iPhone 6 - BFD

[NortheasternPJ]

http://www.greensheet.com/emagazine.php?story_id=4118
 
http://www.paymentsleader.com/the-future-of-payment-security-tokenization/

Thanks for posting that.

One of the great things of applepay is that you don't have to have an Internet connection to actually make a payment. This looks similar to Google wallet where if you don't have a connection then you won't be able to make a payment. A lot of stores still have a crappy signal.

 

[uncannymanny]

LOL at CurrentC. This is a great example of why exactly Apple is so popular. Several major corporations got together and came up with that shit biscuit and thought "we did it!" Holy cow, completely tone deaf to consumers.

 

[B H Kim]

For me to use an electronic payment system, it has to be quicker and easier than taking out my credit card and swiping it.  I've only used Apple Pay a couple of times so far, but it is incredibly simple and quick.  I touched the Home button to unlock my phone and I had already paid.  There's no way I would go through this ridiculous multiple QR code scan process instead of just paying with my credit card.  
 
And, I have to say that my favorite aspect of Apple Pay doesn't even involve the payment system.  It's the fact that I now get notifications within seconds every time one of my enrolled credit cards is used.  

 

[Blundatola]

For me to use an electronic payment system, it has to be quicker and easier than taking out my credit card and swiping it.  I've only used Apple Pay a couple of times so far, but it is incredibly simple and quick.  I touched the Home button to unlock my phone and I had already paid.  There's no way I would go through this ridiculous multiple QR code scan process instead of just paying with my credit card.  
 
And, I have to say that my favorite aspect of Apple Pay doesn't even involve the payment system.  It's the fact that I now get notifications within seconds every time one of my enrolled credit cards is used.  

 
You get a notification about charges even if your phone wasn't used to make the purchase?

 

[B H Kim]

 
You get a notification about charges even if your phone wasn't used to make the purchase?

 
Yes (for American Express at least).

 

[Blundatola]

That is excellent.  I haven't used my linked card except for purchasing with my phone so far.  I really hope to see a lot more NFC terminals popping up soon, because it really is very convenient.  Apparently more than a million cards were registered in the first 72 hours and a lot of banks (including mine) aren't even ready to go with Apple Pay yet.

 

[canderson]

LOL at CurrentC. This is a great example of why exactly Apple is so popular. Several major corporations got together and came up with that shit biscuit and thought "we did it!" Holy cow, completely tone deaf to consumers.

It's not being made for customers, it's being made to save merchants from credit card fees.

 

[Senator Donut]

 
You get a notification about charges even if your phone wasn't used to make the purchase?

Yes, I'm a 5S user and don't have access to Apple Pay, but I downloaded all of the "wallet" apps from my credit card companies. Anytime I use my card a notification appears within a minute or so. (Reading my notifications on Saturday morning wasn't fun.) It's pretty useful for tracking your recurring spending (e.g. Netflix) but I'm not sure if I'm going keep the popups or relegate it to Notification Center.

 

[uncannymanny]

It's not being made for customers, it's being made to save merchants from credit card fees.

And consumers are going to throw this fish back making this just a colossal waste of money.

 

[NortheasternPJ]

It's not being made for customers, it's being made to save merchants from credit card fees.

 
Don't forget to harvest your purchase / shopping data and share it among the exchange!

 

[HriniakPosterChild]

When asked if he believes CurrentC will succeed, Walmart CEO Leo Scott said last year, "I don’t know that it will, and I don’t care. As long as Visa suffers."

 
Link

 

[canderson]

 
Link

Why Visa and not AmEx which has higher fees?
 
This debate does point out credit card fees are a major issue for retailers and something probably needs to be done about it. Their proposed system's idiocy unfortunately isn't the answer.

 

[PBDWake]

Why Visa and not AmEx which has higher fees?
 
This debate does point out credit card fees are a major issue for retailers and something probably needs to be done about it. Their proposed system's idiocy unfortunately isn't the answer.

 
They're a major issue insomuch that it's a fee, and corporations don't like to pay them. But we already went through this rodeo once before with Dodd-Frank and debit card fees, and it wound up in approximately zero savings being passed on to customers, banks charging higher fees to consumers to make up for lost revenue, and a flat charge rate that often hurt smaller businesses more than helping them.

 

[johnmd20]

 
They're a major issue insomuch that it's a fee, and corporations don't like to pay them. But we already went through this rodeo once before with Dodd-Frank and debit card fees, and it wound up in approximately zero savings being passed on to customers, banks charging higher fees to consumers to make up for lost revenue, and a flat charge rate that often hurt smaller businesses more than helping them.

 
QFT.

 

[Senator Donut]

Why Visa and not AmEx which has higher fees?

Fees are negotiable and Visa won't play nice with Walmart. It's not accepted at Sam's Club; not even lowly Discover has that distinction. Meanwhile Amex has partnered with Walmart on ventures such as Bluebird.

http://help.samsclub.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1551/~/accepted-payment-methods

 

[NortheasternPJ]

So it looks like MCX members aren't even allowed to accept ApplePay or other mobile payment technologies or they will be fined by the cartel.
 
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/29/technology/apple-pay-runs-afoul-of-a-rival.html?_r=0
 
Visa and MC are going to have a huge fight on their hands. 
 
Could Visa / Mastercard simply pull out of these organizations? I'm not sure how they work, but I'm sure that'd be a last resort and a huge huge gamble but I can imagine these businesses will be drastically hurt if they can no longer accept credit card payments.E
 
Edit: And CurrentC just had a minor breach, only email addresses, but still:
http://appleinsider.com/articles/14/10/29/apple-pay-competitor-currentc-hacked-alerts-pilot-program-participants-to-security-breach
 

I'll be interested to see if some hacktivists start targeting (no pun intended) MCX based upon them pushing a less secure option.

 

[jayhoz]

Hell hath no fury like a woman ApplePay fanboy scorned.
 

 
 
CurrentC, a QR code-based app planning to launch next year, appears to be the target of a semi-organized campaign for one-star reviews. As of writing, the reviews breakdown on the App Store looked like this: 17 five-star ratings, zero four-star ratings, three three-star ratings, four two-star ratings, and 2,153 one-star ratings.

 

[soxhop411]

Hell hath no fury like a woman ApplePay fanboy scorned.
 

Well to be honest. It would not shock me if apple and Google pull the app from their respective stores. And if they do that CurrentC is royally screwed

 

[soxhop411]

So it looks like MCX members aren't even allowed to accept ApplePay or other mobile payment technologies or they will be fined by the cartel.
 
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/29/technology/apple-pay-runs-afoul-of-a-rival.html?_r=0
 
Visa and MC are going to have a huge fight on their hands. 
 
Could Visa / Mastercard simply pull out of these organizations? I'm not sure how they work, but I'm sure that'd be a last resort and a huge huge gamble but I can imagine these businesses will be drastically hurt if they can no longer accept credit card payments.E
 
Edit: And CurrentC just had a minor breach, only email addresses, but still:
http://appleinsider.com/articles/14/10/29/apple-pay-competitor-currentc-hacked-alerts-pilot-program-participants-to-security-breach
 

I'll be interested to see if some hacktivists start targeting (no pun intended) MCX based upon them pushing a less secure option.

Would not shock me if people try to hack the system to prove a point

 

[Murderer's Crow]

As someone who works in the CC industry but has a limited knowledge of law regarding these types of partnerships, I'd be curious is they're violating any laws by making a group decision to limit consumer payment options.

 

[uncannymanny]

Would not shock me if people try to hack the system to prove a point

Well, it's a pretty worthwhile point.

 

[Red Sox Physicist]

 
I would imagine if they were breaking laws their massive teams of lawyers on retainer would not have allowed them to do it. Further, I don't think you can require, by law, merchants to accept all forms of payment options. Some places still don't accept Discover or AmEx. Some merchants only take cash. If they choose to not accept Visa, how is that different? 

The difference is that it's a group of merchants colluding to not accept Visa. That's a Sherman Antitrust Act violation.
"Every contract, combination in the form of trust or otherwise, or conspiracy, in restraint of trade or commerce among the several States, or with foreign nations, is declared to be illegal."

 

[Nick Kaufman]

Question. I discovered air video the other day and I am pleasantly surprised. Now I am thinking I want to wirelessly stream a movie from air video to my TV.

What is the simplest device that would allow me to do this other than Apple TV. I don't need the extra channels and such, just the ability to stream air video on my tv.

 

[MakMan44]

Dropped my 6 plus this morning. Tiny crack on the bottom corner of my screen.

FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK

 

[wutang112878]

Oh I can top that story.
 
Prior to my 5c over 3 phones and 6 years I never had a problem dropping a phone and doing any damage whatsoever. 
 
One day I was helping my wife carry some stuff and dropped my 5c and the screen completely shattered and I had to put clear tape on it to make it usable because shards of glass were coming out of it.  I convert over to ATT from Verizon and get hit with a breakup fee but I get new iPhone 6s for my wife and I.  I dont have the 6 for 2 weeks and I drop the freaking thing and I have a small crack on the side. 
 
Fast forward 2 weeks, I toss my phone on my bed.  A little later I go to do laundry and grab the sheets off my bed and as I put the laundry in the washer I hear a weird clank sound but attribute it to a zipper.  A few minutes later I look for my phone and realize I put it in the washer.  After I sprang downstairs to see what was the matter I discover my 6 completely submerged in water.  I pull it out and it functions but the receiver speaker isnt working whatsoever.  I leave it out overnight in front of a space heater to dry it out and in the morning it is working again and I havent had a problem.
 
I am currently the owner of a Otterbox.

 

[Leather]

So I have a 4s that I use for music, pictures, texting, maps, and some other assorted shit.
 
Should I bother getting the 6?  Or should I just get a 5c for a few hundred less?

 

[wutang112878]

I've had the 5C and the 6 and I guess it depends on what you want.
 
I thought the 5C was great because it fit in the palm of your hand and I could hold it in either hand and reach the entire screen with my thumb.  I cant reach the top of the 6 with my thumb and believe it or not its a pain to have to use 2 hands if you are really accustomed to just using the one.  Insert joke about what I'm using the other hand for here:
 
The bigger screen on the 6 is pretty awesome and I dont think it makes the phone too big to go into my front pocket.  I used to run out of space a lot so I find the 64GB model of the 6 very useful and the highest the 5S will go is 32GB.  The camera on the 6 seems vastly superior to me.
 
If the 4 lasted you this long, you are probably going to have this phone for a long time so its probably worth it for you to get the best, newest model you can.  So as long as the larger size of the 6 isnt a problem for you I would really consider going with that.

 

[Rudi Fingers]

So I have a 4s that I use for music, pictures, texting, maps, and some other assorted shit.
 
Should I bother getting the 6?  Or should I just get a 5c for a few hundred less?

 
If you want to save money, go for a 5s instead of a 5c.  The 5s, compared to the 5C, is much more future-proof (64-bit processor and twice the RAM - same 1GB as the iPhone 6), easier to get cases for, and has the fingerprint touch sensor which in my opinion is a really useful luxury that is hard to appreciate until you have used it.  And the $99/16gb or $149/32GB are good values.

 

[wutang112878]

One last consideration.  I never upgraded my 5 model to iOS8 and a friend of mine that did said his phone ran like crap.  If you dont convert to OS8 this isnt really a problem, but if apps come out that only run on 8 (which will start happening) then this sucks and you've got a catch 22
 
Go for the 6, DO IT, DO IT
 

 

[Leather]

Alright, thanks.  Maybe my wife will get the 5c; she REALLY only uses the phone for texting/email/internet.

 

[VORP Speed]

Has anyone purchased a car mount for the 6 plus? Any recommendations?

 

[The_Powa_of_Seiji_Ozawa]

So I have a 4s that I use for music, pictures, texting, maps, and some other assorted shit.
 
Should I bother getting the 6?  Or should I just get a 5c for a few hundred less?

 
 

I've had the 5C and the 6 and I guess it depends on what you want.
 
I thought the 5C was great because it fit in the palm of your hand and I could hold it in either hand and reach the entire screen with my thumb.  I cant reach the top of the 6 with my thumb and believe it or not its a pain to have to use 2 hands if you are really accustomed to just using the one.  Insert joke about what I'm using the other hand for here:
 
The bigger screen on the 6 is pretty awesome and I dont think it makes the phone too big to go into my front pocket.  I used to run out of space a lot so I find the 64GB model of the 6 very useful and the highest the 5S will go is 32GB.  The camera on the 6 seems vastly superior to me.
 
If the 4 lasted you this long, you are probably going to have this phone for a long time so its probably worth it for you to get the best, newest model you can.  So as long as the larger size of the 6 isnt a problem for you I would really consider going with that.

 
And if it is a choice between 6 and 6+, I messed around with the 1 hand use/thumb-reach issue compared to the 5 series. The 6 is pretty navigable with only a tiny dead area out of reach, but the 6+ was absurdly inhospitable to one handed use (notwithstanding the software-based workarounds like the pulldowns). There was a graphic earlier in the thread I believe that mapped out the areas within reach for each model, and I think it is quite accurate.

 

[weeba]

I bid on, and won, 2 Apple lightning to 30 connectors. If anyone wants one for $15, let me know.
 
They don't fit the case I've chosen (need the one with the 6" cable).  I've put one back on eBay but would rather just sell the other if possible

 

[jayhoz]

I find this comment from Schiller both out of step with consumer wants and hilariously ass-backward.
 
http://www.macrumors.com/2015/06/10/schiller-16gb-iphones-tradeoffs/

 
 
When asked about the relationship between the thickness of a phone and battery life, and whether maintaining the thickness of its devices could lead to more power-efficient internals and bigger batteries, Schiller said that Apple has the right balance with its devices. He points out that a device with a larger battery and thickness becomes heavier and takes longer to charge. Schiller notes that Apple tries to figure out the tradeoffs with every device it makes, and he thinks the company has made "great choices" in those tradeoffs.

 
Seriously?  You don't put a bigger battery in the phones because users won't like how long it takes to charge?

 

[Blundatola]

I find this comment from Schiller both out of step with consumer wants and hilariously ass-backward.
 
http://www.macrumors.com/2015/06/10/schiller-16gb-iphones-tradeoffs/
 
Seriously?  You don't put a bigger battery in the phones because users won't like how long it takes to charge?

 
I agree with him.  I appreciate my phone being as thin and light as possible given how much time it spends in my pocket.  I also appreciate that I can stick it on a charger for an hour and get a significant charge out of it.  I do know there are a lot of people out there who would disagree, though.  Still, isn't the iPhone 6 the most popular version to date?  That would lead me to believe most people feel like they've gotten the balance right.

 

[jayhoz]

 
I agree with him.  I appreciate my phone being as thin and light as possible given how much time it spends in my pocket.  I also appreciate that I can stick it on a charger for an hour and get a significant charge out of it.  I do know there are a lot of people out there who would disagree, though.  Still, isn't the iPhone 6 the most popular version to date?  That would lead me to believe most people feel like they've gotten the balance right.

 
That assumes that a thicker iPhone 6 would not have sold as well.  I don't think we can say that is true.
 
The success of the iPhone 6 is due in large part to the 4.7" screen size.  Something Apple notoriously fought against for years because they thought they knew better than consumers how to balance tradeoffs.

 

[Van Everyman]

 
I agree with him.  I appreciate my phone being as thin and light as possible given how much time it spends in my pocket.  I also appreciate that I can stick it on a charger for an hour and get a significant charge out of it.  I do know there are a lot of people out there who would disagree, though.  Still, isn't the iPhone 6 the most popular version to date?  That would lead me to believe most people feel like they've gotten the balance right.

Completely agree – I am such a constant user of the phone that being able to stash it in my pocket and get a quick but meaningful charge on the go is a huge part of the overall experience. And anyway, isn't the 6S supposed to meet the needs of the "I need a bigger phone" crowd? Don't have one myself but my dad does and I thought that did take longer to charge.

 

[jayhoz]

You guys understand that it only takes longer to charge because it gives you more use time right?  You could charge an iPhone with a bigger battery for the same amount of time you do now and get the same use time out of it,  It just wouldn't say 100% charged.

 

[jayhoz]

I mean...does it piss you off that it takes 6-7 hours to charge an iPad?  Do you want a thinner one that lasts 6 hours instead of 10?

 

[NortheasternPJ]

So I've been on the camp of railing against Apple's thinness decision over battery life for a few years now as I'm a heavy heavy iPhone user. usually 3-4 hours a day talk, plus constant emails etc. but with the iOS 9 update with an extra hour of battery life on average (if true) and power saving mode (very useful in dire situations) and the iPhone 6/6+ battery life. I'm changing my tune. 
 
I would still love an iPhone 6-MAX phone with a better battery but that ship has long sailed and i'm not sure i'm its worth it anymore 

 

[B H Kim]

I have to think that the "time to charge" consideration isn't really driving the battery sizes in iPhones.  They are far more concerned about overall size and weight of the device.  I have a 6 plus and I'm fine with the battery size compromise they've made.  I can almost always get through a full day without recharging my phone and the thing is heavy enough as is; I wouldn't want to have to carry anything heavier around in my pocket all day.
 
EDIT:  I should also add that the battery life on my iPhone has improved considerably since I got an Apple Watch.

 

[Blundatola]

 
That assumes that a thicker iPhone 6 would not have sold as well.  I don't think we can say that is true.
 
The success of the iPhone 6 is due in large part to the 4.7" screen size.  Something Apple notoriously fought against for years because they thought they knew better than consumers how to balance tradeoffs.

 
I don't necessarily agree that a thicker phone would have sold as well because thinness is actually a selling point for me at least and I imagine others feel the same, but I guess we'll never know.  You are right, however, that the biggest reason for the popularity of this iteration is the screen size.
 

You guys understand that it only takes longer to charge because it gives you more use time right?  You could charge an iPhone with a bigger battery for the same amount of time you do now and get the same use time out of it,  It just wouldn't say 100% charged.

 
I'll defer to you on that.  I may have mistakenly inferred from Schiller's comment that smaller batteries charge at a faster rate.
 

I mean...does it piss you off that it takes 6-7 hours to charge an iPad?  Do you want a thinner one that lasts 6 hours instead of 10?

 
I find the iPad (I have the first retina version) fairly useless and hardly use mine, but if I were going to use it more I would definitely trade off thinness for shorter usage.
 
I guess my bottom line is that battery consistently lasts me a full day so I'm personally fine with the thinness.  It seems clear I'm not in the upper percentile of power users, though, because I am aware of the complaints that are out there.

 

[Murderer's Crow]

Yea, I want better battery technology in a smaller phone, not larger batteries in larger phones. That's what the 6S and Note are for.

 

[Nick Kaufman]

I have the ipad mini and the iphone 4s. Thinness was never an issue with those devices for me. Ipad weight is however. And speed. Actually, even the 4s is older, I can still wait until Apple releases a similar sized iphone, because I have no problem with it, but the first generation ipad mini feels slow with a lot of things.

 

[derekson]

Completely agree – I am such a constant user of the phone that being able to stash it in my pocket and get a quick but meaningful charge on the go is a huge part of the overall experience. And anyway, isn't the 6S supposed to meet the needs of the "I need a bigger phone" crowd? Don't have one myself but my dad does and I thought that did take longer to charge.

 
The 6+ does take longer to charge with the standard 5W charger than a 6 (since it's a larger capacity but charging at the same power level), but it actually supports using a 10W or 12W iPad charger to charge it faster.

 

[Red Sox Physicist]

Yea, I want better battery technology in a smaller phone, not larger batteries in larger phones. That's what the 6S and Note are for.

You're fighting physics on that one. Batteries haven't kept up with Moore's law. Planet Money recently did a story on why batteries suck: http://www.npr.org/templates/transcript/transcript.php?storyId=403631972 . There are some pretty serious materials physics challenges to solve before batteries get much better.

 

[bowiac]

The phone battery situation will be dealt with ultimately through a combination of better software (allegedly iOS 9 adds an hour of battery life), and ultimately, a combination of wireless charging and ubiquitous charging stations (like, your desk at work).

 

[NortheasternPJ]

I got an iPhone 6 yesterday after having the 3G, 4s, 5s. I'm really debating on returning it due to the screen size. I'd love it if it was 4.3. I know this is old news for most but I miss my 5S.

I have very long fingers and it's still hard to use 1 handed.

 

[Blundatola]

I got an iPhone 6 yesterday after having the 3G, 4s, 5s. I'm really debating on returning it due to the screen size. I'd love it if it was 4.3. I know this is old news for most but I miss my 5S.

I have very long fingers and it's still hard to use 1 handed.

 

 
I recommend sticking with it.  I thought mine was too big at first, but have come to appreciate the extra screen size.  I put all of the apps I use most at the bottom so they are easier to access one handed.

 

[derekson]

No reason not to give it a few weeks. Don't all the mobile carriers have a 14 or 30 day return policy?
 
I have short stubby fingers and I got used to the 6 just fine for one-handed usage (in fact I'm now considering getting the 5.5" model when the 6S comes out).