5 years ago we officially said goodbye to iPhone 9, who never got a chance to take a breath in this cruel world.
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A Walk Down Memory Lane: Evolution of the iPhone Display Bezels and Notch
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Darth Tulhu
macrumors 68020
Yeah I don't know what to expect with next years iPhone Pro models. I suspect Dynamic Island is here to stay and I can't wait to upgrade my 13 Pro next year.
I could care less about the lightning vs USB-C argument for the iPhone, but what are you talking about? I've never had a single issue with USB-C.
@EvilEvil What, exactly, are you "disagreeing" with here? I simply asked someone a question and stated my experience, lol!
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I always, always love how people obsess over how the TrueDepth camera looks rather than how it works and what usability and utility it affords us, as if there is another more practical and obvious solution that has somehow eluded the seasoned professionals at Apple.
Darth Tulhu
macrumors 68020
I flatly disagree with this.
UNTIL front-facing cameras can be COMPLETELY hidden, whether in the bezel or under-screen, we WILL have said "eyesore" on EVERY "bezel-less" device.
Apple, unlike ANYONE ELSE, made lemonade out of lemons.
And that sucker looks delicious, although I haven't used it yet so I don't know how it will actually feel to use.
The DI is one of those things that make Apple Apple.
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Darth Tulhu
macrumors 68020
To be clear, it's not MORE notifications, just a DIFFERENT way to access them.
Personally, I like different options for everything. Especially when they're fun and original, like the DI.
Which is why I wish iPhone had TouchID in the back (logo?) as well as FaceID in the front (like my Samsung Note8 I let go for my iPhone 12 Pro).
I don't care much either. Faster transfer speeds might be nice, though I use Airdrop most of the time. Would love to have a single cable style for everything, but that'll never happen. By the time everything is USB-C and I replace all my old USB-2/lighting cables, some new design will come along.
I agree, Apple is making the best of the situation. But it definitely isn't delicious or something to celebrate, that's all. Its a necessary compromise.
I really miss the rounded edges of the iPhone instead of the flat. The rounded felt so much more comfortable to grip. The notch was a horrible design choice and now it is worse with Dynamic Island.
I’m just glad I finally have my battery percentage indicator back on my iPhone 12 Pro Max, even if it's not as nice as it was on the notchless iPhones. OTOH, my wife's iPhone XR does not get the battery indicator.
I will have to empathize with the other poster here on this one. USB-C on my MacBook has gotten looser over time, which isn't ideal for hubs and drives. This has not happened with any of my Lightning ports. The problem with Lightning ports in the pocket is they get filled with lint over time, but it's easy to clean that out once a year. Furthermore, I suspect that USB-C in the pocket would also get filled with lint over time too.
I would hardly call the Dynamic Island "moving on" since it's still something that obstructs the screen area.... no matter how Apple tries to dress it up...
Darth Tulhu
macrumors 68020
Interesting point. There always were defenders and detractors of the notch (I'm a detractor).
And I think that the DI is an even worse intrusion into the screen.
But the truth is, they're both trade-offs.
I'd actually prefer a top bezel with all the front sensors, and a clear screen.
But here's the thing, the notch IS a bezel with a screen cut INTO IT to display time, location, cell and Wi-Fi strength, and battery (same for the Macs BTW, it's EXTRA screen). People always see it the other way around (like me...it's a weird spatial exercise). I just don't like the way it looks.
In the battle between the notch and the DI, I'll take the DI and at least enjoy it while I'm not watching full-screen content (which I rarely do on my iPhone).
As everyone always says, it'll disappear once you get used to it.
Perhaps but at least from what I've seen, it looks like a superior UI for interactive notifications than the current solution on notched phones. It's not ideal, but the situation with notched iPhones is even worse.
Same here. But that said, you can think of the current iPhones as a smaller screen with an extra partial bar at the top as an extra bonus where you can stuff notifications, etc. In fact, that's how Apple deals with it in its UI design guidelines for developers. This is designed to be outside the safe area where critical screen content should reside.
Those nanos were great. I think had a second gen. So pure.
Combined, my PalmPilot, Canon elph, Fliphone, and iPod Nano did everything important my iPhone does now, except GPS/Mapping and "wikipedia everywhere"
But I guess it's nice to have 5 (counting my auto GPS, but I didn't carry that around) devices in one thing :-D
Very true, unfortunately many developers put stuff in the bottom "unsafe" area. I can't tell you how many times I've closed an app or switched to the last app just trying to access something at the bottom of the screen or scrolling. Trying to play Roblox with my kid if a great example.
god i hated the thick bezel era. for the OG, 3G, 3GS it was fine but i remember being disappointed the leak iPhone 4 still had a huge forehead and chin. otherwise a beautiful design with the flat edges and back.
a lot of people seemed to hate the notch but it has never bothered me. the iPhone X was a brilliant design to build upon and even to this day it still looks great.
im not so sure about the pill design. its not terrible but i guess i prefer the notch lol.
im waiting patiently for the next major iPhone redesign. ill probably get an iPhone 15 next year with the pill but the end goal for me is an all screen device with under display camera and sensors. i think thats what the next redesign will be.
a lot of people seemed to hate the notch but it has never bothered me. the iPhone X was a brilliant design to build upon and even to this day it still looks great.
im not so sure about the pill design. its not terrible but i guess i prefer the notch lol.
im waiting patiently for the next major iPhone redesign. ill probably get an iPhone 15 next year with the pill but the end goal for me is an all screen device with under display camera and sensors. i think thats what the next redesign will be.
"The bezels were particularly thick at the top and bottom, given the need to house the front-facing camera, earpiece, and the Home Button, which gained Touch ID in 2013."
Thought we did not get a front-facing camera until iPhone 4, but the ones before that still has the think top bezel though? 😓
Thought we did not get a front-facing camera until iPhone 4, but the ones before that still has the think top bezel though? 😓
Not sure why they'd get any looser over time than a Lightning port. The USB-C ports on my M1 MBA have things plugged into them in and out all the time each week and I haven't noticed any issues.
Well, yes, any port is going to do that, so it's not really relevant to the USB-C vs Lightning issue, as you even indicated by pointing out that USB-C would have the same "problem". However, you can easily buy port plugs for that (for instance, I have these for my 13PM, Magic Mouse, Magic Keyboard, etc.)
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Yes, I use Airdrop for pretty much any transfer to/from my iPhone and Macs. It's really fast.
Apple has invested too much into Dynamic Island for it to go away any time soon. I see no reason it won't make appearances in non-Pro iPhones (next cycle?), iPad Pros (this cycle?), other iPads (eventually?), maybe even trickle down into laptops and displays at some point. Regardless, it seems pretty clear that Dynamic Island is not a one-hit wonder. Even if we eventually move all sensors under-screen, requiring cutout, I can see Dynamic Island morphing into something like Dynamic Amoeba: able to move anywhere on the screen and not be tied to any specific cutout location.
Regardless, Apple tends to prefer getting several cycles, and return, out of their innovations. Not uncommon to see them leveraging an innovation across several manufacturing cycles and platforms. It's both a means to generate ROI as well as buy precious/necessary time between marketable innovations. As some understand, innovation is not push-button (1, 2, 3 INNOVATE!). It takes time, a lot of trial and error, a mountain of money and some dumb luck. Thus, innovating in a way that is both marketable and profitable is an art very few have mastered. While not an exacting science, Apple seems to have done (and is doing) pretty well, in that regard.
Regardless, Apple tends to prefer getting several cycles, and return, out of their innovations. Not uncommon to see them leveraging an innovation across several manufacturing cycles and platforms. It's both a means to generate ROI as well as buy precious/necessary time between marketable innovations. As some understand, innovation is not push-button (1, 2, 3 INNOVATE!). It takes time, a lot of trial and error, a mountain of money and some dumb luck. Thus, innovating in a way that is both marketable and profitable is an art very few have mastered. While not an exacting science, Apple seems to have done (and is doing) pretty well, in that regard.
Personally, I'm completely convinced that the Dynamic Island will outlive the (visible) pill. First, there is the purely technical aspect in that even with under-screen cameras, you still have to temporarily black out the screen area over the camera in order to actually take pictures with it. The Island is a really creative way of accounting for that necessity, and its existence and usefulness does not require that there also be a perpetually visible pill.
Interestingly enough, you can get Android phones with fully under-screen front-facing cameras; I recently watched a couple of interesting videos about the ZTE Axon 30, which is a second-generation phone with this feature. The executive summary is: it's getting better, and I think it's quite possible that the technology could be good enough to meet Apple's needs for the Face ID scanner by as early as this time next year.