Next iPhone Said to Have Even Better IP68-Rated Water Resistance

[Greenmeenie]

How is better water resistance NOT a good thing? I really don't get why some people on here are complaining. Y'all make it sound like you're dissapointed because you can't go scuba diving with your iphones. Seriously? Simmer down you Jaques Cousteau wanna bes! Gimme a break. Lol. Get a GoPro for that...or get a case for your iphone. I think brief dips in the pool or being able to take your phone out in the rain or not have to worry if you drop it in the sink is ENOUGH! Talk about 1st world problems. Sheesh!

 

[Ericus Macabeus]

This whole "water resistance" is meaningless if Apple will not stand by their product and replace it because of water damage, in my opinion. Until they do that, I won't be testing out the water resistance.

Do ou understand the meaning "resistance?" It isn't meaningless. I have had water splashed on my iPhone many times now. I've gotten caught in the rain and still my iPhone is ok. My iPhone "resisted" the damage caused by water. It did the job Apple intended.

 

[truthertech]

IP68 rating is a gimmick to you? Its a improvement over the IP67 rating in the 7

Time to clarify a lot of misunderstanding about the ratings. IP 67 versus IP 68 difference is debatable and situation dependent. The first number, the 6, is the dust rating and is the highest rating possible in this system. The second number is water resistance and the 7 means the phone or other product is certified up to 1 meter for 30 meters. The confusion comes in regarding the 8 rating. The 8 rating is given when the manufacturer, not an independent testing org, certifies the phone to be water resistant for 30 minutes at ANY depth beyond 1 meter. It's up to you to decide if Samsungs certification of half a meter more is meaningful or just a marketing gimmick. Regardless, if this rumor is true perhaps Apple decided that since their phone is clearly resistant beyond just 1 meter to pick a new depth and be able to stop the misleading idea that the Samsung phones were more water resistant. Apple could pick 1.1 meter and get the new rating, but I am sure they will equal or exceed Samsung's number.

Again, IP 8 is any depth beyond 1 meter. If I remember correctly, the Apple Watch has the IP 8 rating and is certified much deeper than 1.5 meters.

Edit - Apple Watch is also IP 67 but could likely be claimed at the higher level since Apple says it is certified to 50 m under other standard.

 

[jonnysods]

I'm really excited about this. I use my bike in the rain frequently, and because of that I've avoided putting my phone up on my handlebars mounted. I'd like to do that, IP68 would be awesome.

 

[moonjelly]

The problem comes when someone has a water resistance phone which fails in that situation because the resistance was defective from the factory. That customer has used their device in an advertised situation and it's failed under those conditions when the advert device continued to work. The average customer probably doesn't read the warranty terms. The phone is advertised as water resistant so they assume the warranty will cover water damage if it occurs.

The situation is improvable. People regularly abuse return policies etc. Apple is very good about explaining what is covered when they are offering you the apple care "no fault" type of extended coverage. If people don't read the warrantee they could assume anything. You hold it and it has a drop rating, so it must be guaranteed against falls? It has hands free directions for navigation so it must guaranteed against high speed collision?

 

[jstorm01]

With all of Apple's money, should this have happened years ago.

Apple would have ran out of ideas of features to add then ..... lol

 

[arggg14]

I think the iPhone has peaked..... I'll keep my 6+ until the 10th anniversary iPhone comes out and then I'll keep that for another three years at the least. Unless something drastic changes, the days of upgrading every one-two years are over for me.

 

[gomichaelgo]

This whole "water resistance" is meaningless if Apple will not stand by their product and replace it because of water damage, in my opinion. Until they do that, I won't be testing out the water resistance.

I probably would have thought similarly until I jumped in a lake with my phone in my shorts. I don't think improving the water resistance of the iPhone has no meaning.

 

[naeS1Sean]

A lot of small people here.

The MacRumors forums are the central place for Apple fans to take out all of their unrelated and irrational aggression on Apple, each other, and sometimes the MacRumors staff. Didn't you know?

 

[CharlesShaw]

Add this to the list of features I simply could not care about. Everything with Apple products these days are gimmicks, not advancements.

I'm a bit envious that you feel that way, as you can use old equipment and not lust after the new stuff. Different strokes.

 

[Return Zero]

Gooood, goooooooood.

There is nothing bad you could possibly say about this news. I have fully submersed my iPhone 7 for underwater videos on multiple occasions, including in chlorinated swimming pools. I'm dumb like that, but after seeing some of the tests on YouTube I had full confidence No problems whatsoever yet! I just make sure the charging port has time to dry before plugging back in after getting it wet.

 

[JeffyTheQuik]

This whole "scratch resistance" is meaningless if Apple will not stand by their product and replace it because of screen damage, in my opinion. Until they do that, I won't be breaking out the cutlery and attacking my screen.

This whole "durable chassis" is meaningless if Apple will not stand by their product and replace it because of impact damage, in my opinion. Until they do that, I won't be trying to dribble my iDevice like a basketball.

No, Apple is one of those companies that usually says something like "Oh, man, we really messed this one up. Sorry, it's waaay worse than last year's" in regards to new products.

sarcasm is your strong suit, my friend...

 

[belvdr]

<nothing posted>

Ah yes, now who can argue with that?!?

 

[elmaco]

The iPhone 7 can already handle more depth than Samsung's Galaxy S7, even though the iPhone has a lower rating.

See this test:

Apple is just more careful, i.e no burning phone in your pocket.

 

[johnrlaporta]

Well, it's not like there are 3 people working at Apple, and the iPhone guy has to make a choice between helping the iMac girl or the Watch guy, and he just stayed home and worked on making the iPhone more waterproofer.

Actually, that's exactly how it is. Check out a recent WSJ article that explains how Apple's structure works: they aren't organized by product line, but basically by profession. For example, the OS coders work on macOS, iOS, and watchOS as a group...there aren't distinct groups for each one. That's why when a large overhaul of iOS occurs, macOS languishes for a while.
[doublepost=1484335883][/doublepost]

So Touch ID, Apple Pay, telephoto/Portrait mode, 3D Touch, the Taptic Engine, and AirPods are all gimmicks. What exactly *do* you want to see Apple do that other companies are doing?

Actually, I'd say that the majority of those ARE gimmicks. Touch ID is useful to supplant the ever-growing complexity of passwords. Apple Pay is kind of a wash. The rest are just straight-up gimmicks...especially the AirPods. I won't go down the "who could need..." path, because obviously someone will say they do. But things that have to be recharged (and thus thrown away due to non-replicable batteries), are expensive, are wireless when they don't have to be, and don't provide any meaningful sound quality boost over what they replace are more a gimmick than they are useful. Cheap earbuds fill a similar role and are just as useful as AirPods.

 

[NormChuck]

No company replaces their water resistant devices if customers device messes up from water. Itll never happen, Samsung doesnt do it, no one does..

Sony boasted their phones were water proof. They got burned on that one.

 

[Larry The L]

This whole "water resistance" is meaningless if Apple will not stand by their product and replace it because of water damage, in my opinion. Until they do that, I won't be testing out the water resistance.

Certainly the most absurd thing I've heard in a while. One has NOTHING to do with the other. Apple is trying to make the phone less susceptible to water damage. Apple isn't guaranteeing anything. Do you really expect Apple to give you a new phone if you drop your phone in the toilet while you're lowering your pants? Or are you going to claim that you got your phone wet while swimming in the ocean? Oh, I see. You want Apple to explicitly state that they won't give you a new phone if it finds fecal material or salt water in it.

And just what do you mean by "I won't be testing out the water resistance"? Just what do you do with your new electronic equipment? Dunk it into the sink to see if it still works and if you can do a warranty claim if it doesn't. I've never seen so many people have such a cumulatively low IQ as do most of the people here who live to come onto this board to demonstrate their hatred, animosity, and most of all their lack of common sense and stupidity.

 

[Mac 128]

Does it mean that they will get rid of the lightning port now?

Possibly. The Lightning port is eventually going away, and not being replaced by a USB-C port either. The last opening in the iPhone will likely be the sim card tray if Apple is unable to persuade carriers to migrate toward software sims, and make international roaming rates reasonable. But the SIM tray is the easiest to waterproof, so not as critical as a port that's exposed to the exterior, with moving parts, and requires multiple connects/disconnects daily.

The Lightning port could go as early as the next iPhone if the rumors are true that contactless wireless charging is coming. There will still be a physical port for hardware resets and headphones, but it will be of the magnetic inductive variety like the SmartConnector, or Apple Watch. Whether this happens on the next iPhone, or in 2-3 years depends solely on that rumor being true. Apple may decide to remove the Lightning port on the new flagship Plus model, keeping an iPhone 7s around for another year before it removes the ports from iPhones altogether.

 

[2010mini]

- It's all a matter of degrees. Everything is water resistant to a lesser or greater extent; nothing is absolutely water proof. Hence the distinction is without meaning.

Anything device that is waterproof always states to what depth on the device itself. Water resistant just means safer from casual spills. Or a quick drop in shallow water like a puddle. But not for diving.

 

[szw-mapple fan]

This whole "water resistance" is meaningless if Apple will not stand by their product and replace it because of water damage, in my opinion. Until they do that, I won't be testing out the water resistance.

The problem with that is that Apple has no way of telling if the water damage was due to bad sealing or due to the user subjecting the phone to more pressure than the phone is capable of withstanding.

 

[H3LL5P4WN]

This is good news. Apple was extremely conservative with their IP67 rating:

 

[CharlesShaw]

I think the iPhone has peaked..... I'll keep my 6+ until the 10th anniversary iPhone comes out and then I'll keep that for another three years at the least. Unless something drastic changes, the days of upgrading every one-two years are over for me.

I honestly thought I would keep my 6 until later this year too, but I talked myself into the 7 and gave my pristine 6 (with unused accessories) to a dear friend, because...

1. It's just too much fun to get a new iPhone, especially via personal pickup.
2. A new battery again after two years is such a treat.

 

[ArcaneDevice]

Dustproof eh?

I guess that means drowned in glue at the assembly line and completely unrepairable and effectively becoming a disposable phone. iFixit will be sad.

 

[alanlau007]

The problem with that is that Apple has no way of telling if the water damage was due to bad sealing or due to the user subjecting the phone to more pressure than the phone is capable of withstanding.

Agree. And it's possible that some jackass open up the sim tray, inject water into the phone, and go to Apple demanding a replacement everyday.

I think Apple should package the iPhone in some sort of special liquid pack to make people feel confident about it's water resistance ability.
When people unbox their new iPhone, and if the phone works right out of the box, then good seal.

 

[dampfnudel]

Water resistance is nice -- especially when you have a toddler in your house. However I still want a 4" phone and won't buy another larger than 4" phone. Update the iPhone SE, Apple! Make that part of your "next iPhone" lineup.

Yeah, an iPhone with a 4" display, maybe based on the current iPhone 7 design (minor modification to the 6/6s) with an A10, improved camera, 3D Touch, etc. would be great as my mom's next iPhone. Her 5s will soon be 3-years-old.