Good news for “older” iPhones! OS 9.2.1

Hello there everyone,

AppleInsider today reported that the iOS 9.2.1 update can potentially make iOS 9 a smoother experience for people with older iPhones, according to a new series of YouTube videos featuring side-by-side comparisons with devices running iOS 8.4.1.

Although installing 9.2.1 still causes an iPhone 4S or 5 to boot slower, once in action the software can load apps as fast or faster than 8.4.1 in many circumstances, according to the article. Boot times are said to be speedier than 8.4.1 when running the software on an iPhone 5s, which was also the first iPhone with a 64-bit processor.

A consistent problem with iOS has been the tendency for devices as little as a year or two old to suddenly see slowdowns after upgrading to a new version. This is despite the fact that Apple will deliberately disable some processor-intensive features on older hardware.

A lawsuit filed last month accuses Apple of misleading customers with the claim that iOS 9 is compatible with devices ranging back to the iPhone 4S. In reality Apple is practicing planned obsolescence, the case charges, since people who update a 4S will take a performance hit but find themselves unable to downgrade to 8.4.1 or earlier — nudging them towards buying newer hardware.

We all know that these devices update and upgrade faster than our contracts allow, so unless you’re one of the few that just simply wants and can afford the newest piece of hardware every 6 months, you’ll want to extend the life of your “old” device for a long as possible to maximize your investment.  That’s where Mission Repair can help, so if you have a problem with your phone, we will be happy to take care of it for you.  If you want to upgrade your software, at least Apple is still helping some of the older units at the moment, enjoy!

See ya, Ryan

Think twice about that iPad.

Hello everyone-

We’ve seen it far too often; we receive an iDevice (like an iPad, iPod or iPhone) come in for a repair or diagnosis only to find this screen upon boot up:

This is a screen shot from an iPhone that was deliberately erased by it’s owner; presumably because it was lost or stolen. As you can see, only the original owner with the original email address and password can active it.

This feature is a security measure in the newest releases of the iOS on Apple devices, and it is working…and before giving away or selling your iOS device, be sure to erase your content and settings (in Settings > General > Reset > Erase All Content and Settings). When you erase your content, Find My iPhone and Activation Lock are also turned off.

If you hand over your phone to another person (especially if you sell it over the internet and ship it to them) but DON’T erase your content, you can still do it remotely. If your phone is “lost” and you don’t want a potential stranger to access your data, you can erase and “deactivate” the phone leaving it worthless to the new owner as shown above.

We know what this means when we see this upon boot up at our service lab; typically customers buy a phone second hand not knowing whether the phone has been deactivated and it usually ends up bad for the new purchaser.

Buyer beware: if you purchase a used phone and it’s running iOS7 or greater, make sure that the device has been removed from the original purchaser’s accounts or you may end up with an expensive paperweight or in the worst case a stolen device. No one wants that.

Anyway, I thought that this was worth talking about as we’ve seen too many customers end up sour about their purchase. I’ll also remind you that if it sounds good to be true, it probably is – but you already knew that!

Alrighty- have a great weekend and I may see you at our Mission location tomorrow as we are performing several upgrades to the tech area in the morning. Stop by and say hi!!

Take care, Ryan

More iPhone 6 “Sapphire Glass” discussion.

Hello again everyone-

If you haven’t heard, there’s a lot of talk about the sapphire glass in the iPhone 6 due to release shortly, and we’ve learned lately that it’s possible the the 64GB model will indeed come with a sapphire glass.  In fact, we’re prepping services for the iPhone 6 as we speak:

 

We know that the technology and production is there; companies like Apple are making sapphire screens using manufacturers like GT Advanced Technologies. Apple may limit the use or release the sapphire screens on a limited basis initially; my personal guess is that if Apple unveils the “iWatch”, it WILL have a sapphire crystal screen on it. There might even be a “hybrid” sapphire glass formula a few sources have reported.  But heck, I really don’t know for sure.  I’m not Apple.

It still begs the question: Will customers really fall in love with the sapphire screen?

It’s logical that it will be more scratch resistant. That’s good. However I’ve personally owned just about every iPhone and I have never had a “scratched” screen problem.  It seems to me (coming from the repair industry) that a scratched screen would most likely mean a cracked screen. There’s little info on how well a large sapphire screen will stand up to a typical “cracking” scenario.

I’ve read that sapphire is more brittle than glass and is likely to be more prone to breakage than Gorilla Glass. Time will tell, but personally I’m not sure if I’d spend the extra money on a sapphire “option” quite yet – if there is one coming next week.

Food for thought…what have you heard?  I’ll talk to you again soon, Ryan

Gesundheit!

Good afternoon friends-

How was your Labor Day? I had a nice relaxing day yesterday…all except for the fact that my allergies to the pollen in the Kansas City area have been terrible. It feels like I’ve been eating OTC allergy medicine for my meals recently 😉 The last couple of weeks have been a little miserable, and it seems like Sudafed just isn’t helping any more at this point. So I’ve upgraded to the pseudoephedrine/cetrizine combination which seems to be working…

So I think I have the itchy eyes and sneezing under control this afternoon which feels great! I normally don’t have this kind of “hay fever” this late in the year; it probably has something to do with the climate changes in the world today.

Anyhow, that’s enough about my medical problems for today and I’ll be back tomorrow with a few great blogs. I have the ideas flowing. Did you see Melanie’s blog earlier today about our new pricing on the iPhone, 5, 5C and 5S screen repairs? It’s been a huge hit.

I’ll talk to you again tomorrow, have a good night.

Ryan

Do you need a new battery in your iPhone 5?

Good morning friends,

There’s a lot of news about the iPhone 5 and it’s battery life lately; so much in fact that Apple has recalled an undisclosed amount of iPhones for a FREE BATTERY installation. You can see if your iPhone 5 is eligible here on Apple’s website. I feel like my battery in my iPhone 5 is terrible recently and I find myself charging my phone several times a day. I checked my personal phone, and Apple says that my battery is not one of the affected units; therefore no free battery for me. In fact, after reading Apple’s website it appears that they will just be swapping phones with their customers (presumably why they ask you to disable “Find my iPhone” and tell you to erase all of your data).

I thought about this for a minute…and even though it’s not a Mission Repair Recall, we are going to do Apple customers a favor: We will replace your iPhone 5 Battery for FREE (of you so desire) when you send in your device for a screen repair!

That’s right- this is a Mission Repair exclusive. If you need to have your iPhone 5 screen replaced, just select the “free battery” option when setting up your repair and we will not only repair your screen, but we’ll install a new battery for no additional charge while my technicians have your device in house.

This will help many of you that might be in the same situation as me; your iPhone is over a year old, the battery life is not what it used to be, and you’re not eligible for a free replacement from Apple.

Heck, it might even be a better way to get your battery replaced through Mission Repair; we won’t make you set an appointment to see a “genius” and we won’t “swap” your phone. It’ll come back to you with all of your data, pictures, texts and emails in tact! Just like you left it with us 😉

Take advantage now. This is something new for Mission Repair so we will begin this special today and it will run while supplies last. This is not a “no purchase necessary” special; the free battery replacement can only be selected in conjunction with an iPhone 5 front glass screen repair service (either black or white). Let us know if you have any questions! 866-638-8402.

Best Ryan