Other anyone else have iphone fatigue?

[1rottenapple]

I have a lot things going on i my personal life so no I don’t have phone fatigue. It’s a phone. Not a source of identity.

 

[cubbie5150]

In a word, yes....and I'm someone who bought an unlocked iPhone 17 Pro just 3 weeks ago.

Someone upthread used the word "fatigue" and I can relate to that. I just find so much about tech...gross, these days. I'm merely a hobbyist, but my discretionary spending will not be spent on tech for a good while.

I talked myself into the 17 Pro as a sort of "well, upgrade your 2020 iPhone SE with something well beyond what you need or want and walk away from the tech hobby spending hamster wheel for a while."

There's really nothing that Apple or anyone else can do to overcome my building feelings about tech in general, especially via an iPhone offering.

 

[ThePinkChameleon]

Like others, for me it's fatigue with tech in general.

ditto to this

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

I’ve never really understood this line of thinking.
If you have iPhone fatigue, maybe, and hear me out here, stop visiting websites like this one that are dedicated to the product? You don’t have to think about it. That often. Your regular consumer likely spends about 10 minutes every 4 to 5 years thinking about which phone they are going to purchase or upgrade to, and their purchasing decision likely falls on something like the color and price.
Other than that, they don’t think about it. They don’t care. You don’t have to think about it. You don’t have to care.

Apply the line of thinking from the original post to this to any other regular product, and it makes absolutely no sense. Do you have doorbell fatigue? Do you have refrigerator fatigue? Do you have air conditioning unit fatigue? Do you have lawnchair fatigue?
There are new lawn chairs, refrigerating units, air conditioners, and doorbells released every single year, do you sit there thinking about them? Posting about how you hate that there’s a new one every year? Of course you don’t. Why should a smartphone be any different.

Also just going off of the “Stevewould never” posts, it doesn’t sound like you have iPhone fatigue, just boredom. You miss a time that was almost 20 to 30 years ago, when the majority of consumers had never used the Internet in their life, and consumer electronics was a brand new market ready to just burst open. But that’s history now. That is not the world we live in today.
This happens with literally every single product made ever, including art. It is literally no different than people who were born in the 40s and 50s whining and complaining that they don’t make songs like the Beatles anymore. It’s a dumb line of argument, if you are not interested by the iPhone in 2026, then exit this website, stop reading about it, and go find another thing to be interested in. There are a lot of things out there, not just one.


Also, this might sound harsh, and I really don’t mean it too, but I feel like this really needs to be said. Apple does not exist to entertain you or be your friend. Never has, never will be. Even during the time of Steve Jobs, he was not your friend, he did not create the iPhone specifically to entertain you. He and his teams created the iPhone because they knew it would sell, and it did. It required a whole lot of shady stock practices, backdoor deals, patent disputes, ethically questionable manufacturing practices, all the worst aspects of The consumer electronics industry to create the iPhone.
Of course, the product would become an absolute triumph of technology, and change the world in so many ways, but please, stop being fooled that they created it out of the kindness of their hearts and absolutely no other motive. It’s not true.
And this is coming from someone who is an absolutely massive Apple fan, whose life has been changed by their products, who literally would not be able to do about 75% of the things that I do without their products. Someone who literally has spent thousands and thousands and thousands of dollars over the last 20 years on their products, who likely will be spending even more this fall when their new products release. Don’t get me wrong, I love Apple, I love their products. But please, for the love of God, the ridiculous Steve Jobs worshipping is just getting out of hand. He was a CEO. And everything that comes with being a CEO.

 

[tehabe]

I don't care if iPhone have become boring. I'm annoyed about missing bug fixes for many things on iOS, like CardDAV or App categories.

 

[xxr]

I’ve never really understood this line of thinking.
If you have iPhone fatigue, maybe, and hear me out here, stop visiting websites like this one that are dedicated to the product? You don’t have to think about it. That often. Your regular consumer likely spends about 10 minutes every 4 to 5 years thinking about which phone they are going to purchase or upgrade to, and their purchasing decision likely falls on something like the color and price.
Other than that, they don’t think about it. They don’t care. You don’t have to think about it. You don’t have to care.

Apply the line of thinking from the original post to this to any other regular product, and it makes absolutely no sense. Do you have doorbell fatigue? Do you have refrigerator fatigue? Do you have air conditioning unit fatigue? Do you have lawnchair fatigue?
There are new lawn chairs, refrigerating units, air conditioners, and doorbells released every single year, do you sit there thinking about them? Posting about how you hate that there’s a new one every year? Of course you don’t. Why should a smartphone be any different.

Also just going off of the “Stevewould never” posts, it doesn’t sound like you have iPhone fatigue, just boredom. You miss a time that was almost 20 to 30 years ago, when the majority of consumers had never used the Internet in their life, and consumer electronics was a brand new market ready to just burst open. But that’s history now. That is not the world we live in today.
This happens with literally every single product made ever, including art. It is literally no different than people who were born in the 40s and 50s whining and complaining that they don’t make songs like the Beatles anymore. It’s a dumb line of argument, if you are not interested by the iPhone in 2026, then exit this website, stop reading about it, and go find another thing to be interested in. There are a lot of things out there, not just one.

😂 that's a lot of typing that could have been conserved by engaging your brain a little.

dumb line of argument a complete irony here.

of course we're comparing a tech device in arguably the most highly marketed / anticipated consumer segment in the entire economy to a lawn chair.

 

[turbineseaplane]

I’ve never really understood this line of thinking.

The best way to learn is to listen.

Plenty of us are sharing the "why" of our fatigue in here (and elsewhere on MR).

 

[jz0309]

😂 that's a lot of typing that could have been conserved by engaging your brain a little.

dumb line of argument a complete irony here.

of course we're comparing a tech device in arguably the most highly marketed / anticipated consumer segment in the entire economy to a lawn chair.

So your OP is just a rant, nothing else.

If you were interested in discussion, you should really re-read the post you replied to as there is a lot of truth in there.

 

[Le_Chiffre]

I’ve never really understood this line of thinking.
If you have iPhone fatigue, maybe, and hear me out here, stop visiting websites like this one that are dedicated to the product? You don’t have to think about it. That often. Your regular consumer likely spends about 10 minutes every 4 to 5 years thinking about which phone they are going to purchase or upgrade to, and their purchasing decision likely falls on something like the color and price.
Other than that, they don’t think about it. They don’t care. You don’t have to think about it. You don’t have to care.

Apply the line of thinking from the original post to this to any other regular product, and it makes absolutely no sense. Do you have doorbell fatigue? Do you have refrigerator fatigue? Do you have air conditioning unit fatigue? Do you have lawnchair fatigue?
There are new lawn chairs, refrigerating units, air conditioners, and doorbells released every single year, do you sit there thinking about them? Posting about how you hate that there’s a new one every year? Of course you don’t. Why should a smartphone be any different.

Also just going off of the “Stevewould never” posts, it doesn’t sound like you have iPhone fatigue, just boredom. You miss a time that was almost 20 to 30 years ago, when the majority of consumers had never used the Internet in their life, and consumer electronics was a brand new market ready to just burst open. But that’s history now. That is not the world we live in today.
This happens with literally every single product made ever, including art. It is literally no different than people who were born in the 40s and 50s whining and complaining that they don’t make songs like the Beatles anymore. It’s a dumb line of argument, if you are not interested by the iPhone in 2026, then exit this website, stop reading about it, and go find another thing to be interested in. There are a lot of things out there, not just one.


Also, this might sound harsh, and I really don’t mean it too, but I feel like this really needs to be said. Apple does not exist to entertain you or be your friend. Never has, never will be. Even during the time of Steve Jobs, he was not your friend, he did not create the iPhone specifically to entertain you. He and his teams created the iPhone because they knew it would sell, and it did. It required a whole lot of shady stock practices, backdoor deals, patent disputes, ethically questionable manufacturing practices, all the worst aspects of The consumer electronics industry to create the iPhone.
Of course, the product would become an absolute triumph of technology, and change the world in so many ways, but please, stop being fooled that they created it out of the kindness of their hearts and absolutely no other motive. It’s not true.
And this is coming from someone who is an absolutely massive Apple fan, whose life has been changed by their products, who literally would not be able to do about 75% of the things that I do without their products. Someone who literally has spent thousands and thousands and thousands of dollars over the last 20 years on their products, who likely will be spending even more this fall when their new products release. Don’t get me wrong, I love Apple, I love their products. But please, for the love of God, the ridiculous Steve Jobs worshipping is just getting out of hand. He was a CEO. And everything that comes with being a CEO.

Well said
👏 👏 👏

 

[xxr]

So your OP is just a rant, nothing else.

If you were interested in discussion, you should really re-read the post you replied to as there is a lot of truth in there.

No mate just an off the cuff post for anyone to share their insights

Strange to me that the post I replied to is being entertained in any meaningful way

Obviously the nature of value is subjective but some areas of human invention have intrinsically more “utilitarian” purpose vs enjoyment

Comparing a smartphone to a lawn chair in this regard is so nonsensical it nullifies any meaningful discussion

There are many tech enthusiasts. Apple obviously pioneered the landscape of much of current consumer technology from a place of originality and customer centric design

Of course that Apple died with Steve Jobs which is nothing new but there still is/was a lingering sense of anticipation for many tech enthusiasts for just something to spark some excitement into probably the most interacted-with possession for most people

And yes tech has a whole has taken a dystopian nosedive, but there are still products out there that a tech enthusiast can appreciate and enjoy

I’m not highlighting anything new here, more or less a post reflecting the trend of macrumors readers themselves. I’ve been using this site since 2008, worked for Apple, been a steady downward slope

 

[ElPaso]

the snail paced incremental updates, the AI fiasco, intentionally grotesque design, recent price gouging (of apple products in general) - anyone else have general iPhone & Apple fatigue and just losing all interest?

Not me - not losing interest at all. But I never really had that much "interest". I like the tech, like to discuss the tech, but in the end phones/tablets/computers are just tools to use, and I think it's odd when people take them too seriously.

 

[xxr]

I’ve never really understood this line of thinking.
If you have iPhone fatigue, maybe, and hear me out here, stop visiting websites like this one that are dedicated to the product? You don’t have to think about it. That often. Your regular consumer likely spends about 10 minutes every 4 to 5 years thinking about which phone they are going to purchase or upgrade to, and their purchasing decision likely falls on something like the color and price.
Other than that, they don’t think about it. They don’t care. You don’t have to think about it. You don’t have to care.

Apply the line of thinking from the original post to this to any other regular product, and it makes absolutely no sense. Do you have doorbell fatigue? Do you have refrigerator fatigue? Do you have air conditioning unit fatigue? Do you have lawnchair fatigue?
There are new lawn chairs, refrigerating units, air conditioners, and doorbells released every single year, do you sit there thinking about them? Posting about how you hate that there’s a new one every year? Of course you don’t. Why should a smartphone be any different.

Also just going off of the “Stevewould never” posts, it doesn’t sound like you have iPhone fatigue, just boredom. You miss a time that was almost 20 to 30 years ago, when the majority of consumers had never used the Internet in their life, and consumer electronics was a brand new market ready to just burst open. But that’s history now. That is not the world we live in today.
This happens with literally every single product made ever, including art. It is literally no different than people who were born in the 40s and 50s whining and complaining that they don’t make songs like the Beatles anymore. It’s a dumb line of argument, if you are not interested by the iPhone in 2026, then exit this website, stop reading about it, and go find another thing to be interested in. There are a lot of things out there, not just one.


Also, this might sound harsh, and I really don’t mean it too, but I feel like this really needs to be said. Apple does not exist to entertain you or be your friend. Never has, never will be. Even during the time of Steve Jobs, he was not your friend, he did not create the iPhone specifically to entertain you. He and his teams created the iPhone because they knew it would sell, and it did. It required a whole lot of shady stock practices, backdoor deals, patent disputes, ethically questionable manufacturing practices, all the worst aspects of The consumer electronics industry to create the iPhone.
Of course, the product would become an absolute triumph of technology, and change the world in so many ways, but please, stop being fooled that they created it out of the kindness of their hearts and absolutely no other motive. It’s not true.
And this is coming from someone who is an absolutely massive Apple fan, whose life has been changed by their products, who literally would not be able to do about 75% of the things that I do without their products. Someone who literally has spent thousands and thousands and thousands of dollars over the last 20 years on their products, who likely will be spending even more this fall when their new products release. Don’t get me wrong, I love Apple, I love their products. But please, for the love of God, the ridiculous Steve Jobs worshipping is just getting out of hand. He was a CEO. And everything that comes with being a CEO.

Ok I see you’ve updated your post quite a bit at the end there - bro I didn’t even mention Steve Jobs - but since we’re on the subject I agree he was a complete douche, although he had a militant attitude towards customer experience.

And that is something that led consumer tech in a direction that no other company did

And something that didn’t meaningfully re-appear afterwards from anyone else - who either seem to be too small to make a difference in the now duopoly or too run by shareholder interests

 

[racerhomie]

Yes, I do.

All I want is a small, light, pocketable iPhone to do the essentials ...

And every year all the options seem to get a little thicker or heavier or add more stuff I don't want or care about.

I'm nearly into the camp of wanting an iPhone that runs WatchOS at this point.
That's how ridiculous it has gotten.

Just uninstall all 3rd party apps. Your iPhone will be distraction free like watchOS

 

[P_Watt]

OP appears to be a "Steve Jobs Would Never" guy, which was quaint and funny in 2014 and is just sad and tired 15 years later.

...

Whoa dude, you traveled back from 2029? What's it like? AI working yet?

 

[ElPaso]

Whoa dude, you traveled back from 2029? What's it like? AI working yet?

Lol I guess "mathematics" isn't a thing here . . .

 

[GMShadow]

Whoa dude, you traveled back from 2029? What's it like? AI working yet?

Check your calendar for when Steve passed away and get back to me.

 

[P_Watt]

Yes, I do.

All I want is a small, light, pocketable iPhone to do the essentials ...

And every year all the options seem to get a little thicker or heavier or add more stuff I don't want or care about.

I'm nearly into the camp of wanting an iPhone that runs WatchOS at this point.
That's how ridiculous it has gotten.

I'm hanging onto my SE3 for dear life, paying Applecare+ so they'll keep it going, No AI to worry about. Beta testing is all about seeing what old stuff they F'd up and reporting it 😂

 

[P_Watt]

Check your calendar for when Steve passed away and get back to me.

Get back to me when your sense of humor improves.

 

[cjsuk]

the snail paced incremental updates, the AI fiasco, intentionally grotesque design, recent price gouging (of apple products in general) - anyone else have general iPhone & Apple fatigue and just losing all interest?

All of those things.

Despite it being my job I’ve never been less enthusiastic about technology to be honest. It’s just quite frankly all **** or dehumanising now.

I am actually in the process of dumping all my stuff and moving to Linux on my desktop and a pixel 9A running GrapheneOS. They just get the hell out of the way and let me be a human.

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

he had a militant attitude towards customer experience

…at times.
Then, of course, there are the times where he didn’t give a crap about the customer experience at all, one time even emailing a customer the classic, you’re holding it wrong.
Or an absolutely massive list of moves him and Apple made during his time as the CEO that were not within the customer interest at all, because once again, he was a CEO. Of course he liked making products that people would enjoy, but at the end of the day, just like Tim Cook, just like the soon to be Ternus, his job was to satisfy one group of people, and it isn’t the customers. It’s the shareholders. He wasn’t your friend.

No mate just an off the cuff post for anyone to share their insights

Strange to me that the post I replied to is being entertained in any meaningful way
Of course that Apple died with Steve Jobs which is nothing new

That’s a really long way of saying that you made the post just to be rage bait, but at least you admit it. Not for discussion, not for arguments, not to have a spirited debate, you made it because you felt like making some rage bait. Good job. You earn a sticker

 

[xxr]

…at times.
Then, of course, there are the times where he didn’t give a crap about the customer experience at all, one time even emailing a customer the classic, you’re holding it wrong.
Or an absolutely massive list of moves him and Apple made during his time as the CEO that were not within the customer interest at all, because once again, he was a CEO. Of course he liked making products that people would enjoy, but at the end of the day, just like Tim Cook, just like the soon to be Ternus, his job was to satisfy one group of people, and it isn’t the customers. It’s the shareholders. He wasn’t your friend.


That’s a really long way of saying that you made the post just to be rage bait, but at least you admit it. Not for discussion, not for arguments, not to have a spirited debate, you made it because you felt like making some rage bait. Good job. You earn a sticker

Haha it wasn’t at all but good to chat nevertheless

 

[turbineseaplane]

Just a reminder that if the title/topic of a given thread doesn't appeal or apply to you, participation is not mandatory.

For example, if you do NOT have iPhone fatigue you are not obligated to participate in here at all.

One may always "scroll right by". It's a wonderful option to have.

😂 😊

 

[bodonnell202]

My iPhone still works as a tool for things I want it to do well which is:
-A communication tool to connect with family, fields, coworkers and clients
-A source of music and maps while in the car (via CarPlay)
-A half decent camera
-An alarm clock
-A place to do online banking
-A controller for a few things around the house (lights, thermostat, solar power monitoring)

Expecting a phone to wow you and revolutionize your life every year probably means you need a hobby or something to do with your time other than stare at a screen.

 

[HouseLannister]

Check your calendar for when Steve passed away and get back to me.

No, Steve Jobs isn't dead. He just went home.

 

[eyoungren]

I am actually in the process of dumping all my stuff and moving to Linux on my desktop and a pixel 9A running GrapheneOS. They just get the hell out of the way and let me be a human.

I'm from the school of forcing it to work the way I want it to by bending it all to my will. That largely comes from not having the money to upgrade stuff and therefore generally being behind about 15-20 years with Mac and 2-10 years with iDevices.

Jailbreaking my iPhones/iPads allowed me to do that up until about December 2020 when Apple finally became sufficient enough stock for me to work with. Since I do not keep my eggs all in one basket, it's easy to use third party alternatives.

For Mac, I was able to make PowerPC last until May 2020 when all my workarounds finally started failing. So, I fully finished my jump to Intel at that time. Ran Mojave for years. OCLP, since September 2024 has allowed me to run Sonoma on my 2009 Mac Pro. When that ultimately fails because Apple cuts off iCloud features to that version of MacOS, I'll be looking at the early M1 series Macs and will make the jump to those. By that time, somebody, somewhere will have figured out how to still make those Macs relevant to current things. Just like the OCLP people did with Intel.