iPhone 8 to Feature 5.8-Inch OLED Display With 5.15-Inch Main Screen and Virtual Buttons Below

[smacrumon]

Apple 2007-2011 -- Make great products that customers love, and in turn make great profits.
Great way to attract and keep customers on Mac and iOS for years.

Apple 2012-current -- Make great profits, dispose of perfect design and function standards, make baffling product decisions.
Great way to lose customers to Windows and Android for years.

The new device is too expensive, lacks symmetry and too gimmicky. Touch bar on a touch screen?... OKAY???

 

[getbretweir]

I still prefer Steve Jobs' era. One model 2 Color, much lesser confusion like now.
Wish Tim will only sell the best model which mean the best size for majority, the best performance, best camera, best audio etc. I don't think it is necessary to create so many variation. Currently have 3 storage with 5 Colours, 2 size, total of 30 models for customer to choose, it is really irritating and confusing!

Having a choice between 3 models confuses you? You must hate car shopping.

 

[honglong1976]

best way to waterproof something? remove all the buttons and sockets. Also, more room inside to add stuff.

After trying a force touchpad on a macbook pro, it really feels like a second click. Bit off a buzz on the apple watch though.
[doublepost=1487235790][/doublepost]

Three things;
- hate how the display isn't centred, not zen, not balanced, has no symmetry, reminds me of iPod nano,
- hate the idea of a seperate function area — the whole damn screen should be function area,
- hate the pricing, the top of the line all-new iPhone 1,3,4,5 all had reasonable pricing, this top of the line all-new device has insanity written all over the price tag, if this isn't a grab for cash, I don't know what is. It should fail on launch just for that aspect.
Steve Jobs' simplicity is completely down the drain. Too many executives flushed it away years ago.

Side note — NO ONE WANTS IPHONE 6SSSS (ie NO FOURTH GENERATION OF IPHONE 6!)

Sometimes I feel Apple absolutely has a dead heart for its loyal customers as well as its workforce. They just do not let up on pulling customer cash out of the pockets of hardworking people. Pure unethical business model they've got going on.

This is just your opinion. Based on what your want and like. What the rest of the world wants and like may be different.

Check out the sales and share price. Apple are doing something right

 

[smacrumon]

best way to waterproof something? remove all the buttons and sockets. Also, more room inside to add stuff.

After trying a force touchpad on a macbook pro, it really feels like a second click. Bit off a buzz on the apple watch though.
[doublepost=1487235790][/doublepost]

This is just your opinion. Based on what your want and like. What the rest of the world wants and like may be different.

Check out the sales and share price. Apple are doing something right

Isn't not really what I like, but more facts. The display is not centred, fact, the price is insane, fact, iPhone 7s is a forth iPhone 6ssss.

Apple's sales in recent six months got a boost from Samsungs recall, fact. Prior to that, sales were trending flat. Sales aren't growing like in years earlier, and it has nothing to do with market saturation because there are so many android user to convert still, but they won't come across because the design and pricing mix is completely weak.

Apple is capping it's own market share deliberately.

 

[gnasher729]

I like it. Presumably, apps would still be able to go full screen and hide any buttons, just like they do now with the top bar, etc.

I would very much hope so. Playing videos in a 5.1" area of a 5.8" screen would be just stupid.
[doublepost=1487236570][/doublepost]

Wait so the screen won't really be 5.8 Inch?

This is all a rumour. Don't expect someone posting a rumour to understand how this is actually going to work. But here's some common sense: Putting in two screens, one 5.1", one 0.7", would be stupid. So there is one screen of 5.8". Not letting you use all 5.8" for playing videos would be stupid. So apps _can_ use all the area, but then you can't use the home button, so they have to find a way to get the home button back.
[doublepost=1487236886][/doublepost]

For comparison, how big is the "useable display area" of the current 5.5" phone?
Edit: Nvm, it is actually 5.5" exactly. So the iPhone 8 will actually have a slightly smaller screen.

Comparing iPhone 8 and iPhone 7+. You should compare iPhone 8 and iPhone 7 or iPhone 8+ and iPhone 7+. Plus there is the question whether whoever started the rumour actually knows what they are talking about.

 

[thekeyring]

Where will facetime camera and phone speaker go?

Some rumours say Apple has developed ways of putting the camera and phone speaker under the display.

 

[gnasher729]

No chance it starts at $999.

Keeping the 7 design around for a 4th year is pathetic.

Porsche has a design from 1956 and still using it with few changes.
[doublepost=1487237422][/doublepost]

I don't like the direction this is headed. It's like what manufacturer's are doing with football jerseys over here, they have like 3 versions of almost the same thing to hit every price point. You can pay €90 for an Adidas soccer jersey and not have the best model, no you have to pay €120 for the ones the players actually wear. Great way to alienate your customers, Apple.

Your iPhone 6 hasn't stopped working suddenly. Even your iPhone 4s is still working just fine.

Apple releases something slightly better every year. Buying something "slightly better" every year is stupid. You buy when the yearly changes add up to something that is _a lot_ better. If someone buys iPhone 6, 6s, 7 and 8, they are stupid. Normal people might by an iPhone 6, and then an iPhone 8. Or an iPhone 5s, and then an iPhone 8.

And Apple itself works against "buy every new model" by always releasing two models that looks the same. So nobody with a 6s in their hand can easily find out that yours is an outdated 6 and put you to shame.
[doublepost=1487237848][/doublepost]

1334 x 750
2800 x 1242
2436 x 1125

Can anyone who understand graphics pls explain how existing apps will work on new resolution?

They'll work without any problem unless the app is written by some complete idiot. They work on an iPhone 5, 6 and 6+ already - that's done by the app looking at the screen size, and either making everything bigger (if the app wants to show just a certain amount of information, you make it bigger to use the bigger screen), or by putting more information on the screen (if the app has more information then would fit on the screen anyway). Lots of apps don't even have a specific design for an iPad and treat it just like a _huge_ iPhone.

 

[Azzin]

Funnily enough this is exactly what the tech pundits said about removing the headphone jack. If I'm not mistaken the phone with no headphone jack just delivered Apple a record quarter.

Happens every year.

The doomed brigade pair up with the Steve must be rolling in his grave brigade get together and hold a wake, just before Apple posts record sales &/or profits.

 

[Ballis]

If this means putting touch ID beneath the screen, fine. If it means omitting touch ID in favour of an alternative biometric sollution, not so much.

 

[Mescagnus]

The iPhone X has been developed at a top secret facility in Israel, to control leaks.

To further mitigate leaks, Apple will announce the new iPhone in June, at the first event to be held at their new HQ.

They'll start taking preorders months in advance to a September shipping date.

Timeline is a bit different from Apple Watch launch, but the steps are the same: announce early (at the opening of their Spaceship Campus) deliver later in the September schedule. Supplies will be very tight September through December.

The future of smartphones starts in June. Samsung's S8 will not steal the show this year, and people will have time to prepare for the price starting at $1.089

 

[JulianL]

I'm liking what I'm hearing in the most recent rumours. For the last couple of years my thoughts have been gradually drifting towards jumping ship to Android. A much bigger screen in the existing 4.7" form factor (or close to it) with lots of attention given to battery life will be enough to keep me in the iPhone camp. The one thing I hope they nail on the first iteration is the under-screen fingerprint sensor (FS) though. I love how invisible the FS is on my 6s, it's as if it isn't there at all; it just works. I would hate for there to be any regression there.

...Apple releases something slightly better every year...

That reminds me of the one thing that drives me absolutely crazy at every iPhone launch - when Tim Cook stands up and says "this is the best iPhone we've ever made" in a tone of voice that implies that actually means something sensible, and the audience all clap when he says it. Of course it's the best iPhone you've ever made, it's the latest model developed a year after the last one. What else would you say? "Here's the latest iPhone, which is great, but it's not quite as good as the one we released a year ago"? Please Tim, help me keep my blood pressure under control this year and skip that completely fatuous statement.

 

[Abazigal]

Apple 2007-2011 -- Make great products that customers love, and in turn make great profits.
Great way to attract and keep customers on Mac and iOS for years.

Apple 2012-current -- Make great profits, dispose of perfect design and function standards, make baffling product decisions.
Great way to lose customers to Windows and Android for years.

The new device is too expensive, lacks symmetry and too gimmicky. Touch bar on a touch screen?... OKAY???

Just throwing this out again. Losing customers to Windows and Android? The numbers tell the exact opposite!

https://www.aboveavalon.com/notes/2016/12/6/milking-the-iphone

The iPhone installed base has grown by 500M users.
The iPad installed base has grown by 175M users.
The Mac installed base has grown by 50M users.
Apple introduced Apple Watch, the company's first wearable product. Approximately 18M Apple Watches, a device positioned as an iPhone accessory, have been sold to date.
Apple is earning more than $6B per year of revenue through app sales via the App Store.
Apple successfully made the difficult jump from a paid music download model to streaming and is approaching 20M paying Apple Music subscribers.
Apple continues to push forward with Apple TV. The company is approaching 10M units sold since the device was updated in 2015.
Apple continues to develop key services including Apple Pay, Messages, and Maps.

This was last year, before Apple posted another record quarter.

 

[btrach144]

I don't know about you guys, but I have fairly large hands and I don't feel the current 4.7" phone is a comfortable one-handed experience, especially not with the butter smooth, rounded edges. Bring back the sharp, squareness of the iPhone 4!

Large hands and you can't use the 4.7"?

I have med-large hands and I can 1 hand my 5.5". Granted I learned how to one hand a 6" Nokia 1520 but still.

Are you Donald Trump? He thinks his hands are large but they're technically below average size.

 

[JulianL]

The iPhone X has been developed at a top secret facility in Israel, to control leaks.

To further mitigate leaks, Apple will announce the new iPhone in June, at the first event to be held at their new HQ.

They'll start taking preorders months in advance to a September shipping date.

...

The future of smartphones starts in June. Samsung's S8 will not steal the show this year, and people will have time to prepare for the price starting at $1.089

I hope you're right. I'm still holding out for that too. It is 10th anniversary year and I suspect there is a strong attraction within Apple to actually do this launch on the anniversary which definitely gives your theory credence. They've missed the announcement date anniversary (that was in January) but June 29th was the actual release date of the first iPhone (that's a Thursday this year) so maybe something might happen then.

The other benefit is rumours that the next iPad will have a 10.<something>" edge-to-edge screen in existing 9.7" form factor but they don't want to steal iPhone's thunder on that feature so will delay the next iPad launch from the usual March/April time and push it out to after the next iPhone is announced. Getting the iPhone announcement out earlier than September would also mean less delay on the next iPad launch which would surely be a good thing for Apple as well.

 

[colorfuel]

I'd buy an iphone 5-SE sized phone with a larger screen. Albeit I preferred the iPhone 4 size for usability, it may just be a bit too small nowadays.

 

[honglong1976]

Isn't not really what I like, but more facts. The display is not centred, fact, the price is insane, fact, iPhone 7s is a forth iPhone 6ssss.

Apple's sales in recent six months got a boost from Samsungs recall, fact. Prior to that, sales were trending flat. Sales aren't growing like in years earlier, and it has nothing to do with market saturation because there are so many android user to convert still, but they won't come across because the design and pricing mix is completely weak.

Apple is capping it's own market share deliberately.

The iPhone 7S is not actually released yet: Fact!
All of this is purely speculation: Fact!

I know a guy at work who doesn't like iPhones and he said Apple Watches are rubbish so obviously no one likes iPhones and Apple Watches are rubbish. He wears a blue jumper so I believe him!

This guy is never wrong!

(hahahaha)

Sales are terrible to compared the early years I agree, especially based on the actual sales figures.
https://www.statista.com/statistics/276306/global-apple-iphone-sales-since-fiscal-year-2007/

iPhone 2007 - 1.39 million
iPhone 3G - 11.63 million
iPhone 3G - 20.73 million
iPhone 7 - 211.88 million

Definitely the iPhone sold much better in the early years when it had zero brand recognition and the iPhone was so expensive to buy!

Wish Apple would sell 1 million a year like they used to. Damn you Tim Cook!

 

[Dave245]

Makes me laugh, people are already complaining about the next iPhone and it's not even been announced or released yet and most of the people who are complaining will end up buying it. The new iPhone will end up selling very well, we know this and Apple know's it, that's why they are rumoured to be starting production earlier this year.

 

[HansDiag]

touch-buttons are one of main reasons i hate android devices... please don't...
[doublepost=1487242262][/doublepost]

Am I the only one who is really freaked out by this facial recognition rumour? So, all anyone has to do to unlock my iPhone is point it in my face? Or worse a photo of me? Not to go to much down this law road but for instance you get arrested and they want to search your iPhone - they just hold it in front of your face and it unlocks? THAT is scary!! Give me finger or iris backed up by passcode any day. There must be some sort of work around to this, like finger scan AND face on camera? I dunno.. This sounds weird to me..

dont know if this came up already, i wont read through 10 pages of comments:

https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2016/05/iphone-fingerprint-search-warrant/480861/

 

[rikscha]

The iPhone 7S is not actually released yet: Fact!
All of this is purely speculation: Fact!

I know a guy at work who doesn't like iPhones and he said Apple Watches are rubbish so obviously no one likes iPhones and Apple Watches are rubbish. He wears a blue jumper so I believe him!

This guy is never wrong!

(hahahaha)

Sales are terrible to compared the early years I agree, especially based on the actual sales figures.
https://www.statista.com/statistics/276306/global-apple-iphone-sales-since-fiscal-year-2007/

iPhone 2007 - 1.39 million
iPhone 3G - 11.63 million
iPhone 3G - 20.73 million
iPhone 7 - 211.88 million

Definitely the iPhone sold much better in the early years when it had zero brand recognition and the iPhone was so expensive to buy!

Wish Apple would sell 1 million a year like they used to. Damn you Tim Cook!

Sorry but the guy said 'fact' 3 times rather than only twice as you did.

You lost the argument, fact !

 

[rp2011]

I doubt Samsung wants to 'Rush' anything to the market after the last issue.

You do realize the S8 will be released in two months? Which is likely in production. Phone manufacturers have these phones completed in terms of design months ahead before finalizing details. The S8 prototype was likely in Samsungs hands last year long before it was even close to production. Changes in hardware at this point would be almost impossible for the amount of units they produce on a mass scale when you're configuring a matter of eight weeks.

I was being sarcastic.

 

[shanson27]

With touchbar, cool

 

[ryanwarsaw]

Being a "Plus" user I am not incredibly happy having a 5.15 inch "Main Screen" device at all. I do not much care about the curved phones either. So where is this other 0.65 inches going? Virtual buttons? Seems a massive waste of space to me being used for extra functionality down the side with the curves. If this is true I would be incredibly disappointed, been waiting for this years iPhone for a while now. Fingers crossed this rumor is wrong.

So you want the new phone to be redesigned to be the exact same thing you have now?

 

[smacrumon]

Just throwing this out again. Losing customers to Windows and Android? The numbers tell the exact opposite!

https://www.aboveavalon.com/notes/2016/12/6/milking-the-iphone

The iPhone installed base has grown by 500M users.
The iPad installed base has grown by 175M users.
The Mac installed base has grown by 50M users.
Apple introduced Apple Watch, the company's first wearable product. Approximately 18M Apple Watches, a device positioned as an iPhone accessory, have been sold to date.
Apple is earning more than $6B per year of revenue through app sales via the App Store.
Apple successfully made the difficult jump from a paid music download model to streaming and is approaching 20M paying Apple Music subscribers.
Apple continues to push forward with Apple TV. The company is approaching 10M units sold since the device was updated in 2015.
Apple continues to develop key services including Apple Pay, Messages, and Maps.

This was last year, before Apple posted another record quarter.

It's not growing fast enough and Apple relied on Samsungs woes last year to support increases. Your figures show totals, not growth.
[doublepost=1487246747][/doublepost]

The iPhone 7S is not actually released yet: Fact!
All of this is purely speculation: Fact!

I know a guy at work who doesn't like iPhones and he said Apple Watches are rubbish so obviously no one likes iPhones and Apple Watches are rubbish. He wears a blue jumper so I believe him!

This guy is never wrong!

(hahahaha)

Sales are terrible to compared the early years I agree, especially based on the actual sales figures.
https://www.statista.com/statistics/276306/global-apple-iphone-sales-since-fiscal-year-2007/

iPhone 2007 - 1.39 million
iPhone 3G - 11.63 million
iPhone 3G - 20.73 million
iPhone 7 - 211.88 million

Definitely the iPhone sold much better in the early years when it had zero brand recognition and the iPhone was so expensive to buy!

Wish Apple would sell 1 million a year like they used to. Damn you Tim Cook!

And your figures say it all, a decline in the recent years. It should be jumping up and up without faltering, but Apple can't capture the market because its blown out device prices. The figures are still not fleshed out, Apple wasn't selling earlier on to many of the regions it sells to now, when taking that into account, sales in established countries have flatlined, not due to saturation but due to price of entry. Samsung is having a come back year with new devices. Apple needs to watch out. No one will be paying 1000+ for a handheld unit that is only for consumption.

 

[MadeTheSwitch]

I just can't see a scenario where one of three(?) new iPhones is truly new and the others are like a 7s. That would be a hugely confusing and fragmented product launch and product line

I can totally see this scenario for the following reasons:

• Not enough supply of OLED panels to meet Apple's demand
• Not wanting to alienate customers who may not want to shift to a radical redesign yet
• Wanting to give customers a variety of price points if this new phone really is going to be expensive

Think of the next few cycles as more of a transitional one. Apple isn't going to want to pull the rug out from under people, but yet still push things forward for those customers that want it and are willing to pay the price. As time goes on and Apple secures enough OLED supply and as cost come down, I would expect the shift to be fully to the new design. But that will take some time. So for now, a mix of old and new designs.

 

[Abazigal]

@smacrumon And the alternative is apparently working so well for the Android OEMs. Apart from Samsung, nobody is making any money in the mobile space.

I don't understand. What is it with people insisting that Apple is doing something wrong (when it has all the profits) and claiming that Apple needs to do what its (extremely unsuccessful) competition is doing?

What logic is that?