Apple Facing New Lawsuit Over Misrepresentation of iPhone Storage

It never ends for Apple, does it? The tech magnate is facing another lawsuit, even though it is still battling Samsung in the iPad design trial. The company is being accused of misrepresenting its flagship device’s storage for marketing purposes, saying that iOS 8 changes the amounts of storage users have left.

This is a very controversial trial, and the class-action lawsuit refers to the storage space that iOS 8 takes up. In order to upgrade older Apple devices to iOS, you need at least 740MB of free storage space, which is quite a lot, especially for older devices which have less storage available. The main complaint here is that Apple advertises its device under a certain storage variation, which is reduced by almost 1GB when the update hits your device. Of course, it’s pretty absurd to sue a company for this, but Apple should indeed specify this when advertising their devices. In the lawsuit, the iPod touch is given as an example, where 3.7GB is taken from its initial 16GB by default, representing 23.1% of the total storage. The same calculation is applied for the iPad Air, which has 21.3% memory occupied by default, and the iPhone 6 Plus, which has 20.6%.

Some may consider that it’s unfair to charge customers full price for a device that has 16GB for instance, when 3.7GB of that is filled by default. That’s reasonable, but then again, every device needs a certain amount of memory for its software, which is in fact included in the device. The lawsuit is based on the fact that upgrading customers could not foresee the huge memory consumption, and thus lost a chunk of their memory without knowing about it. Another argument is that Apple is doing this on purpose to promote its own iCloud storage system, which is a premium service that allows you to store your files, photos, and other things, without worrying about the memory.

iPhone 6 Plus vs Nexus 6 Specs Comparison

The Nexus 6 is finally available for purchase through several US carriers, so we thought we should compare it with one of its main rivals, the iPhone 6 Plus. Both are no doubt two of the most powerful smartphones currently on the market, so we are expecting the iPhone 6 Plus vs. Nexus 6 specs battle to be hard-fought.

While the iPhone 6 Plus is the first Apple phablet ever made, the Nexus 6 is the first Nexus device to come with a display larger than 5 inches. As you may know already, the latter one is co-developed by Google and Motorola.

iPhone 6 Plus versus Nexus 6 specs battle will be divided into ten rounds where we will be judging the performance of the two devices based on Dimensions, Display, Processor, Memory, Connectivity, Operating System, Camera, Design, Battery Life, and Price. Each round is worth one point and the smartphone that manages to score most points is declared winner.

Dimensions

We are dealing with two phablets here, so forget about being able to use either of them with only one hand. Let’s have a look at their dimensions.

The iPhone 6 Plus measures 158.1 x 77.8 x 7.1 mm and has a weigh of 172 grams. Despite having to accommodate a significantly larger display, the Nexus 6 is similar in size to Apple’s smartphone. It’s 159.3 mm tall, 83 mm wide, and 10.1 mm thin, while weighing in at 184 grams.

The iPhone 6 Plus is more compact, lighter, and considerably thinner than the Nexus 6, that’s why it wins the Dimensions round. The iOS-powered device wins the first round of the battle.

Display

Even though few have thought that Apple would launch a 5.5-inch smartphone, the Cupertino-based company is finally having a phablet in its portfolio. Because the display is the main selling point of a phablet, let’s have a look at the displays our competitors.

The iPhone 6 Plus sports a 5.5-inch LED-backlit IPS LCD display with Full HD resolution, 401 ppi pixel density, shatter proof glass, and oleo phobic coating. This is Apple’s first Full HD smartphone.

Nexus 6 boasts about a massive 5.96-inch AMOLED display with Quad HD (1440 x 2560) resolution, and Gorilla Glass 3 protection. Despite being considerably larger, Nexus 6’s screen brings higher pixel density: 493 ppi.

The AMOLED screen of the Nexus 6 brings higher resolution and higher pixel density than iPhone 6 Plus’ 5.5-inch unit. Nexus 6 wins this round.

Processor

The processor is the brain of the phone, so you would probably want to have a powerful unit hidden inside your phone’s case. Let’s have a look at the processing solutions of iPhone 6 Plus and Nexus 6.

iPhone 6 Plus is powered by a 64-bit Apple A8 chipset with dual-core 1.4 GHz Cyclone (ARM v8-based) CPU and PowerVR GX6450 GPU. On the other hand, Nexus 6 is underpinned by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 SoC based on four Krait 450 cores clocked at 2.7 GHz and an Adreno 420 GPU.

Even though iPhone 6 Plus’ processor is 64-bit enabled, the benchmarks have shown that Nexus 6’s unit is slightly more powerful. The point allocated to the Processor round goes to Google’s flagship.

Memory

Your photos, your music collection, your favorite TV shoes, the videos you record with your smartphone, and lots of apps. All these require quite a large amount of storage.

iPhone 6 Plus is available in three storage options: 16, 64, and 128 GB. Nexus 6 comes with either 32 or 64 GB of native storage. Neither one has support for microSD expansion.

In terms of RAM, the iPhone 6 Plus brings 1 GB RAM, while Nexus 6 has 3 GB RAM. Even though the latter one has considerably more RAM, the iPhone 6 Plus will do just fine to handle iOS’ multitasking, while both will be able to do deliver a decent multitasking experience.

Because the iPhone 6 Plus is available with up to 128 GB of storage, it wins the Memory round. Another point for Apple’s phablet.

Connectivity

Over the past couple of years, most smartphone makers have aligned to the same standard when it comes to connectivity features. Let’s look how our competitors perform.

The iPhone 6 Plus arrives with HSPA 42.2/5.76 Mbps, LTE Cat4 150/50 Mbps, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi hotspot, Bluetooth 4.0 Low Energy, NFC, and USB 2.0 (Lightning port). Nexus 6 brings HSPA 42.2/5.76 Mbps, LTE Cat6 300/50 Mbps, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, Wi-Fi hotspot, Bluetooth 4.1 Low Energy, NFC, and microUSB 2.0.

Compared to the iPhone 6 Plus, Nexus 6 brings LTE Cat6 (LTE Cat4 for iPhone) and Bluetooth 4.1 (Bluetooth 4.0 for iPhone). Because LTE Cat6 is not so widespread and because there’s not a significant difference between BT 4.1 and 4.0, the Connectivity round ends as tie.

Operating System

When it comes to mobile operating systems it’s always Apple vs. Android. Each platform has its fans and its critics, but in the end it’s only a matter of choice.

Nexus 6 comes pre-loaded with Android 5.0 Lollipop, which is the biggest update Google’s mobile operating system has received since birth. The first thing you will probably notice about Lollipop is the new Material Design interface which relays on vivid colors, more animations, and realistic 3D effects and shadows. The Android 5.0 list of changes is very long, but just to name a few: lockscreen notifications with the ability to personalize notifications behavior, multi-user support for phones, revamped notifications bar and quick settings, battery saver, Priority Mode (some sort of iOS Do Not Disturb), Screen Pinning, revamped recent menu with document-centric multitasking, smart lock, and more.

iPhone 6 Plus is the first device in the world to run iOS 8. As you may know already, iOS 8 is the latest iteration of Apple’s mobile platform and it continues the design philosophy of iOS 7. Because we’re talking about an update we’re also talking about new features. iOS 8 brings an improved notifications bar that now features some kind of widgets, improved Siri personal assistant, better TouchID integration, swipe gestures in the mailing app, better and new sources for Spotlight search, smarter keyboard, improved Camera and Gallery apps, and the new Health fitness tracking app. White I really like about iOS 8 is the double-tap Home button for one-hand usage feature. Even though this feature is also present on Samsung or LG phones, Apple’s implementation is the best yet. Cool, but not cool enough.

In our opinion, Nexus 6 wins the Operating System round. Android is smoother than ever, it brings tons of useful new features, and it’s finally looking better than its main rival, iOS. Another point goes to the Moto-made Nexus.

Camera

I’m not a great photographer myself, but I know how to appreciate a good camera or photo. In the same time, I believe that the best camera is the camera you’re always carrying with you and that’s why I like my phones to pack above-average primary shooters.

iPhone 6 Plus features an 8 MP rear-facing camera with optical image stabilization, phase detection autofocus, dual-LED (dual-tone) flash, F2.2 aperture, geo-tagging, simultaneous HD video and image recording, touch focus, face/smile detection, HDR (photo/panorama), and Full HD video recording and slow-motion video capture. It also has a 1.2 MP user-facing camera.

Nexus 6 sports a 13 MP main shooter with autofocus, optical image stabilization, dual-LED (ring) flash, F2.0 aperture, Dual recording, geo-tagging, touch focus, face detection, photo sphere, panorama, HDR, and 4K video recording support. The front-facing camera has a 2 MP sensor.

Even though Nexus 6 has a higher-resolution sensor, early tests have shown that Apple’s iPhone 6 Plus is actually superior when it comes to snapping photos. The Camera round is won by iPhone 6 Plus.

Design

We all like good-looking smartphones and premium quality. Apple is known for building such smartphones and we are glad to see that other phone makers are hot on their tracks.

iPhone 6 Plus departs from the design language introduced by the iPhone 4 and continued until last year by the iPhone 5S. The new Apple flagship has more rounded corners and a new color scheme for the back panel. It also brings a new shape for the volume buttons, while the power button has been relocated on one side for better reach. What I don’t like about the iPhone 6 Plus is the wide bezels and the wasted space at the top and bottom of the front panel. You probably heard about the Bendgate scandal, with users reporting that the device has bent in their pockets. Unfortunately, that’s not what we were expecting from apple.

On the other side, the Nexus 6 looks like a Moto X 2014 on steroids, and, fortunately, it brings the same built quality. Even though it’s not all-aluminum like the iPhone 6 Plus, Nexus 6’s feels premium when held in hand and the soft touch back and metallic frame surely help delivering that feeling. Nexus 6 has a great screen-to-body ratio while the front panel accommodates the dual stereo speakers. It has rounded corners and a curved back which offers great grip. Furthermore, Nexus 6 is splash resistant, so one less reason to worry about.

In my opinion, the Nexus 6 is the better-looking smartphone here. The Design point goes to the Android-powered device.

Battery Life

Battery life is probably one of the biggest issues of modern smartphones. Anyway, over the past year or so, the smartphone manufacturers worked hard to address this annoyance.

iPhone 6 Plus features a non-removable Li-Po 2,915 mAh battery which, according to apple, can deliver up to 24 hours of talk time and 384 hours of standby time. In our tests, the iPhone 6 Plus managed stay awake around the clock on a single charge.

Nexus 6 is kept alive by a non-removable Li-Po 3,220 mAh battery which should offer about 24 hours of talk time and up to 330 hours of stand-by time. In our tests, the battery was capable of getting through about a day of moderate-usage on a single charge. It’s also worth noting that Nexus 6 is compatible with Motorola’s Turbo charger which promises up to 8 hours of autonomy after only 15 minutes of charging.

Even though Nexus 6 has a slightly bigger battery cell, the two devices are similar in terms of autonomy. The Battery Life ends as tie.

Price

I will try to keep it simple in the Price round. The cheapest smartphone wins.

In the US, Nexus 6 is currently available at both Sprint and AT&T. While Sprint is selling the 32 GB model at $249 with a two-year contract, AT&T asks $299 on-contract. You also have the option to buy the unlocked Nexus 6 from Play Store. The 32 GB variant costs $649, while the 64 GB model is $699.

Both AT&T and Sprint are selling the 16 GB iPhone 6 Plus at a price of $299 with a two-year agreement. If you want an unlocked iPhone 6 Plus you can order one from Apple’s website with a price tag of $749 for the 16 GB model. The 64 GB variant costs $849, while the 128 GB variant is $100 more.

It’s obvious that Nexus 6 is the cheaper smartphone here. Another point for Google’s flagship.

Conclusions

Here we are at the end of the iPhone 6 Plus vs. Nexus 6 specs battle. It’s time to do a recap and see which smartphone managed to score most points.

We’ve had two rounds that ended as tie. The two devices where similar in terms Connectivity and Battery Life.

Apple’s iPhone 6 Plus managed to score three points after it outmatched its rival in Dimensions, Memory, and Camera rounds. The biggest iPhone yet is more compact, has more internal storage, and a better camera than Nexus 6.

The smartphone co-developed by Google and Motorola, Nexus 6, has won five rounds, therefore scoring five points. It proved to be better than the iPhone 6 Plus when it came to Display, Processor, Operating System, Design, and Price, because it has a higher-resolution screen, more powerful CPU, is running Android Lollipop, it has better build quality and is splash-proof, and because it’s cheaper.

In our opinion the Nexus 6 is the better smartphone. Of course, some of you may agree, others may disagree, that’s why we are inviting you to share your opinions in the comments section below.

Apple Watch Rumor Roundup: Release Date, Price, Specs & More

The Apple Watch has been rumored for over a year at this point, but Apple finally announced it earlier this year in September, alongside the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus. This device is the first smartwatch to ever be compatible with iPhones, which is great news for iOS lovers. We can expect the device to be complete with brand new innovative tools, and a brand new iOS interface, specifically made for wearables. Today, we’re going to be taking a look at everything there is to know about the upcoming Apple Watch, from the release date to the specs.

Release Date

Apple has previously stated that the wearable will not be available until early 2015, but hasn’t offered any information other than that. We can expect the device to appear at some point after February, according to Angela Ahrendts, the senior vice president of retail stores. She previously told employees to expect the device to be available after the Chinese New Year, eliminating the rumored Valentine’s Day release from the picture.

We’ll likely be seeing a developer version released at some point in the future, due to the fact that apps are going to be what attracts most users to this device. Currently, the company is looking for an app developer expert, in order to assist third-party app makers in preparing their apps for the Apple Watch’s interface, as it has entirely new software to work with. The lack of preparation for app developers could definitely be the cause behind the non-specific release date.

Price Point

The Cupertino-based tech giant has already announced that the Apple Watch will start at $349 for the Sport Edition, and possibly go up to $5,000 for the 18-karat gold Apple Watch Edition. There are plenty of models for everyone, from an athletic one to an all-gold fashion statement smartwatch. It’s suspected that the price of the Steel Edition of the Apple Watch will be around $500. Either way, the new smartwatch is going to cost you a pretty penny, but on the plus side, you have a large choice of free bands to choose from.

Digital Crown

Recent rumors have stated that the Apple Watch will feature a dial on the side that has been dubbed the Digital Crown. This dial will contain sensors that will turn movement into data, likely meaning that the dial will be the main input method for the device, instead of the touch display. In other words, everything from scrolling to zooming in and out will be made possible by this Digital Crown.

We’re not sure whether this is a positive addition to smartwatches or not. While gestures may be made a tad difficult by such a small display, it may be more obnoxious to rely on using a dial to scroll through articles. Supposedly, this Digital Crown will also act as the home button on the device. We’ll have to wait and see just how this addition to the device comes to be once its released.

Display Size and Features

Apple has already announced that the Apple Watch will be available in two different sizes. The first being 1.5-inches and the second being 1.7-inches. Supposedly, the display will be made of sapphire, just as the iPhone 6 was rumored to be. This display will be able to detect force, and it will be extremely durable. With a flick of your wrist, the Apple Watch display will turn on. Sadly, the device is not waterproof, so do not expect it to be able to take a dip in the pool with you. Naturally, it’ll be protected from the odd drop, but you’ll still have to be careful.

Aesthetics

The Apple Watch will feature a polish or space black stainless steel finish on the face and your choice of watch strap.

The Watch Sport Edition will instead feature an aluminum face that you can get in both space gray or silver, and your choice of a Sport Band.

Then there’s the Apple Watch Edition, which will truly be a fashion statement, with 18K yellow or rose gold face and your choice of straps, and that will be exclusive to the Apple Watch Edition lineup.

The straps will be available in plenty of different styles and colors for everyone’s unique tastes. The Sport Bands will be available in black, blue, green, pink, and white, and will look a little more athletic and less professional. The Classic Buckle look will be available in black and blue, the Leather Loop collection will be available in blue, brown, and stone, the Modern Buckle will be available in blue, brown, soft pink, rose gray, and bright red, and last but not least, the Milanese Loop style and Link Bracelet will be available in stainless steel and polished space black.

Tech Specs

We can expect the new Apple Watch to feature a long list of new sensors and an all new processing chip. The new processing chip has been dubbed the S1 and features a handful of subsystems that are meant to be put through quite a lot and still be okay.

There will be four infrared, LED, and photodiodes sensors on the back of the Apple Watch that will be used to detect your heart rate, which will be paired with the accelerometer and GPS signals in your device to use with the Health App on your iPhone or Apple Watch, in order to display your daily activity levels.

Aside from that, Apple has also incorporated a Taptic Engine into the Apple Watch which will allow the smartwatch to enable an all new set of alerts that you can hear and feel, which will be able to assist you in daily activities in more ways than one. For example, when using your Maps app, you’ll be able to feel something, or hear a certain sound, depending on which direction you are supposed to turn.

Inductive Charging

Many have been curious about Apple’s method for charging the Apple Watch, and it seems that we finally know what it’ll be. The device will supposedly feature inductive charging, which will be paired with a MagSafe connector, much like the ones used on the Mac lineup of laptops.

According to Tim Cook, you’ll likely end up charging the device every night due to how much you use it, which wouldn’t be shocking, especially if consumers use it as much as they use their smartphones.

Software

For the Apple Watch, Apple has invented all new software that is specifically meant for wearable devices. Supposedly, this new software displays a handful of watch faces and is easily personalized, much like other competing smartwatches. Apple has also incorporated a new feature called Smart Replies into the software, which will allow you to easily respond to messages. Supposedly, the device will also work with all Continuity features that are currently available on your iOS and OS X devices, such as Handoff. Not much else is known about the software, and there’s still quite a bit that needs to be updated, such as third-party apps. Both way, we’re very excited to see what comes of the software on this device, and it could mean a whole new world for jailbreak developers.

Apple iPhone 6 Plus 128GB: Restarting Bugs Fix Update Anticipated

Previously, we reported that those with a 128GB model of the Apple iPhone 6 Plus have faced issues where the device is incessantly restarting or freezing, and there have not been any fixes for this whatsoever. These problems were recently found to be caused by a bug with the hardware. Apple is apparently not using a stable internal storage unit, and instead, has opted for a triple level cell NAND flash to be used within the iPhone 6 Plus’ 128GB model. While these triple level cells can easily store more information that a single level cell or a multi level solid-state flash, they are more prone to errors than anything else.

However, sources have now come out and claimed that Apple has said to them that these freezing errors and constant device restarts are extremely rare, and that they will not be recalling any devices due to faulty hardware. Supposedly, there is absolutely no defect that is found within the components on the device. For now, users should be reporting these issues to Apple, but according to these reports, there’s no need for a replacement device, as it’s likely something to do with the software.

According to Business Korea, some have found that their 64GB iPhone 6 models have also faced issues similar to that of the iPhone 6 Plus’ incessant restarting, making it more believable that it is in fact software related.  It wouldn’t be surprising to see iOS 8.1.1 addressing these issues and solving many users’ problems, making their fancy Apple devices useable once again. While some have had luck obtaining replacement devices, it’s unlikely that a replacement is the best fix for these issues, as previously stated.

Hopefully, this is truly software related and will be fixed by iOS 8.1.1. The new update to iOS 8 is due to be the most stable one yet, with the changelog consisting of bug fixes specifically. This update is due to fix the ever-annoying landscape mode bug, as well as some iMessage bugs that have recently appeared in iOS 8.1.0. Currently, the software is in beta testing to ensure that there are no further issues with this latest update. You can expect the update to hit your device at some point within the upcoming weeks.

Apple iPhone 6 Plus Plagued with Crashing Bugs

The Apple iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus had record-breaking pre-orders, and are still flying off shelves even after all the issues regarding #Bendgate and the plethora of software issues that came with iOS 8.0.1 and iOS 8.0.2. It seems the controversy is far from over, though. According to a thread on Apple’s support forums, many iPhone 6 Plus users are having quite the difficult time with their devices after the iOS 8.1 update.

iPhone 6 Plus 128GB plagued with bugs

The thread has over 12,000 views and over 80 replies so far, meaning it’s not just a few people facing this problem. The problem seems to specifically affect 128GB models of the iPhone 6 Plus with over 700 apps installed. Apparently, these devices have been crashing non-stop, even without user interaction.

One user recommended doing a fresh restore on the devices, as well as attempting to open all apps, then closing them all manually by going to the background app page and swiping up. This user also recommended that users do a reset on their devices by holding the power and home buttons down at the same time. However, it doesn’t seem any of these suggestions have worked for more than a handful of people.

Apple has yet to make an official comment on this issue, but it appears some have had success bringing their devices to the Apple Store when it comes to getting it replaced. The issues don’t stop with a replacement, though, as some of those devices have had issues with crashing and freezing as well.

Those that haven’t been able to replace their devices are in constant back-and-forth phone calls with Apple’s tech support department, and that in itself can be more frustrating than a crashing smartphone.

As previously mentioned, it’s assumed that this problem only affects the 128GB model of the iPhone 6 Plus, but it may affect other devices. We’ll just have to wait and see. Hopefully, a fix comes out for this sooner than later.

Apple iPhone 6: Trade-In/Free Deals on Verizon, Best Buy, Walmart, AT&T, T-Mobile

Apple iPhone 6 sales have been going strong so far, with it and its larger sibling, iPhone 6 Plus, having set new sales records. While people were expecting the new iPhone 6 to be more expensive than the iPhone 5s, it actually turned out to be the same in terms of pricing for the base 16GB model and cheaper for the higher 64GB variant. There are some interesting deals running on the iPhone 6 currently, so you can get the latest Apple smartphone for great prices. Verizon is in fact offering the iPhone 6 for free.

Apple iPhone 6 deals in the US

The Verizon deal involves trading in your old iPhone 5s or a 5c, 5, 4s or 4. For an iPhone 5s, you’ll receive a $300 Verizon gift card, while for the other older devices you receive a $200 gift card. The deal ends on October 15th though, so there are only a few days left for you to get your new iPhone 6 for free. The deal’s already been extended once, so this is your last opportunity to grab it.

Major U.S. retailers are also offering great deals on the iPhone 6. Best Buy is offering a trade-in deal on the iPhone 6. When you trade-in a qualified old handset with Best Buy for a new iPhone 6, you will get a $200 gift card. The deal ends on October 16th.

Another major U.S. retailer, Walmart, is also offering a great deal for iPhone 6 buyers. They’re offering a similar trade-in deal to Best Buy, where you’ll receive $200 for your old iPhone or other Android smartphone you bring to trade-in. The Walmart deal is especially targeted at owners of older devices, who will receive double the trade-in value of their smartphones. The deal lasts up to October 18th.

T-Mobile and AT&T are also offering interesting trade-in deals for iPhone 6. T-Mobile hasn’t clearly mentioned details of its trade-in deals, so you’d need to head on to a T-Mobile store for more details. AT&T is offering a $300 promotion card when you trade-in an iPhone 5s, $200 for 5 and 5c, and $100 for 4 and 4s. Their deal lasts until October 31st.

Apple iPhone 6 Plus Leading in Total iPhone 6 Production by 60%[Report]

A new report is out from Digitimes regarding the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. According to the report, 60% of all production output is coming from the iPhone6 Plus – over half of all iPhone 6 production. Digitimes also states the production of the two devices is split between Foxconn and Pegatron, with Foxconn taking over iPhone 6 Plus production and Pegatron taking over the other.

This information should definitely be taken with a pinch of salt simply because Digitimes doesn’t have the best track record. Another thing to keep in mind is that high production doesn’t always mean high sales. This report doesn’t indicate which iPhone is selling better.

Aside from that, other web analytics show the iPhone 6 is the more popular device amongst consumers. Mixpanel’s reports claim the iPhone 6 has 5% of all iPhone usage, while the iPhone 6 Plus has around 1.1%. Both models remain sold out in most places, and the production ratios should be much more even, so Digitimes’ report seems a tad fishy.

The only other explanation for the report is that the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus will be released in China later this month. In China, the 5.5-inch device will likely be the more popular of the two, which is why production may currently be higher for the iPhone 6 Plus. So far, over two million people have pre-ordered one of the two new iPhones in China, meaning there’ll need to be many phones ready to go for the release.

Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, previously stated that supply reports tend to be untrue, and this may very well be the fact in this case. It’s therefore a report to take with some skepticism, and not something to go by.

Apple Pay Likely Coming to iPad; Screenshots from iOS 8.1.0

It seems like Apple’s iOS 8.0 was just released, but iOS 8.1 is already available for developer testing. Hamza Sood, a developer, has uncovered quite a few things on the new software, despite many of these changes not being obvious at first glance.

Apple Pay coming to iPad?

Sood released quite a few screenshots of a hidden screen in the Passbook app for iOS 8 regarding Apple Pay. In this “hidden” area, users can add/edit their credit card/debit card information, add their billing/shipping address, set a default card, email address, and phone number.

On the bottom of the screenshot, there is a link to an Apple Pay privacy agreement, which says it may track location and send the information to credit card companies in order to help detect fraud.

Aside from this screen, Sood uncovered a popup message in iOS 8.1’s code that revealed the next generations of iPads will likely have the addition of TouchID and feature Apple Pay support. The popup code states, “Pay with iPad using TouchID. With Apple Pay, you no longer need to type card numbers and shipping information.”

Apple has only officially announced the iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, and the Apple Watch as the devices to feature Apple Pay, so this is a great addition. An iPad would be a little more difficult to carry around than your smartwatch or smartphone. It’s more than likely we’ll see Apple Pay used more for mobile payments on third-party apps, such as Amazon.

There hasn’t been much information regarding the iPad Air 2 and whether or not it will receive an NFC chip. Apple tends to keep their devices completely under wraps until the event, and we only have rumors to go off of until then. Of course, take this information with a pinch of salt, as it’s only code and may not turn out to be true, despite the fact it would be a huge shocker for the device to come out without TouchID and Apple Pay included.

Apple iPhone 6 Plus Has the Best LCD Display Out of All Smartphones

To get away from all the negativity surrounding the iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, and iOS 8, we have some good news to report about the iPhone 6 Plus. According to new tests by DisplayMate, the iPhone 6 Plus has the best LCD display out of all smartphones available on the market currently. This is due to its amazing results in sharpness, color depth, color accuracy, overall display calibration, and many more aspects. Of course, its smaller brother, the iPhone 6, got great reviews as well, but was still beaten by the iPhone 6 Plus, because the iPhone 6 has a lower resolution.

iPhone 6 Plus’s display gets put to test

The iPhone 6 Plus only wins in the LCD display category. If you’re looking for the best display out of any smartphone, check out the Samsung Galaxy Note 4, which features a Super AMOLED display and a QHD resolution with brilliant color accuracy.

Comparing the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 to the iPhone 6 Plus, you’ll find that the Galaxy Note 4 has 515 pixels per inch and the iPhone 6 Plus only has 401 pixels per inch. What’s interesting about this is that despite Apple’s iPhone 6 Plus having such a low pixel density, it still beat out all other LCD smartphones.

The only area where the iPhone 6 Plus didn’t get great results was in the viewing angles category. This is extremely common for LCD displays and is why many smartphones don’t use LCDs anymore – but Apple has continued to stick with them.

The iPhone 6 Plus features a 1080 x 1920 5.5-inch LCD display with an oleophobic coating on top, an Apple 64-bit A8 processor, 1GB of RAM, an 8MP rear camera with optical image stabilization, a 1.2MP front camera, and a 2,915mAh battery.

Apple iPhone, iPod, iPad: Downgrade to iOS 7.1.2 from iOS 8 Update

iOS 8 has been installed by 46% of iDevice users, and of course, there are those who are beginning to regret that decision. This is mainly because of the app compatibility and ability to jailbreak. It is still possible to downgrade from iOS 8 to iOS 7.1.2, but it’s unknown as to how long Apple will allow this.

There are a few things that must be known beforehand. When you downgrade your iDevice to iOS 7.1.2, you’re putting a fresh restore on your device. Of course, if iCloud backups worked, this would be much easier, but sadly, iOS 8 iCloud backups do not work when downgrading to iOS 7, so you’ll have to manually back your device up on your computer.

If you have an iPad 2, iPad Air, iPad Mini, iPad Mini with Retina Display, iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, iPhone 5C, iPhone 5S, or 5th-generation iPod Touch, you’re currently eligible to downgrade.

In order to downgrade your device, just simply follow the instructions below.

Double-check your device is eligible.

Go to this TSSstatus checker, find your device, and make sure it has a green checkmark next to ‘7.1.2’ that says ‘yes’. If it does, you’re all set and ready to go. This is a lengthy list, so you may want to just Ctrl+F and type in your device instead of scrolling through the list.

Download the iOS 7.1.2 IPSW package for your specific device.

It’s a 1GB+ file, so it may take a while. You can simply view our links below and select your device out of the bunch. The GSM is for U.S. phones on the AT&T and T-Mobile network and European devices – CDMA is for U.S. phones on the Sprint and Verizon Wireless network. If you’re still not sure if your device is a GSM model or CDMA model, you can check the build number and compare it to Apple’s list (which you can view here).

iPad Air (5th-generation WiFi)

iPad Air (5th-generation WiFi + Cellular)

iPad (4th-generation CDMA)

iPad (4th-generation GSM)

iPad (4th-generation WiFi)

iPad Mini (CDMA)

iPad Mini (GSM)

iPad Mini (WiFi)

iPad Mini 2 (WiFi + Cellular)

iPad Mini 2 (WiFi)

iPad (3rd-generation WiFi + Cellular GSM)

iPad (3rd-generation WiFi + Cellular CDMA)

iPad (3rd-generation WiFi)

iPad (2nd-generation WiFi Rev A)

iPad (2nd-generation WiFi)

iPad (2nd-generation WiFi + Cellular GSM)

iPad (2nd-generation WiFi + Cellular CDMA)

iPhone 5 (CDMA)

iPhone 5 (GSM)

iPhone 5C (GSM)

iPhone 5C (CDMA)

iPhone 5S (GSM)

iPhone 5S (CDMA)

iPhone 4S

iPod Touch (5th generation)

Connect your iDevice to your computer and bring up iTunes

Make sure your Find My iPhone feature is turned off before you begin this next process. Next, click on Summary within the iPhone portion of your iTunes. Then hold Shift (if you’re on a Mac, press Options) and click the Restore button, then select your freshly downloaded IPSW file. The restore process will begin and your device will be back on iOS 7.1.2 again.