iPhone 6s and other Apple announcements today

JerBear

Member
SoSH Member
Nov 11, 2006
1,582
Leeds, ME
mt8thsw9th said:
So am I being dense, or are the companies just double-dipping now with these new plans? What I mean is it appears for Verizon I'd be paying my subsidized phone price, plus pay for the phone on top of it for $x a month.
The new plans remove the "hidden" phone subsidy making access theoretically cheaper per month in exchange for showing you exactly what you monthly device payment is. With my work discounts the old plans are still cheaper for me but I think that's a special case of grandfathered plans. It comes out in the wash if you update every two years, should save if you keep the phone longer than two years.

As far as the upgrade every year plans I haven't done the math on those.
 

derekson

Member
SoSH Member
Jun 26, 2010
6,224
bohous said:
 
I can't recommend this Spigen Exact Fit Non-Slip case enough. IMO the texture is perfect. It has just enough tackiness to give it a good grip without feeling all rubbery. It looks and feels very close to my brother's OEM Apple leather case (which is nice too but stupid expensive). I also love that all physical buttons are exposed and entire bottom is open. 
 
I have an apple brand leather case that I got for free. I use it sometimes, though I've always preferred to go caseless for the most part. I probably wouldn't pay $49 for it since I don't use it all the time, but it is a solid case if anyone actually uses one 100%. It's held up quite well.
 

derekson

Member
SoSH Member
Jun 26, 2010
6,224
mt8thsw9th said:
So am I being dense, or are the companies just double-dipping now with these new plans? What I mean is it appears for Verizon I'd be paying my subsidized phone price, plus pay for the phone on top of it for $x a month.
 
If you're on an old style plan then you end up double dipping but if you're on one of the new 'Family share', or whatever branding they use, then you get $15-25 off per month for not being on a contract.
 
I know on AT&T it's $15 off per month for plans <10 GB / month and $25 for 10 GB and up.
 

derekson

Member
SoSH Member
Jun 26, 2010
6,224
Apparently this year's phones are 0.2 mm thicker than the 6 and 6+. It looks like the added touch sensors and haptic feedback generators take up significant space and they weren't really able to reclaim any thickness by slimming down other components. 
 

teddykgb

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 16, 2005
11,016
Chelmsford, MA
But it would leave me weary of buying a case for a 6s or 6s+ right now.  I'm sure they'll fit, but especially on some of the most form fitting ones it's probably best to wait.
 

canderson

Mr. Brightside
SoSH Member
Jul 16, 2005
39,430
Harrisburg, Pa.
teddykgb said:
But it would leave me weary of buying a case for a 6s or 6s+ right now.  I'm sure they'll fit, but especially on some of the most form fitting ones it's probably best to wait.
Spigen or however it's spelled says all its 6/6+ cases will work for 6S/6+. They get info before made public so I believe theirs will fit the same. 
 

epraz

Member
SoSH Member
Oct 15, 2002
6,175
derekson said:
 
If you're on an old style plan then you end up double dipping but if you're on one of the new 'Family share', or whatever branding they use, then you get $15-25 off per month for not being on a contract.
 
I know on AT&T it's $15 off per month for plans <10 GB / month and $25 for 10 GB and up.
 
I've got an old plan with unlimited data, and I can switch to one of their "value" plans for $15 less a month.  Over 2 years, that's about the same amount as the phone subsidy.  The catch is that I have to give up unlimited data.
 

derekson

Member
SoSH Member
Jun 26, 2010
6,224
epraz said:
 
I've got an old plan with unlimited data, and I can switch to one of their "value" plans for $15 less a month.  Over 2 years, that's about the same amount as the phone subsidy.  The catch is that I have to give up unlimited data.
 
Yeah I ditched my unlimited data plan last year to gain tethering and unlimited SMS and lower my bill a few bucks, but if I used more than 2-3 GB per month I definitely would've hung onto the unlimited plan.
 
As it is I'm debating between doing a new contract or AT&T Next.
 

Papelbon's Poutine

Homeland Security
SoSH Member
Dec 4, 2005
19,615
Portsmouth, NH
We do Next - one iPhone 6 and one Galaxy 5s - 6GBs (I think? Whatever way more than we need. Everyone has wifi now) and unlimited everything else, with $27/month each for the phones and trade up after 18 months and we pay $170 a month after fees and taxes. It was a slight bump for me (I was paying about $65 a month for 2 GBs, unlimited texts and 500 anytime minutes - but she dropped from about $110. I have no idea if her plan was way more than she needed but i assume she just never played the games like I did to get drops.

I'm perfectly happy with that, especially considering insurance is included. The past couple times I've unlocked phones and sold them on gazelle or even eBay, I've never gotten the price people claim is there. I used to wait the full 2+ years and by then, there's still a market but it's not ripe. I'm fully willing to acknowledge I probably don't exploit it to its full capability, but I'm perfectly happy with the idea that we laid out zero for both phones, can upgrade sooner, if it breaks I swap it out and if it costs me a few extra bucks in the meantime, so be it. I'm not sitting down and working out the pennies and I'd rather not pay out $300 from the jump.
 

Saturnian

Well-Known Member
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Jul 20, 2006
494
Saratoga Springs, NY
I called VZW today to try to figure out how much all the options would cost. Currently have a 64 GB 6+, one of 4 phones sharing 13 GB of data (which we've never exceeded). We're grandfathered in to the subsidized phone every 2 years plan; I got the 4 when iPhones finally were available with VZW, and have upgraded to the 5 and the the 6+ when the came out. The 6+ makes the comparison more apples and oranges (sorry), so I'll use the 6 buy/sell prices here. I am also going to compare the middle storage capacities.
 
Paying the full retail price for the the standard size iPhone is $749, but the VZW "Line Access Fee" drops $25, from $40/month to $15 month. In addition, the 64 GB 6 is selling for an average of $528 on Swappa currently, while the 32 GB (middle storage capacity) 5S is selling for $335 on average. Based on those figures:
 
Upgrade yearly out of pocket: $750 for the phone + $180/year Line Access Fee - $500 for the sale of the previous year phone (rounding down to account for shipping and always getting less that advertised). That comes out to $430 a year for the phone and Line access fees, $860 for the two years.
 
Upgrade every two years out of pocket: $750 for the phone (only paid once in this scenario) + $360 for two years of Line Access fees - $300 for the sale of a two-year-old iPhone at time of upgrade (again rounding down) = $810 for the two years.
 
Upgrade every two years on contract: $299 for the subsidized phone + $960 for the Line Access Fee - $300 for the sale of a two-year-old iPhone = $959 for the two years
 
Upgrade every year with Apple's Upgrade Plan: $439 a year (12 x $36.58 installment) + $180 for the Line Access Fee. That comes out to $619 a year, or $1238 every two years. You do get perpetual AppleCare+ in this scenario; it would be $375 a year to pay installments to VZW (obviously without AppleCare+), which works out to $1160 every two years.
 
tl;dr: The installment plans will cost you a $150-200 premium every year to not have to deal with the headaches around selling/shipping. The subsidized phones will cost you about $100-150 more than buying them at full freight, and for $25 extra a year, I am strongly considering upgrading every September.
 

uncannymanny

Member
SoSH Member
Jan 12, 2007
9,078
Jeez, I'm at 30-something gigs of data this month. I don't know what I'd do if I lost my unlimited plan.

Why won't they just put the damn Apple TV on preorder sale?
 

bohous

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 21, 2005
4,418
Framingham
Just noticed on Slickdeals front page the Spigen case I recommended upthread is on sale for $2.20 with promo code XNBULAVW + free shipping.
Can't confirm it works but worth a shot
Link
 

Senator Donut

post-Domer
SoSH Member
Apr 21, 2010
5,500
AT&T website was a disaster to navigate. (I couldn't order my phone with two-year contract pricing though Apple.) I ended up buying my two upgrade through AT&T's app, which was a bit of an adventure, but it got done and my estimated shipping date is 9/24 so I'll be happy.
 

Murderer's Crow

Dragon Wangler 216
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
23,473
Garden City
FYI, if you're already a next customer who started last year, make sure your 12th payment is made or you won't be eligible for the upgrade. My pmt was due 9/19 and even though I autopay, I wasn't eligible until I paid an hour ago.
 

canderson

Mr. Brightside
SoSH Member
Jul 16, 2005
39,430
Harrisburg, Pa.
I woke up at 3:04, grabbed the iPad, opened the app, ordered a 6S 64gb space grey on Next 24 (decided this best for me,I might pay off in full anyway in a few months but I'll take a free loan) with no issues. Confirmation email received at 3:06 a.m. Never left bed, easy peasy.
 

cutman1000

Member
SoSH Member
Aug 26, 2003
3,571
South Carolina/New Zealand
I woke up at 7 and upgraded via My Verizon app. I'm going from a 32 gb 5s to a 64 gb 6s and paid $299 and extended my 2 year contract. 60 bucks a month for unlimited talk/text and 2 gb data. I think that's a better deal than any of these new payment options.
 

derekson

Member
SoSH Member
Jun 26, 2010
6,224
Installed the Purify ad blocker on my iPad and iPhone today and browsing is super fast now.
 

derekson

Member
SoSH Member
Jun 26, 2010
6,224
I went from a 6 to a 6S+. The screen seems a bit brighter, the phone is way faster, and 3D touch really adds a lot of potential to the UI even if it isn't fully realized yet. The thing I really can't get over is how much they improved Touch ID. It worked great before, and now its literally unbelievable. The phone can be unlocked with 1 touch to the home button now instead of a press followed by a touch to read the fingerprint. It's a small difference, but making an action like that simpler and faster which is so fundamental to the daily interaction with the phone really makes a big difference IMO.
 
I did have to exchange my first iPhone 6 last year though. One corner of the screen was significantly more yellow than the rest of it, and that corner and the whole top edge was a bit dim.
 
So far I'm loving the change from a 4.7" to a 5.5" phone.
 

derekson

Member
SoSH Member
Jun 26, 2010
6,224
canderson said:
Yet to understand 3D Touch. Can you explain it? In safari I see you can preview links but can't find any other actions.
 
A bunch of apps have shortcuts to various functions if you 3D touch them from the home screen. And if you do a hard press from the left edge of the screen and swipe right you can get into the app switcher quickly. You can also preview email or text messages. Various things like that. 
 

IpswichSox

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 14, 2005
2,792
Suburbs of Washington, DC
Noticeably faster. Haven't played with the 3D Touch much yet. I like the streamlined Touch ID. Not an overall game-changer, but definately an upgrade, especially in a world where smartphones are a commodity and we're being conditioned to upgrade annually by Apple and plans that allow you to switch more frequently. (Didn't this pope just kind of say something about this shallow consumerism?)
 

B H Kim

Well-Known Member
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Oct 24, 2003
5,719
Washington, DC
I like the 6s plus quite a bit.  It's noticeably faster than my old 6 plus, and the 3D touch is great.  It's most useful for viewing and opening email and texts.  It permits much easier one-handed operation for the bigger sized phones (I find it much easier to press than swipe while holding the phone with one hand). But this has been the worst iPhone upgrade I've ever experienced.  I restored the new phone from an encrypted iTunes backup and the majority of apps won't download.  I have had to go into the app store and download them all individually, which is a huge pain in the neck.
 

derekson

Member
SoSH Member
Jun 26, 2010
6,224
B H Kim said:
I like the 6s plus quite a bit.  It's noticeably faster than my old 6 plus, and the 3D touch is great.  It's most useful for viewing and opening email and texts.  It permits much easier one-handed operation for the bigger sized phones (I find it much easier to press than swipe while holding the phone with one hand). But this has been the worst iPhone upgrade I've ever experienced.  I restored the new phone from an encrypted iTunes backup and the majority of apps won't download.  I have had to go into the app store and download them all individually, which is a huge pain in the neck.
 
I had a few that didn't install as well. Fortunately it was just a handful. No idea why; I honestly figured it was an issue from being on 9.1 beta instead of a live release but perhaps not.
 

singaporesoxfan

Well-Known Member
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Jul 21, 2004
11,882
Washington, DC
I upgraded from a 5 to a 6S so you can imagine the speed boost. Main bugbear right now is that my AT&T microcell has stopped working with the phone so reception is bad but loving everything about it otherwise.
 

trekfan55

Well-Known Member
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Oct 29, 2004
11,586
Panama
Maybe this is the place to ask.  I haven't been able to back up my Ipad to iCloud.  First I get a message that I need more space, but when I look at my iCloud storage there is plenty left (I have my own iCloud account separate from the wife and kids).  Also, I don't see any "next backup scheduled" or "backup Now" buttons.  I am a little worried about this, since I count on this automatic backup in case something happens to my Ipad.
 

mt8thsw9th

anti-SoSHal
SoSH Member
Jul 17, 2005
17,120
Brooklyn
I'm really not digging how pictures are now actually treated like videos due to Live Photos and shut off whatever audio you're playing when you go to snap a pic.
 

mt8thsw9th

anti-SoSHal
SoSH Member
Jul 17, 2005
17,120
Brooklyn
Good to hear. There's not even an option in settings.

If only it also included a way to turn GIFVs into GIFs when on wifi, and "things that shut off podcasts for no reason" would be eliminated.
 

NortheasternPJ

Member
SoSH Member
Nov 16, 2004
19,271
canderson said:
Used apple pay for fist time today - what a great thing. I'm late to the party, I know.
I wish everywhere took it. I'd put my drivers license in my glove box and never carry a wallet. Was talking to someone who didn't have it before and I was surprised after a year of Apple Pay how much I use it. I get annoyed having to break out a card. Plus no real chance of identity theft with ApplePay.
 

singaporesoxfan

Well-Known Member
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Jul 21, 2004
11,882
Washington, DC
This is a very specific peeve, but I don't like that your region _must_ be set to U.S. or U.K. to use Apple Pay. I set my region to Singapore because I want date/time and currency displayed the way I'm used to, and there's no way to change date/time or currency settings without changing region. Once Apple Pay comes to Australia I guess I'll be good.
 

swiftaw

Member
SoSH Member
Jan 31, 2009
3,434
NortheasternPJ said:
I wish everywhere took it. I'd put my drivers license in my glove box and never carry a wallet. Was talking to someone who didn't have it before and I was surprised after a year of Apple Pay how much I use it. I get annoyed having to break out a card. Plus no real chance of identity theft with ApplePay.
I think once CurrentC officially dies, those merchants will begin accepting ApplePay making it much more widely accepted.
 

trekfan55

Well-Known Member
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Oct 29, 2004
11,586
Panama
ifmanis5 said:
Apple pushed out a 9.0.1 release today. Basically admitting they blew it. Hopefully it'll fix some problems.
 
I downloaded 9.0.1 but that does not solve my backup issue.
 

Senator Donut

post-Domer
SoSH Member
Apr 21, 2010
5,500
swiftaw said:
I think once CurrentC officially dies, those merchants will begin accepting ApplePay making it much more widely accepted.
Some CurrentC merchants have already jumped ship. Meijer is now accepting Apple Pay, and Kohl's, Dunkin', and Best Buy are "coming soon." Hopefully, CurrentC is dead on arrival.
http://www.apple.com/apple-pay/where-to-use-apple-pay/

By the way, Discover It is offering 10% cash back on Apple Pay purchases through the end of the year.
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/manufactured-spending/1708925-discover-10-cashback-bonus-store-through-2015-when-using-apple-pay-up-10k.html
 

NortheasternPJ

Member
SoSH Member
Nov 16, 2004
19,271
My battery life is amazingly better on iOS9. I felt like my phone was constantly at 20% before and seemed to drain a ton. Maybe something changed in settings but I had already gone through and turned off background refresh etc.

I'm at 39% and took it off the charger 16 hours ago with 5 hours usage. Pretty good.