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You keep saying that they drop support "just because". These simpleton, reactionary comments on here are endlessly funny to me. Your "savvy" understanding of Apples processes and decision-making is nothing more than performative contrarianism. You have no idea how any of this works, but you take joy in feeling aggrieved that a phone released six years ago won't get any more major software updates.

Apple isn't a charity, so there is some business considerations to all these decisions, but claiming that there is no technical reasons for these decisions is baseless.
Had Apple ever explained why they drop support of certain models? Nope. So unless you know better, consumers is forced to make the assumption since Apple provided no actual explanations.
 
Just give me an option with a big screen, big battery, and super efficient chip that lasts for days. I don’t play games, I just do normal stuff but don’t wanna charge as often.
 
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Apple is expected to make its latest A16 processor exclusive to the Pro models in the iPhone 14 lineup, and that diversification strategy is set to become an annual trend in future iPhone series, according to a new report from analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

iPhone-14-Pro-Lineup-Feature-Purple.jpg

Earlier this year, Kuo said only the iPhone 14 Pro models will feature an A16 chip, with the standard iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Max models to remain equipped with an A15 chip.

The prediction was intriguing for two reasons. First, Apple has always used the same chip across iPhone models in the same series. Second, the last time Apple re-used a previous-generation processor in a new iPhone was the original iPhone and the iPhone 3G, both of which used identical 412MHz ARM 11 chips.

Despite the recent lack of precedent, well-connected Bloomberg journalist Mark Gurman later agreed with Kuo's expectation, suggesting that "beyond trying to make the Pro stand out," ongoing chip shortages may have contributed to Apple's decision to limit its upcoming chip to the iPhone 14 Pro models.

However, Kuo now claims chip shortages are less of a factor guiding Apple's thinking, and that the plan to make newer, faster chips exclusive to Pro iPhone models is part of a longer-term diversification strategy that will apply to next year's iPhone 15 series and future iPhones beyond 2023.

Writing in his Medium blog, Kuo again claims that the latest A16 chip will be exclusive to iPhone 14 Pro models, "significantly boosting the shipment proportion of new iPhone high-end models in 2H22 to 55-60% (vs. 40–50% in the past)," with high-end component suppliers of the rear camera also standing to benefit. In line with this strategy:
As explained, this would differ from Apple's longstanding strategy of equipping all flagship iPhones with the same chip. For example, the iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 13, iPhone 13 Pro, and iPhone 13 Pro Max are all equipped with the same A15 chip. But it would provide Apple with another key unique selling point for its higher-end iPhone models and could drive sales by as much as 20%, according to Kuo.

iPhone-14-Pro-Purple-Front-and-Back-MacRumors-Exclusive-feature.jpg

Concept render by Ian Zelbo

As for next year's iPhone 15 series, the strategy also adds some more clarity to how the various models will differentiate. Apple is expected to continue to offer four models – the 6.1-inch iPhone 15, the 6.1-inch iPhone 15 Pro, the 6.7-inch iPhone 15 Max, and the 6.7-inch iPhone 15 Pro Max – while the pill-and-hole cutout for the front-facing cameras, expected to debut only in iPhone 14 Pro models this year, will expand to the entire iPhone 15 lineup.

In addition, the iPhone 15 Pro models would exclusively feature an "A17" chip, possibly built on TSMC's next-generation 3-nanometer node. This 3nm chip technology is expected to increase processing performance by 10 to 15 percent, while also reducing power consumption by up to 30 percent. Standard iPhone 15 models therefore will presumably retain the A16 chip that is expected to feature exclusively in this year's iPhone 14 Pro models.

If Kuo's analysis is correct, expect Apple's nascent chip strategy to be mirrored in many more annual iPhone cycles to come.

Article Link: Latest iPhone Chips to Remain Exclusive to Pro Models for iPhone 15 and Beyond
I don't know what's happening at Apple, we are loosing what used to be the icon, even the base models ran the same chip as the Pro/Plus Models, from 2014 to 2020, Why are we back so much on business? That isn't the Apple, we had in my opinion
 
"Second, the last time Apple re-used a previous-generation processor in a new ‌iPhone‌ was the original ‌iPhone‌ and the ‌iPhone‌ 3G, both of which used identical 412MHz ARM 11 chips." - and the 5c.
 
The A15 is currently years ahead of any other phone chip in the market, and in a few months when the iPhone 14 is released with the A15 in it, it still will be.
Doesn’t matter when Apple will drop OS support for it in 4 years or so, one year less that A16
 
It'll probably still be supported long after competing Android phones are.
Don’t be so sure. Right now, Samsung keeps improving their support, giving 4 years of Android upgrades and 5 years of security patches, and that’s in addition to the perpetual Google Play services updates. Meanwhile, Apple seems to be maxing out at 5-6 years for iPhones. Fairly close, with Android winning since Android phones will still be getting Play services updates beyond their official support and certain stock apps can still be updated independently. On iPhone, once a phone is dropped from support, that’s it. All the stock iOS apps won’t get updates as they’re locked into the OS upgrades.

It will be hilarious when Android gets longer updates than iPhones. Note that the starting point for iPhone 14 is not 2022, but 2021 as it has an A15, together with the iPhone 13. So at launch, it is already have 1 less year of support compared to the 14 Pro.
 
The possibility of cropping/digital zoom without losing detail.
possibly cropping could be a reason.

But as for digital zoom - no.
Digital zoom ALWAYS looses detail accuracy because, it has surpassed the optical zoom-in limit. Thus the camera CPU guesses what pixels might be expected in between the expanded digitally zoomed-in image pixels. You don't really get a better picture, you just get a magnified picture with no more actual exposed pixels than whatever was in the image at maximum optical zoom. (It just looks bigger, so our brains say, yeah, that must be better/closer.)
 
Don’t be so sure. Right now, Samsung keeps improving their support, giving 4 years of Android upgrades and 5 years of security patches, and that’s in addition to the perpetual Google Play services updates. Meanwhile, Apple seems to be maxing out at 5-6 years for iPhones. Fairly close, with Android winning since Android phones will still be getting Play services updates beyond their official support and certain stock apps can still be updated independently. On iPhone, once a phone is dropped from support, that’s it. All the stock iOS apps won’t get updates as they’re locked into the OS upgrades.

It will be hilarious when Android gets longer updates than iPhones. Note that the starting point for iPhone 14 is not 2022, but 2021 as it has an A15, together with the iPhone 13. So at launch, it is already have 1 less year of support compared to the 14 Pro.
It remains to be seen, but the A15 will probably have more total longevity than the chips missing out on iOS16 this year.
 
possibly cropping could be a reason.

But as for digital zoom - no.
Digital zoom ALWAYS looses detail accuracy because, it has surpassed the optical zoom-in limit. Thus the camera CPU guesses what pixels might be expected in between the expanded digitally zoomed-in image pixels. You don't really get a better picture, you just get a magnified picture with no more actual exposed pixels than whatever was in the image at maximum optical zoom. (It just looks bigger, so our brains say, yeah, that must be better/closer.)
Digital zoom is cropping...
 
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Makes sense. Who is even using the full power of any phone nowadays?

I have absolutely zero reason to upgrade my iPhone X other than wanting but not needing better battery life.
The camera is getting much better though.
 
To get the latest chip phone with the latest features will $2700 here! I hope Apple is planing minimal support length of 10 years.
Apple really is just following any other greedy corporation under Tim Cook. Its following all their standard procedures. Will support duration for the cheap phone will be shortened? And future feature adoption rate will be reduced to a trickle then.
Damn bro, that imaginary performance increase with that new chip will really make your experience much better.

Man, the A15 is 💩💩 and total garbage am I right?
 
So will the normal iPhone 14 have the same features as the previous Pro models?
It won't have the three camera system of the iPhone 13 Pro. But it will likely have the 6 GB of RAM of the iPhone 13 Pro and also likely be "tweaked" for circa 10% faster performance compared to the iPhone 13 Pro.
 
Why would anyone buy an iPhone 14 this year? Why would anyone buy an iPhone 15 next year?
Plenty of reasons I can think of.
The problem is, most people here are looking at this from the mind set of going from last year‘s phone to this year‘s phone.
The majority of consumers are not doing that though.
Sure, the 13 to the 14 seems lame and small and boring.
Even the 12 to the 14 is just kinda… eh.
But The majority of people who are going to end up purchasing the 14 are not coming from those phones.
They’re coming from the 750P LCD packing iPhone 11.
They’re coming from the single camera packing iPhone XR with 4+ years of battery degradation on its belt.
They’re coming from the 8 or 8+, and have never had a phone with Face ID OLED and gesture controls.
They’re coming from the 7 or 6S which are losing regular software updates.
And that’s how it’s going to be from this point out.
Year over year The upgrades are going to feel smaller and smaller, just like they have on the iPad for years, and the Watch, and the Mac.
But it’s not about going from the 13 to the 14.
It’s about going from the XR to the 14, and then a couple years from now going from the 14 to the 18 or whatever
 
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Plenty of reasons I can think of.
The problem is, most people here are looking at this from the mind set of going from last year‘s phone to this year‘s phone.
The majority of consumers are not doing that though.
Sure, the 13 to the 14 seems lame and small and boring.
Even the 12 to the 14 is just kinda… eh.
But The majority of people who are going to end up purchasing the 14 are not coming from those phones.
They’re coming from the 750P LCD packing iPhone 11.
They’re coming from the single camera packing iPhone XR with 4+ years of battery degradation on its belt.
They’re coming from the 8 or 8+, and have never had a phone with Face ID OLED and gesture controls.
They’re coming from the 7 or 6S which are losing regular software updates.
And that’s how it’s going to be from this point out.
Year over year The upgrades are going to feel smaller and smaller, just like they have on the iPad for years, and the Watch, and the Mac.
But it’s not about going from the 13 to the 14.
It’s about going from the XR to the 14, and then a couple years from now going from the 14 to the 18 or whatever
All of this, watching people with iPhone 13s complain that the 14 won't be a meaningful upgrade is hilarious to me.
 
If Apple wanted to slow down iPhone sales, this would be it…
Nope.
$329 iPad is their most popular iPad, and yet it has a three year old processor in it.
Also, if this causes the sales of the regular iPhone to decrease but the pro to increase, that’s only a positive for Apple
 
The problem Apple has is it doesn’t really have anything to justify the ‘pro’ models. Slightly better camera is about it. I‘m not sure many care about stainless steel vs aluminum.
Which is exactly why their doing this.
If the rumors are to believed:
14Pro gets A16
14Pro gets pill/dot cut out
14Pro gets 48MP Camera
14Pro gets 8K video recording
14Pro gets always on display
14Pro continues to have previous exclusives like stainless steel edges, frosted glass back, third telephoto camera, 120hz, AR sensor
 
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