Apple took the lead from Samsung that sold 73,032 units during the same time period. For comparison in the year ago quarter Apple sold 50,224 units while Samsung sold 83,317 units. With iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 plus Apple captured the pent up demand for iPhone with a large screen.

Samsung continued to be the top smartphone vendor in the entire year selling 307,597 units while Apple sold 191,426 units. Samsung sells smartphones in almost all price categories from low-end to high-end and offers different options from budget phones to flagship phones.

Apple has continued to sell only one flagship phone each year until it introduced the iPhone 6 in two variations. iPhone 6 Plus has proved to be a major hit in the Asian markets where Samsung’s large Android phones were the bestsellers.

Samsung recently announced its two new flagship phones called Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge, the design is strikingly different from anything that the company has offered before. With aluminium enclosure, glass back, no external SD card slot and non-removable battery it could be closest thing to owning an iPhone running Android.

It will be interesting to see what will be the impact on market share in Q2. Do you think Samsung will take back the lead from Apple? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

Using force touch Apple Watch can provide the user with new user interactions and offers an unobtrusive way to access menu within an app or even change watch faces. According to AppleInsider’s report which cites people familiar with the matter, Apple could be looking at including the same ‘force touch’ technology in the upcoming ‘iPhone 6s’.

While describing the technology Apple refers to force touch as the “most significant new sensing capability since Multi‑Touch”. Apple introduced multi-touch technology first on the iPhone, then on the iPad and it was also extended to its trackpad. The company is known to offer unified user interface across all its devices so it is possible that after Apple Watch iPhone 6s could be the next device featuring the new technology.

It is interesting to note that the report mentions that Apple was working on including the technology even on iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 plus however, due to technical reasons it was scheduled for inclusion in the next iPhone. It is possible that with phone screens getting bigger, sensing force could be a great way to add contextual menu’s in the middle of the screen to avoid stretching your thumb all the way to the top.

Apple is holding ‘spring forward’ special media event on March 9 where the company is widely expected to announce Apple Watch apps, availability and pricing. As the watch becomes available sometime in April we will have to wait and see how ‘force touch’ can change the way we interact with touch based interfaces.

Here are 5 interesting facts to note from Apple’s earnings call.

1. Apple beat every company in the world with the highest quarterly net profit.

Apple’s Q1 2015 net profit was more than any other company in the world. In the top 20 list of highest quarterly net profit Apple is the only consumer electronics company to be featured on the list, others are Oil & Gas companies. Apple is featured 5 times on the same list.

2. Apple made a net profit of $8.3 million every hour this quarter.

When you were happy that you got a good 7 hour sleep on a certain day, Apple earned about $58.1 million in the same amount of time. That’s not bad for a company whose entire product lineup could fit on top of your dinning table.

3. The billionth iOS device Apple sold was a Space Gray 64GB iPhone 6 Plus.

During its earnings call Apple’s CEO Tim Cook announced that on November 22nd the company shipped their 1 billionth iOS device. Apple has saved the billionth iOS device at the Apple HQ in Cupertino.

4. Apple Pay makes up more than $2 out of $3 spent on purchase using contactless payment in the U.S.

Within three months after launch of Apple Pay, the service now supports about 750 banks and credit unions. According to Apple WholeFoods saw a 400% increase in mobile payment since the introduction of Apple Pay.

5. iPad sales slumped this quarter.

While all major product categories grew in revenue and units sold, Apple’s iPad sales figures were lower than expected. In Q1 2015 Apple sold 21.4 million devices compared to 26 in the year ago quarter. Apple introduced the all-new iPad Air 2 and iPad mini however, this did not help Apple is posting record sales for the tablet.

iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 plus launch was no different, it set all time high record for the company and until recently the company had been struggling to catch up with the demand. Due to differences in pricing, currency and contract terms iPhones are sometimes cheaper in certain countries when compared with others.

The black market is known to import phones from countries where it is available earlier or cheaper and make profit by selling at higher price. One Chinese man thought about doing the same, however the import technique he used was rather unique.

According to the report published by Huffington Post, the man strapped 94 iPhones to his body as he was allegedly smuggling the phones from HongKong to mainland China. The report mentions that the custom officials noticed his “weird walking posture, joint stiffness, muscle tension” and pulled him aside for questioning.

When I first saw the photo of the man with all those phones strapped to his body I was reminded about the iPhone 6 bendgate. I wonder if any of those 94 iPhone were bent during the course of his journey. While we may never find out if those iPhones did bend or not but, considering the fact that those were meant to be sold it seems that the man was fairly confident about his technique.

Apple is committed to increase the number of Apple Stores in China from 15 to 40 within two years. Making the devices available easily and on the same launch date as the U.S. may help discourage such activities in future.

The new TV ads highlight iOS 8 continuity feature and Apple’s A8 chip that enhances gaming on the new phones. In “Reservations” the ad shows how users can use any iOS 8 device to make a call. iPad and Macs connect to the iPhone over bluetooth and function as a speakerphone for the iPhone giving users the freedom to accept and reject calls from any Apple device that offers the continuity feature.

The ad titled “Gamers” shows off the graphics capabilities of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 plus. The ad feature the game Vainglory by Super Evil Megacorp that takes advantage of the high performance the new chip and Metal API offers.

iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 plus have proved to be the biggest launch success for Apple and the company is still catching up with the demand worldwide. The bugger screen phone has been more successful in the Asian market when compared to the US and the UK.

While Apple continues to advertise the features of its new phones its competitors Samsung and Microsoft are focusing on comparing their offering with Apple’s latest devices.

What do you think about the new TV ads from Apple? Do you like the new ads? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

The company is rolling out the new phones aggressively in all the markets it sells the phone as it aims to make it available in 115 countries by the end of the year. After some regulatory delays the phones will also go on sale in China on the same day as the Indian launch.

Both phones will be available in silver, grey and gold and in three storage capacities. iPhone 6 16GB is priced at Rs 53,500, 64GB is priced at Rs 62,500 and the 128GB version will sell for Rs 71,500. iPhone 6 features 4.7 inch screen with a resolution of 1334×750 pixels.

iPhone 6 plus is the biggest phone Apple has ever introduced and features 5.5 inch screen with full 1080p resolution. iPhone 6 plus 16 GB will sell for Rs 62,500, 64 GB version is priced at Rs 71,500 and 128 GB will sell for Rs 80,500.

Online retailers like Flipkart and local authorised re-sellers have already begun taking pre-orders for the new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 plus in India.

The phones are expected to be available in limited quantity and there’s high possibility of these devices selling out on launch day. Apple is facing unprecedented demand and their supply chain is trying its best to cope up with the demand. iPhone 6 plus demand is more than what the company had expected and it is in the process of ramping up its production.

The bigger iPhone is expected to be more popular in the Indian market as Samsung has dominated this segment with its phablet devices.

Are you excited about the launch? Which iPhone will you be buying? Let us know in the comments below.

After a few images of a bent iPhone 6 plus surfaced online the media took immediate notice and widely reported the “bendgate”. A video posted by Unbox Therapy demonstrated how putting a lot of pressure can bend the iPhone 6 plus went viral. As the mainstream media and even television shows took notice, it became obvious that Apple would soon have to issue a public response to iPhone 6 plus bending when someone tried to, you guessed it, bend the phone.

We reported on Apple’s response and the company even invited the press to iPhone testing facility to show how the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 plus go through a series of test to simulate real world usage.

Smartphone insurance company Square Trade’s verdict was simply that the latest phones from Apple are “more durable than any before them.”

Most publications which reviewed the device after testing it wrote highly about the new phones and praised Apple for creating the best iPhone yet.

If this wasn’t enough, Consumer Reports unhappy with the “unscientific” nature of the viral video went ahead and performed their own scientific tests to examine how much force does it take to break the new phones. The tests revealed that it takes 70 pounds to bend the iPhone 6 and 90 pounds to bend the iPhone 6 plus. The publication concluded “any of these phones should stand up to typical use.”

After reading multiple stories and watching many videos, here are my views and also an open letter to tech journalists.

Dear Journalists,

One thing is clear: Things break! That’s it. Things break!

If one puts enough pressure or handles things in a way it is not meant to then it would most certainly break.

I sincerely appreciate all the drop tests and bend tests that are published online. These videos show us the extent of damage that can be caused to our devices in case it suffers an extreme situation. While the iPhone 6 plus did survive the drop test here and here, it seems that it doesn’t pass the bend test.

I’ve wondered why this happens. Each iPhone bending video I watch shows the person trying very hard, gasping, pursing their lips, fingers shivering and skin blanching to the extreme while performing the bendgate. They are giving it whatever they have to prove that iPhone 6 plus bends when you put extreme pressure on it.

If the same people who performed this test actually took time and came back to report that the iPhone 6 plus bends under normal use over a period of maybe 15 or 30 days it would have proved to be a more believable story.

Only 9 out of the 10 million reported any bending issue, according to Apple. So, people who actually use their phone like a phone most certainly are not complaining about this issue.

One argument that has become common is that Samsung phones are large too, but it does not bend as much as iPhone. I agree. But, does Apple have to opt for plastic body so that we can be happy that it does not bend much when we intentionally want to bend it? I think Apple is probably not catering to such audience.

I actually wonder why Apple was never struck with “entanglegate” since the headphones entangle when you put it in your pockets. Shocking! Right?

iPhone 6 has an aluminium body and a glass front, the company does not claim either of the materials to be non-destructible. So, stop trying to prove the obvious by intentionally bending the phone. Instead try using the phone in real life and then come back and report if it didn’t meet your expectations. Apple is not responsible for people intentionally trying to deform the device, however if the bending occurs as a result of normal use then the device should be covered under Apple warranty and that story is worth highlighting.

10 million is a huge number of early adopters who probably just saw Apple’s executive team announce the new iPhone 6 and 6 plus and instantly decided to buy it. Customers have time and again shown their trust in the Apple brand and the company has managed to retain their trust.

This year after a few reports and photos of bent iPhone 6 plus appeared online, YouTuber Lewis of Unbox Therapy went ahead and posted a video of him bending an iPhone 6 plus and it did noticeably bend under a lot of pressure. It didn’t take long for the video to go viral and the entire blogosphere and the media started discussing the issue.

Apple has mastered the aluminium unibody design introduced first in MacBook Pro’s and then the iPhone 5. Samsung continues to manufacture its flagship devices made of plastic, however Apple remains committed to aluminium unibody. Most reviews are quick to point out that plastic feels cheap whereas metal body gives devices a high-end premium look and feel.

Many would expect Apple to be aware of any bending issue if it exists since their product engineering teams have been working with metals since a long time. Could Apple have made a huge mistake and put its multi-billion dollar business in jeopardy with its decision to stick with aluminium body for iPhone 6? Didn’t Apple test the device enough before bringing it to the market?

These are some of the most obvious questions that would come to anyone’s mind. So, what really went wrong?

After a brief period of silence Apple released an official statement and even invited the press to the iPhone testing facility in Cupertino. It turns out that according to Apple only 9 out of the ten million users who bought the new phones have reported any bending issue. Dan Ricco, Apple’s SVP Hardware Engineering said, “The bottom line is that if you use enough force to bend an iPhone, or any phone, it’s going to deform,”.

The most secretive company in the world opened its gate for the press to see how the devices are tested. iPhone 6 and 6 plus could be seen going through a number of testing scenarios where the device was put under weight, being bent and even being pushed against a curved piece of cloth to simulate pressure in ones pocket.

According to Apple, iPhones go through more than 15,000 different types of tests and iPhone 6 was the first device to go through the most number of tests ever done.

Apple has been in a similar situation before, when the iPhone 4 was introduced the “Antennagate” issue was reported. If you held the iPhone 4 in a closed grip covering both sides the signal would drop. The company held a special press conference where Steve himself faced the media and saying that every phone when held in a particular position results in loss of signal bars. The company said it would fix its algorithms to show the correct number of signal bars and even gave free bumper case to its customers.

This time the issue seems to be rare and could occur only under uncommon circumstances. The truth is your iPhone will bend if you intentionally or unintentionally put more than “normal” pressure on it and this is true for most devices.

It is noteworthy to mention that smartphone insurance company SqaureTrade tested both new phones and found them to be the toughest iPhone yet.

Are you worried about your iPhone 6 plus bending? Do you think Apple’s response was appropriate? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

{Photos Credit: The Verge}

iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 plus according to Apple is the biggest update to the iPhone since the original. Both phones feature larger display with Retina HD technology, new processors, NFC chip, better camera sensors and barometer.

The new phones will go on sale for walk-in customers on September 19 and will be available at Apple retail stores, network partners and authorised resellers.

Apple’s CEO Tim Cook said, “iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus are better in every way, and we are thrilled customers love them as much as we do.” He further added, “Pre-orders for iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus set a new record for Apple, and we can’t wait to get our best iPhones yet into the hands of customers starting this Friday.”

In addition to the United States, iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 plus will also be available in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Puerto Rico, Singapore and the UK this Friday.

To put the pre-order figures of iPhone 6 in perspective, iPhone 5 pre-orders topped two million in first 24 hours in 2012 and the first weekend sales crossed five million devices. Apple did not release pre-order figures for iPhone 5S, however it did reveal that the first weekend sales figures topped 9 million devices and included China too.

This year iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 plus just like iPhone 5 will arrive a bit late in China due to delayed regulatory approvals. So, iPhone 6 pre-orders at 4 million in just 24 hours is certainly a very impressive record for Apple.

With its bigger screen phones, Apple Pay and the upcoming Apple Watch, the company is all set to break previous records and gain a lot of lost ground from Samsung. On September 26 the new phones from Apple will go on sale in 20 additional countries including Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Isle of Man, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey and United Arab Emirates.

What are your predictions about the first weekend sales for the new iPhones? Will Apple cross the 10 million mark this year? Let us know what you think in the comments below.