MacRumors

Following a previous report claiming Apple's much-rumored 12" ultra-slim notebook is planned to arrive in silver, gold, and space gray color options, Jack March has issued a follow-up report sharing additional details on the machine.

According to March's report, which MacRumors believes to be based on legitimate information, the new notebook has a much thinner design that appears to sacrifice many of the usual ports seen on Apple's current notebooks and may adopt the new reversible USB Type C connector that has seen its specifications recently finalized.

A source familiar with Apple’s plans describes the 12 inch Macbook Air as having a noticeably thinner design, the source wouldn’t give dimensions however noted that the thinner design may sacrifice the standard USB port and Apple will move to the reversible USB Type C with this product, It is assumed Apple will include an adapter in the box for backwards compatibility.

Interestingly, the report raises some questions about charging on the notebook, indicating that the usual MagSafe port has been removed in favor of a new, unspecified charging method.

In line with previous rumors, the machine is reportedly fanless, suggesting it will adopt an ultra low-power processor such as the Broadwell-Y Core M processors recently announced by Intel. The body of the new notebook is also said to be narrower than the current MacBook Air, with narrower display bezels and a keyboard stretching right to the edges of the machine. Finally, the speakers are said to be located above the keyboard with visible grilles, unlike the MacBook Air and 13-inch MacBook Pro that have their speakers located underneath the keyboard.

Apple's 12-inch notebook has been rumored for some time, with the launch perhaps being pushed back due to multiple delays for Intel's Broadwell chips. March's previous report indicated Apple appears to be currently looking toward a mid-2015 launch.

(Image: Chassis of current MacBook Air)

AnandTech spent the weekend benchmarking the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, comparing the duo to the iPhone 5s and competing Android handsets. The test results show that iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus models are at the top of the charts in CPU benchmarks and battery life, while the iPhone 6 Plus lags in graphics performance due to the larger screen.

In in GPU benchmarks, we generally see a pretty solid lead over the competition for the iPhone 6/A8. It's seems quite clear that there is a significant impact to GPU performance in the iPhone 6 Plus due to the 2208x1242 resolution that all content is rendered at. It seems that this is necessary though, as the rendering system for iOS cannot easily adapt to arbitrary resolutions and display sizes.

AnandTech also examined battery life, noting that "Apple has managed to do something quite incredible with battery life. " Even with a smaller 1810 mAh battery, the iPhone 6 manages to beat out the iPhone 5s and most other Android phones on the market. Not surprisingly with its 2910 mAH battery, the iPhone 6 Plus grabs second place behind the Huawei Ascend Mate 2.

Apple introduced the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus during its recent September press event and launched the phones on September 19. The two handsets include Apple's new A8 processor, M8 motion co-processor, 8-megapixel iSight camera, faster 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi‑Fi and NFC. Demand for the two phones was high with Apple selling 10 million iPhone 6 and 6 Plus units in the first weekend of sales.

Apple today announced that opening weekend sales of the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 and the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus topped ten million units, breaking the previous record of nine million units set by the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c last year.

“Sales for iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus exceeded our expectations for the launch weekend, and we couldn’t be happier,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “We would like to thank all of our customers for making this our best launch ever, shattering all previous sell-through records by a large margin.

As with previous years, the company also claims that demand for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus has been very high, as more orders will be fulfilled over the coming weeks. Apple announced last Monday that it processed four million first-day pre-orders on September 12.

Currently, shipping estimates for new iPhone 6 orders remains at 7-10 business days, while the iPhone 6 Plus is still showing a shipping delay of 3-4 weeks. The iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus will also be available in 20 more countries including Austria, Belgium, Finland, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, and more on September 26.

Verizon began rolling out its Advanced Calling service earlier this week, enabling voice over LTE (VoLTE) capabilities for select devices that support the service, which includes the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus.

Numerous iPhone 6 and 6 Plus users are reporting that the VoLTE service is now functional, allowing Verizon iPhone 6 and 6 Plus users to use simultaneous voice and data capabilities for the first time when connected to a 4G LTE network. MacRumors has confirmed that VoLTE is indeed working, enabling users to browse the web or access apps while on a voice call.

In addition to enabling simultaneous voice and data, Verizon's Advanced Calling features also allow for High-Definition voice calls, which are said to be more "natural-sounding" and Verizon-branded video calls.

Advanced Calling 1.0, a first-generation service suite enabled by Voice over LTE, or VoLTE, technology, is now available on America's largest and most reliable 4G LTE network with XLTE. With Advanced Calling 1.0, there is a clear difference. You will be able to enjoy natural-sounding High-Definition (HD) Voice and a Video Calling experience that's as simple as making a traditional voice call.

Users can enabled Advanced Calling features by visiting the Verizon website and adding the feature to their accounts. Users also need to make sure both Voice and Data are turned on in the iPhone's Settings app. Go to Settings --> Cellular --> Enable LTE --> Tap Voice & Data.

Verizon's Advanced Calling features are limited to the iPhone 6, the iPhone 6 Plus, the LG G2, and the Samsung Galaxy S5.

(Thanks, Will!)

Apple's 20-nanometer A8 processor in the new iPhone 6 and 6 Plus was fabricated by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), according to Chipworks (via iFixit). Chipworks has been analyzing the various parts in the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 plus following its release today.

While the iPhone 5s used a 28-nanometer processor, the iPhone 6 and the 6 Plus have a 20-nanometer processor, as has been widely rumored. According to TSMC, its 20-nanometer process technology can result in speeds that are much higher than its 28-nanometer chips. The 20-nanometer process also results in a physically smaller chip that draws less power.

Ahead of the launch of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, there were multiple back and forth rumors that made it unclear whether Samsung or TSMC was manufacturing the chips destined for the new iPhones. Previous generation chips, such as the A7 in the iPhone 5s, were manufactured by Samsung, but Apple reportedly entered into a partnership with TSMC in an effort to reduce its reliance on rival Samsung. The shift is also part of a larger effort by Apple to diversify its supply chain, which cuts down on potential manufacturing issues.

Though TSMC created the 20-nanometer chips for the iPhone 6 and the 6 Plus, rumors have suggested that Apple hasn't ended its relationship with Samsung entirely. The company is rumored to be producing the 14-nanometer chips that will be used in future iOS devices next year, indicating that Apple has plans to continue having both TSMC and Samsung create chips for its devices.

According to Apple, the A8 chip in the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus offers a 25 percent faster CPU and 50 percent better graphics performance compared to the A7 in the iPhone 5s.

The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus were subjected to their first drop test yesterday after the two devices went on sale in Australia. While the 6 and 6 Plus fared well when dropped on their backs, the screens did see significant shattering when dropped face down on the concrete.

A second drop test conducted today saw somewhat different results. Android Authority dropped the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus in several different ways, including face down, and the two devices saw little damage aside from scuffs. Even when dropped on their faces with a decent amount of force from waist high, the screens remained intact.

A similar result was seen after a genuine accidental drop. The first person to receive an iPhone 6 in Australia opened up the package on camera and immediately dropped the phone on the hard ground, where it miraculously came away unscathed.

It's impossible to determine the overall durability of the screen in the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus based on a limited number of drop tests that were conducted under different conditions, but this additional data does serve to reassure users that the devices do have the potential to survive a fall.

Still, given the increased size of the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus, it may be advisable for users to purchase a case. In fact, several reviews of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus conducted by tech sites suggested the devices "need" a case, and described them as slippery. The Verge, for example, said the iPhone 6 Plus "works better in a case" because it makes the phone easier to hold, hides the camera bump, and covers "the weird lines on the back."

Apple's iPhone 6 and 6 Plus went on sale today, and the devices are now in the hands of millions of customers around the world as customers pick up phones from the Apple Store and receive their pre-orders. New orders for the devices from the Apple Store will ship in 7 to 10 days for the iPhone 6 and 3 to 4 weeks for the iPhone 6 Plus.

With Apple's retail stores beginning sales of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus today, customers have been lining up to either pick up their pre-ordered devices or take their chances on launch-day supplies without reservations. Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster conducted his annual line count at Apple's flagship Fifth Avenue store in Manhattan and found a record 1,880 people in line at 8:00 AM, an increase of 33% over last year's line.

Apple executives are also getting into the spirit of the iPhone launch, with CEO Tim Cook making his traditional visit to the Palo Alto store to greet customers. Cook walked the line and posed for photos with customers before heading into the store to meet with staff and open the door to welcome customers.

Several other executives are also out and about, with new retail chief Angela Ahrendts presiding over her first iPhone launch by visiting the flagship store in Sydney, Australia, and Internet software and services chief Eddy Cue making an appearance at the Stanford store.

Nearly all Apple retail stores in launch countries have now opened for business today, with only the three stores in Honolulu, Hawaii yet to begin sales of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus.

While the official reviews of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus were published several days ago, with the devices now making their way into customers' hands we are starting to see broader first impressions of the larger iPhones.

Several posters in our forums have highlighted the high-quality "Retina HD" displays on the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, but have observed that apps yet to be optimized for the larger displays appear "quite blurry" or "'big' and disgusting" due to scaling issues.

Another aspect being noticed by users is the much louder vibration on the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, something highlighted by John Gruber in his review earlier this week.

The iPhone 6 has a noticeably stronger vibrator to me, and with the iPhone 6 Plus, it’s so powerful it’s actually a bit noisy — the sound made by the 6 Plus vibrator is so strong, I wonder if there are going to be complaints that it’s not “silent” at all.

As someone who runs his iPhone in silent mode much of the time, I definitely appreciate the stronger vibrator.

Customers are also generally praising the overall look of the new iPhones, calling them "sleek and beautifully made" and "glorious". Those opting for the gold model may notice that it is "a bit more yellow golden" than the gold iPhone 5s.

As for size, some customers have been concerned about placing orders for the iPhone 6 Plus without having a good idea of just how big the device really is. Reactions now that users are getting their hands on them seem to be mixed, with some saying they "love every inch" of the 5.5-inch display while others have found it too big for their tastes. Some in-store customers were able to compare the two sizes before purchasing, helping make the decision easier.

For ongoing coverage of photos and first impressions, readers are welcome to follow our consolidated thread stickied in our iPhone forum.

Following launches in a number of other countries around the world earlier today, the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus have now begun going on sale in the U.S. and Canada, with 8:00 AM Apple launch times in the eastern and central portions of the countries having already occurred.

As expected, supplies of the iPhone 6 Plus have been tight in some cases, although perhaps not as low as originally thought. Apple's own stores appear to have the strongest supplies of the iPhone 6 Plus, with carrier stores in some cases having barely a handful of units to distribute.

Lines at most stores, particularly Apple's own locations, are long in most cases, despite the company having offered pre-orders for delivery this year. As of 6:00 AM, the line at Apple's flagship Fifth Avenue store in Manhattan stretched for twelve city blocks, according to Business Insider. Other locations are obviously seeing shorter lines, but many customers are reporting lines numbering in the hundreds at their stores.

Some MacRumors forum members are updating their statuses in our iPhone 6 Launch Meetups forum while others are sharing their thoughts in our general iPhone forum as the launch continues.

For those with pre-orders going out for delivery today, our forums remain busy as users track their orders minute-by-minute. MacRumors forum members in the U.S. are generally organizing in one of a number of threads depending on where they ordered from.

- The "I just bought/ordered/shipped/received my new iPhone 6/6 Plus" thread
- iPhone 6 & 6 Plus Sprint Pre-Order Thread!
- T-Mobile.com preorder thread
- ATT Pre-order status
- VZW Order Status Thread
- Apple.com Pre-order thread

Those who already received their iPhones can post first impressions in our forums of their iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus.

With the launch of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus already underway in several countries, many companies have begun performing tests and benchmarks on the device. PhoneBuff has taken the two devices and put them through a drop test, dropping each on its back, side and front.

The iPhone 6 did well when dropped on the side and back, but unsurprisingly suffered when dropped on its face. The 6 Plus, on the other hand, cracked when it landed on the side. However, it sustained little further damage when falling on its face.

Based on this one test, both phones may have performed worse than the iPhone 5 design which was described as "very durable" and survived similar drops in a previous drop tests. Without standardized testing, it's hard to draw definitive conclusions.

iFixIt is in the process of taking apart the new iPhone 6 Plus, currently on sale in Australia. Surprisingly, the team points out that the internal layout of the device is extremely similar to that of the iPhone 5s, except at a larger scale and with a bigger battery. The teardown's findings reveal the battery capacity of the device and some internal reorganization.

In removing the front panel from the rest of the device, the iFixIt team notes that there are "no noticeable booby traps", referring to the iPhone 5s' cable that ran from the Touch ID sensor to the Lightning port. The battery in the device is listed at 2915mAh at 3.82 volts, in line with the previously leaked battery prototype for the device and giving the 6 Plus double the battery capacity of the iPhone 5s' 1560mAh and much larger than the iPhone 6's 1810mAh battery.

The teardown also revealed that the vibrator is now located under the logic board and to the right of the battery.

iFixIt's teardown is still in progress and this post will be updated if anything significant is revealed.

Update 7:45 PM: iFixit has exposed Apple's new A8 processor in their teardown, which reveals the F8164A3PM inscribed on the chip. The second digit in that sequence, 8, corresponds to 8 Gigabits (1 GB) of RAM in Micron's catalog.

Update 11:38 PM: iFixit has assigned the iPhone 6 Plus a repairability score of 7 out of 10, which is an improvement over the iPhone 5s' score of 6 out of 10. The largest difference being the absence of the cable connecting the Touch ID Home button to the Lightning port, which resulted in the cable being torn if one is not careful opening the phone.

Apple's iPhone 6 and 6 Plus will launch in the United States tomorrow, with Apple retail stores, carrier stores, and several major retailers offering the two devices for sale.

We've gathered up a list of U.S. locations that will be selling the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, listed below, along with general opening times. Customers hoping for an iPhone 6 or 6 Plus are encouraged to call their local stores for specific information on opening times and potential stock.

- Apple retail stores - 8 a.m local time
- Verizon Wireless - 8 a.m. local time (Not all stores are accepting walk-up purchases, and opening times will vary)
- AT&T - 8 a.m. local time
- T-Mobile - 9 a.m. - 10 a.m local time, but opening times vary
- Sprint - 8.a.m local time
- RadioShack - 9 a.m. - 10 a.m. local time, but opening times vary
- Best Buy - 8 a.m. local time
- Sam's Club - 8 a.m. local time
- Target - Availability will vary
- Walmart - Availability will vary
- Staples - Availability will vary

At Apple Store locations, procedure will be slightly different than it has in past years as Apple will also be handing out iPhone 6 and 6 Plus units to customers who opted for Personal Pickup when pre-ordering online last week.

All customers will be directed to wait in one line until approximately 5 a.m, at which point they will be split into two lines: one for Personal Pickup and one for customers hoping to purchase a device on launch day.

Apple will hand out refreshments like coffee and water, as it does every year, and ahead of the store's opening, customers in the walk-in line (who did not pre-order) will be given a digital Reservation Pass (sent via email or SMS) to guarantee them an iPhone. This year's Reservation Passes replace the paper cards that have been handed out in past years.

Walk-in customers planning to wait in line should aim to arrive as early as possible. Many people hoping to get their hands on an iPhone 6 or 6 Plus are already waiting in line across the United States, and will wait through the night. According to multiple sources, supplies of the iPhone are expected to be low, with the iPhone 6 Plus being in extremely short supply.

The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus are already on sale in Australia, and initial reports have suggested that supplies of the iPhone 6 Plus are indeed constrained. According to one MacRumors reader, many stores in Melbourne, Australia received only one iPhone 6 Plus unit.

As for customers who pre-ordered and plan to do Personal Pickup, arriving early is also generally recommended as the pickup line can get long as well.

Customers who pre-ordered early and selected at home shipping will also begin receiving their devices on Friday, September 19, with most shipments listing guaranteed delivery by the end of the day. MacRumors readers who are expecting shipments can join in on several threads in our forums, where readers are tracking their shipments and order statuses:

- The "I just bought/ordered/shipped/received my new iPhone 6/6 Plus" thread
- iPhone 6 & 6 Plus Sprint Pre-Order Thread!
- T-Mobile.com preorder thread
- ATT Pre-order status
- VZW Order Status Thread
- UK iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus Thread
- Apple.com Pre-order thread
- iPhone 6 Launch Meetups