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What will an iPhone look like in 2020?

It's interesting how so many people in this thread still think of 2020 as "the future". It's only six years away. I know a lot of the posts aren't made to be taken too seriously :rolleyes: but even so, there's this general aura that the world will be vastly different in 2020 and Apple's entire ecosystem will be fresh and new.

My entire point was that Apple's ecosystem won't be different (too much) and that maybe the things that we're expecting in 2014 might actually take far longer to be released, and that perhaps people are vastly overestimating how far Apple can get in a year, when a more realistic time-frame to think in would be three to five years.

Keep in mind, the upcoming iPhone 6 has been in development for more than a year already -- it's not just being designed right at this moment, it only feels that way because we hear so many reports that Apple is testing screens of this size and screens of that size. The screen size for iPhone 6 has already been decided, it's not a last-minute decision, because they still have to set up the production lines and processes and order quantities of these screens in advance, etc.

Another example: Touch ID. It's been in development for years. They didn't just start working on it after iPhone 5 came out, they were working on it long before, but to us it seems like they invented it the day before iPhone 5S came out.

Think of a person who bought an iPhone in 2007 and never used or saw any of the following iPhones. If they picked up the iPhone 5S today, they may be blown away by the speed and the camera and Touch ID and Siri, but it is still the same iPhone. It is still a touchscreen that has apps that do things.

2020 is not some vague future where "anything can happen". It's a specific year a few years down the line, and you and I will still be there, using our iPhones and MacBooks and all of Apple's existing technology, just a bit upgraded.

Matt8045 said:
Doubt we will be using phones in the standard sense we think of them today and especially not in the current form factor.
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We're still using computers, and keyboards, and mice. We're still using monitors that are non-touch-screen. Some of us are still using Windows XP in office environments. 2020 is only six years away... not even a decade... if we're not gonna be using phones in their current form factor, will we still be using keyboards and mice?
 
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No cables except for power.

Batteries will last for days, maybe little fuel cells or even flywheels.

Phones will have rounded-off, more organic shapes.

There will be big phones and small phones and medium sized phones.

The screens will have ever-higher resolution. Yes, they will look better despite the anti-pixel crowd (they are in the tv and camera forums as well, always wrong).

Maybe the bodies will be made of crystal too, coming in amazing jewel colors.

At some point there will be diamond screens, not just sapphire.

Hearing aid/ear speakers won't be just for hard of hearing people.

The iWatch will be a phone at some point.

Broadband will be much better, maybe Apple gets involved as a carrier in some way.

Much of the assembly is made in the US. The dirty manufacture of misc parts is still off-shore.

Even though phones are half-way to supercomputing power, people will complain about some obscure chip or something they heard they needed.

People wearing Google Glass will remain virgins, despite the stuff they are watching.

Digital interfaces will be replaced by analogue.

Apple stuff will, mostly, just work.

Many electric cars, driving in some situations is autonomous which leaves people more time to play with their iToys.
 
What will the iphone look like in 2020? That's an easy one...
 

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mtneer said:
By 2020; humans would have advanced past the need for a physical reality. There won't be a need for any devices; or anything real. Our brains will be plugged into giant computer banks where our consciousness and reality will exist. Time will cease to be a dimension and the laws of the physical world will be suspended at least until the Sun begins to hit red giant and the power banks for the computers begin to fail.
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Uhhhh . . . yeah, that's not due to happen in the next 7 years. It's scheduled for 5 billion years from now. So, we've got some time.

2020? Hmm. Don't know about the iPhone, but I can't wait to see "the much more newerest iPad".

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158273 said:
It's interesting how so many people in this thread still think of 2020 as "the future". It's only six years away. I know a lot of the posts aren't made to be taken too seriously :rolleyes: but even so, there's this general aura that the world will be vastly different in 2020 and Apple's entire ecosystem will be fresh and new.
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You say that it's only six years away. Here's a shot of what we had six years ago. A lot can change, if you ask me.

treo650_340x719.jpg
 
imanidiot said:
No, it's not. You would appear to have a lot of time on your hands.
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Ok, what do you spend your time on? If thought creates reality, then it's valuable to think about what you want, as you then manifest that reality in the physical simulation.
 
iMacFarlane said:
You say that it's only six years away. Here's a shot of what we had six years ago. A lot can change, if you ask me.

Image
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Did the phone in the image come out six years ago or was it simply in existence six years ago but it came out earlier?

All I know is that six years ago was when the first iPhone came out as well.
 
158273 said:
Did the phone in the image come out six years ago or was it simply in existence six years ago but it came out earlier?

All I know is that six years ago was when the first iPhone came out as well.
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That was the Palm Treo 650, from Palm, the king of the PDAs. These were the go-to devices prior to the iPhone. This device came out in Nov 04 and sold until 2008.

So, fair point, it's actually 9 years old.
 
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158273 said:
With all the doom and gloom stories out there, it's hard to imagine that Apple will still be around in 2020 or that we'll still be using iPhones... but of course it will be and we will be. Even if everyone stopped buying Apple products today, the amount of billions they have in the bank would allow them to continue operating for years. And we'll still be using iPhones in 2020; technology moves fast, but not that fast. Think about all the flying cars we have...

So since we know that Apple will be around in 2020 for sure, and we know that we'll still be using phones and tablets in 2020 for sure, I started thinking about other definite for sure conclusions we can make.

For example, by 2020, it's certain that:

  • all iPhones and iPads will have a Retina display
  • all iPhones and iPads will have Touch ID
  • iMac will come with a Retina display
  • MacBook Air will come with a Retina display
  • iPhone will come with a 128 GB option
  • iOS will allow you to use a custom keyboard
  • etc.

Annoyed that the iPad 2 is staying around for another year? That'll be gone in 2020. You will not see a single Apple device without a Retina screen in 2020. Think about it, today is 2013. Tomorrow is 2020. Will there really be any non-Retina screens left?

Tired of the 4S sticking around for another year? That'll be gone too. Every iPhone will have a Lightning connector. Every iPhone will have Touch ID. Every iPad will have Touch ID. Every iOS device will be available in a 128 GB storage option.

There will be not a single iOS device that doesn't have a Retina display, that doesn't have Touch ID, that isn't running on 64-bit. All of this will be commonplace across the board of all of Apple's devices.

This is stuff that we can predict with absolute certainty, because it's 2020. It's not 2013, it's not 2014, it's 2020. That's more than six years of upgrades. Six years of upgrades. Just think about that. If iPhone 4S seems ancient to you, how will the 5S compare six years later? Six iPhones later?

How will iOS compare six versions later? If you don't like iOS 7 today, is it plausible for you to imagine how it might improve over six generations? By that time, we might even have another redesign and go back to real buttons. ;)

Is it plausible we'll be able to choose a custom virtual keyboard on iOS devices in 2014? Maybe. We don't know. Is it realistic that we'll have a choice of a keyboard in 2020? Yes, with absolute certainty. Without a doubt.

A matter of time

Realize that most of your frustrations with Apple today are simply a matter of time. Why is Apple taking so long to release a bigger iPhone? When will I have my MacBook Air with Retina display? What about my iMac with Retina display? When will the iPad Pro come out? When will we see iWatch?

Viewed with a one-year frame in mind, these questions are frustrating, because deep down, you know we won't see all of those things in 2014. Not a chance.

But when you look all the way to 2020, the picture is crystal clear. Of course all the displays on all the MacBooks and Macs will be Retina. Of course all iOS devices will have Touch ID. Again, we're not talking about 2014. We're talking about 2020. Can you see how the long-term perspective brings things clearer into view?

When Apple speaks about the Lightning connector lasting it for the next 10 years and the naming scheme of Mavericks lasting it for the next decade, they're not kidding around. They're not exaggerating. They know that 2020 will come and they are working towards it one step at a time. They may not have all the technologies or the vision or the products that they'll have in 2020, but they have a roadmap and they're not just thinking about 2014 like all of us are.

And we haven't even began to cover new technologies! A few months ago, a fingerprint scanner seems plausible but not certain. It was just a rumour. We didn't know how well it would work or whether it would be useful. Now, we expect it on every device. We want every iOS device to have Touch ID. Amazing, isn't it?

We fall into the trap of thinking that it's done. That there are no more new features. "Well, we've got Touch ID, what else do we need? Wireless charging? NFC? Solar charging? I thought Apple wasn't interested in any of that!"

Yes, we'll have a bigger display for iPhone. Yes, we'll get a 128 GB iPhone. Yes, it'll be faster. But think, really think about this. We've got six generations of iPhones ahead of us until we reach 2020. Even with Apple's "slow pace", is a bigger display and more storage options really the only thing on their mind? Or have they got more "useless" features like Retina displays and Touch ID that will completely revolutionize the way we use our devices?

So for those of you who think that Apple still doesn't have any surprises up its sleeve, just think of 2020. Is it really that far-out that by 2020 we'll have some incredible new technologies, that even if we're contemplating them now, we're not really thinking about their consequences or believing in them?

There Will Always be an iPad 2

Although 2020 sounds like a utopia (Retina displays on every MacBook? Touch ID on every device? A bigger iPad Pro?) you do have to realize that there will always be what is the equivalent of the iPad 2. There will always be the newest and latest (example: iPhone 9S) and then there will be iPhone 9.

The good news is that the figurative "iPad 2" or "iPhone 4S" is always improving, to the point where Apple can repackage last year's tech into a 5C and have it run iOS 7 and work perfectly.

So perhaps there won't be any more jarring of "I want Retina displays" like you get when you pick up the first iPad mini, but... there will be the equivalent of that first iPad mini. So in 2020, there might be an iPhone 9C with Touch ID and A8 chip, but no wireless charging, no solar charging, etc. (I'm just making these features up, but you get the idea).

***

Even though 2020 seems like far away, just remind yourself, it will get here. It's inevitable. No matter what you do, or how much you agonize about current Apple shortcomings, one day you'll wake up and it'll be 2020, and your iPad will have Touch ID just like you wanted, your iMac will have a Retina display just like you wanted, iOS 9 will be out and vastly improve over iOS 7 and 8, and that 4K Cinema Display you wanted? That'll be out too.

It's kinda fun to think about, isn't it?

Do you guys have any other predictions that sound unrealistic for 2014 but are completely plausible by 2020?
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Well guessed but iPhones have Face ID now.
 
Interesting takes from 6 years ago. But the iPhone for 2020 will still be an iPhone with better camera, large screen sizes, Face ID, screen record, and other new features not available in 2013.
 
We're definitely spoiled with all sorts of first world problems these days. The cell/mobile phone has become more integral to the daily lives of billions around the world more than ever before.

Big picture perspective, if you have a mid-level iPhone or Android and above YOU'RE GOOD TO GO!!! Everything after that is just icing on the cake, and/or bemoaning on our part.

Love, love, love my Xs Max (that it's paid for even more); I honestly don't have a need for anything else. Any pontificating beyond my current device is just wishing and wanting on my end, cause I'm a tech nerd/junkie.

I have no doubt, that Apple will continue to exceed most people's expectations.
 
Ledsteplin said:
Interesting takes from 6 years ago. But the iPhone for 2020 will still be an iPhone with better camera, large screen sizes, Face ID, screen record, and other new features not available in 2013.
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In fairness, the single most improved feature for any smart phone every year is the camera. Anyone can make that prediction saying next year will have the best camera, when that’s the most noteable selling/marketing point for Apple, is the camera.
 
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What a trippy thread to read through. I'm guessing that by 2027 the iPhone, as we know it today, won't be as vital to our lives once we've transitioned to newer tech. Perhaps the forthcoming  Glass will do to the iPhone what the iPhone did to the iPod?
 
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Caliber26 said:
What a trippy thread to read through. I'm guessing that by 2027 the iPhone, as we know it today, won't be as vital to our lives once we've transitioned to newer tech. Perhaps the forthcoming  Glass will do to the iPhone what the iPhone did to the iPod?
Click to expand...

Fast forward past 2020–My projection: The Apple Watch will be a standalone device by 2027 coupled with the AR glasses. I think the iPhone will still be relevant, but will have options where the iPhone will no longer be the ‘sole’ central hub device anymore, where the Apple Watch will probably be the true successor if the technology allows for it.
 
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This was a cool read. Some very interesting and near accuracies, especially the allusion to FaceID.

Someone should start a 2030 predictions thread - I’m still holding out for holographic interfaces (Minority Report) and the option for glasses, an earpiece/earrings, or a necklace or bracelet to be your secondary phone, like the Watch will eventually be.
 
Bendy if jerryrigwhatshisface gets it after the iPad bending fiasco he caused (my iPad is still straight)
 
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