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iPhone SE and the missing barometer

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So the perfect adventure phone.... Just to conclude that. Small and unobtrusive, a compass, GPS and GLONASS (Galileo GNSS when available), a BAROMETER and a degree of water resistance. Apple, you're so close.

What other measurement hardware / sensors would you include?
 
Rigby said:
The Barometer requires a separate sensor (you can see it here). Perhaps there was no room for it on the controller board.
Click to expand...
Interesting. I was under the assumption that the barometer was somehow integrated with the M8/9 chip, especially due to how it was announced at the iPhone 6 keynote. Thanks for this!
 
Among all the things to complain about, this is the silliest.
I would have ranked the wifi capability or the selfie camera first. Maybe even the older touch id. The barometer is the least of my worries.
This is what happens when manufacturers include stuff that you don't know was of any use or needed and then take it away. Now all of a sudden you can't live without it as if you used it on a daily basis or need it to survive!
 
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Elisha said:
Among all the things to complain about, this is the silliest.
I would have ranked the wifi capability or the selfie camera first. Maybe even the older touch id. The barometer is the least of my worries.
This is what happens when manufacturers include stuff that you don't know was of any use or needed and then take it away. Now all of a sudden you can't live without it as if you used it on a daily basis or need it to survive!
Click to expand...

As someone who uses a dedicated GPS unit for backpacking and will likely get the iPhone SE as my first iPhone, I completely disagree with your conclusion. While the barometer may be the least of your worries, it is a nice, but non-vital feature for others. Your second paragraph is completely incorrect from my perspective.

While you think fretting about the barometer is silly, for me it's harder to get sillier things to complain about than selfies. Your sweeping conclusions don't fit everybody.
 
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Elisha said:
Among all the things to complain about, this is the silliest.
I would have ranked the wifi capability or the selfie camera first. Maybe even the older touch id. The barometer is the least of my worries.
This is what happens when manufacturers include stuff that you don't know was of any use or needed and then take it away. Now all of a sudden you can't live without it as if you used it on a daily basis or need it to survive!
Click to expand...
For a person heavily into tracking runs it might be valuable. I track my runs but I can't say I'm terribly bothers by this. That said, I have zero interest in selfies so if I'm losing anything, this (and 3d touch) are the top of the list. I'd have to compare run data collected by this (or a 5s or older) the my 6s plus to really know what losing the barometer means to me. If it does indeed spit out differing data that's a shame due to this device being so much more pocket able and wearable during sport.
 
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maflynn said:
For the phone it measures elevation, so for instance it will track the number of floors you climbed, or how much you hiked (elevation wise).

I'm a bit bummed over the exclusion of the barometer myself, but I've reconciled the omission with the fact, I have not looked at any elevation type data on my 6 plus, so I don't think I'll miss it
Click to expand...

If you really do want the 4" form factor back then I'm sure you won't even notice the barometer is gone after a couple of hours. :D
 
Elisha said:
Among all the things to complain about, this is the silliest.
I would have ranked the wifi capability or the selfie camera first. Maybe even the older touch id. The barometer is the least of my worries.
This is what happens when manufacturers include stuff that you don't know was of any use or needed and then take it away. Now all of a sudden you can't live without it as if you used it on a daily basis or need it to survive!
Click to expand...
You're hilarious. How I envy you your peaceful life.
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Rigby said:
The Barometer requires a separate sensor (you can see it here). Perhaps there was no room for it on the controller board.
Click to expand...
You might very well be right. Though, if it's the tiny wee thing in the middle, I'm sure they could have crammed it in.
 
Good catch! This is a deal-breaker to me as well as someone who uses my phone for tracking my trail runs. I was strongly considering an SE at some point in the future because the 6s is really just large enough that it's a hair uncomfortable to fit in all the various pockets I use to carry it. The loss of Force Touch would have been a bummer as well though - another feature that doesn't seem like much at first but is becoming more and more useful with time. There really is a market for full featured small phones Apple!

Elisha said:
Among all the things to complain about, this is the silliest.
I would have ranked the wifi capability or the selfie camera first. Maybe even the older touch id. The barometer is the least of my worries.
This is what happens when manufacturers include stuff that you don't know was of any use or needed and then take it away. Now all of a sudden you can't live without it as if you used it on a daily basis or need it to survive!
Click to expand...

Just because you have no idea how a feature could be useful doesn't make it silly. It just makes you uninformed.
 
maflynn said:
Yes, I know, but its the elevation changes that are recorded as the atmospheric pressure changes, hence what I wrote.
Click to expand...
It doesn't measure elevation anymore than wifi measures a grid reference. I agree with you that it is used by the iPhone to refine GPS data by understanding the change of pressure across moments in time. Just letting you know what you originally wrote was perfectly understandable to any reasonably calm state of mind.
 
zhenya said:
Good catch! This is a deal-breaker to me as well as someone who uses my phone for tracking my trail runs.
Click to expand...
I run and I hike, but I really don't use any software that seems to leverage the barometer, still I am rather concerned about it.
 
Why not get something that has a barometer in it as an accessory? Devices like the Microsoft Band 2 have a barometer and GPS, built in. I'm not sure how sophisticated the GPS or barometer are for you, but it does include them both, and it links to your phone via bluetooth.
 
Newtons Apple said:
GPS does not need the barometer for location purposes including altitude. It tracks a person in 3D and the barometer would be inaccurate when compared to a good GPS.
Click to expand...
Don't you think that it's a bit of a miss-step from Apple though? At the very Keynote where they talked about their increased interest and involvement in the health industry, they release their most portable and pocketable iPhone with an intrinsic health tracking sensor missing.
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EthanNixon said:
Why not get something that has a barometer in it as an accessory? Devices like the Microsoft Band 2 have a barometer and GPS, built in. I'm not sure how sophisticated the GPS or barometer are for you, but it does include them both, and it links to your phone via bluetooth.
Click to expand...
It's a good suggestion. And if it was massively important to me I would pursue that.
 
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Having owned a Note 4 at some point in the long bygone past (don't stone me) - I *think* it had a barometer.

Not entirely sure if I ever used it. It's one of those "good to have" things - that ... doesn't have many critical apps because so few devices have them? Would have expected SE to be the sporty phone - so having it would be nicer - but hey cuts had to be made.

M9 is useful enough to work without fitbit tracker with the fitbit app - the barometer would be nice - but ... we could always smell the air - feel if there is too much air pressure, etc?
 
blinkie said:
Don't you think that it's a bit of a miss-step from Apple though? At the very Keynote where they talked about their increased interest and involvement in the health industry, they release their most portable and pocketable iPhone with an intrinsic health tracking sensor missing.
Click to expand...

The most it would do is count how many stair flights you climbed and even that would not be accurate as I have had it go way off with a storm approaching.
 
maflynn said:
I run and I hike, but I really don't use any software that seems to leverage the barometer, still I am rather concerned about it.
Click to expand...

iSmoothRun which is the app I use leverages the barometer.

Newtons Apple said:
GPS does not need the barometer for location purposes including altitude. It tracks a person in 3D and the barometer would be inaccurate when compared to a good GPS.
Click to expand...

It's not a strict need, but GPS based elevation is prone to significant errors. Barometric elevation, especially when calibrated in conjunction with GPS data, can definitely provide a more accurate number.
 
zhenya said:
It's not a strict need, but GPS based elevation is prone to significant errors. Barometric elevation, especially when calibrated in conjunction with GPS data, can definitely provide a more accurate number.
Click to expand...

Sorry but we do not agree. I will take a good GPS fix any day over barometric pressure. The iPhone's GPS is not that good anyway when compared to a decent GPS device that will locate you with in feet in 3D
 
Newtons Apple said:
Sorry but we do not agree. I will take a good GPS fix any day over barometric pressure. The iPhone's GPS is not that good anyway when compared to a decent GPS device that will locate you with in feet in 3D
Click to expand...

As a practical matter, for how many people use their device for tracking hiking/running/cycling, etc. all gps device have their limits in terms of absolute accuracy. And that accuracy affects their elevation calculation, not to mention the fact that most mapping services still have problems with bridges, especially footbridges, where the GPS elevation calculation indicates you climbed to the bottom of the gorge or canyon and back up the other side. The best we have for mobile devices at this time is a system that utilizes the best of both systems.
 
maflynn said:
Yes, I know, but its the elevation changes that are recorded as the atmospheric pressure changes, hence what I wrote.
Click to expand...

I'm not so sure that you know. Barometric pressure isn't the same thing as an elevation change. You can be at the same exact MSL and have widely varying barometric pressure readings.
 
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