Apple May Be Modifying iPhone 7 and iPhone 8 to Skirt German Sales Ban

[lostczech]

Can't they just sell the models with the Qualcomm chipset over there? Or did Qualcomm stop selling them chips?

If I'm not mistaken, the Qualcomm versions of the iPhone are intended mainly for CDMA networks (ie. Verizon/Sprint in the US), whereas Germany (and most of Europe) are solely on GSM networks. I think there is a missing LTE frequency or 2 on the Qualcomm versions.

Edit: Never mind, both variants operate the same LTE bands. Good question zorinlynx.. I have no idea

 

[zorinlynx]

Businesses usually buy one or two versions behind the current version.
MVNOs also tend to offer deals on older devices rather than new ones, so yes, the 7 and 8 are probably still selling very well.

Also, the 7 and 8 are the last models with TouchID, and a lot of people like TouchID.

I know I'm holding out as long as possible before moving to a FaceID phone!

 

[AngerDanger]

Make a 7 with a 4" screen and a headphone jack. You'll have something there. (SE2)

It might look sort of weird.

EDIT: I take that back; it's beautiful!

 

[macfacts]

Apple will get around this sooner or later.

iOS users are accustomed to work arounds. This is great.

 

[lostczech]

It might look sort of weird.

EDIT: I take that back; it's beautiful!

As the industry moves towards higher screen to body ratio, I think this is refreshing

 

[Tanglewood]

I'll never buy another Qualcomm product again.

A lot of the fast chargers like Anker use Qualcomm technology and with their push into the IoT environment there is a lot of random things that use their technology from fridges to cars.

 

[lenard]

I'll never buy another Qualcomm product again.

neither will I.

 

[H2SO4]

A lot of the fast chargers like Anker use Qualcomm technology and with their push into the IoT environment there is a lot of random things that use their technology from fridges to cars.

Yep but he's just about to throw all of his offending items in the bin.

 

[CarlJ]

I think it's funny Apple will retool older models for one country. Are the 7 and 8 still selling THAT well in Germany?

If you don't want to pay the price of an XS, and don't like the large size of the XR, the 8 is the next best offering from Apple. I just upgraded from a 6 to an 8 and I'm thrilled with it.

(Weirdly, I might have put up with the added bulk of the XR, if Apple had released their usual line of silicone cases for it - the clear case they released instead is cute, but too slick; on a phone that large I want some serious grip - you can get their silicone cases for literally every other phone they currently sell, but not the XR.)

(The XR is perhaps 10% faster than the 8, but both are 3-4x as fast as the 6. I would have liked FaceID, the 10% faster CPU, the 10% better camera, and more pixels, but not at the expense of the phone being harder to hold, harder to reach the corners of the screen, and more likely to drop, every single time I used it.)

 

[rp2011]

Why? Just put these to off to die. Especially if iOS 13 if not supporting these anymore. Hopefully iOS 13 is advanced enough and cuts off old legacy products at the knees and finally allows Apple to move forward.

 

[ghanwani]

I don’t know about Germany, but the 7 through 8+ were pretty popular in November

When I look at the chart I'm amazed at how popular the plus-sized phones are.

 

[dannyyankou]

When I look at the chart I'm amazed at how popular the plus-sized phones are.

I didn’t get it either, until I tried the XS for a couple weeks and decided to exchange it for the XS Max. Obnoxiously huge? Yes. But it’s great for watching videos and seeing more content on the screen.

 

[deaglecat]

So :-
a. Apple is able to allocate engineering resources to re-engineer the modem in a near obsolete Iphone7; but
b. Apple cannot (or chooses not to) allocate engineering resources to sort out the bending issue on the Ipad Pros..

 

[Sorig]

Why? Just put these to off to die. Especially if iOS 13 if not supporting these anymore. Hopefully iOS 13 is advanced enough and cuts off old legacy products at the knees and finally allows Apple to move forward.

Why would iOS 13 not support the iPhone 7 and the iPhone 8? The iPhone 8 has the same processor as the iPhone X. Should iOS 13 also not support the iPhone X?

Cutting support for their obviously more than capable recent products would not be a smart business decision.

 

[frifra]

Well, Apple did not follow through with ceasing all iphone 7 and 8 from third party resellers. Even not now:
You can buy an iphone 8 for example from the German supermarket discounter Lidl online: https://www.lidl.de/de/apple-iphone-8-64gb-lidl-connect-starterpaket-smart-s/p295926?

 

[trillionaire]

They must have run the data and it must have made sense, otherwise they wouldn't be doing it. At least that's the logical thing to assume.

 

[Breaking Good]

Businesses usually buy one or two versions behind the current version.

^^^^^This. At my employer, employees who are issued phones have the option of an iPhone 7 or Samsung Galaxy S8. Last year my wife's employer took back her Windows laptop and issued her a Samsung Galaxy S7 to do all of her work. She actually prefers carrying the phone over the laptop.

 

[KPandian1]

Especially if iOS 13 if not supporting these anymore. Hopefully iOS 13 is advanced enough and cuts off old legacy products at the knees and finally allows Apple to move forward.

What are you doing here?

Apple has millstone around its neck - the iPhones before the X versions? And, it needs to move forward?

Who will buy any Apple product after that?

In that case, no will move from iOS 12.

 

[trusso]

Put the headphone jack back in and you've got a phone people will want.

Or maybe a phone you want. I am part of people and I wouldn't give a toss about headphone jack.

Yes, but is that because you came to that viewpoint of your own volition? Or because big tech forced the issue and you simply learned to live without it?

Never mistake liberty for the illusion of liberty, my friend.

 

[B4U]

Apple should also put the floppy drive back into in their computers.

Not the same.
How hard is it to understand the difference?
Floppy is replaced by something else. Headphone jack is not replaced by anything else.
Don’t even get started to talk about Bluetooth. It is far inferior than a hard-wired headphone.

 

[Gezrah]

I wouldn't be surprised if these new models end up elsewhere around the world to curb any other potential sales bans that may eventuate. Or they'll just show up in other countries once exisiting channel stock runs out. These may simply be the new iPhone 7 and 8.

 

[Porco]

It might look sort of weird.

EDIT: I take that back; it's beautiful!

View attachment 820321

Comedy: That's hilarious.
Tragedy: I would genuinely choose that iPhone over an iPhone 7 or later (well, in Space Grey at least).

 

[rp2011]

Why would iOS 13 not support the iPhone 7 and the iPhone 8? The iPhone 8 has the same processor as the iPhone X. Should iOS 13 also not support the iPhone X?

Cutting support for their obviously more than capable recent products would not be a smart business decision.

It has to. iOS is a 2007 legacy product. It’s more than a decade old. Any company that wants to stay in business HAS to move forward. If it continues this way it will go the way of BlackBerry and all other legacy products that were too scared to upset old customers and ended up just dying.
You people are so myopic that you can’t see the forest for the trees.

 

[Eriamjh1138@DAN]

Hey, why not take it back even more??

I'm still waiting for Punchcards!

 

[HiVolt]

So what modem are they using? If Intel infringes, can't use Qualcomm, who else is out there?