Apple Reduces iPhone 7 Supplier Orders Amid 'Fading' Demand and 'iPhone 8' Excitement

[Pakaku]

If rumors are true then the iPhone 8 will have major engineering and design improvements. The iPhone 7 is pretty much identical to the last two generations before it.

But we also all know that Apple always goes for the two-generation cycle before bumping the number up. The S variants are usually improved, but that's all just under-the-hood. Never any case changes, except maybe improving the Jet Black coating this time.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

Why can't Apple put those efforts to Mac, it's the basis of the company.

Follow the money. It's always about the money... or "thinner."

 

[Ferc Kast]

The headphone jack is not outdated, LOL.

Wow, Apple's reality distortion field really did a number on you.

"Outdated: not modern or current <They replaced their outdated machinery.>" (Webster Dictionary) 50+ years is modern or current? Didn't think so.

For reference, the outdated floppy drives I mentioned were introduced in the 1970s. The audio jack was introduced in the 1950s...

 

[bladerunner2000]

"Outdated: not modern or current <They replaced their outdated machinery.>" (Webster Dictionary) 50+ years is modern or current? Didn't think so.

For reference, the outdated floppy drives I mentioned were introduced in the 1970s. The audio jack was introduced in the 1950s...

LOL, because logic says that even if it's old, the lack of a superior alternative still means it's 'outdated'

Sorry bud, I don't care how hard you try and believe what Apple told you, but the headphone jack is here to stay for a while longer. Maybe people will care to switch when something better comes along, but its not happening any time soon... and the alternative certainly isn't a DONGLE, LOL.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

"Outdated: not modern or current <They replaced their outdated machinery.>" (Webster Dictionary) 50+ years is modern or current? Didn't think so.

For reference, the outdated floppy drives I mentioned were introduced in the 1970s. The audio jack was introduced in the 1950s...

When were cameras and batteries introduced?

Will you be back with the tired apples-to-oranges floppy disc argument should Apple decide to kick either or both of those (more) antiquated technologies out of one of the next phones for "thinner" (while leaving the price the same or raising it)?

And VHS died AFTER better technology was in place and most everyone could recognize it as clearly superior. The movie sellers & renters didn't first have to kill off VHS to spur on interest in DVD. Instead, both were available together and consumers recognized that DVD was better and shifted on their own. Bluetooth is fine but not better. Any objective review will fault the most fundamental benefit- sound quality- vs. wired. Deliver better Bluetooth- or something else- so that the masses see (or in this case HEAR) it as superior and older standards like 3.5mm can fade away just like VHS did.

This "forcing" mentality is- IMO- borderline ridiculous. "Innovations" that have to be forced upon consumers are not very good innovations. If they are better, consumers go with them on their own. Force is required when a seller is trying to push something NOT obviously superior on buyers. Or a company can have the "we know best" mentality to build something as THEY want it and then hope their halo is strong enough to move the masses to like it as it's served up enough to buy it... and/or just roll with the hassles of making any such corporate decision work best they can as is evidenced by multiple posts within this very thread- people who bought the 7 anyway but are hassled by this particular choice. Those purchases are not validating the genius in the jack removal- fellow consumers admit it is a hassle for them. They are simply tolerating those hassles because the "whole" is more important to them than jumping through many other hoops to switch to something else.

Bluetooth has coexisted with wired for many years now. The masses did not see it as obviously superior enough to woo them to abandon wired options en masse (as it happened with DVD vs. VHS). Once it achieves obviously superior status, the masses could more easily roll with the switch. Forcing the issue just aggravates some consumers not so quick to swallow marketing spin as gospel.

 

[Danoc]

Every year is the same story. Of course shipments decrease over time. Of course next iPhone is going to be exciting.

Yet the iPhone 7 plus is still outsold in my local Apple Store.

I have the iPhone 7 and it's a hell of a package. Very satisfied with it. Until the next iPhone.

Remember Jobs, live today like it's your last day. Tough to do though.

 

[ph001bi]

Well, I am one of those 7 Plus owners who've upgraded from a 6S Plus and I certainly don't regret it.
The speed, the battery life, the screen quality and the better speakers were totally worth it.
I never use headphones so that "missing jack" thing went totally over my head.

 

[splitpea]

I'm on an 16Gb iPhone 5c and I'm due for an update. I'm so torn though. I really would like a new phone now since my phone currently doesn't support T-mobile's band 12 long range LTE and I could benefit from more storage capacity. But the iPhone 8 (I don't know if they'll be a 7s so lets just call it 8) is shaping up to such a major update that I'm tempted to hold off for another year. First world problems huh?

Why not get a secondhand 6 or SE to tide you over?

 

[gaximus]

Apple might add headphone jack in iPhone 8 to blow our mind! Also I didn't buy iPhone 7 because of lack of 3.5mm jack

Does this mean that you will never buy a phone without a headphone jack?

 

[rgarjr]

Shouldn't the next iPhone be called 7S and not 8 though?

 

[Ferc Kast]

When were cameras and batteries introduced?

Will you be back with the tired apples-to-oranges floppy disc argument should Apple decide to kick either or both of those (more) antiquated technologies out of one of the next phones for "thinner" (while leaving the price the same or raising it)?

And VHS died AFTER better technology was in place and most everyone could recognize it as clearly superior. The movie sellers & renters didn't first have to kill off VHS to spur on interest in DVD. Instead, both were available together and consumers recognized that DVD was better and shifted on their own. Bluetooth is fine but not better. Any objective review will fault the most fundamental benefit- sound quality- vs. wired. Deliver better Bluetooth- or something else- so that the masses see (or in this case HEAR) it as superior and older standards like 3.5mm can fade away just like VHS did.

This "forcing" mentality is- IMO- borderline ridiculous. "Innovations" that have to be forced upon consumers are not very good innovations. If they are better, consumers go with them on their own. Force is required when a seller is trying to push something NOT obviously superior on buyers. Or a company can have the "we know best" mentality to build something as THEY want it and then hope their halo is strong enough to move the masses to like it as it's served up enough to buy it... and/or just roll with the hassles of make any such corporate decision work best they can.

Bluetooth is here, and has better battery life then it had. If you don't want to embrace it, you're SOL because it's the future, even if you refuse to accept it.

Irony: people pushing Apple for WIRELESS charging, but don't want WIRELESS headphones that are significantly better than the obsolete ones.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

Shouldn't the next iPhone be called 7S and not 8 though?

We only think we see patterns... much like we think "10th anniversary" automatically means something extra special, including much spin among ourselves that Apple is probably holding back features because they want them to be in the extra super-duper 10th anniversary phone.

How often has Apple themselves made some big fuss about round number anniversaries? For example, in April of this year, a MASSIVE Apple "round number" anniversary occurred that I think should be classified as bigger than any individual product anniversary. If you don't know what that one was, this might help. And what came out of Apple to celebrate that one?

No doubt the rumors piling up about the next phone seem impressive. But I think timing is just evolutionary coincidence... not Apple insiders plotting for years now to roll out big innovations- or even hold some innovations back- to coincide with the coincidence of a 10th anniversary.

 

[Westside guy]

The iPhone 8 will have no openings at all. Charging will be done inductively, and microphone input will require use of a separate device (e.g. an updated version of the Ear Pods which will include a mic).

You heard it here first...

Also, to demonstrate the courage making these design decisions required, Jony Ive will have all the openings in his head surgically sealed.

 

[smulji]

It would be really funny if this iPhone 8 was just an iPhone 7s. So funny I would cry!

As of right now, Samsung is the only company that has the capability to supply Apple with next-gen OLED panels in 2017. The rest (LG, Japan Display, etc.) won't be ready until 2018. If Apple can't source enough OLED panels from Samsung, you better believe the backup plan is a 7S / 7S Plus, but with glass casing.

 

[bladerunner2000]

Bluetooth is here, and has better battery life then it had. If you don't want to embrace it, you're SOL because it's the future, even if you refuse to accept it.

Bluetooth's audio quality still sucks balls. Next, it's another device that you need to remember to have to recharge on a regular basis. It also drains battery life on your main device. Despite all these negatives, for some reason bluetooth headphones are still ludicrously priced.

And you want us to switch from simple 3.5mm jack to this junk? No thanks.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

Bluetooth is here, and has better battery life then it had. If you don't want to embrace it, you're SOL because it's the future, even if you refuse to accept it.

Irony: people pushing Apple for WIRELESS charging, but don't want WIRELESS headphones that are significantly better than the obsolete ones.

Sound Quality. Why ignore the most fundamental benefit of any kind of headphones? Rhetorical. Bluetooth still doesn't compete with the sound quality of wired headphones. Thus, that MUST be ignored to try to rationalize the bluetooth argument. Even Apple doesn't completely buy "bluetooth is better." Else, why include a Lightning to 3.5mm adapter in the box? And why build the "obsolete" jack into the brand new(er) MBpros? And why- per rumors- keep it in next year's iPads?

But if we want to get into secondary benefits and just ignore the most important one, how about latency, ubiquity, no need for batteries or the hassles in charging them at all, maximum audio bandwidth, don't fly out of our ears, less likely to get lost, shorter lifetimes before they fail, etc. In the spirit of "thinner & lighter" how about less to carry in our bags? I don't buy "lighter" if I pretty much need to carry extra stuff in the bag to have utility that used to come inside.

"Better battery life" is missing the point. In fact, my particular wired headphones have a battery in them that outlasts any set of Bluetooth batteries. So if it's all about "better battery life," apparently I have the best headphones in the world.

 

[dan110]

Easily the worst part of owning an iPhone 7 for me. The phone is excellent other than this omission. It has bit me in the ass many times now as I don't carry the dongle around with me all the time.

Even at home, the whole, "crap I have to find that adapter" is annoying. As a musician, I knew this could be a problem. Just didn't realize how annoying it was going to be.

Can we permanently post this for all the people that said, "There's a dongle. You can still use it with your headphone jack."

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

The iPhone 8 will have no openings at all. Charging will be done inductively, and microphone input will require use of a separate device (e.g. an updated version of the Ear Pods which will include a mic).

You heard it here first...

So this new iPhone will have no speakers?

And I know everyone is already burning for Airpods 2.

 

[dan110]

So this new iPhone will have no speakers?

And I know everyone is already burning for Airpods 2.

Speakers are so 20th century technology. You will receive HD 3D surround sound via bone induction through your fingertips. You heard it first here folks! #courage

 

[smulji]

Bluetooth's audio quality still sucks balls. Next, it's another device that you need to remember to have to recharge on a regular basis. It also drains battery life on your main device. Despite all these negatives, for some reason bluetooth headphones are still ludicrously priced.

And you want us to switch from simple 3.5mm jack to this junk? No thanks.

Generally, I would agree with you but the Beats Solo 3 with the W1 chip have changed my opinion. In terms of range, connection strength, battery life, they're surprisingly really good.

 

[bladerunner2000]

Sound Quality. Why ignore the most fundamental benefit of any kind of headphones? Rhetorical. Bluetooth still doesn't compete with the sound quality of wired headphones. Thus, that MUST be ignored to try to rationalize the bluetooth argument. Even Apple doesn't completely buy "bluetooth is better." Else, why include a Lightning to 3.5mm adapter in the box? And why build the "obsolete" jack into the brand new(er) MBpros? And why- per rumors- keep it in next year's iPads?

But if we want to get into secondary benefits and just ignore the most important one, how about latency, ubiquity, no need for batteries or the hassles in charging them at all, maximum audio bandwidth, don't fly out of our ears, less likely to get lost, lower lifetimes before they fail, etc.

"Better battery life" is missing the point. In fact, my particular wired headphones have a battery in them that outlasts any set of Bluetooth batteries. So if it's all about "better battery life," apparently I have the best headphones in the world.

Ethered.

I love it when posts like this smack people right in the face.

 

[ghost187]

I don't know why this iPhone 8 fantasy has gained such traction (if it has, actually) in the minds of the public. It might as well be called "iPhone Pipedream". The rumors it's based off of are the sketchiest type of rumor I see on this site. The type of rumor that is most often wrong or so dimly connected from what actually ships as to be next to idle speculation. It would be more prudent to wait for parts leaks before pinning all one'a purchasing hopes on an imagined panacea model.

Totally agree with you. It'll take substantial evidence to prove that Apple will skip the 7S. Also, things like wireless charging over the air, and curved oled bezelless displays seem like innovations that Apple isn't capable of considering their recent track record.

 

[2010mini]

When were cameras and batteries introduced?

Will you be back with the tired apples-to-oranges floppy disc argument should Apple decide to kick either or both of those (more) antiquated technologies out of one of the next phones for "thinner" (while leaving the price the same or raising it)?

And VHS died AFTER better technology was in place and most everyone could recognize it as clearly superior. The movie sellers & renters didn't first have to kill off VHS to spur on interest in DVD. Instead, both were available together and consumers recognized that DVD was better and shifted on their own. Bluetooth is fine but not better. Any objective review will fault the most fundamental benefit- sound quality- vs. wired. Deliver better Bluetooth- or something else- so that the masses see (or in this case HEAR) it as superior and older standards like 3.5mm can fade away just like VHS did.

This "forcing" mentality is- IMO- borderline ridiculous. "Innovations" that have to be forced upon consumers are not very good innovations. If they are better, consumers go with them on their own. Force is required when a seller is trying to push something NOT obviously superior on buyers. Or a company can have the "we know best" mentality to build something as THEY want it and then hope their halo is strong enough to move the masses to like it as it's served up enough to buy it... and/or just roll with the hassles of making any such corporate decision work best they can as is evidenced by multiple posts within this very thread- people who bought the 7 anyway but are hassled by this particular choice. Those purchases are not validating the genius in the jack removal- fellow consumers admit it is a hassle for them. They are simply tolerating those hassles because the "whole" is more important to them than jumping through many other hoops to switch to something else.

Bluetooth has coexisted with wired for many years now. The masses did not see it as obviously superior enough to woo them to abandon wired options en masse (as it happened with DVD vs. VHS). Once it achieves obviously superior status, the masses could more easily roll with the switch. Forcing the issue just aggravates some consumers not so quick to swallow marketing spin as gospel.

Cameras and batteries are a bad example. Both have been and are constantly updated. Not so for the audio jack. For me the real reason was they needed the space. Pure and simple. Let's all move on as this subject has been beaten to death.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

Ethered.

I love it when posts like this smack people right in the face.

What smack in the face? The "Apple is always right" crowd just ignores facts if Apple seems to endorse ignoring them. When the facts collide with where Apple wants us to go, we just spin other arguments as hard as we can that supports the concept. And if some doesn't accept our spin, we'll call them "trolls" and ask them what they are doing here.

Bigger screen phones were abominations per one handed use, pants with bigger pockets, developer fragmentation, etc while Apple clung to smaller screen sizes. Then Apple shifted, "shut up and take my money" and I'm still to see pants with bigger pockets, etc.

With this bluetooth stuff, "we" just ignore the fundamentals of sound quality, latency, etc. Instead we key on the hassles of wires getting caught on things to make Apple's decision best fit what Apple has decided to sell now. Of course, all these years that Apple shipped wired earbuds, we found no fault with Apple for doing so. And even here, they shipped wired buds but we won't fault Apple for doing so either. Wires are fine for those happy with Apple's wired buds. Wires are antiquated and get caught on everything for those arguing for Bluetooth.

Everyone got slapped in the face with this decision because it went from one non-proprietary, universal, "just works" (with anything), thoroughly ubiquitous standard capable of the very best audio quality human ears can hear to a state of audio fragmentation with 3 forks (and all of the dongles required therein) that will persist for many years to come.

 

[Ferc Kast]

Bluetooth's audio quality still sucks balls. Next, it's another device that you need to remember to have to recharge on a regular basis. It also drains battery life on your main device. Despite all these negatives, for some reason bluetooth headphones are still ludicrously priced.

And you want us to switch from simple 3.5mm jack to this junk? No thanks.

Guess what? Apple left a port for you people that still prefer wired headphones...it's called the Lightning port. Guess what else? If you don't have headphones with a Lightning cable, Apple gives you an adapter for FREE in the box with the iPhone. Guess what else? If you don't want to use the adapter, you have either have the new stero speakers, your old iPhone or the Android ecosystem.

But just because you call it junk, doesn't make it so. That said, the opposite is also true: just because I say it isn't doesn't mean it is the best thing since sliced bread. I'm simply saying is still an improvement over fraying wires, wires getting caught on doorknobs...need I go on? And by virtue of being wire-free, it does have a battery to power the connection between the accessory and the product; e.g. wireless keyboards and mice. As it stands now, it is a viable replacement for the obsolete tech you cling to desperately.

Scary concept, right, that they thought of everything?