I see this being a big issue when the new iphone launches, all phones have the ir blaster now and apple didnt include it, what does it cost ? $2 to include into the hardware ? Discuss
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Will the new iPhone fail because no IR blaster
- Thread starter cymolia
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
No it won't fail if it doesn't have one. Also, how do you know it won't? Are you an insider at Cupertino?
I don't think this will effect sales at all. While other phones may include to entice, I would say most customers really don't care about IR.
No. First off, and I have nothing to back this up but anecdotal experience, but I believe that very few users even realize when they have IR blasters in their phone, let alone it being a feature that they actually seek out. Among those who do have and know about the IR blaster, even fewer actively use them consistently or as something other than a novelty. The idea that the iPhone would fail because it doesn't include something as niche as an IR blaster is kind of out there.
I have had several Android phones that had IR blasters, and used one maybe twice just to mess with it. I never actually used it for any functional reason. Apps that utilize the IR blaster are generally pretty user unfriendly and can be buggy, in my experience.
Maybe I'm wrong; maybe you have some statistics that demonstrate that IR is in big demand and users are clamoring for it. Somehow though, I doubt it.
I do, I love my harmony one remote. I wouldn't mind IR on my iPhone, but I agree IR is old technology that should be on it's way out the door and it will never play a role in deciding what phone to buy for me.
The Ir blaster isnt what it used to be, it can now be used to control all electronics in your household including the bluetooth stereo in your car, that comes in very handy having it on your phone because its very convenient than to have to worry about multiple controllers. I had one on my previous phone and used it to control the Ac, Thermostat, 3 Tv's , Sonos and my stereo system in my car so for me it was very very useful
IR has to be direct line of sight only. Bluetooth is the way to go. If other companies are still putting IR receivers in their devices they are the ones who need to change to bluetooth.
HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
Of course with the "go bluetooth" cheering, that means all of the rest of your A/V equipment needs to be bluetooth capable. Once you step beyond computers, is there really that much AV that is bluetooth capable? IR- old technology or not- is in just about everything.
Supporting it in a phone should matter to those that want their phone to double as a remote control without add ons or some kind of bluetooth to IR emitter as separate hardware. Being so quick to dismiss it as old technology is fine but how long until its replacement- bluetooth or whatever else- is fully in place in TVs, Receivers, Satt/Cable Boxes, DVRs, Disc Players, maybe even VCRs for some people?
Supporting it in a phone should matter to those that want their phone to double as a remote control without add ons or some kind of bluetooth to IR emitter as separate hardware. Being so quick to dismiss it as old technology is fine but how long until its replacement- bluetooth or whatever else- is fully in place in TVs, Receivers, Satt/Cable Boxes, DVRs, Disc Players, maybe even VCRs for some people?
Yeah I get that, I survived 6 years with iphones without IR, I dont' see why putting it in now is a deal breaker for an old technology.
Yeah it's nice, but not needed.
Yeah it's nice, but not needed.
It would be nice to have it, but the iPhone certainly won't fail because it's lacking an ir blaster.
HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
Yes, I'm not predicting product failure because it lacks it
simply recognizing that it could have value for some and certainly offers some utility for those that want to use it in that way. The "use bluetooth" argument is fine except that lots of AV can't use bluetooth (yet). So it's not exactly the same- or easy- replacement solution to say "use bluetooth" for those wanting internal IR functionality.
It hasn't figured significantly in the pre-release discussions of iPhone 5 or 5c/s, so why now? It's likely that those who consider IR a deal-maker/breaker are not current Apple customers, and there probably aren't enough of them to make the cost of adding another component to every device justifiable. It's not a matter of whether it'd cost just $1 per unit to add it... If the feature is capable of boosting unit sales by 10%, then the real cost is $10 per additional sale. My suspicion is that the increase would be far closer to 1%. $100 per additional sale just doesn't cut it.
Apple's tendency is to give the public what Apple believes it needs, rather than what it wants. Want is determined by what's currently available - "old" tech. Apple clearly believes media consumers need a simplified media experience - the Apple Remote, not a 50-button remote. Apple TV, not a cable subscription. Apple's not likely to facilitate the continued use of other companies' A/V gear when it wants its gear to be the media delivery solution. The topic of this discussion could just as easily be, "Will the next iPod/iOS device fail because no FM radio."
Apple's tendency is to give the public what Apple believes it needs, rather than what it wants. Want is determined by what's currently available - "old" tech. Apple clearly believes media consumers need a simplified media experience - the Apple Remote, not a 50-button remote. Apple TV, not a cable subscription. Apple's not likely to facilitate the continued use of other companies' A/V gear when it wants its gear to be the media delivery solution. The topic of this discussion could just as easily be, "Will the next iPod/iOS device fail because no FM radio."
There's a big difference between wanting/supporting having an IR blaster in the iPhone 6 and predicting it will fail because it doesn't have one. I wouldn't mind if the iPhone 6 had an IR blaster as long as it didn't negatively impact any other aspect of the phone, despite the fact that I know from experience that I wouldn't use it. But I think we can confidently declare that the iPhone's success does not hinge on an old and slowly deprecating technology.
Keep spreading the word about iPhone 6 failure so I have no problem getting one the day they are introduced!
Hello, I'm from the future and would just like to confirm that the iPhone 6 will in fact fail due to its lack of an IR blaster. It will also fail for missing 5 front-facing cameras and the ability to scroll through pages based on eye movement. Also, up will become down.
I have a Sony media streamer that's been discontinued. The remote is broken. Getting a new one is $50. You can control it with WiFi but you need IR to turn it on. So glad my phone had the blaster, it saved me replacing it. Thats just one example why an Ir blaster is pretty useful