Why do you care so much what the critics think?
You win the internet.
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Right now, there are two main things to look at with the iPhone for me:
1) iOS 7 - I'm not calling for a dramatic overhaul, like some are. I don't think that's realistic, nor conducive to Apple's business model and philosophy. However, it does stand to get some major updates. Namely to the keyboard, to Safari, and to how it manages settings. I want to be able to see more information, and have settings easily accessible. It really wouldn't hurt Apple to make things a little more dynamic. At this point and time, others have discovered faster and easier ways to accomplish the same tasks.
2) Screen size. Give us some options. Real options. Not last year's model or this year's model. It doesn't even have to be a lot. One could be on the smaller end, one could be on the larger end. Apple offers sizes in all their current generation lineups. Air, RMBP, iMac, iPods, and most recently, iPads. It's time for the iPhone to follow suit.
These two things would go a long way in reintroducing the iPhone to my life.
Of course, I wouldn't mind even more: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1501886/