Before the iPhone 7 is released, I thought it would be interesting to see what prices are like these days for an iPhone 6s 64GB on a 24 month contract. And wow, prices just keep going up, don't they? They seem to be getting more expensive every year! Can't wait to see how more they go up for the iPhone 7.

In this post, I'm going to be comparing the big four Australian telecommunication companies; Optus, Virgin Mobile, Vodafone, and Telstra, to see which one offers me the best plan at the lowest cost.

The criteria will be; plan cost, and value between calls, text, and most importantly, data! I am not comparing how supposedly great their coverage is or how bad their customer service is. I am assuming for this that you are in a city / suburban area, so coverage isn't a problem. Also I'm not looking at if the customer wants to upgrade again next year. This will be assuming that you plan to keep the iPhone for 24 months. Also I will not be including any extra benefits like data exclusions to Spotify or a 6 Month Apple Music membership, etc...

First important part to this, is to work out what an iPhone 6s 64GB sells for (brand new from Apple) today. And that is $1,229.00. Over the course of 24 months the price would divide to $51.21 per month.  This is important for when we compare phone payment costs to the plan itself.

First up, lets look at

Optus:

At Optus, I could go on the $84 iPhone plan (a $40 plan plus $44 phone payments) and receive 1GB of Data and Unlimited Calls and Text in Australia. 

Or, their recommended plan of $91 per month ($65 plan, $26 for the iPhone) and receive 3.5GB of Data, Unlimited Calls and Text, and also get 150 minutes of International Calls. 

However, if I buy the iPhone outright from Apple, I could go on a 12 month Optus Sim Only plan, pay $30 per month and get Unlimited Calls and Text and 1.5GB of Data, and only pay the equivalent of $81.21 per month. That's $2.79 cheaper per month ($66.96 over 24 months and the difference of 12,000GB more data).

Or better yet, how about their $40 Sim Only Plan (for 12 months) which'll get me the same Unlimited Calls and Text, but a huge 8GB of data! And 300 minutes of International Calls. Total per month with our outright iPhone 6s payment divided, equals $91.21 per month. Extra 21 cents per month for and extra 4.5GB of data a month? Worth it!

Optus summary: Buy the iPhone outright and get a Sim-Only plan for 12 months! It'll be better value.


Next up, the network that uses the Optus Network, so is pretty much the same as going with Optus;


Virgin Mobile:

At Virgin mobile their cheapest iPhone 6s 64GB plan is $67 ($30 plan plus $37 for phone). But, they only give you $300 worth of calls and a measly 300MB of data. We already have Optus to compare with, so lets look at a higher plan.

$76 per month! Unlimited Calls and Text within Australia and 1GB of Data. This is the equivalent plan to Optus's $84 plan. Which means, Virgin Mobile, the company that uses the Optus Network remember, is $8 cheaper per month. $192 cheaper over the length of your contract, for the same plan!

Lets go even higher, we want to find the equivalent (cost) plan to the Optus $91 plan. And that'd be Virgin mobiles $90 plan. It includes Unlimited Calls and Text within Australia and 6GB of Data! That's 2.5GB more than Optus, per month.

What about their Sim-Only plans? $40 will get you 7GB, Unlimited Calls and Text and $200 worth of standard international calls. Throw in another $10 to get 10GB Data, and $300 of international. Compared to Optus? The Sim Only plans seem a little more worth it from Optus.

Virgin Mobile Summary: If you were to get a iPhone and Plan, Virgin Mobile has cheaper plans and offers better value for your money than Optus.


Vodafone:

Over at Vodafone you can get the iPhone 6s 64GB for $96 per month, which includes "Infinite" standard national calls and text and 6GB Data.  Since this plan is already more expensive with little difference to the Virgin mobile $90 plan - we shall move on!

By the way, their SIM Only plan, less value on Data than Optus.

Vodafone Summary: More expensive than Virgin mobile, however still more Data than Optus gives for at the similar price, unless you go on a SIM only plan from Optus, which then Optus offers a better deal.



Lastly,


Telstra:

Telstra didn't have a great year, with a few network dropouts that lasted hours! Lets see how their plans compare.

On the Telstra Network, they'll give you a iPhone 6s 64GB starting from $95 per month with 1GB Data and $550 "talk time"...

Should I really even bother going on? ...Fine. What do they recommend?

Their "L" plan (I guess that stands for 'large' or it could be 'loser'), includes Unlimited Talk, Text and MMS, and 8GB of data for...

$121 per month.

Go **** yourselves!

Telstra Summary: Stay the **** away from Telstra, unless you want to be ripped off, in my opinion!



Conclusion:

I really hope the Australian telecommunication companies see this post and create some better and more competitive plans for the iPhone 7. And not just use it as an excuse to raise the price even more.

So who won this? Definitely the mobile companies. 'Cause the customers ain't, that's for sure!

But, really, from these calculations, the best deal for a iPhone 6s 64GB and a Plan together (today, September 1st 2016) was with Virgin Mobile on their $76 or $90 plan, depending on how much data you'd like.

But more surprisingly, the best solution would be to buy the iPhone 6s 64GB outright and go on the Optus SIM Only $40 plan for 12 months. It gets you unlimited calls and text, and 8GB of Data for a combine cost equalling $91.21 per month (over 24 months).

My message to the phone companies, firstly, well done for ripping us all off. Now;

To Optus: Why is Virgin Mobile's contract plans cheaper than yours! They use your network! Why should I choose you over Virgin Mobile?

To Virgin Mobile: Well done on offering competitive prices.

To Vodafone: You guys are still around? I thought you went out of business. Lower your prices.

To Telstra: I think I summed up my thoughts on you above, but I don't care how great you think your network coverage is, for someone who lives in city areas, it doesn't matter! I've had no issues with other companies I've used. You are well overpriced! I don't know why anyone would choose to give you money!

For everyone else, thanks for reading, if you liked this piece or maybe learned something, please share! And leave a comment below on which company are you with and why.

iPhone 6S. Image credit: Apple, Inc. 

New iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus users are divided, literally. Not about screen size, but about which company made the processor chip inside their iPhone. It turns out, Apple used two different manufacturers; Samsung and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), for the A9 chip inside the latest iPhone models.

But what's the difference? Apparently the Samsung chip is smaller and some have claimed that the battery last longer with the TSMC version. In one benchmark test, apparently the TSMC version lasted for almost 2 extra hours!

So now, if you are a iPhone 6S user, you are probably wondering which company's made chip is inside your iPhone. Unfortunately, there's no way of knowing without downloading an app. An app that can tell you your chips model number is the free app Battery Memory System Status Monitor.

Once you've downloaded the app, tap the 'System' tab and look for the devices model number, which should be right at the top. If your model is N71MAP or N66MAP, congrats, your iPhone has the TSMC A9 chip. If your model is N71AP or N66AP, then you have the Samsung made A9 chipset.

But don't worry, if you have the Samsung chip, Apple has commented and said that the 'tests' don't represent real-world usage, and that there may only be a small 2-3% difference.

A new feature added in iOS 9 is the ability to zoom in on videos! Now with any video that you have recorded into your Camera Roll, you can zoom in simply by using 'pinch and zoom'. You can also pan around in the zoomed in video. 

Another new feature added in iOS 9 is the ability to take a photo while recording video. As you are recording a video you'll see another White button on the screen. Tap the white capture button to take a photo while filming. The photo taken isn't as good as a photo that is taken in the normal photo mode, but the resolution is 2720x1532, which is higher than the 1080p of the HD video.

Also new in iOS 9 for your camera - higher HD frame rate. There is a new option to enable 60 frames per second HD video recording, a bump up from the 30fps in iOS 8. Changing the frame rate to 60fps will give you much nicer and smoother motion in your videos. You'll need to enable this in Settings. Go to: Settings > Photo & Camera > under 'Camera' heading, "Record Video" > and select "1080p HD at 60 fps" for the best quality (unless you have a iPhone 6s, then '4K' for the highest picture quality). Remember, higher quality means that it'll use up more space on your iOS device.  

Apple CEO Tim Cook made a guest appearance on CBS's The Late Show with Stephen Colbert tonight. 

The interview touched on topics of the iPhone 6s, with Colbert showing off the new Rose Gold iPhone 6S. 3D Touch, the possibility of an Apple Car, charity and responsibilities, and more. For a good written summary, check out this article on re/code. 

You can watch a clip of the interview above, made available by The Late Show with Stephen Colbert YouTube page, or if you're in the U.S.A. you can watch the entire episode on CBS.com. 

"Siri, put Apple CEO Tim Cook on my calendar for Tuesday, Sept. 15. Oh, and come up with some questions to ask him." pic.twitter.com/mXutum0Bp6

� Stephen Colbert (@StephenAtHome) September 12, 2015

Tim Cook, Apple�s CEO, will be making a guest appearance on CBS show The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on Tuesday September 15th. 

Colbert made the announcement on Twitter in which he was wearing his Apple Watch and �asking� Siri to put the appearance on his calendar and to come up with some questions for him to ask Cook. 

Stephen Colbert has been known as a fan of Apple products, seen using iPhone�s, iPad�s and wearing an Apple Watch in videos before the Late Show begun, and also for a cameo via a phone call at an Apple Keynote event in 2014. 

Tim Cook will likely be on the Late Show to promote the latest new Apple products, including the new iPhone 6S and iPad Pro. 

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert airs weeknights on CBS at 11:35 p.m EST / 10:35 p.m. C. Check your local TV guide for more details.

Apple held a media event today (Wednesday September 9th 2015), and got on stage with their keynote presentation, held at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, in San Francisco. 

The following is my notes taken during the Apple Event Keynote presentation. For the full info on everything about the new upgrades or products, be sure to check out Apple.com. 

Video of today's Apple Event will also be available on the Apple Events webpage. 

-- 

Apple Watch:

- 97% customer satisfaction.

- WatchOS2

- Facebook Messenger, iTranslate, GoPro & AirStrip (health care) apps coming to Apple Watch. 

- New bands. 

- New Apple Watch models.

- New Gold and Rose Gold Sport Apple Watch models.

- New models shipping today.

- watchOS 2 available September 16th. 

iPad:

- "The biggest news in iPad since the iPad". 

iPad Pro.

-- Larger display. 12.9 inch

-- full-size software keyboard 

-- A9X processor. 64-bit. 

-- Double graphics performance of A8X chip. 

-- 10 hour battery life.

-- Four speakers.

-- 6.9mm thin. (6.1mm iPad Air) 

-- 1.57 lb.

-- New physical Smart Keyboard accessory sold separately. (only for iPad Pro) $169.

-- Apple Pencil! Built in sensors. Charges via lightning plug into iPad Pro.

-- Demos of new apps by Adobe and 3D4Medical were shown.
-- Three color options; silver, gold, and space-gray.
-- 8 megapixel camera.
-- Price: from $799 for 32GB model.
-- iPad Pro Coming in November.
-- Apple Pencil $99, also coming in November. 

iPad Mini 2 now from $269
iPad Mini 4 from $399 (new)
iPad Air from $399
iPad Air 2 from $499
iPad Pro from $799


Apple TV:
- "The future of TV is apps".
- App Store.
- New user interface.
- Powerful hardware.
- Modern OS
- Developer tools.
- New Apple TV.
- Use your voice to search video content with Siri.
- Use Siri for navigation around Apple TV.
- New remote for new Apple TV. Includes touch pad.
- Apple Music also included in Apple TV.
- Check weather.
- Operating system called: tvOS.
- Developers can make apps, including games.
- Some game demos were shown, a shopping app, and a sports app.
- Apple TV specs Ethernet, HDMI, Bluetooth 4.0.
- Price: 32GB $149, 64GB $199.
- tvOS developer beta opens today.
- New Apple TV ships in Late October.


iPhone:
- New iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus.
- New Rose Gold color option. Also in gold, silver, and space gray.
- "The only thing that's changed is everything."
- New stronger glass and 7000 series aluminum.
- 3D Touch. New gestures and buttons. Short-cuts.
- Taptic Engine.
- Specs: A9 chip, 64-bit. 70% faster CPU, 90% GPU (than A8).
- Game demo were shown.
- M9 motion co-processor built directly into A9 chip.
- 2nd-Generation Touch ID finger print scanner. 2 times faster.
- 12 megapixel iSight Camera. 50% more pixels than before.
- 4K video recording. 8 million pixels in every frame.
- 5-megapixel front facing FaceTime camera.
- Retina Flash: True Tone flash on screen for front camera.
- 'Live Photos' using 3D Touch. Also can have sound.
- New app makes moving from Android easy.
- Wi-Fi up to 2x faster.
- Comes with iOS 9.
- iPhone 6S from $199. iPhone 6S Plus $299. Same as previous.
- iPhone 6 now $99 and iPhone 6 Plus $199.
- Pre-order Saturday September 12th.
- Available Friday September 25th.
- iOS 9 available Wednesday September 16th.


iCloud Prices:
5GB Free
50GB $0.99
200GB $2.99
1TB $9.99

It's just hours, or minutes away, depending on when you are reading this, or maybe it's after the event and you already know what Apple announced! The Apple September 9th 2015 (iPhone 6S) Media Event is here!

Apple will be onstage at 10 a.m. PDT, at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, in San Francisco, California, with their Keynote presentation, where they will be announcing new products, presumably the newest iPhone, updates on iOS 9 and also, possibly some other exciting upgrades, or even new products. 

To watch the live stream, go to the Apple Events website, on your iPhone, iPad, running iOS 7 or later, or on a Mac in Safari, or new option, Edge on Windows 10. You can also watch via the dedicated Apple TV app. Apple's full system requirements to watch the event is listed on their events page. 

Mark your calendar, the rumors got this one right! Apple has just sent out the invites for a Media Event on Wednesday September 9th at 10 a.m PDT, at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, in San Francisco, California.

The image that came with the invite, writes, "Hey, Siri, give us a hint."  And, if you ask Siri to give you a hint, you may just get some fun answers.

Apple is expected to announce at the Media Event on September 9th, the new iPhone 6S, and has also been rumored to announce other new products, like new iPad's, (possibly a iPad Pro), and even an upgrade to the Apple TV.

The Keynote will be streamed live by Apple at 10 a.m. PDT, on September 9th.

Black/Gold iPhone and iPad Mock-up.

Space-Gray / Black, White / Silver, and White / Gold - those are the color options for the latest iPhone and iPad's. But there might be one more color option that Apple should add: Black and Gold.

The Gold colored iPhone's and iPad's have turned out to be a popular item. But some don't like that white glass front. The black screen looks better in my opinion, as it really makes the other colors and the content on the screen pop a lot more. So wouldn't it be nice to have the rich looking gold and the black glass front? (Have a look at the quickly made mockup above, for an idea of how it would look).

Apple has now even added the three color options to their latest MacBook. And the Gold MacBook has the black keys and black glass on the screen - so would it make sense to have a Black and Gold iPhone and iPad? Would you prefer the black and gold color option?

Have your say and vote in the poll below!

It's almost that time of year again - the time when your brand new iPhone 6, that you could of sworn you just bought recently - is about to become outdated, by a brand new iPhone!

It's the iPhone 6S, as we are guessing it'll be called (because Apple has stuck to that naming trend for the past 6 years). So when will it be announced? According to a report on BuzzFeed News, their sources are telling them that Apple intends to hold a special event on the week of September 7th, with Wednesday the 9th actually being the announcement date.

Apple in the past have announced the new iPhone's on a Tuesday or Wednesday in early to mid-September. Last year, the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus was also announced on September 9th.

As usual, it's likely that pre-orders will be on the Friday after the announcement and then you'll be able to get your hands on the new iPhone 6S a week and a half, later.

While the announcement date is not confirmed yet, it's likely Apple will announce the new iPhone 6S, around that date.

You can read the full report over at: BuzzFeed News.