Less than ten hours before the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus launch in Japan, at least one Apple Store in the country has begun setting up display models for customers to view. The new iPhones will go on sale in Japan at 8:00 AM local time on Friday just a few hours after the smartphones launch in Australia and New Zealand.
MacRumors reader Shawn DaSilva sent us a trio of photos and a video showing Apple retail employees installing the new iPhones at an Apple Store in Omotesando, Tokyo on Thursday evening. The new iPhones are also advertised on a digital banner spanning the length of the store.
Apple is no longer accepting pre-orders or in-store reservations in time for September 25, leaving lining up at an Apple Store as one of the only options to get a new iPhone on launch day. Apple is not allowing walk-in sales in China, Hong Kong, Japan and four tax-free U.S. states: Oregon, Delaware, New Hampshire and Alaska.
If you plan on waiting it out at an Apple Store, it is highly recommended that you reschedule any important plans tomorrow, as it can take several hours before you reach the front of the queue. In some cases, in-store stock of new iPhones may run out completely before you get a chance to buy one.
Apple may have canceled the super scratch resistant anti-reflective display coating that it planned to use for the iPhone 17 Pro models, according to a source with reliable information that spoke to MacRumors.
Last spring, Weibo leaker Instant Digital suggested Apple was working on a new anti-reflective display layer that was more scratch resistant than the Ceramic Shield. We haven't heard...
Apple has completed Engineering Validation Testing (EVT) for at least one iPhone 17 model, according to a paywalled preview of an upcoming DigiTimes report.
iPhone 17 Air mockup based on rumored design
The EVT stage involves Apple testing iPhone 17 prototypes to ensure the hardware works as expected. There are still DVT (Design Validation Test) and PVT (Production Validation Test) stages to...
Wednesday April 30, 2025 3:59 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
Apple is preparing to launch a dramatically thinner iPhone this September, and if recent leaks are anything to go by, the so-called iPhone 17 Air could boast one of the most radical design shifts in recent years.
iPhone 17 Air dummy model alongside iPhone 16 Pro (credit: AppleTrack)
At just 5.5mm thick (excluding a slightly raised camera bump), the 6.6-inch iPhone 17 Air is expected to become ...
Apple will likely manufacture its 20th anniversary iPhone models in China, despite broader efforts to shift production to India, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
In 2027, Apple is planning a "major shake-up" for the iPhone lineup to mark two decades since the original model launched. Gurman's previous reporting indicates the company will introduce a foldable iPhone alongside a "bold"...
This week marks the 10th anniversary of the Apple Watch, which launched on April 24, 2015. Yesterday, we recapped features rumored for the Apple Watch Series 11, but since 2015, the Apple Watch has also branched out into the Apple Watch Ultra and the Apple Watch SE, so we thought we'd take a look at what's next for those product lines, too.
2025 Apple Watch Ultra 3
Apple didn't update the...
Tuesday April 29, 2025 1:30 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
Despite being more than two years old, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 still dominate the premium wireless‑earbud space, thanks to a potent mix of top‑tier audio, class‑leading noise cancellation, and Apple's habit of delivering major new features through software updates. With AirPods Pro 3 widely expected to arrive in 2025, prospective buyers now face a familiar dilemma: snap up the proven...
Wednesday April 23, 2025 8:31 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices.
Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of April 2025:
Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
Tuesday April 29, 2025 3:36 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
All upcoming iPhone 17 models will come equipped with 12GB of RAM to support Apple Intelligence, according to the Weibo-based leaker Digital Chat Station.
The claim from the Chinese leaker, who has sources within Apple's supply chain, comes a few days after industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said that the iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max will all be equipped with 12GB of RAM.
...
If you plan on waiting it out at an Apple Store ('https://www.macrumors.com/how-to/purchase-iphone-6s-launch-day-store/'), it is highly recommended that you reschedule any important plans tomorrow, as it can take several hours before you reach the front of the queue. In some cases, in-store stock of new iPhones may run out completely before you get a chance to buy one.
Amen, Brother...
Last year, I was about 1/3 the way back of a line of 200 at the King Street Store in Charleston, SC. I got there at 2am, and left at noon.
I wouldn't have traded it, though. The experience was fun, the people in line were nice, and the Apple people handed out breakfast.
But for most people there's no real difference between regular and "s" models this year.
I'm getting one for 2 gigs of ram and 7000 Aluminum. Who else cares about that stuff? Just a bunch of geeks like me, who preorder.
4 and 4s had Steve Jobs and Siri. 5 had bigger screen. 5s had touch ID and gold, a very nice shade that many people liked very much. 6 had big screens. What's the compelling feature this year? 3D touch? Most people hardly even know what that's going to be good for. Even geeks like me might turn it off. Maybe better camera will be a compelling feature but I doubt it. Pink is not compelling, period.
That must have been sarcasm, right? :rolleyes: :D , because all the reviews about 3D Touch have been overwhelmingly positive ranging from 'a very welcome addition' to 'a killer feature ('http://www.trustedreviews.com/opinions/iphone-6s-vs-iphone-6') that will probably show up in other phones sometime in the future'.
As you said, add to that 7000 Alu, the A9/M9 processors, LivePhotos, 2GB Ram, 12 Megapixel camera, 4k video, improved (twice as fast) TouchId, and an additional color choice, there's arguably plenty of reason for people to consider this upgrade.
So people complained when they got rid of lines for the Watch. Now they're complaining that anyone bothers lining up at all for the iPhone.
I'm sure they're not the same people. It's just this is what Apple is up against. Never mind the other half of MacRumors readers who like a little sensibility in their day...
