokeswoman said that demand for the new phones was "tremendous," but the larger model would not be available yet. 

Paul Terrebonne, a 26-year-old cook who had preordered his space-grey iPhone 6, said the size of the new devices had been enough to lure him back to Apple from his previous phone, a Motorola Moto X. 

"It's all about screen size, plus I missed the iPhone's camera," he said, adding that he had shunned the iPhone 6 Plus because it was "a bit too big." 

The launch attracted buyers from farther afield. Flavio Gondim, a 40-year-old Brazilian public sector employee, said he was buying an iPhone 6 in New York because "back home these are, maybe, 50% more expensive." 

In Asia, many who lined up to buy the new phones in Singapore, Hong Kong and Australia said they planned to re-sell the devices in China, where regulatory hurdles are holding up the new phones' debut.





It remains to be seen whether the renewed iPhone mania will extend to Apple's other big product introduction, the Apple Watch, which will not be available until early next year. 

Raj Kaur, who was comfortably waiting in line in San Francisco in a folding chair, said she did not plan to repeat the vigil for the new watch. 

"I'll wait for the second edition," she said, "when they've worked out the kinks."

Tim Cook puts personal touch on iPhone 6 launch

SAN FRANCISCO: Apple chief Tim Cook personally kicked off sales of the iPhone 6, joining in "selfies" and shaking hands with customers today outside the company's store near his Silicon Valley home. 

Cook was dressed in a black T-shirt and jeans as he worked his way from one end to the other of the long queue outside the Apple Store in the city of Palo Alto shortly before it opened. 

"I want to share in the excitement," he said in response to a question from one of the reporters tagging along as Cook welcomed devotees who made the pilgrimage to get Apple's new big-screen smartphones on launch day.

When asked by to pose for a picture with a fan, Cook quipped "Sure, as long as it's with an iPhone." 

Cook said that he has had both an iPhone 6 and an iPhone 6 Plus for months in what is "a privilege of being at Apple." 

He took part in a clapping count-down inside the window-walled shop before swinging open a glass front door to let iPhone 6 buying there commence. 

Cook's local Apple Store was among the last to join in an iPhone 6 roll-out that began many time zones away in Australia.



A man holds two new iPhone 6 mobile devices in front of a logo of Apple in Munich, Germany. (AFP photo)
Television news footage from Australia showed a man identified as the first iPhone 6 buyer drop his new purchase while fumbling it out of packaging to show a reporter. 

Buyers from China, deprived of the latest iPhone launch at home, were today among the first in line in Japan to grab the "6" and its new large-screen cousin as Apple hit back at rivals. 

Licensing problems in China meant the global rollout went ahead without the huge and lucrative market, in a blow to Apple which had trumpeted its inclusion in the initial wave of the last iPhone launch. 

Both new iPhones have larger screens in what some consider Apple catching up with the "phablet" trend pioneered by competitors.

The iPhone 6 has a screen of 4.7 inches and the 6 Plus is 5.5 inches, reflecting a growing preference for bigger displays, despite Apple's earlier vow to stick with the traditional size. 

Main rival Samsung has long had a range of larger handsets, which are popular in Asia, and will soon release a new Galaxy Note 4 phablet. 

Apple says more than four million pre-orders were received in the 24 hours after the sale was announced. 

Other markets launched today are Singapore, Britain, France, Germany, the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. Some 20 more countries will get the new iPhone from September 26.

Apple iPhone 6 teardown reveals chips from Qualcomm, Skyworks: iFixit

Apple's iPhone 6 Plus uses chips from Qualcomm, Skyworks Solutions, Avago Technologies and other companies, according to gadget repair firm iFixit, which pried one of the devices open in Melbourne early on Friday. 

Apple said it received a record 4 million first-day pre-orders for the new phones, double the number for the iPhone 5 two years ago, underscoring investors' expectations the new handset will maintain the Silicon Valley company's stellar growth. 

The company is releasing a 4.7-inch iPhone 6 and 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus. They will support more than 200 telecoms carriers worldwide, with sales launching in Australia on Friday morning and then in the United States and other countries. 

Like previous iPhones, the iPhone 6 Plus uses a Qualcomm 4G LTE modem, according to iFixit. 

Dissembling the device in a Mac repair shop after lining up overnight to buy a phone, iFixit technicians also discovered a Murata Wi-Fi module, a Broadcom touchscreen controller, and chips from Skyworks, Avago and TriQuint. 

News that a supplier has been chosen — or rejected — for one of Apple's products can sometimes cause drastic swings in stock prices. Apple doesn't disclose which companies make the components that go into its smartphones. It also imposes strict rules forbidding its suppliers from discussing Apple-related business with investors and the media. 

Shares of GT Advanced Technologies Inc, a mineral crystal specialist, slumped 13% on September 9 after some investors were surprised the US company's scratch-resistent sapphire glass was not being used on the new iPhones. 

The phones launched on Friday are Apple's first to include NFC radio chips used for the new Apple Pay mobile payment platform. The NFC chip in the iPhone 6 Plus comes from NXP Semiconductors, according to iFixit, in line with most investors' expectations. 

NXP also supplies a motion co-processor, key to making the iPhone's sensors work without draining its battery, iFixit said. 

As in other iPhones, Apple has designed its own main processor with technology licensed from ARM Holdings and in this device it is the A8 chip. 

The iPhone 6 Plus opened by iFixit also included a NAND flash memory chip, used for storing music and photos, made by SK Hynix. Apple in the past has depended on multiple companies to supply its memory chips.





Raymond James analysts expects sales of iPhone 6 and larger iPhone 6 Plus to top 9 million in the first weekend. 

As well as Apple's stores, AT&T Inc, Sprint Corp, T-Mobile US Inc and Verizon Wireless in the United States will start selling the phones on Friday.

With new iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, it’s what’s inside that counts

The new Apple iPhones going on sale this week, the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus, have crisper screens, faster processors and sharper cameras.

And, as you might have heard, they are also bigger than previous iPhones — the 6 Plus by a long shot — joining the stampede toward bigger handsets.

But after almost a week of trying the phones, it became clear that the hardware was not the best part of the package. In its quest to deliver bigger phones to a market clamoring for them, Apple has made one phone that is actually a little too small and one that's a little too big.

The best part of the new phones is actually the new software inside, which is available for some older models, too, starting on Wednesday. The software, iOS 8, combines some of the advanced features of Android with Apple's ease of use and reliability.

Because of the software, it's hard to see many iPhone fans straying from Apple, even if they don't buy new iPhones immediately.

The iPhone 6 is a 4.7-inch device, up from four inches on the iPhone 5 and 5S. It's a little wider than those phones, too.

Those dimensions make it slightly smaller than the top Android and Windows devices on the market, helping it fit easily in jeans pockets. Compared with a Samsung Galaxy S5 or the HTC One (M8), though, the iPhone 6 screen feels constrained. The iPhone 6 starts at $200 with a new contract.

The iPhone 6 Plus is a behemoth. It has the same size display as the LG G3, at 5.5 inches, but is significantly taller. It's longer even than the Galaxy Note 3, which has a 5.7-inch display. It starts at $300 with a new contract.

Both the 6 and 6 Plus get thinner, flatter and more rounded shapes than their predecessors, losing the squared-off sides on the more recent models. The effect looks sleek, but feels slippery. Dropping seems imminent as you stretch your thumb across the larger screens.

Apple takes some small steps to mitigate the finger stretch with a feature called Reachability, which lets you touch (not press) the home button twice to shift the screen down to the bottom half of the display.

The feature works nicely for one-handed scrolling and finding app icons, but it doesn't do much else. If you're in an email, for example, you can't get access to any actions like Reply or Archive.

Apple could have taken a cue from other makers of so-called phablets (a blend of the words "phone" and "tablet") and come up with powerful ways to take advantage of those bigger screens.

For example, the forthcoming Samsung Galaxy Note 4 will let users resize app windows using a finger or stylus and view multiple windows simultaneously on its 5.7-inch display, as on a desktop computer. The 5.5-inch LG G3 lets you open two apps at once and resize them as you like.

The iPhones do include some tricks created for bigger phones, like a zoom feature that lets you subtly increase the size of app icons and text in native apps.

And when you turn the phones sideways, into landscape mode, the keyboard in the built-in apps like Mail and Messages has more options — a microphone, undo key, period and comma and others on the iPhone 6, and even more on the iPhone 6 Plus, like dedicated copy and paste keys.

Those extra iPhone 6 Plus keys disappear if you choose the zoomed display, however. And the iPhone 6 Plus is so big that in landscape mode, I had a hard time reaching the keys to type.

Even the built-in Apple keyboard doesn't get any extra keys when holding the phone upright, the way the Samsung and LG keyboards include number keys above the letters, and period and comma keys.

As for the features that people love about their iPhones, they only get better. The iPhone 6 cameras, for example, are outstanding.



Both rear-facing cameras have new sensors that deliver faster autofocus, better face detection and the ability to capture high-resolution panoramas. The faster focus is immediately obvious, even in casual use.

The iPhone 6 Plus in particular uses optical image stabilization to deliver better photos in low light and reduce overall shake and blur. Sadly, that nice feature is not on the iPhone 6.

And filmmakers are swooning over the iPhones' high-definition video, faster frame rates (which lead to smoother video) and higher-quality slow-motion capture. Cinematic video stabilization helps smooth out video taken while moving and a time lapse mode snaps a shot every second or so and stitches them together.

Of course, all the videos and photos look great on the bigger screens, especially the iPhone 6 Plus. For camera buffs, that bigger phone is likely to be a must-have.

Call quality on the new phones is excellent and I found battery life on the smaller iPhone 6 to be impressive. I went almost two full days without a charge. Battery life on the iPhone 6 Plus is more like a day of constant use and not much more, but that's not terrible on a phone that size.


The real magic, though, happens because of Apple's new operating system.

The iOS 8 software doesn't look greatly different, but many refinements make it more powerful and flexible. Some of the features catch up to competitors and some are totally new.

The upgrade adds iCloud Drive, for example, which lets you more easily share documents across devices, as you can with Dropbox or Google Drive. A Family Sharing feature will let you share your purchased books, movies, music and some apps with up to six family members, so they don't have to log in to your account to watch a movie or use an app you have purchased.

After OS X Yosemite, the new operating system for Macs, is released in October, Apple's Continuity feature will let you view incoming text messages across all devices, hand off documents between a phone and computer and send a text or make a call from your Mac.

Smaller improvements — expiring messages and voice memos, Spotlight searches that include web results, and recently used contacts that show up when you double-press the home button to switch between or close apps — add up to a refined mobile OS.

Some of the features aren't perfect, and many of the sexier features are still down the road. Right now, for example, the Health app simply doesn't do much. It depends on integration with third-party apps (scheduled for release with the phones) and the coming Apple Watch.

The new operating system comes on the new phones and can be installed this week on the iPhone 5S, 5 and 4S. People who have those phones and whose two-year cellphone contracts have not yet expired can rest easy. They will get many of the best features of this year's upgrade cycle.

The slim new iPhones aren't a big-screen slam-dunk, but they work well, as we have come to expect from Apple. Ultimately, it's what's on the inside that keeps them just in front of their competitors.

iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus receive glowing reviews

SAN FRANCISCO: Early reviews of Apple iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, to be released on September 19, sang praises of the large-screen handsets, proclaiming that bigger truly is better. 

"The public asked for bigger and Apple delivered not only bigger but better, too," tech news website SlashGear said in its review. "A stunning Retina HD display, blisteringly fast A8 processor, and class-leading connectivity make these the best iPhones ever." 

Mixed in with details about improvements to cameras and screens was advice that would-be buyers inclined to use smartphones as, well, phones, should opt for an iPhone 6 instead of its bigger-screened brother the iPhone 6 Plus. 

"There are a couple of reasons why the Apple iPhone 6 Plus might also be too big for me to purchase," Lauren Goode wrote in a review at Recode.net. "But I have to admit it: I'm tempted. I really like this phone. And to people who actually prefer huge smartphones: You are going to like this phone, too." 

Reviewers said that while the iPhone 6 Plus was a weighty handful, Apple tastefully modified the design to make it comfortable to hold and use. 

TechCrunch referred to the iPhone 6 Plus as the "first truly well-designed big smartphone." 

New iPhone 6 models boost screen sizes in what some see as the company catching up to the phablet trend combining features of smartphones and tablets. 

Apple's main rival Samsung has long had a range of larger handsets and is due to soon release the new Galaxy Note 4 phablet. 

iPhone 6 has a screen of 4.7-inch and iPhone 6 Plus is 5.5-inch, allowing Apple to adapt to consumers' apparent preference for bigger displays. 

"Apple hasn't fumbled," David Pogue of Yahoo Tech news said in a review. "Its two new iPhones are excellent. Beautiful. State of the art. Worthy heirs to the iPhone throne." 

Some reviewers noted that the iPhone 6 Plus is pricier than rival phablets, and that the latest Apple smartphones cost tidy sums if prices are not offset by telecom firms in exchange for locking into service contracts. 

Apple on Monday said it had received record pre-orders for its new iPhone models, and that some customers will have to wait for the larger-screen versions of the smartphones. 

The California tech giant said more than four million pre-orders were received in the 24 hours after the new devices went on sale last Friday. 

"Demand for the new iPhones exceeds the initial pre-order supply and while a significant amount will be delivered to customers beginning on Friday and throughout September, many iPhone pre-orders are scheduled to be delivered in October," Apple said in a statement. 

The announcement means Apple may see shortages and long lines at its retail stores when sales begin on Friday. 

Sales are set to open at 8am local time in the US, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Puerto Rico, Singapore and Britain. Some 20 more countries will get the iPhone September 26. The new iPhones will also be available from carriers and other retailers. 

Apple last Tuesday unveiled its first smartwatch and two large-screen versions of the iPhone, in a move to recapture its role as a trendsetter. 

Apple added in a new mobile wallet that will allow consumers to simply tap their phones to pay retailers.

Tim Cook: Apple didn't copy Samsung by making a big-screen phone

Apple CEO Tim Cook gave a lengthy interview to Charlie Rose this week, following the company's big event where it announced the iPhone 6, 6 Plus, and Apple Watch.

In one segment, Cook explains why Apple waited so long to make phones with big screens even though Samsung and other manufacturers had been making them for years.

According to a transcript of the interview, Rose asked Cook if the iPhone 6 was a response to Samsung's phones.

Cook said no.

"Honestly ...we could have done a larger iPhone years ago," Cook said. "It's never just about making a larger phone. It's about making a better phone in every single way."

Cook went on to say that Apple wanted to make sure the display, battery, and software were ready for the bigger form factor before shipping. For example, Apple developed a one-handed mode for the bigger iPhones that pops the top portion of the screen down so the user can reach it with one hand.

Cook's answer is similar to one he gave in 2012 when asked by Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher at the AllThingsD conference why Apple didn't make a bigger iPhone. At the time, Apple's best phone was the iPhone 4S, which had a relatively tiny 3.5-inch screen. Cook said Apple thought it was important for iPhone owners to be able to use the device with one hand. He also said there were other considerations like battery life to take into account.

Still, there's reason to remain skeptical of Cook's response. Samsung phones come with excellent displays. Its Galaxy Note series of phones have 5.7-inch screens and really good battery life. If Samsung was able to do that for so many years, why couldn't Apple?

On the other hand, Apple's new big-screen phones are thinner, sleeker, and more attractive than Samsung's devices. That could've been what Apple was waiting for

Price increase for iPhone 6 will add $17 billion to Apple's coffers

The prices of Apple's new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus are higher than those of their previous models, the iPhone 5S and 5C. That isn't news.

But it is interesting that Apple's new pricing structure for iPhones will also have the effect of lifting the floor on prices of Apple's cheapest phones and raising the ceiling on the most expensive ones. Apple is driving through a vast price increase for all its new customers, in other words: And it will add $17 billion in sales by 2015.

This chart shows the effect of the new prices over time. Note that the overall trend for all models is upward over time. The chart shows various prices for the iPhone 4, 4S, 5, 5S, 5C, 6 and 6 Plus, which were available at differing times - hence the uneven clusters. Here's the detail on that, from analyst Gene Munster at Piper Jaffray:



According to Munster, Apple will get an extra $17.2 billion in iPhone sales revenue in fiscal 2015, compared to the sales it had for the same product category in 2013 (the last year before iPhone 6 was launched).

Apple isn't just introducing two new, more expensive phones. It is also eliminating the 32GB storage capacity versions of iPhones — requiring customers to pay more for higher capacity, Munster notes.

The last iPhone was introduced at an average selling price (ASP) of $649, Munster says, and the new ones will have an ASP of $749. There is a mix of iPhone 5S and 5C devices in there too, and that will grant Apple an extra $33, on average, to the price of an iPhone. The lowest priced model will move upward from $451 to 542 under the new structure.

In terms of iPhone revenues, here is the effect that will have on Apple's revenue over the next two years, according to Munster's estimates:

FY 2013: $91.3 billion FY 2015: $108.5 billion That's a $17.2 billion addition to sales, simply by upping the price.

One interesting factor: Apple had previously experimented by selling the iPhone 4 cheaply in India as a discount, entry-level device. But the Apple Store in India is currently not offering that model for sale. Airtel is currently selling the 5C at only a slight premium to the 4S — suggesting that the companies want to move low-end customers off the 4 and into the 5 series.

Larger Apple iPhone shipments delayed amid record orders

Customers may have to wait three to four weeks to get their hands on Apple Inc's iPhone 6 Plus, after a record number of orders for the company's latest smartphones strained available supply.

The new iPhone 6 goes on sale on September 19 in the United States but the company began taking online orders on Thursday. While the larger 5.5-inch "Plus" models now display a wait time of up to a month, the 4.7-inch version remains available for delivery on September 19, Apple's website showed. 

Verizon Wireless, AT&T and Sprint Corp, also showed shipment delays of up to six weeks on their respective websites. Apple said the pace of orders has so far outstripped any of its previous iPhones.

"Response to iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus has been incredible, with a record number of pre-orders overnight. Pre-orders are currently available online or through the Apple Store App," spokeswoman Trudy Muller said. 

Apple routinely grapples with iPhone supply constraints, particularly in years that involve a smartphone re-design. The latest iPhones come with larger screens and some analysts had anticipated that production issues may keep a lid on initial runs. 

Its suppliers had scrambled to get enough screens ready because the need to redesign a key component had disrupted panel production, supply chain sources told Reuters last month. 

It was unclear whether the hiccup could limit the number of phones available to consumers, the sources said at the time. Apple declined to comment on supply chain issues. 

In addition, Chinese customers may also have to wait until the year-end before they can buy the iPhone 6. Apple is yet to set a release date for China, the world's biggest smartphone market.


A new Apple iPhone 6 Plus is seen during an Apple event at the Flint Center in Cupertino, California. (Reuters photo) 

The company unveiled its latest iPhones along with a watch and a mobile payments service on Tuesday. 

AT&T's chief executive of mobile and business, Ralph de la Vega, told investors at a conference in New York that iPhone 6 orders have so far surpassed orders last year and the year before. 

"It is such a great thing to wake up in the morning to know that you have hundreds of thousands of orders already before you even have a cup of coffee," said the executive. 

Apple's iPhones tend to incite the kind of initial buying frenzy unknown to many other brands, partly because of the company's well-honed marketing tactics. 

On secondary markets online, the rights to a pre-ordered iPhone 6 Plus are worth as much as double the unsubsidized sticker price. One eBay auction for an unlocked 128-gigabyte gold version of the 5.5-inch phone, for example, was bidding at $1,625 on Friday afternoon, compared with a face value of $949.One post on the New York City edition of Craigslist sought $10,000 the privilege to "be one of the first & few people to own this model and before the rest of the world." 

New iPhones tend to get listed at stratospheric prices on various online retail sites from the United States to China, on the assumption that there's big demand from people who must get their hands on the phone from day one. That in turns fuels a gray market of dealers who buy in bulk for resale.

Apple Store goes down as iPhone 6 pre-orders start

Apple's website collapsed under increased traffic last night after eager customers waited until midnight to order the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. 

Users logging on to the online Apple Store at midnight as the iPhones went on sale reported slow load times, and a lengthy delay in the devices becoming available. 

Some service appears to have been restored after about 30 minutes. But this morning, the store was down for some users. Its availability appears to be intermittent. 
Some customers reported that the iPhone was available on carrier websites and the Apple Store app, but not the desktop site. There were reports that the iPhone 6 had sold out through some carriers. 

The delays in the iPhone 6 becoming available in the online store frustrated many customers, as they had waited until the early hours of the morning to order the new phone.




The non-functional online store is the third glitch in a row to plague the launch of iPhone 6. At the launch event, the livestream failed for 25 minutes, leaving viewers staring at a fuzzy test-card and listening to commentary in Chinese. Then Apple delayed the iPhone 6 launch in China after failing to get regulatory approval on time (or, as conspiracy theorists would have it, the company wanted to punish its wireless carrier partners for leaking pictures of the new phones on their web sites prior to the launch).