The iPhone of the Next Decade: No Buttons, No Ports, Just Innovation

[MICHAELSD]

The vision for the iPhone of the future, the next major iteration beyond iPhone 8/X, and the ultimate goal for Apple in my mind: to get rid of all the physical buttons, bezels, and ports.

Here's the case for each:

Physical buttons: The lock button is already made partly redundant by the raise to wake feature in iOS 10. Apple would just need to figure out a seamless way to turn the display off. Volume buttons could be made touch-sensitive or completely controlled by the display/Siri.

Bezels: They take up unnecessary space, and with the 4.7"/5.5" size of the displays a reduction in size would make use that much more comfortable.

Ports: Once the iPhone has wireless charging, there is zero reason to keep the Lightning port. The transition away from the headphone jack is really a transition to a wireless future, and everybody should be prepared for that transition beyond just using adapters and Lightning headphones.

The iPhone of the future will look completely unlike the iPhone of today, losing all the iconic design cues like the home button. It will lead to the ultimate goal of being just a window into content, and this end-goal product will be the most innovative to come out of Apple in years.

 

[sniffies]

iPhones of the future will be all in your head.

 

[HiItsMe]

*Just Courage

 

[44267547]

*Just Courage

I know your being sarcastic based off Phil's comment. But it's over used and redundant already.

 

[douglasf13]

May as well take it a step further and loose the screen. It could just be a little button sized device that projects a 3D hologram into the air...but, until then, I want my headphone jack. lol

 

[C DM]

iPhones of the future are all in your head.

 

[InuNacho]

So uhm, if theres no Lightning Port how do you plug it into iTunes when it goes "kaput"?

 

[The Cowardly Lion]

*Just Courage

What he said.

 

[Surf Monkey]

There's very little doubt in my mind that your assessment is close to the truth. The "end game" is an all display device, smooth and minimalist. No seams. No bumps. No ports.

But for the next iPhone? It'll have a port. It'll have some buttons.

 

[GrindedDown]

You might be more right than not for the next generation. Apple has long been seeking to have a phone and ecosystem that is seen as a fresh new product. I could totally see the 10th anniversary iPhone being much like what you said because of this. It would make some decent business sense for them.

Especially since they now have something like the smart connector that can connect hardware devices and power I/O.

I'm coming back here in a year to congratulate you on being able to read the future......or to ridicule you for such crazy thinking haha jk.

 

[sqa4life]

Wake up! Time to go to work to pay your bills.

 

[MICHAELSD]

Part II

To follow-up my predictions for iPhone 8, and the next decade of the iPhone following it, I'm going to go even further into the future with a bold prediction: the iPhone will become the only device a user needs, replacing all the other computers in their life by the time we reach 20, maybe 30 years at most into the future. It'll have the performance, flexibility, and wireless connectivity to be utilized as a smartphone, a full-blown computer, a media center, a gaming console, a remote for a smart home (as already seen in iOS 10), etc. etc. etc.

The more broad prediction: with the progress made in mobile performance outpacing the progress made in desktop/laptop hardware, mobile processors will catch up at some point thereby making full-blown hardware redundant. Performance and battery life will become so optimal that it will be pointless for users to have any other device taking up space in their house.

I'm not quite as confident in this prediction as it also means desktop hardware will become more power-efficient, but I believe we'll be transitioning into more of a single-device future that at the least replaces gaming consoles and media centers/settop boxes.

 

[SMIDG3T]

iPhones of the future are all in your head.

No.

Next year it'll have no bezels with the Home button/Touch ID built into the screen.

OP is correct. This is Apple's endgame. A phone with no buttons and no bezels. A phone that is, essentially, a sheet of glass.

 

[orbitalpunk]

And courage. Don't forget courage.

 

[kasakka]

And courage. Don't forget courage.

At first I thought that guy had wet, filterless cigarette butts hanging from his ears.

When they can get wireless charging to be fast enough then there is very little need to have ports on the iPhone. I am also really waiting for those absolutely massive bezels and the home button to go away.

 

[azfalcons]

If you want something that's "new amd innovative" then you may need to quit buying Apple.