Apple's iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus are now officially on sale, but buyers still need to decide what to do with their old device. As in years past, AppleInsider takes a look at nearly a dozen big-name buyback services and retailers looking to attract your iPhone trade-ins [updated Oct. 13 with the latest values].
Ahead of an official iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus launch on Sept. 25, Apple and partner wireless carriers began informing preorder customers on Saturday that their devices are now in transit, scheduled to arrive on Friday.
Even with a Sept. 9 press event in the rear-view mirror, major Apple stories kept on rolling this week — particularly in the legal world, and in relation to the possibility of a self-driving car.
Reportedly leaked photos out of the Far East show Apple is mixing things up for its iPhone 6s release with at least four different box art designs featuring colorful Betta fish. In related news, the company also started charging customer credit cards in preparation of next week's launch.
The iPhone 6s and 6s Plus will ship to the Netherlands on Oct. 2, and could come to India as soon as Oct. 10 or 11, according to two separate reports.
The new official iPhone financing plan is seen by investment firm RBC Capital Markets as a benefit not only to Apple, but also to its customers, both of whom should gain leverage over wireless carriers.
According to Apple, 3D Touch display technology integrated into the new iPhone 6s and 6s Plus accounts for the bulk of an 11 percent increase in weight over last year's models, not the use of 7000 series aluminum as some have speculated.
The iPhone has long been the most popular camera on the planet, and Apple has worked to make the lives of point-and-shoot manufacturers even worse — and the lives of selfie hounds even better — with the new iPhone 6s and 6s Plus. AppleInsider took a look at the glass and silicon inside Apple's latest shooters.
With only minor tweaks to the design of the iPhone 6, cases designed for last year's handset should properly fit the iPhone 6s series when it launches later this month, meaning upgraders won't need to buy new accessories.
With preorders underway for the iPhone 6s and its larger counterpart, the 5.5-inch iPhone 6s Plus is expected to see limited supply at launch, due to apparent production issues related to the handset's backlight.
After just a few days of preorders, Apple already feels confident that its forthcoming iPhone 6s series will break records, with the company stating on Monday that initial sales are already topping last year's blockbuster iPhone 6 launch.
Demand for Apple's new iPhone 6s and 6s Plus appears strong — especially for rose gold models — with shipping times quickly jumping as high as 4 to 6 weeks and some countries selling out less than a day after they went on sale.
There was of course one overriding theme this week: Apple's Sept. 9 press event, where it unveiled new iPhones, the iPad Pro, and a fourth-generation Apple TV. There was far more to unpack than just those devices, however.
As promised, Apple and its partner wireless carriers opened iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus preorders a minute after midnight on Saturday through their respective online storefronts, though Apple.com saw initial troubles.
Apple latest "s" iPhone revamp—as it has every odd-numbered year since 2009's iPhone 3Gs—introduces a variety of significant changes under the hood without the device being readily discernibly different on the outside. iPhone 6s is faster, takes better pictures (including animated Live Photos), and delivers a deep new "3D Touch" interaction layer.
Apple's iPhone 6s and 6s Plus will go up for preorders in just a few hours, at 12:01 a.m. Pacific, or 3:01 a.m. Eastern. To help, AppleInsider has compiled a checklist so you can snag your phone of choice on launch day.
Apple brought depth to its user interfaces with Force Touch, and Wednesday's launch of the iPhone 6s added another layer in the form of 3D Touch. AppleInsider looks at how it works and what you can do with it.
Inside the new iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus is an upgraded M9 motion coprocessor that borrows new fitness capabilities from the Apple Watch, by estimating your walking or running pace.
While more than one rumor predicted that Apple would add a front-facing flash to its newest iPhone — an increasingly common feature among high-end handsets — nobody considered that the company would do so in a way that alleviated the need to build in extra hardware, despite evidence that Apple has been exploring such a solution for years.
While it lacks the fanfare of new hardware or software, one of the biggest announcements from Apple this week was its competitive iPhone Upgrade Program. It's actually an interest-free way to pay off your new iPhone and AppleCare+ warranty over a two-year period, with the added option to upgrade your iPhone to the latest model every year.
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Katie Marsal
AppleInsider Staff
Roger Fingas
Mikey Campbell
Neil Hughes
Sam Oliver
Daniel Eran Dilger
