Apple schedules iPhone 6s and 6s Plus event for September 9

Apple has started sending out press invites for its next big event. This will take place on September 9 at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco, California, a venue with seating capacity for around 7,000 people, and one that the Cupertino company hasn't used before.

This means we may witness one of Apple's biggest launch events in its history. It's obviously expected to announce the new iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, These have been said to sport Force Touch tech inside their touchscreens, a higher-res camera than their predecessors, a new chipset, and more RAM. As always with "s" releases, expect the exterior to remain unchanged.

Pre-orders for the new smartphones will start on September 11, two days after their unveiling, while sales should begin a week later than that, on September 18, for the first wave of markets. A second wave of availability should hit on September 25. All of this information has been leaked numerous times already, along with a possible September 8 or 9 announcement date. So now that this has been confirmed, there's no point in doubting the rest of the rumored timeline.

There could be other new stuff in store for us too. A more affordable iPhone 6c has been in and out of the rumors for many months now, so it's still unclear whether it will ever become reality. On the other hand, Apple might also unveil new iPads, perhaps even the much-rumored iPad Pro. A revised Apple TV may be in the works too, though there's no telling if it's going to be ready in time for this event.

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iPhone cameras may get even better thanks to one Israeli company

The iPhone’s camera is already pretty awesome, maybe even the best smartphone shooter out there. Now Apple may be looking to widen its lead after acquiring LinX, an Israeli company with some exciting new mobile camera technology.

What sets LinX apart is the decision to use multiple miniature aperture cameras in a single model instead of just one larger lens. The result is a sensor that captures each scene and object from multiple angles, creating a sort of 3D model. It’s also very good for capturing what the company calls “near flat surfaces” like walls, which would otherwise lose some detail.

Apple confirmed the deal to The Wall Street Journal, though there’s no word on how much it paid or what Cupertino plans to do with the new technology. If it does end up included in future iPhones and other devices, that could mean some exciting new camera features.

We might get something similar to HTC’s Duo Camera, which lets you change focus after taking a shot, or it might be more like Google’s 3D-scanning Project Tango. More likely, Apple will simply offer high-quality SLR-style photos using the newly-acquired technology.

Depending on how quickly Apple moves, we may see LinX technology show up in new devices later this year. An improved camera could be a nice update for the iPhone 6s or even future iPads, though it’s far too soon to know anything for sure.

Periscope for Android coming “soon” as iPhone app gets new features

Periscope is a just a week old and already the company is rolling out its first update. The Twitter-owned app pushed out a handful of useful tweaks for its iPhone-owning fans on Thursday, adding that developers are hard at work on an Android equivalent.

Version 1.0.1 of the iPhone app actually includes a ton of helpful improvements. First, the homepage has been tweaked so the first thing you see up top is live streams from people you follow, and Periscope is also getting a new Featured section. The company promises to improved notifications, which can be a bit overwhelming, and switched the default setting to off for follower notifications.

Responding to complaints that the map included in each stream was too revealing, Periscope decided to zoom out a bit. You can also remove it entirely if you prefer. Finally, there’s some performance improvements packed in to cut back on lag in the app when viewing other streams.

That’s it for now, though we expect more updates soon as Periscope continues to improve and respond to our complaints and suggestions. As for that Android app, hopefully it’s just around the corner, though the company declined to offer an official launch window for the release.

Survey reveals Apple Pay users experience problems at checkout

A survey conducted by Phoenix Marketing International shows that two thirds of Apple Pay users encounter difficulties using the system at checkout. Out of the 3,000 surveyed with an iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, 66% are using Apple Pay. Half of them reported that many locations, despite being listed as an Apple Pay partner, weren't ready to accept the payments made with the platform.

Furthermore, 48% were dissatisfied with the time it took to process a transaction and described it as too long. In some cases, transactions were run twice or were just outright incorrect. Finally, 42% of the surveyed shared that more often than not cashiers weren't familiar with the Apple Pay system altogether.

Bloomberg points out that a separate survey done by Citi Research confirms the complaints, too. Part of the reason for the problems is the shop's lack of iPhone 6 supported NFC point-of-sale terminals.

In the US, retailers will have to upgrade their non-NFC terminals to new ones, which support the wireless standard by October as per a new regulation.

In spite of the problems, Apple Pay usage increases thanks to the growth of iOS 8 adoption. Bank of America alone boasts some 1.1 million cards that are used by Apple Pay.

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Apple to announce Android trade-in programs to further boost iPhone sales

Looks like Apple wants to further boost the sales of its record-breaking iPhone 6 models. This time around, the company CEO Tim Cook seems to have introduced schemes that would lure Android users to switch to the iPhone.

According to a report by 9To5Mac, Apple plans to bring recycling and trade-in program for non-Apple smartphones like Android and BlackBerry, in exchange for gift cards that can be used to purchase the new iPhones. In its bid for Android switchers, it will use the same method it uses for repurchase of iPhone wherein Apple Retail employees will look for the trade-in value deepening upon the condition of the device to be exchanged.

The report adds that the new program will start in the coming weeks and Apple plans to train its employees later this week. Apple employees will reportedly help customers transfer their contacts from the devices onto an iPhone, but other data will have to be transferred by them.

Apple had first announced its iPhone Reuse and Recycle trade-in program for the iPhone 5, 5c and 5s, encouraging users to switch from their older iPhones.

It should be noted that at the earnings call earlier this year, Tim Cook spoke about Apple’s most stellar quarter wherein the company sold 74.5 million devices and also how the new iPhone 6 models are responsible for bringing the highest Android switcher rate in the last three years.