Apple sets new record, sells 13 million iPhone 6s and 6s Plus in opening weekend

Apple has announced that it has set a new sales record for the new iPhone 6s and the 6s Plus during the opening weekend. The two phones combined have sold more than 13 million units in the first three days of launch in the 12 countries they were available in, including Australia, Canada, China,
France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, Singapore, the UK and the US.

To put the number into perspective, the previous iPhone 6 and 6 Plus sold 10 million units combined, the the 5s and 5c before that sold 9 million units combined.

Apple has reiterated that it will be bringing the 6s and 6s Plus to additional 40 additional countries worldwide.

Starting October 9, the phones will be available in Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Greenland, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Isle of Man, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Maldives, Mexico, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and Taiwan.

Starting October 10, the phones will be available in Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates.

Starting October 16, the phones will be available in India, Malaysia and Turkey on Friday, October 16 and in over 130 countries by the end of the year.
Pricing for the respective countries will be announced at a later date.

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iPhone 6s and 6s Plus now available in retail outlets across 12 countries

The new iPhone 6s and the iPhone 6s Plus is now available for purchase. Both models can now be purchased in Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, Singapore, the UK and the US.

In the US, customers can get their new iPhones with $0 down payment and $27 or $31 (for the 6s and 6s Plus, respectively) monthly payment for 24 months from the retail outlets, Apple.com, select carriers, and authorized retailers. Also, exclusively at Apple's retail stores in the US, customers can choose the iPhone Upgrade Program that gets them a new iPhone every year unlocked from the carrier of their choice with AppleCare+ for $32 for the 6s and $37 for the 6s Plus per month for 24 months.

Apple will also be selling all the new accessories alongside the new iPhones, including the new leather and silicone cases and the color-matched metallic finish Lightning Docks.
The iPhone 6s and 6s Plus are available in 16GB, 64GB, and 128GB in gold, silver, space gray, and rose gold.

One iPhone 6s gets delivered early, and it benchmarks like a champ

Apple's new iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus will become available this Friday, on September 25, but that apparently hasn't stopped the company and its carrier partners from sending out pre-ordered units early.

One AT&T customer in the US was happy to receive her rose gold iPhone 6s today. She shared a few pictures of the phone and its box to prove that what she's saying is true, but thankfully she also decided to benchmark the new handset.


 
Rose gold iPhone 6s delivered
As you can see from the images below (click the thumbnails for the full size versions), the Apple A9 chipset in the iPhone 6s is unsurprisingly faster than its predecessors.


 
iPhone 6s benchmarks
The benchmark used was Geekbench, and the iPhone 6s managed to obtain a 2,292 single-core score, and 4,293 for the multi-core run. A subsequent run seems to have turned up 2,413 in the single-core benchmark, which is a lot more than past Apple devices. The closest is the iPad mini with Retina Display, which managed to score 1,384 with its A7 chip.



If you're wondering how the iPhone 6s compares to the top dogs in the Android world, have a look at the image above. The short version is this: Apple's product loses out in the multi-core test, but wins in the single-core benchmark. This is somewhat logical, considering that Apple's mobile SoC designs have so far concentrated on using few but highly optimized cores. On the other hand, Android devices generally have more cores to work with.

The Samsung Galaxy S6 edge scores 5,188 in the multi-core run, but only 1,495 in the single-core test, as you can see. Even so, it's the closest to the iPhone 6s when it comes to single-core performance.

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Samsung reportedly planning to launch Apple-like phone leasing program

Nearly a couple of weeks after Apple announced the iPhone Upgrade Program at an event where the iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, and iPad pro were also unveiled, there are reports that Samsung is also planning to launch a similar phone leasing program for its Galaxy smartphones.


As per reports, the South Korean company's leasing program could be launched in the next several months, although there are chances that the launch time-frame may accelerate. There is, however, no word on the pricing at the moment.

For the uninitiated, Apple's leasing program allows you to get a new, unlocked iPhone every year directly from the company - you need to sign a two-year financing agreement and pay a little over $32 a month for the program, which also includes Apple Care+. Of course, you'll still need a separate service plan from a carrier of your choice.

Via | Image source

Chinese Sperm Bank Attracts Donors With Promise of iPhone 6s

An online advertisement urging people not to sell their kidneys but instead donate sperm to win the latest iPhone 6s has gone viral in China, media reported.

"No need to sell a kidney... Shanghai sperm bank can make your iPhone 6s dream come true," said the advertisement which has gone viral on social networking app WeChat this week, reported Global Post.

Those who qualify to donate can receive up to CNY 6,000 (roughly Rs. 62,000). The latest Apple model is expected to cost around CNY 5,288 (roughly Rs. 55,000), the report said.

"Why sell your kidney when you can donate sperm? It's a great deed that can bring happiness to a whole family," said microblog Weibo user "Wojiushiwutong".

A sperm bank in central China's Hubei Province posted a similar advertisement highlighting a picture of the new rose gold iPhone 6s, a colour created mainly to attract Chinese consumers.

"I don't like the idea of making money out of sperm donation to buy new iPhones. Sperm donation is a very serious cause for public good," one Weibo user said.

But a spokesperson with the Shanghai sperm bank told Xinhua the campaign has worked well so far, raising awareness and attracting potential donors.

While there are tens of thousands of infertile couples in China, all sperm banks across the country face donation shortages because many young men are unaware or too embarrassed to donate, forcing the banks to turn to social media.