New iPhone SE Could Launch in May With Touch ID and A10 Fusion, Without 3.5mm Headphone Jack

[a0me]

The iPad they released was their budget iPad, just like this budget iPhone.

This tech will be pushed down to budget devices in the future as well. FaceID is not just about authenticating your device and is far from inferior. In fact, it's better in many ways and the tech is far more versatile.

In fact it is the exact opposite as Face ID is far less versatile than Touch ID:
- it fails to tell twins apart, it can also fail for siblings who look alike and children
- it fails in Asian countries like Japan, South Korea and China where a large portion of the population wears surgical masks both in and outdoors (against smog, seasonal hay fever in Japan, or to avoid spreading germs)
- and it also fails obviously in other parts of the world where women are covering their faces with religious clothing.

So yeah, replacing a tech that works with everyone with something that doesn't work for hundreds of millions of people isn't really the future.

And I won't even go into more trivial things like how Face ID makes something like turning off the alarm by simply touching the Home button impossible since you now need to grab your phone and look at it to do the same thing.

 

[redfirebird08]

I guess it's a good thing I always buy the cheapest earbuds possible. When the time comes to switch to an iPhone that only has the Lightning connector, guess I'll just use the white Lightning ear buds that come with the new phone and maybe see if I can find some black ones like this at some point:

https://www.amazon.com/iDARS-E305-H...8-3&keywords=earbuds+lightning+connector&th=1

But I just got a new battery for my iPhone 6, so hopefully I'm good for the next couple years at least. Managed to get 3.5 years out of the original battery.

 

[WatchFromAfar]

Why can't Apple provide both a Lightning and a USB-C (or USB micro) port for charging the iPhone? I'm sure there are plenty of situations where people need to charge their iPhone but are somewhere where only a USB micro cable is available (eg, at somebody else's home who doesn't have iOS devices).

And while we are at it: Why do Android phones that have USB-C ports also don't have USB micro ports? The situation I have described above can equally happen for them.

In my post I described the situation as it is now; iPhone SE has a Lightning port and a 3.5mm socket. By providing lightning earphones but keeping the 3.5mm socket it would simplify the situation as Apple would no longer have to manufacturer 3.5mm earphones while keeping the ports as they are now. Your argument of why Apple doesn't do this involves adding a bunch of nonsense (micro-USB, USB-C) and then you point to this as a reason why Apple couldn't/wouldn't do it!

I never advocated adding anything.

 

[redfirebird08]

Honestly, the iPhone 6 is pretty much ideal in my opinion. Below 130 grams. Below 7 mm. Wish it was actually a bit smaller by cutting down on the top and bottom bezels and even going to a 4.5" screen. That would pretty much be my ideal phone - an iPhone 6 body in the style of the iPhone X (no top and bottom bezels). Could even get to 100 grams that way. The successor to the A11 could get outstanding battery life out of the smaller battery required for such a design.

I'm with you pretty much 100%. To be honest I think my perfect iPhone would be the iPod Touch with cellular ability. I just want something small for my pocket that can still do texting or web browsing in a reasonable manner (unlike flip phones).

For now I'm just sticking with iPhone 6, but I would love to see them do a smaller version of it. Thinner than the 2016 SE, but smaller screen and more pocket friendly than what we have in the 6, 6S, 7, 8, X.

 

[n-evo]

At least = possibly A12/13

They’re not going to put a faster chip than what the iPhone X has in a cheaper model. Be realistic.

 

[KPandian1]

At least? The A11 is the newest processor out right now. It won't have an A11 chip.

Isn't the 2018 newest Apple chip the A12? Then the SE can get the "old" A11.

 

[Bacillus]

They’re not going to put a faster chip than what the iPhone X has in a cheaper model. Be realistic.

Of course they won't, but the "at least" terminology is purposefully used to stir hope

 

[manu chao]

Apple removed it for one and only one reason - to sell $159 wireless headphones.

Why then ship the iPhone 7 and later with Lightning earphones that for almost all purposes work like the earphones that shipped with previous iPhones and also ship it with with a Lightning to 3.5 mm adaptor? If people are happy with the earphones that ship with iPhones, do you really think they would buy Airpods just because they allow to them charge the phone at the same time as listening to audio via earphones? Wouldn't the first instinct of those concerned with this issue be to buy a $35 adaptor that allows them to do exactly that? And what about all the other smartphones that no longer come with headphone jacks? They don't have all $159 wireless headphones to sell.

If there is anything to your argument, it is that not having a headphone jack 'promotes the wireless lifestyle', ie, the discussion about it acts like a commercial that promotes wireless headphones.

Please don’t kid yourself with this “courage”crap. It’s all for $$$ - customer choice be damned.

Where did I say anything about courage? If you insist on a completely self-focussed reason for Apple, it would be that the people in charge preferred to use Bluetooth headphones and concluded that if they preferred it, most other people would prefer it as well and thus wouldn't need the headphone jack anymore.[/QUOTE]
[doublepost=1524433393][/doublepost]

In my post I described the situation as it is now; iPhone SE has a Lightning port and a 3.5mm socket. By providing lightning earphones but keeping the 3.5mm socket it would simplify the situation as Apple would no longer have to manufacturer 3.5mm earphones while keeping the ports as they are now. Your argument of why Apple doesn't do this involves adding a bunch of nonsense (micro-USB, USB-C) and then you point to this as a reason why Apple couldn't/wouldn't do it!

I never advocated adding anything.

So you suggest that people should by default keep everything the same unless they find a really good reason to change something? What do you think would happen if iPhones had always come with both Lightning and micro USB ports, and then in one iteration, Apple removed the micro USB port? People would be up in arms about it with very similar arguments as with the 3.5 mm jack.

You consider removing something obviously worse than not adding it. Meaning the question whether a new iPhone SE should have a 3.5 mm port is strongly swayed in its favour simply because the current iPhone SE has one. While the decision against adding a micro USB port (or an SD card slot or a dual-SIM card slot, pick anything you want) is in strongly influenced by the fact that it currently doesn't have one. As in: 'It doesn't cost Apple anything' to keep the 3.5 mm port while 'it does cost Apple something' to add another port and thus asking for the former is much reasonable than asking for the latter. And while there is some truth in this in regard to development and tooling cost, in the end, the difference to Apple isn't nearly as large as you would think.

If you asked people generically what feature they would value more: a 3.5 mm jack or a micro SD card slot, the answers might be relatively evenly distributed. But if you asked them specifically if the successor to a current model should loose the headphone jack or gain a micro SD card slot, people will feel much more strongly about the former than about the latter.
[doublepost=1524434107][/doublepost]

It's funny how much this reflects on the biggest critique I have with Apple since 2013, namely their focus on quantity instead of quantity...thinness/weight instead of the user experience and features/flexibility. # of innovations since last release instead of the meaningless of any innovations since last release. There are a host of things on our i-devices we use less than 10% of the time but where their absence results in near 100% inconvenience and annoyance...

Not to canonize Steve too much, but the majority of things he didseemed rooted in surprising and pleasing the customer; he'd remove something but the pain didn't last, and there were obvious advantages to the customer as a result.

On the other hand, most things removed since 2013 (intuitiveness in the software, tactile/moving trackpads, ports, etc) have resulted in lasting pain and decreased ease/flexibility of use by the customer. The majority of "courage" displayed by Jony, Phil, and Timmy after 2013 feels way too rooted in trying to please the design team's desire to run minimalism design contests for how "they" feel things should work.

Remember how proud Jobs was when he presented the original Macbook Air? About how thin it was. But then remember also how many (or rather few) ports it had (one USB and one micro-DVI, the latter requiring an adaptor).

I cannot say with any certainty that things have not changed for the worse since 2012-ish, but I think the largest chunk of today's criticism are based on the rose-coloured glasses that humans tend view things from the past in.

 

[NY Guitarist]

I'll buy this in a second, although I hope the headphone jack stays.

 

[KeanosMagicHat]

The iPhone 8 is significantly less durable than the iPhone 6. It's just thicker, heavier and bulkier. Battery is exactly the same, too. The improvements in battery life are down to the more efficient chip. It's funny that the bulky iPhone 8 is considered "small" by today's standards. Most of these monster phablets are pushing 200 grams or more and are nearing 7 inch screens. It's ridiculous.

In general, lighter phones are less likely to be damaged by drops than heavier phones. The heavier the phone, the greater the force when it smashes into the ground. People on this forum are just contrarians who want heavy for the sake of being heavy. There is no intrinsic value at all in a mobile device being thick and heavy.

Nowhere in my post did I say Apple had succeeded in matching what I’d desire from the physical characteristics of a phone.

They haven’t.

 

[Baymowe335]

In fact it is the exact opposite as Face ID is far less versatile than Touch ID:
- it fails to tell twins apart, it can also fail for siblings who look alike and children
- it fails in Asian countries like Japan, South Korea and China where a large portion of the population wears surgical masks both in and outdoors (against smog, seasonal hay fever in Japan, or to avoid spreading germs)
- and it also fails obviously in other parts of the world where women are covering their faces with religious clothing.

So yeah, replacing a tech that works with everyone with something that doesn't work for hundreds of millions of people isn't really the future.

And I won't even go into more trivial things like how Face ID makes something like turning off the alarm by simply touching the Home button impossible since you now need to grab your phone and look at it to do the same thing.

So wrong and speculative, I’m not even going to waste my time. You just declared FaceID a total failure for anyone Asian. Not true.

I’ll just say you have to look to future abilities for the 3D sensing tech.

 

[Tozovac]

Remember how proud Jobs was when he presented the original Macbook Air? About how thin it was. But then remember also how many (or rather few) ports it had (one USB and one micro-DVI, the latter requiring an adaptor).

I cannot say with any certainty that things have not changed for the worse since 2012-ish, but I think the largest chunk of today's criticism are based on the rose-coloured glasses that humans tend view things from the past in.

Like many goofs in life, the recovery often matters much more than the mistake. My 2014 MBA has two USB-3 ports, one thunderbolt, one SD cart port. Pretty happy that someone finally "got it" and improved things. Similarly, I look forward to someone getting it and fixing many of Jony's, Tim's and Phil's current short-sighted mistakes. And like I mentioned several times in the past, removing optical drive was shocking but then quickly tolerable since, clearly by then, downloading apps was becoming the norm as was digital music over CD's.
[doublepost=1524443066][/doublepost]

They removed the floppy and optical drive so far. I personally don’t like what they did the with the MacBook Pro, and why I gave Linux/System 76 a shot.

I agree, the MacBook is a complete non-option to me. As the MBP gets thinner and less-er (ports), I hope the MacBook isn't the future of Apple laptops.

Sure, but you're forgetting other big things that have been removed and which were (some still are) awfully convenient:

- removed the lock/mute switch on iPad (not a huge deal but I sure would like to have it actually...), which gained...?
- heading towards removing magsafe, gaining...?
- heading towards removing function keys, thankfully still an option in MBP and which I'd never choose since I use daily for quickly changing brightness & volume on my 2014 MBA.
- heading towards removing home button/touch ID on iPhones instead of leaving it, or adding the awful force-touch, gaining....?
- removed a tactile trackpad which is HIGHLY preferable to use than the force-touch, gaining...?
- heading towards removing a tactile keyboard in the quest for thinner & lighter, where that .1 mm reduction gains....?
- removing headphone jack, gaining....?
- removing (reducing) the number of ports, gaining....?
- repeat story I keep shouting from the rooftops, but: removed intuitiveness and "Apple DNA" in their software since 2013 (iOS7 + OSX Yosemite), gaining....?

Seriously, what's next? Volume buttons on iPhones? Not feeling good here but curious to see what Jony removes next.

 

[scoobydoo99]

NO FaceID.
NO 3D touch.
Same form factor.

= DREAM. COME. TRUE. Please let it be so! Can't wait!

I agree, the MacBook is a complete non-option to me. As the MBP gets thinner and less-er (ports), I hope the MacBook isn't the future of Apple laptops.

Sure, but you're forgetting other big things that have been removed and which were (some still are) awfully convenient:

- removed the lock/mute switch on iPad (not a huge deal but I sure would like to have it actually...), which gained...?
- heading towards removing magsafe, gaining...?
- heading towards removing function keys, thankfully still an option in MBP and which I'd never choose since I use daily for quickly changing brightness & volume on my 2014 MBA.
- heading towards removing home button/touch ID on iPhones instead of leaving it, or adding the awful force-touch, gaining....?
- removed a tactile trackpad which is HIGHLY preferable to use than the force-touch, gaining...?
- heading towards removing a tactile keyboard in the quest for thinner & lighter, where that .1 mm reduction gains....?
- removing headphone jack, gaining....?
- removing (reducing) the number of ports, gaining....?
- repeat story I keep shouting from the rooftops, but: removed intuitiveness and "Apple DNA" in their software since 2013 (iOS7 + OSX Yosemite), gaining....?

Seriously, what's next? Volume buttons on iPhones? Not feeling good here but curious to see what Jony removes next.

agree 100%. Apple has for years been moving away from intuitive design and instead toward a minimalist aesthetic that not only values form over function, but values ONLY form. I don't know where to begin with the awful design "features" that Apple continues to churn out. Why are the iPhone volume and lock buttons now on opposing sides of the device, so that you inadvertently actuate the wrong one when holding the opposite side of the phone for leverage? who knows. Why does 3D touch get in my way and activate things I don't intend? no idea. I remember Cook proudly proclaiming that the interface "just gets out of your way" when introducing an iOS "upgrade" that removed all navigation buttons (like the "back" button) in Safari windows. um...I NEED the interface - I don't want it out of my way. Cook thinks that making me swipe up every time I want to bring the back button into view is somehow "helping me" (or is it down? who cares, I just know that I need to try a lot of swipes, taps and presses to try and find whatever it is that I want to do). This is a couple of years old, but still a good read: https://www.fastcodesign.com/3053406/how-apple-is-giving-design-a-bad-name

Excerpt:
"There is no way to discover what operations are possible just by looking at the screen. Do you swipe left or right, up or down, with one finger, two, or even as many as five? Do you swipe or tap, and if you tap is it a single tap or double? Is that text on the screen really text or is it a critically important button disguised as text? So often, the user has to try touching everything on the screen just to find out what are actually touchable objects."

 

[HVDynamo]

CDs were a choice when MP3 players came out, didn't stop the demise of CDs. Choices die, new choices arise, such is the way of technology.

CD's are not gone. Sure they aren't as popular as they once were, but my 2017 car I just bought still has a CD player, and I still buy CD's (because I like owning something for my money, and the quality is better than streaming).

 

[Mr. Heckles]

CD's are not gone. Sure they aren't as popular as they once were, but my 2017 car I just bought still has a CD player, and I still buy CD's (because I like owning something for my money, and the quality is better than streaming).

Best Buy, Target, and others don’t even sell CDs anymore. My new vehicle didn’t even come with a CD player. Oh, and you may own the disc itself, but you really don’t own it. You’re buying a license.

 

[HVDynamo]

Best Buy, Target, and others don’t even sell CDs anymore. My new vehicle didn’t even come with a CD player. Oh, and you may own the disc itself, but you really don’t own it. You’re buying a license.

Maybe some new cars aren't coming with them now, but mine did without me having to select any special option either. The Best Buy near me still has CD's, but I won't deny that they aren't worth buying there any longer because it's always the pop stuff and rarely the things I like.

The licensing argument completely misses the point. They can't turn off the servers to my CD like they can with all the streaming and digital purchases. They also have no way to enforce the BS 'buying a license' with a CD, meaning for all intents and purposes, I own that copy to consume as I like. It's also not tied to apple, or android, if I want the music on another device, I just convert it. I still subscribe to Apple Music for the convenience and to discover new artists, but when I find something I like I order the CD from Amazon.

 

[Mr. Heckles]

Maybe some new cars aren't coming with them now, but mine did without me having to select any special option either. The Best Buy near me still has CD's, but I won't deny that they aren't worth buying there any longer because it's always the pop stuff and rarely the things I like.

The licensing argument completely misses the point. They can't turn off the servers to my CD like they can with all the streaming and digital purchases. They also have no way to enforce the BS 'buying a license' with a CD, meaning for all intents and purposes, I own that copy to consume as I like. It's also not tied to apple, or android, if I want the music on another device, I just convert it. I still subscribe to Apple Music for the convenience and to discover new artists, but when I find something I like I order the CD from Amazon.

They are selling them until July 1st
http://fortune.com/2018/02/05/best-buy-target-cds/

They can turn off the servers too for my music I bought on iTunes, I have them all downloaded and backed up. The music isn’t tired to Apple either, I play them on my Linux computer without converting anything.

There are a few Albums that Apple doesn’t even sell anymore, I still have them, and I can download them too still. But I just have them backed up, so it doesn’t matter. The back uses take way less room then my boxes of CD’s.

I use to like CDs, but they are now in my basement taking up room. I actually don’t even know what to do with them anymore.

 

[koruki]

Happy to pay what they want for a 512GB A11 version of the SE

 

[lec0rsaire]

Then it means it’s still not ready, period.
[doublepost=1524374665][/doublepost]
Keep defending it, fanboy

I like Apple products. I like the ecosystem and how well everything works together. Continuity on the Mac and iCloud syncing works flawlessly. You can’t imagine how convenient it is to answer phone calls by just pressing a button on the touchbar. I don’t have to stop what I’m doing to get my phone if it’s not next to me. The cameras on Samsung’s have always tended to produce oversaturated shots. While I could correct this easily in Photoshop, I simply don’t have to edit the majority of shots taken with my iPhone unless the lighting conditions were questionable. When you use macs, iPads and Apple TVs it makes no sense to buy an Android phone no matter how good a value it is. I’ve been using iPhones since my first 3G back in ‘08 and always preferred iOS. I find the GUI to be superior as well as getting iOS updates for 4 years on average on the day of release. Most Androids are lucky to get one or two major updates unless you buy a Pixel. Take the S5. It’s stuck on Marshmellow while my spare iPhone 6 is running the latest 11.3 and extremely useable in 2018.

 

[Glockworkorange]

The original SE got the most up to date chip. iPhone 6s had the A9, the SE got the A9 six months later.

They'd give it the A-10. They're not going to give it the same chip as the current flagship(s). They probably have a lot of those A-10's lying around, waiting to be put to use.
[doublepost=1524449882][/doublepost]

No 3.5mm headphone Jack, unlikely. The SE is a cheap phone *mainly* for poorer countries. Wireless earphones are still relatively expensive.

I agree but for cost reasons. If you're trying to keep the costs down, why re-design the 4 inch form factor?

 

[deanthedev]

It won't have an A11 chip.

I think the A10 is more likely simply because of cost.

However, Apple could put in an A11 and lower the clock speed. Then they get performance in between the A10 and a “regular” A11 with reduced power consumption.

 

[Regime2008]

I think the A10 is more likely simply because of cost.

However, Apple could put in an A11 and lower the clock speed. Then they get performance in between the A10 and a “regular” A11 with reduced power consumption.

Apple will not do this though. They always have gimped performance for their cheaper line up.

 

[jeffreyg]

Being a devoted iPhone SE user myself, I'd love it if they released an updated version.

But surely if they were updating it in any significant way, there would have been leaks of new casings or other components by now? There is for every other new phone. Seems to me if it is updated, it will likely be a few tweaks to bring it modestly up to date - A10 processor, more RAM, more storage, or upgraded display.

Wouldn't bother me either way whether it retained a headphone jack. Despite being a lowly iPhone SE user, even I long ago moved to wireless headphones.

 

[geromi912]

Being a devoted iPhone SE user myself, I'd love it if they released an updated version.

But surely if they were updating it in any significant way, there would have been leaks of new casings or other components by now? There is for every other new phone. Seems to me if it is updated, it will likely be a few tweaks to bring it modestly up to date - A10 processor, more RAM, more storage, or upgraded display.

Wouldn't bother me either way whether it retained a headphone jack. Despite being a lowly iPhone SE user, even I long ago moved to wireless headphones.

Well not everybody likes to enjoy inferior audio quality like you.
And the SE chassis is way too small for the power hungry A10- the A10 GPU is essentially a 50% overclocked A9. Even in the larger iPhone 7 it will throttle after 30 seconds of full load. Just compare iPhone 7 vs iPad 2018 GFXBench offscreen. The iPad is closer to iPhone 8 than iPhone 7. The sensible option is definitely an underclocked A11.

 

[Keirasplace]

Apple will not do this though. They always have gimped performance for their cheaper line up.

Except they have not, the last one came with the same SOC as the latest Iphone.
So, a lie hmm.