A8 Chip From 4.7-Inch iPhone 6 Appears to Carry 1 GB of RAM

Last week, a wiring schematic said to be for the iPhone 6 was initially interpreted to be referring to the device's RAM, showing the same 1 GB of memory for the A8 as found in the current A7 chip. That was quickly determined to be an incorrect interpretation of component being shown in the schematic, however, and Apple's plans for RAM in the iPhone 6 have remained uncertain.

A new photo leak from Feld & Volk [Instagram page] and Sonny Dickson showing an assembled logic board from the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 has revealed a number of pieces of information already, and it appears from one of the photos that the A8 chip on the board does indeed include 1 GB of LPDDR3 RAM.

As pointed out by MacRumors forum member commander.data, a silk-screened part number on the A8 reveals that the package-on-package contains Hynix RAM. Based on Hynix's part number format, the character in the eighth position reveals the amount of RAM in the package, with an "8" denoting 8 Gb (1 GB) and a "B" denoting 16 Gb (2 GB). While it is a bit difficult to read the part number clearly given the distance and angle in the photo, our staff and several posters in our forum agree that the character very much appears to be an "8", indicating 1 GB of RAM.





Source : macrumors.com

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Why a “delayed” iWatch destroys all competitors

Apple’s wearable device, still code-named "iWatch" here in the days (or weeks) before its official reveal, has been tipped to be released in the year 2015. If Apple announces an iWatch on September 9th, then doesn’t ship the device until January (or any time after that), they’ll drop a bomb on the rest of the "wearables" industry.

Releasing devices almost immediately after announcing them has become Apple’s tradition. Only a few examples exist where Apple had weeks or months between announcement and release, the most recent being the Mac Pro. Apple’s reveal-and-launch method works great - they’ve got a ravenous fanbase that’ll buy what they deem worthy.

Some rival companies - like Motorola - have had weeks between reveal and release. Not because they want to, but because they don’t have the manufacturing clout to get things done with speed.

For the iWatch, this strategy would be intentional, not forced. Here are the
main reasons why a stringing-out of Apple’s iWatch reveal and release makes a whole lot of sense.

1. From @C_Davies (Chris Davies, SlashGear): "No "current gen" iWatch that people might avoid buying if they know it's coming 2015, only rival brands' wearables." Devices that may suffer:

•  LG G Watch R
•  Motorola Moto 360
•  Samsung Gear S
•  Sony Smartwatch 3
•  ASUS ZenWatch
•  Omate X
•  Meta M1
•  Gilt / HP smartwatch
•  OnePlus OneWatch

2. Chris adds: "announcing the iWatch but shipping in 2015 will probably work out; it’s not like Apple risks existing product cannibalization." Apple cannibalized their own iPad line when they released the iPad mini. Intentionally, but still - there’s no risk here.

3. Time to sort out the bugs. With the iPhone, Apple had to keep testing under wraps. They weren’t going to shock the world by doing beta testing in the public beforehand. With the iWatch, things could be a little different.

Smartwatches already exist. Unless Apple pulls out features we’ve never thought of (crossing our fingers they do), they’ll have a device that simply puts together the key features of all other smartwatches into a single, optimized package.

For that, they could bring on Beta testing like they’ve been doing with OS X Yosemite for the past few months. Why not?

Release those iWatch wallpapers early!

After the iWatch is released, things could change. As Woz suggests, the iWatch could make wearables in general "finally viable." Before then, though - watch out.





Source : slashgear.com

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Another purported 'iPhone 6' leak suggests Apple's 4.7" model will have larger 1810mAh battery

In even more evidence that Apple's next iPhone will sport a larger 1,810mAh battery, a new parts leak shows a series of purported "iPhone 6" batteries in shipping trays, complete with legal text and Apple logo.

Photos of the batteries were highlighted on Saturday by Nowhereelse.fr, showing lithium-ion polymer components with a capacity of 1,810mAh. For comparison, the battery in Apple's current flagship iPhone 5s has a capacity of 1,440mAh.

That Apple's next iPhone would feature a larger battery is unsurprising: It's expected that the so-called "iPhone 6" will feature a new form factor with larger display which would be able to cram in an even bigger internal battery.

Saturday's latest parts leak is claimed to be for the 4.7-inch model. Rumors have also suggested that Apple is planning to release a 5.5-inch version of this year's iPhone, a significant increase from the 4-inch display of the iPhone 5s.

The latest leak is actually the second time that such batteries have been shown with a capacity rating of 1,810mAh. The first sign of those parts came in July.

Markings on the latest batteries suggest they were manufactured in June, while the ones pictured back in July were alleged to have been built that same month.

Potentially confusing matters is a yet-unsupported claim made earlier this month that the batteries leaked thus far have only been used for testing purposes. Analyst Sun Chang Xu claimed that Apple in fact plans to cram a 2,100mAh battery into the final shipping product — but thus far, no such parts have been pictured.

Regardless, a larger iPhone would almost certainly feature a larger battery, allowing Apple to boost its longest uptime for a handset yet.

Apple is expected to host an event on Sept. 9 where it is reportedly planning to show off its next-generation iPhone. If the company follows its usual release pattern, the "iPhone 6" would first begin arriving in customers' hands the following Friday, Sept. 19.




Source : appleinsider.com

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Sketchy report claims photos show 5.5-inch 'iPhone 6L' display, logic board and 2,915mAh battery

Citing the usual "reliable sources," Taiwanese Apple blog Apple Daily says the images show 
three components bound for Apple's rumored 5.5-inch iPhone, which some predict will launch 
alongside — or shortly after — a new 4.7-inch version of the smartphone. The publication's 
sources refer to the phablet as the "iPhone 6L."

However, even a cursory inspection of the photos reveals two parts, the display and logic 
board, are nearly identical to those pictured in previous reports related to the smaller of 
Apple's next-gen handsets. 

With the display, architectural elements like screw bosses, circuit board anchors and 
circuitry are placed in the exact locations as a part revealed last week. In addition, flex 
cables are of the same size, located in the same position and feature proportionally sized 
connectors as the supposed 4.7-inch variant. 

It is highly unlikely that a 4.7-inch iPhone would share the same layout with a sized-up 
5.5-inch model, while at the same time sporting different sized connectors. 

As for the logic board, this part too lines up perfectly with a component unearthed 
yesterday, complete with identical EMI shields, fastener holes and connector design.

The report does, however, contain one never-before-seen part in a 2,915 mAh battery, which 
could feasibly be bound for Apple's jumbo-sized handset. Produced by known Apple partner 
supplier Huizhou Desay, the battery'a capacity is much larger than the 1,800 mAh unit seen 
in a supposed leak associated with the 4.7-inch variant. By comparison, the current iPhone 
5s uses a 1,500 mAh battery, while Motorola's 4.7-inch Moto X boasts a 2,200 mAh part.

Although the battery is a possible fit for Apple's 5.5-inch iPhone, not much is known about 
the phablet device. Most recently, photos of alleged wake/sleep flex cables and volume 
controls hit the Web in July.

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iPhone 6 5.5 and 4.7 mockups foreshadow size issues

Here we have yet another supposed iPhone 6 leak, this time in both the rumored 5.5-inch and 4.7-inch variants. While we have indeed seen these two devices before, having an actual solid, three-dimensional model shown and compared with previous generations and other devices really drive home the things that could unsettle the iPhone-loving crowd.

As a disclaimer, these models are noted to be fabricated by accessory manufacturers in order to give themselves a more thorough grasp of the form and size of the device when making things like cases and covers that are scheduled to be announced on the very same day Apple reveals the two devices. They are definitely not coming from Apple, as sloppy craftsmanship and disregard for detail do tell. As such, they are to be treated like any other leak or rumor, even if they look more or less real.

But if, for the time being, we do take them to be the real deal, we will notice some major differences from last year's model. Aside from the size, of course. The sleep/wake button, for one, has been relocated from the top of the device to the right side. Given the size changes, that might be a practical and smart design decision, since the top will be harder to reach with one hand. That said, it will definitely inconvenience some who have been quite used to Apple's previous designs. The top and bottom bars have also been stretched slightly, taking up more space than normal. Perhaps they have been designed so in order to fill up the new space afforded by the new sizes, and that is where things go downhill a bit.

4.7 inches is probably marginally acceptable for some people. A lot of mid to high end smartphones sport that size or something near it. It could be a bit larger from long-time iPhone users, used to Apple keeping devices to a smaller, more manageable size, but they will probably be able to adapt. 5.5 inches, however, might be considered unforgivable. It stands right in the middle of that oft ridiculed phablet classification that many of Apple's rivals seem bent on filling up. But that, however, is not the worse part. Based on this model, the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 will even be larger than the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 or the LG G3.

To be clear, the 5.5-inch here refers to the screen size, not the phone's size. The Samsung Galaxy Note 3's display measures 5.7 inches, while the LG G3 has a 5.5-inch one. And yet both are somewhat dwarfed by the iPhone 6 5.5-inch, exactly because of the aforementioned top and bottom bars, the latter of which housed the Touch ID sensor. At a time when manufacturers are scrambling to reduce bezels and margins around displays, Apple seems to be content to be contrary, at least according to this rumor.

Perhaps that is where the greatest source of disbelief in this rumor lies. While a 5.5-inch display for an Apple smartphone isn't something to dismiss, one that eschews all design sensibility that the company has become famous for is just plain ludicrous. And it's not just the design, but also the price. Rumor is that the 5.5-inch version will cost $100 more than the 4.7-inch variant, but will have exactly the same specs inside. If the iPhone 5c is any indicator, Apple's customers might not be so willing to finance that odd device. Of course, these are all just rumors and speculation, but it is one that we do hope does not come to pass at all.

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