Okay again. Apple recognizes that the upgrade cycle average is 3 years now. I don’t know how else to say this.
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iPhone 15 Pro's Next-Gen Chip Capabilities Expected to Spark Upgrade Demand Among Current iPhone Owners
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For the average user the performance gains may not make a huge difference, perhaps those who use their phones for gaming will be interested in the improved performance. The iPhone has always had great performance, just not great cooling when it comes to graphics and gaming performance. I, for one, would be really excited for the battery life gains the 3nm process could bring.
You have no idea how powerful an iPhone is.
It's powerful enough to run a Wii and not get much heat at all.
Or to virtualize a whole PC.
Unfortunately, Apple themselves make emulation much harder on iOS, and they intentionally cripple virtualization.
For example, iPhones and iPads actually have access to a hypervisor, but Apple blocks those features for regular programmers (you can access it through obscure exploits).
Sure, Apple can keep blocking virtualization and emulation all they want "because it's a smartphone," but then they shouldn't act surprised when they notice users aren't magically upgrading their phones because they market a faster processor.
They could give us a processor that's a 1,000,000 times faster and can run a nuclear simulation, but all that processing power is useless if we can't use it.
I upgraded in 2021 to 13 from an iPhone 8 that had a battery that was dying. My brother still uses an iPhone 11 and has no interest in upgrading, nothing in the newer phones are compelling enough. People that wants the homebutton are eyeing the SE, not a really expensive new phone.
People still holding out will keep holding out until their phone dies and then go for the cheapest alternative, I don't think they will suddenly go "wow" and replace their phone early, for a _very_ expensive phone.
I'm only upgrading because I bought an iPhone 12 originally to see if I would like it more than Android after being on Pixels for a while. I do, so want a iPhone with USB-C. And then going to hold on to it for a while since iPhones get software upgrades for so long.
Go outside and ask 10 people what processor their iPhone has and chances are, no one knows.
Ask 100 people what their current processor does, chances are equally the same.
Believe you/me when I tell you, nobody cares. All people see is form factor these days. Bragging rites for when they’re in public, as a status symbol.
Why does Apple even bother?
Ask 100 people what their current processor does, chances are equally the same.
Believe you/me when I tell you, nobody cares. All people see is form factor these days. Bragging rites for when they’re in public, as a status symbol.
Why does Apple even bother?
Off the top of my head, upgrading from my iPhone X (which I still really like), I would get the following:
3nm chip A17 vs the 10nm A11 on iPhone X - noticeable performance gains
Bigger, brighter screen
120hz refresh rate
fast USB-C (rumoured)
ultrawide camera
much better main camera
lidar - FWIW
macro mode
night mode
dolby vision video capture
extra zoom on the telephoto
lighter titanium frame (rumoured)
much longer battery
always on display
more RAM; faster RAM (minimum 6GB vs 3GB)
better water/dust resistance
and a whole ream of iOS features that were for the A12 chip or later (e.g. live text, offline siri etc.) plus whatever iOS features are exclusive to the 3nm chip.
Can't wait for September
3nm chip A17 vs the 10nm A11 on iPhone X - noticeable performance gains
Bigger, brighter screen
120hz refresh rate
fast USB-C (rumoured)
ultrawide camera
much better main camera
lidar - FWIW
macro mode
night mode
dolby vision video capture
extra zoom on the telephoto
lighter titanium frame (rumoured)
much longer battery
always on display
more RAM; faster RAM (minimum 6GB vs 3GB)
better water/dust resistance
and a whole ream of iOS features that were for the A12 chip or later (e.g. live text, offline siri etc.) plus whatever iOS features are exclusive to the 3nm chip.
Can't wait for September
Except if iPhone 15 Pro has increased memory bandwidth similar to M2 to companion whatever AR/VR headset Apple has in store then it would make sense. Couple this with computation photography for higher res pictures and videos and hopefully a DeX like experience would justify an upgrade from enthusiasts like me.
Connecting via USB-C or even AirPlay 2 to an external display would bring up an iPadOS like experience in its initial offering would be a good start, having a desktop experience would be better but hey this is Apple that would be saved for the iPad lineup.
From what I gather UTM on an iPhone is not exactly a good experience speed wise. Running something and running it well enough to be usable as a replacement for a PC are two different things.
Come on, Apple! Making some real innovation in mobile phones, not just a totally irrelevant speed bump. Other manufacturers are introducing (long time ago) long zoom lenses, foldable phones, under-display cameras etc etc. iPhone 12 here. I see no reason to upgrade until my phone fails.
I love it when analysts buy a bunch of Apple stock, release news that the new chip will spark a huge upgrade cycle, and then sell the news. Nobody is upgrading their iPhone because the new chip is a lot faster. I would say not even the Apple nerds like me, because honestly the speed doesn't make a big difference for me, but I also buy the new iPhone every year anyway. Would stop if it wasn't so easy on the iPhone Upgrade Program because I'm not going more than two years between upgrades.
Perhaps if the new chip can enable a much better camera system or something people actually care about, but I doubt it. Split screen multitasking would be cool. iPhone displays are so huge now it makes sense. I could see them adding 8K recording this year, but I don't care about it. What am I going to watch it on? And even so 4K doesn't look bad at all, not even close. There is no 8K TV I could afford this decade that will be big enough to make it worthwhile. I think they could improve the Action mode to full 4K and improve the Cinematic mode to 4K60, maybe finally increase the Slow Motion mode to use higher frame rates and resolutions. AI could be improved for image processing.
But yeah people won't upgrade just because of a faster chip in a phone. In a Mac sure, not in an iPhone.
Perhaps if the new chip can enable a much better camera system or something people actually care about, but I doubt it. Split screen multitasking would be cool. iPhone displays are so huge now it makes sense. I could see them adding 8K recording this year, but I don't care about it. What am I going to watch it on? And even so 4K doesn't look bad at all, not even close. There is no 8K TV I could afford this decade that will be big enough to make it worthwhile. I think they could improve the Action mode to full 4K and improve the Cinematic mode to 4K60, maybe finally increase the Slow Motion mode to use higher frame rates and resolutions. AI could be improved for image processing.
But yeah people won't upgrade just because of a faster chip in a phone. In a Mac sure, not in an iPhone.
Some older media article reported that the iPhone is relatively powerful enough today than it was decades ago.
"Put simply, the iPhone 6’s clock is 32,600 times faster than the best Apollo era computers and could perform instructions 120,000,000 times faster. You wouldn’t be wrong in saying an iPhone could be used to guide 120,000,000 Apollo-era spacecraft to the moon, all at the same time."
^ zmescience.com
"Apollo 11 anniversary: Could an iPhone fly me to the moon?"
^ independent.co.uk
""The iPhone in your pocket has over 100,000 times the processing power of the computer that landed man on the Moon 50 years ago," computer scientist Graham Kendall from the University of Nottingham explained last year in The Conversation. Of course, this is not altogether surprising."
^ sciencealert.com
Does anyone really need that much 'power' from one year to the next, even if it's just relatively incremental upgrades? No.
Basically, keep using whatever iPhone model one uses because it fits You. Don't pay attention to all the hype from others esp. Apple.
Apple just wants to make sales for its products and keep its profit margin high.
Flossy Carter said something similar in his 14 Pro/Pro Max video. Go ask people what battery they got or processor and he said no one cares. The phone just works.
He mentioned he like the 13 Green colorway but said he had to get the 14 for that Purple so people would know he wasn't a peasant, he was joking but really I don't think people really look at cell phones like they did when you had to be on AT&T to get an iphone. Now you can go to walmart and buy one and pretty much every carrier will let you pay for it on your bill so it's not like you have to drop $1100 out the door. I could see someone sitting next to you maybe seeing the dynamic island on your phone and asking about it but honestly for me I'd be more interesting if someone pulled out the Moto flip fold phone or one of Samsung's foldable just because it's something you're less likely to see day to day. Eventually Apple will release a foldable. It's about to the point that camera/processor isn't going to be enough to make a person upgrade.
You left out 5G😎 but I'm in the same boat as you. I currently have an X. Upgrading to the 15 seems more justified than a person with a 13/14
Yeah sure, because the main reason to upgrade is to move to 3nm technology. Nobody considers their phone purchases based on the type of technology it uses. If and when your phone stops receiving updates, if and when your battery doesn't hold a charge, if and when you dropped the thing and it's a wreck, this is when you upgrade. Clearly, this is taken from a Digitimes article as it doesn't bear any kind of resemblance with the reality people live in.
Apple's upcoming iPhone 15 Pro models may spark a "replacement demand" among owners of older iPhones, due to the significant improvements enabled by the A17 processor, Apple's first iPhone chip based on TSMC's first-generation 3-nanometer process.
That's according to suppliers involved in Apple's iPhone supply chain. Quoting from the latest DigiTimes industry report:
As we've been hearing lately, Apple is widely expected to adopt TSMC's 3nm technology this year for the A17 Bionic chip that is likely to power the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max models.
The first-gen 3nm process (also known as N3) is said to deliver a 35% power efficiency improvement over TSMC's 5nm-based N4 fabrication process, which was used to make the A16 Bionic chip for the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max. The N3 technology will also offer significantly improved performance compared to current chips manufactured on 5nm.
Reports suggest Apple has procured 100% of the initial orders for the first-gen 3nm technology, despite the higher costs involved in manufacturing, suggesting rival smartphone vendors like Samsung are willing to wait until prices come down while they weather what is expected to be a bleak 2023 for the Android market amid global economic turbulence.
Apple's faster A17 chips will be limited to the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max, while the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus will adopt the A16 chip that was first used in the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max. TSMC is poised to move N3E – an enhanced version of N3 – to commercial production in the second half of this year, and Apple is again expected to be the first customer to adopt the process.
The 2023 iPhone 15 Pro models are expected to feature USB-C instead of Lightning, solid-state volume and power buttons, new periscope camera technology, a tweaked design, and more. For all the details, check out our dedicated iPhone 15 Pro roundup.
Article Link: iPhone 15 Pro's Next-Gen Chip Capabilities Expected to Spark Upgrade Demand Among Current iPhone Owners
Really?
I can tell zero difference in battery life from the day I bought my 13 until now.
It's not that nobody cares. People do care, but the newer processor has to do newer things or actually make the life of the user faster.
What happens is that Apple is giving us a speed bump, but isn't allowing developers to MAKE USE of that speed. So what's the point of having a better processor? That's what I'm arguing.
People will definitely care when Apple lifts some of the restrictions iOS has. It was initially designed with the notion that phone processors were extremely limited, but we are not facing those constraints anymore (or at least they are not as harsh as they used to be).
People who think their current iPhones are more than powerful enough are forgetting the next version of iOS is already being developed alongside these next-gen chips. This means your current iPhones will age a lot faster in terms of performance because Apple will take full advantage of the incredible new A17 series.
The same people above will probably yell planned obsolescence too while everyone else is upgrading to enjoy all the new technology.
The same people above will probably yell planned obsolescence too while everyone else is upgrading to enjoy all the new technology.
That makes no sense.
CPUs don't age. They remain with the same power until they break.
What happens is some apps keep adding more advanced features to app or using more sophisticated APIs, which demand a faster processor.
However, there's not much more you can make with the current features to do even that.
And Apple dares increasing the bloat, we users aren't stupid. Myself, I will just either buy an Android phone which I can customize with a different Android distro, or simply get 100% tired and buy a dumb phone (and maybe run an Android emulator for apps that require Android).
Yes this is the HW/SW story since the beginning. Get the new HW, crush everything until SW catches up, then they make new HW, and the SW made for that slogs the previous gen, so people upgrade, and this goes on forever...