Apple's iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus officially went up for preorder in China Friday morning and initial reports say the country's top three wireless carriers accepted one million orders in the first six hours of availability.
According to a report on Wednesday, Apple intended to debut the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus in the important Chinese market on Sept. 9, but those plans have been delayed as the company awaits regulatory approval for the new handsets.
At a special media event on Wednesday, T-Mobile announced its latest "Un-carrier" initiative in "Wi-Fi Unleashed," which has the company promising Wi-Fi call and text support with every new phone sold.
Rumors were confirmed on Tuesday when Apple launched the new iPhone lineup, with the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus landing squarely in "phablet" territory. But the company included some special user interface tweaks to make the added real estate manageable.
U.S. wireless carrier Sprint on Tuesday announced a new iPhone hardware rental plan dubbed "iPhone for Life," in which customers pay a flat monthly fee to "rent" Apple's device rather than buy it outright.
A Chinese user who claims to have gotten their hands on a functioning "iPhone 6" has posted pictures taken with the device's camera, along with benchmarks suggesting that Apple's next-generation "A8" processor will boast a gigabyte of RAM and will run at a speed of 1.4 gigahertz.
After rock group U2 seemingly debunked rumors that it was somehow attached to Apple's media event slated for tomorrow, The New York Times on Monday claims the rock group will indeed contribute by performing cuts from its next album and announce a device partnership.
Apple is reportedly looking to roll out a so-called "iWallet" loyalty program in cooperation with merchants and retailers that could be announced at Tuesday's special media event.
Apple fans clamoring for the anticipated 5.5-inch version of Apple's "iPhone 6" may not have to wait long, as a new report claims that the "phablet" model will launch alongside the 4.7-inch version on Sept. 19, though quantities could be limited at launch
With Apple widely expected to introduce the "iPhone 6" in two different screen sizes on Tuesday, a new rumor claims the 4.7-inch model will be given the basic moniker, while the larger 5.5-inch variant will allegedly be known as the "iPhone 6 Plus."
With just over a day to go before Apple's highly anticipated media event, a slew of new videos from China claim to again show off functioning 4.7-inch "iPhone 6" units, complete with a new credit card toting Passbook icon. And yet another video offers a peek at a 2,915 mAh battery expected to power the jumbo-sized 5.5-inch iPhone.
Two separate "leaks" out of China on Saturday supposedly show operational versions of Apple's next-generation iPhone, including images of what appears to be credit card or mobile payments support for Passbook.
Apple is reportedly securing dates for its upcoming fall shipments, expected to include new iPhone and iPad models, and the number of devices coming out of China is so large that major shipping companies are delaying orders from other device makers.
Less than one week before Apple is expected to announce a new iPhone, and possibly "iWatch," at a special event on Sept. 9, a report on Friday claims the company has inked partnerships with CVS and Walgreens for a rumored mobile payments system debut.
In looking at the potential options for Apple in launching a mobile payment platform, one analyst believes the company is most likely to start small and safe with a "proxy" approach — a strategy that wouldn't make Apple much money, but would help lock users into the company's iPhone ecosystem.
Adding to rumors regarding Apple's supposed mobile payments solution, a report on Thursday claims the Cupertino tech giant has managed to negotiate lower transaction fees from five credit card issuing banks.
As hype builds for Apple's Sept. 9 announcement, yet another report chimes in with alleged details, saying the company's wearable "iWatch" will sport a flexible screen and wireless charging, while the company's larger iPhone models will apparently offer a one-handed mode for ease of use.
With less than five days to go until Tim Cook takes the stage at the Flint Center in Cupertino, Apple has begun promoting the event — at which the iPhone 6, iWatch, and perhaps second-generation iPad Air will be unveiled — on its homepage with a countdown timer to the live stream.
Yet another publication chimed in on Thursday to say that Apple's next iPhone and its anticipated wearable "iWatch" will support near-field communications technology to enable wireless payments, while the "iWatch" is also said to sport a curved OLED display.
Apple's "iPhone 6" will not feature a scratch-resistant sapphire screen cover, but both the 4.7- and 5.5-inch versions will come with new higher-capacity options of 128 gigabytes of storage, a barometric pressure sensor, and a programmable power button, according to one well-connected insider.
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AppleInsider Staff
Mikey Campbell
Neil Hughes
Sam Oliver
