MacRumors

With pre-orders for the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus happening this Friday, many people who hope to get their hands on one of the new devices are going to be scrambling to find out their upgrade options. TUAW has assembled a helpful guide on to help users check their upgrade eligibility and purchasing options.

Users on all four major networks in the United States can type a quick code into their phones to get an immediate report on their upgrade status via text message. The codes are as follows:

- AT&T: *639#
- Sprint: 1311
- T-Mobile: #874
- Verizon: #874

These codes are a good way to get a quick look at upgrade eligibility, but some of them don't exactly tell the whole story. For example, AT&T's text message is pointing users towards a Next plan, even if they may have other upgrade options available. A second option for getting a clear picture of upgrade eligibility on the four major networks is going through Apple's own site.

Visiting the iPhone 6 pre-order page and choosing a model, carrier, and color will give an option to "Check your upgrade eligibility" with AT&T, Sprint, and Verizon. T-Mobile works somewhat differently as Apple only gives T-Mobile customers the option to buy outright.

Checking upgrade options requires a user to enter a wireless number, billing zip code, and the last four digits of the social security number on the account, after which it displays all of the upgrade options available, including when an account might become eligible for an early or full upgrade.

For example, an AT&T user who purchased an iPhone 5s on release day on a two-year contract would be able to purchase an iPhone 6 for $649 on pre-order day, but would also be eligible for an early upgrade on September 21, which provides a $200 discount. This option also displays what Next monthly fees would be.

Many times, new purchasing fees can be cut by trading a device into an Apple Store, a carrier, or a third party service, all of which offer payouts for old Apple devices.

For those planning to upgrade, it's important to look into options immediately as there are only two days left until the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus will be available for pre-order. Though Apple has not yet confirmed what time the two devices will go on sale, AT&T says that its pre-order sales will begin on September 12 at 12:01 AM Pacific Time, and it's likely Apple's own sales will start at the same time.

Apple on Tuesday unveiled its new Apple Watch, providing a number of details on the highly anticipated device but declining to address one critical issue: battery life. According to information obtained by Re/code, Apple's new Watch will require daily charging, keeping the device in line with similar smart watches from Samsung and Motorola.

“There’s a lot of new technology packed into Apple Watch and we think people will love using it throughout the day,” Kerris said. “We anticipate that people will charge nightly which is why we designed an innovative charging solution that combines our MagSafe technology and inductive charging.”

Sources tell Re/code that Apple is working to improve battery life before the product's 2015 debut, but the company still expects people will charge the device once a day.

The Apple Watch will go on sale in early 2015 with a starting price of $349. The smart watch will be available in two sizes with a variety of colors, materials and watch bands for personal customization.

Apple recently updated it Made for iPhone (MFi) program with a new set of specifications that allow for the transmission of audio through Apple's Lightning cable port instead of the traditional 3.5-mm headphone jack. As spotted by Pocket-Lint, one of the first manufacturers to produce this new category of Lightning cable-equipped headphones is Philips, which is preparing its Fidelio M2L headphones for launch later this year.

Pascal van Laer, headphones business leader, WOOX Innovations says: "We’re excited to launch the Philips Fidelio M2L, our first headphone that has a direct digital connection to your iOS device. This means we can deliver an incredible audio experience today, and also opens up exciting opportunities for innovation for the future."

The Fidelio M2Ls connect to an iPhone or iPad via a Lightning port and will support 24-bit audio using an internal DAC and amplifier built into the headphone unit. The closed headphones also feature two 40-mm high magnetic intensity neodymium speaker drivers and leather memory foam ear pads.

The Philips Fidelio M2L headphones will be available starting in December. They will debut in Western Europe and North America with a suggested retail price of €250/$320.

Apple is facing criticism from alternative rock band OK Go following the release of its promotional video, "Perspective," that promotes the company's philosophy of "seeing things differently." Showcased as the introduction to Apple's Phone 6 press event, the video pans around a room, using camera angles to align random shapes into words. OK Go is accusing Apple of lifting this visual trick from the band's recently released "The Writing's On the Wall" music video.

While the general concept used in the videos is not unique, there does appear to be more to this story. Speaking to Bloomberg Businessweek, OK Go manager Andy Gershon claims the band met with Apple to discuss the concept for its music video in hopes that Apple would collaborate on the project. Apple declined, and OK Go made the video along with production company 1stAveMachine. Released in June 2014, the video won a Video Music Award for best visual effects and has accrued over 10 million views on YouTube.

Following the talks between Apple and OK Go, Gershon claims Apple also hired 1stAveMachine and even employed the same director that worked with OK Go on its hit music video to produce the video for the company's iPhone launch event. As a result, Apple's latest promotional video has an uncanny similarity to OK Go's "The Writing's On the Wall".

“The videos speak for themselves and you can draw your own conclusions,” says Gershon, adding that the band is exploring its legal options.

OK Go may have a hard time proving a copyright violation or idea theft in court, but that isn't stopping them from complaining publicly about the perceived injustice. This isn't the first time Apple's advertising efforts have face scrutiny. In one high-profile case, the company faced a complaint over its Siri commercials that showcased an ease-of-use which the lawsuit claimed was not present in real-world usage.

Apple will collect a fee from banks every time consumers use the company's new Apple Pay payments solution, reports Bloomberg. Citing three individuals close to the matter, the report notes that Apple struck individual deals with each bank it has partnered with. Those banks include JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, Citigroup, and more.

While that gives the tech company a share of the more than $40 billion that banks generate annually from so-called swipe fees, lenders expect to benefit as consumers spend more of their money via mobile phones and other digital devices, the person said.

The sources cited did not specify the exact size of the fee, noting that it could vary or be tied to the value of the purchases made by the consumer. During its announcement today, Apple stated that Apple Pay would be enabled at over 220,000 U.S. merchants including McDonalds, Macy's, Walgreens, Nike, and more. Apple Pay will also be compatible with American Express, Mastercard, and Visa credit and debit cards.

Apple Pay utilizes the Touch ID fingerprint sensor, a new "Secure Element" functionality, and the NFC antenna on the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus in conjunction with a credit card stored on iTunes to make payments. Apple Pay will also be compatible with the Apple Watch when it launches early next year.

A short time after today's media event, Apple CEO Tim Cook did an exclusive one-on-one interview with David Muir of ABC News, speaking on the company's new products and former CEO Steve Jobs. Now, ABC News has shared a clip of an interview with Apple design head Jony Ive, who spoke on the Apple Watch and its development process.

Muir: How many different versions of the Apple Watch are there?

Ive: I think we were talking about this earlier, and when you actually do the calculations, it's millions and millions.

Muir: Millions and millions?

Ive: That's right, there are different materials for the actual case, there's two different sizes, you can choose one of six different straps or bands. But, the way we treated this from a design point of view wasn't that you had hardware and then software. Our experience as customers, as users, is that they're one and the same. So we designed the user interface, gave people multiple choices, for example in terms of just watch faces.

Ive also noted that he was "very proud" of the work that Apple's design team has done, stating that the company's new iPhones and the Apple Watch are its "best work yet." The designer also stated that Apple has always tried to design products that people want to use as opposed to begrudgingly having to use them, setting a high bar to create a "desirable and personal" product with the Apple Watch.

The full length interviews with Jony Ive and Tim Cook aired earlier tonight and should be posted online soon.

While Apple announced the Apple Watch today at its special event, it didn't go over all of the new device's features, noting that the company has a lot more to share in the future. Yahoo Tech's David Pogue has found out some of the details Apple didn't share on stage.

The watch is water resistant, allowing users to not worry about the device when in the rain, or washing hands. However, the watch must be taken off before going for a swim or taking a shower. Additionally, the watch includes a microphone that can allow users to make calls directly from their Apple Watch.

Users will also be able to load apps onto the Apple Watch from their iPhone. To rearrange the apps, users will have to hold their finger on an app's icon and move it around, similar to how one rearranges icons on an iPhone. There's also a "Ping My iPhone" feature, which will allow users to play a sound on their iPhone so they can locate it in case they have misplaced it.

Finally, Pogue explains that the Apple Watch Edition, the most high end of the Apple Watches, comes with a special box.

The fanciest model, the gold Apple [Watch] Edition, comes in a gorgeous jewelry box — which doubles as a charger. The back of the box has a Lightning connector, and the inside of the box has the watch’s magnetic round charger pad, standing vertically. So as you retire each night, you can just lay your gold watch into its case and let it charge.

Additionally, Re/code's Ina Fried says that the offline abilities of the Apple Watch include Apple Pay, music via Bluetooth, activity tracking and some apps.

The Apple Watch will launch in early 2015 with its lowest end model costing $350.

In an interview with the The Wall Street Journal following today's media event, Apple CEO Tim Cook stated that the company expects the launch of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus to trigger "the mother of all upgrades" as consumers consider their next smartphone purchase. Cook also added that he expects Android users to look at switching to the iPhone, claiming that the phones are "appreciably better in every single way".

The CEO also commented on the Apple Watch and the company's new Apple Pay mobile payments initiative:

Cook said Apple’s efforts in payments were “classic Apple” in taking a complex problem and making it simple. “Yes, there is going to be some economic benefit, but from a customer point of view, it takes something that’s way too hard and insecure and makes it so easy and fast.”

Finally, Cook said the Apple Watch was the byproduct of deep thinking about every aspect of the product, and only possible because of collaboration among Apple’s hardware, software and services teams. He believes that will differentiate Apple’s smartwatch from other devices, which have recorded tepid sales.

Both the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus will launch on September 19, with pre-orders starting this Friday, September 12. The iPhone 6 will be available in 16 GB, 64 GB, and 128 GB variants for $199, $299, and $399, while the iPhone 6 Plus will be available in the same storage capacities for $299, $399, and $499, respectively.

Alongside the Apple Watch and iPhone 6, Apple today unveiled Apple Pay, its mobile payments initiative that allows users to pay for items either by waving their iPhone or Apple Watch at a checkout counter or by using Touch ID after clicking the Apple Pay button in an app like Uber. Following that event, Apple invited members of the press to try out the new payment service with the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.

According to The Verge, the system worked "remarkably smooth" and was the "smoothest payment system" they've seen. They note that Touch ID adds a "real sense of security" and that the entire process is cohesive. However, they do wonder whether it'll work the same in the opening months of the service when retailers are adjusting to the process and the software is in early days.

The phone was loaded up with a handful of credit cards, and holding the top of the phone about an inch from the card reader with my thumb on the TouchID home button triggered a payment from the default card in about five to 10 seconds. If you want to use a different card, just leave your finger off the home button and you'll see a Passbook-style card stack at the bottom of the screen, which you can tap on to bring up the full list and pick the card you want. Then you just put your finger on the reader and you're good to go.

Slashgear agrees that the process is "pretty darn easy", noting that using the iPhone to pay for something is far more of a swift experience than pulling out a credit card, swiping it, and typing in a pin or signing a receipt. Users can add credit cards to Apple Pay by taking a photo of their card.

Setup involves either granting Apple Pay access to whatever existing credit card you have on file with iTunes or adding a second card: you can do that by taking a photo of the card itself. We've seen the same system used in Uber's app, among others, and generally it does a solid job of recognizing characters.

In an interview with ABC's David Muir, Tim Cook commented that Apple Pay is "incredibly safe" and that Apple is setting a high bar with Apple Pay. Cook went on to say that "it's the most secure thing out there" when told by Muir that some people's confidence in the company's security might be shaken after celebrities iCloud accounts were hacked.

Muir also asked Cook whether he thought Apple killed the credit card with the announcement of Apple Pay. Smiling, Cook replied that Apple "stuck a dagger in it". The Apple CEO finished his interview by noting that components from either the iPhone 6 or Apple Watch were built in 22 of the 50 states in America.

Apple Pay will roll out to 222,000 retail locations across the country. The service will launch next month as a part of iOS 8.

At its special media event today, Apple unveiled its Apple Watch, showing off a variety of ways to use the device and its apps. However, Apple's presentation and videos did not directly address how the device would work for left-handed users.

Now, Slashgear has new information on how the device will work for left-handed individuals. According to Apple, users will be able to choose what way the watch's interface orients upon starting up the device for the first time. The bands for the Apple Watch are also swappable, enabling users to ensure the the device is not facing the opposite direction. However, left-handed users will still be required to adapt to the Digital Crown input on the Apple Watch, which is on the bottom left side when the device is worn on the correct wrist.

The Apple Watch will launch in early 2015 at a starting price of $349, and will be available two separate screen sizes of 38mm and 42mm. Apple will also ship 18 different watch straps that are easily interchangeable alongside its different color and material choices.

Apple has posted the full video of today's special media event on its website. The video should also be made avaliable later today on the Apple Keynotes podcast, which can found on the iTunes Store. [Podcast links: Keynotes, Keynotes in HD, Keynotes in 1080p HD]

Apple has also uploaded its "Perspective" video seen at the beginning of the event.

Media Event Highlights:

- Apple Announces Apple Watch, Available in Early 2015 for $349
- Apple Announces 4.7-Inch iPhone 6 and 5.5-Inch iPhone 6 Plus, Launching September 19
- Apple Announces 'Apple Pay' Mobile Payment Solution, Enabled at Over 220,000 U.S. Merchants
- iOS 8 Launching on September 17
- Apple Seeds iOS 8 Golden Master to Developers Ahead of September 17 Public Launch