News, Record Apple sales and League of Legends World Championships
Rory Plewman | Co-Online Editor
Record breaking Apple sales: This quarter marked a record performance for the tech giant Apple, as soaring sales of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus propped up lackluster performances in other departments. The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus are Apple’s latest addition to its smartphone line.
With its curved edges and razor thinness, its’ certainly a technological feat, but the release has been marred by controversy. Scandals ranging from ‘Bendgate’ (the iPhone 6 Plus bends when extreme pressure is applied) to ‘Hairgate’ (the iPhone 6 Plus also catches people’s hair and pulls individual strands out when people are making calls).
Despite these “scandals” Apple sold 39 million iPhones this quarter, netting an impressive 42 billion dollars of revenue, once again reasserting its dominance over the smartphone market.
League of Legends Finals: This weekend the annual League of Legends World Championship Finals were held in Seoul, South Korea.
For the unfamiliar League of Legends is an online game where 10 players duke it out on the Summoner’s Rift. The object of the game is simply to destroy the other teams Nexus (home base), but to do so they must take down the turrets (damage dealing structures), inhibitors and the opposing five man team.
The third World Championships was fought between Samsung White of South Korea and Star Horn Royal Club of China, with Samsung White winning convincingly 3-1 in the best of 5 series claiming the Summoner’s cup and a 1,000,000 dollar prize pot.
The finals were held in the Olympic stadium in Seoul and attended by over 40,000 people, with tens of millions more tuning in online via the streaming app Twitch. The Championships were kicked off in grand style by Imagine Dragons who performed their “Warriors” song, which was especially written for the 2014 League of Legends World Championships. Hopefully this Championship will validate E-Sports and marks a turning point on the Worlds view of gamers.
