I just buy an iPhone when my previous one becomes unusable. I've gone from a 12 mini to the 16 pro and it's a huge leap up. Sure, I wish it was a smaller and lighter, but the phone's working flawlessly for me. I even like the camera control button once it's setup properly.
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iPhone 16 Pro Max Why all the negativity?
- Thread starter Markgnyc2
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some people want to be negative about it as a way to justify to themselves why they haven't upgraded this year.
But they don't need to upgrade yearly, or have the best.
In my opinion, it's ok to say to yourself : this year's iPhones 16 models are great, and better than what I have currently, but what I have currently (15,14 etc...) will do for another year.
Enjoying having second best is a brilliant mindset. It's better on the environment and don't have to go through the pre-order faff every year, restoring iCloud, getting another screen protector, worrying about it for a while etc.
I have a standard iPhone 15. But i'm happy with what I saw on the iPhone 16 event, it's nice to know what features I'll get when I eventually move up to a 16, or 17 in 1-2 years time, it will be better. I don't need it now (apple AI will take a while to release globally and mature), and I certainly don't need to be angry because I'm not getting it this year, by finding faults with the newer stuff I don't have. I think it's also cool that others want to try it first and get the new devices, I'm not judging that at all - after all they can beta test these new features like AI and capture button for me.
Basically people needs to get over themselves.
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The only negativity I see is from yearly upgraders expecting massive differences like they are owed it.
Honestly the best thing to do is put some of them on ignore. Absolute game changer.
I don’t mind when people say “I don’t like it because of XYZ” we don’t want an echo chamber of only positivity.
I’m mainly referring to the stupid one liners you get such as
Can’t innovate anymore my ass!
Courage!
Bring back the mini!
Who asked for this? (My most hated)
Or any generic sarcasm that doesn’t add anything to the conversation.
I don’t mind when people say “I don’t like it because of XYZ” we don’t want an echo chamber of only positivity.
I’m mainly referring to the stupid one liners you get such as
Can’t innovate anymore my ass!
Courage!
Bring back the mini!
Who asked for this? (My most hated)
Or any generic sarcasm that doesn’t add anything to the conversation.
Consensus seems to be that the 16s are underwhelming. Anyone expecting Apple to bring in wholesale changes for the 17 is likely to be disappointed though. Ever since the 12s their model has been to implement a few changes each year but hold back some for future updates. The non-pro 16s had to be substantially updated this time due to Apple Intelligence requirements but I expect the 17s to again be incremental improvements. I guess they don't want waiting for a new model to pay, so if you are sitting on the fence about upgrading you might as well do it now.
What a lot of people don't seem to realise is Apple are running a business. You can't just come out with some industry-defining revolution every year. Your staff would all leave with burnout after 6 months.
They will have a 10-year roadmap. On that chart will be where they think the market is and how they can break down one huge leap into several annual ones. Innovation is glacial on purpose because most customers upgrade every 3-4 years and things eventually snowball. Apple know that annual upgrades are a fools errand but command such brand loyalty that people do it anyway. Why not exploit that for commercial gain?
They could operate like the games industry and release one huge update every 7 years or so but this would be impossible as they have hundreds of millions of customers all operating on different timeframes. They'd get a lot more people jumping ship.
The iPhone X was the last big leap forward. Don't expect another until 2027.
They will have a 10-year roadmap. On that chart will be where they think the market is and how they can break down one huge leap into several annual ones. Innovation is glacial on purpose because most customers upgrade every 3-4 years and things eventually snowball. Apple know that annual upgrades are a fools errand but command such brand loyalty that people do it anyway. Why not exploit that for commercial gain?
They could operate like the games industry and release one huge update every 7 years or so but this would be impossible as they have hundreds of millions of customers all operating on different timeframes. They'd get a lot more people jumping ship.
The iPhone X was the last big leap forward. Don't expect another until 2027.
The phone industry is almost like the car industry now. You buy a car with a certain engine, features, and tech included. Every single year the car manufacturers come out with a new model year with mostly incremental updates. Every five or six years, they overhaul the vehicle. You don‘t trade in your car every year. But when its time to get a new car, you know you will have the most updated model with the latest tech.
Obviously phones do not cost what cars do. There are those that choose to upgrade every year because they can do so, sometimes at almost zero out of pocket costs with trade ins, annual update plans, etc. But for the vast majority of people who now keep their phones 2-4 years, when it’s time to upgrade, they will be getting a new phone with greatly updated tech. I think thats the model the industry is going for now, rather than coming out with a blockbuster feature every single year. It just can’t happen. And when the iPhone XX comes out, and if Apple does come out with some blockbuster feature or hardware change, there will be a super cycle of upgrades, and that iPhone XX will be the model that the next few years will be based on.
Obviously phones do not cost what cars do. There are those that choose to upgrade every year because they can do so, sometimes at almost zero out of pocket costs with trade ins, annual update plans, etc. But for the vast majority of people who now keep their phones 2-4 years, when it’s time to upgrade, they will be getting a new phone with greatly updated tech. I think thats the model the industry is going for now, rather than coming out with a blockbuster feature every single year. It just can’t happen. And when the iPhone XX comes out, and if Apple does come out with some blockbuster feature or hardware change, there will be a super cycle of upgrades, and that iPhone XX will be the model that the next few years will be based on.
I'm not sure how strict the definition of "innovating" is but mildly iterating on existing features isn't what I'd call innovative. A better ultrawide sensor in the Pro models isn't an innovation, it's an improvement. Faster ray tracing isn't an innovation, it's an improvement.
What I'd call innovative (independent of how useful people find it) about the 16 series is Camera Control, because while a 2-stage camera button has been done before, I don't know of one on a smartphone that allows you to actually navigate camera settings. The improved battery removal process in at least the base iPhone 16 (by applying electricity to a tab that's sticking out) is innovative as it hasn't been done before on a mainstream consumer-facing device (afaik).
That being said I don't think a smartphone has to be very innovative these days. Incremental improvements on displays, batteries, performance, cameras etc. are fine. If you don't need or want any of the improvements, keep your current device for another year and look again. Repeat until it feels good for you to upgrade.
These days, software support lasts many, many years. You even get most of the new software features on older devices (Apple Intelligence being the obvious and big exception for iOS 18). I switched from a 13 Pro to a 16 Pro because for me the changes over 3 years were enough to want it. But you can probably use a 13 Pro for 5 more years and it'll be fine. You could currently still be on an iPhone XS and be fine. Heck, even an iPhone 6S still receives security updates and most apps still support iOS 15.
Apple is definitely holding back on some new hardware features to spread them out more over multiple years and models. I bet it wouldn't have been a problem to make the telephoto camera get a 48 MP sensor as well for example. But if that's the improvement you're waiting for, just wait until it arrives.
The alternative would be that Apple only releases a new iPhone every 3-4 years and the difference to the previous model would be way bigger. But then you'd get a more outdated phone when purchasing mid-cycle, which would just be bad.
The issue is that the new phone has come out with some serious software bugs - like the screen being unresponsive or the camera not taking pictures. Those may just be teething troubles of a new product but really is it the new customers job to beta test - or should that be the companies job to do properly before release. We all know the phones will be fixed before too long within 1 or 2 software patches but why should we the customers have to wear that inconvenience for 4-8 weeks until it happens.
iOS 18 betas have been in the wild for months, with probably hundreds of thousands of users, and I don't recall those things being issues in any of the beta threads here or around the internet. They have an extensive beta testing program every year and it's open to basically anybody who's interested, it's not like Apple just drops a new OS on the world without testing it first.
No one has been able to give solid answers on what they consider a home run for an iPhone announcement. A bigger battery and 120hz across all models isn’t going to be enough. The market is very mature and a lot of things innovative are going to come down to mostly software.
So again I ask, what would it take hardware wise only, for you to consider an iPhone launch a home run? The answer cannot contain bigger battery, 120hz across all models and a folding model.
So again I ask, what would it take hardware wise only, for you to consider an iPhone launch a home run? The answer cannot contain bigger battery, 120hz across all models and a folding model.
About time USB-C is the charge port for the iPhones - all my other devices are USB-C (MBA, MBP, iPad Pro, Studio Mac, Mac Mini, Lenovo laptop, Surface Pro, Chromebook, AVP, EV cars)....
Now I can get rid of the silly Lightning cables and only use USB-C.
I think many people want to be wowed, but I think we are just in the era of incremental updates, which is fine. The slab style smartphone has peaked. There are some neat things the flagship Androids do, namely to do with software like multitasking to have 2 apps open on the screen at the same time, but all in all, the iPhones are mature, very good phones.
Other than multitasking, especially on the Max and Plus sized phones, and perhaps the inclusion of a mini Apple Pencil to have stylus compatibility like on the S24 Ultra, there's nothing left I can think of. Apple has matured the models, particularly the Pros with exceptionally good displays, speed, cameras, always on, ProMotion, premium materials, but even this years 16 and 16 Plus are really solid upgrades. They should have at least a 90Hz panel though. 60Hz for an $800+ phone in 2024 is a bit ridiculous.
What 'wow' features are you waiting for? I'm assuming you're on an 11 Pro? A 16 Pro Max is a significant upgrade over the 11 Pro/Max. Better, bigger, always on, ProMotion display, much better cameras, AI (coming), double the RAM, much better battery life. Those are all expected incremental changes, but there isn't much Apple can do to wow us at this point. It's the nature of the market. One thing Apple could do is launch a product with the software they advertise. I don't understand why they can't launch hardware, particularly on the iPhones, with the advertised software. The 16s were all about AI, yet much of the AI isn't available and won't be for months.
Dude the screen on my brand new 1700 dollar iPhone doesn't work properly. I'm so pissed I could power an entire city with the steam alone.
I have had every iPhone from day one to now. I got the 16 Pro Max and love it.
But I also feel kinda let down by Apple about the 16 amd what they promised at the launch. Tim said the 16 was designed from the ground up for Apple Intelligence! Then none of the Apple Intelligence features are available. Rumors say some will be available next month sometime. Then more rumors say all of the Apple Intelligence feature won't be ready until 2025.
I agree with what most are going to say....that they should not release the features until they are ready...and that is true.
But all of the marketing posters, all of the buzz was around Apple Intelligence for the 16 lineup and it is not ready.
I think MBKHD says it best in his video below. he is one of the most popular and respecter YouTube technology reviewers out there.
But I also feel kinda let down by Apple about the 16 amd what they promised at the launch. Tim said the 16 was designed from the ground up for Apple Intelligence! Then none of the Apple Intelligence features are available. Rumors say some will be available next month sometime. Then more rumors say all of the Apple Intelligence feature won't be ready until 2025.
I agree with what most are going to say....that they should not release the features until they are ready...and that is true.
But all of the marketing posters, all of the buzz was around Apple Intelligence for the 16 lineup and it is not ready.
I think MBKHD says it best in his video below. he is one of the most popular and respecter YouTube technology reviewers out there.
Yes taxes are brutal where I live.
I analogized it to cars to someone last week. Phones have matured.
Thinking too often about and "living" in the past or the future is one of the main causes of stress and worry in humans.
I can't imagine its much different when the iPhone that launched less than a week ago has to measure up to the ones dropping in the next 1-2 years.
What we're doing in here, and what people across the "tech news sphere" are doing, can't be healthy.
"Updating-upgrading-perfecting OCD", if I had to put a (hyperbolic) label on it.
However, I'd take comfort in the fact that we represent a tiny minority of consumers and that most don't scrutinize and discuss Apple's products to this extreme extent.
Yeah, exactly 11 Pro. But also have spare SE 3 that I sometimes use, it has slightly limited camera from iPhone 13 so I definitely see changes. Also I had experience with taking shots on 12. Imo best shooter among these is definitely SE. Also I have tried 15 Pro and regular 15 camera not too long ago, can’t say if I need the newer cam, it shoots quite similar, although RAW processing is better on newer models.
Other features are quite out of my needs. I make calls on my iPhone, surf the web and shoot photos/edit them. Doubtful AI will help me with anything I already do, as well as 120Hz OLED display (which is in most scenarios limited to 80Hz for battery life). As for the battery, well… mine works good, service repair people even told me it works exceptionally well for the phone age (86% currently).
And yes, exactly: it is the nature of the market. It is very oversaturated at this moment thus we get what we get.
My wishlist currently:
- lack of camera bump or smaller camera bump;
- smaller design, smaller display, compact and lightweight smartphone;
- maybe touch ID to come back because I am tired of IR scanning my eyes every time I want to sleep;
- better camera. YES! Even better. Ideally real 1 inch size bayer sensor;
- better lens with true portrait and bokeh capability;
- smaller island-notch or even the total lack of it.
But most requested features by me are smaller phone and better camera for sure. And I mean much better than currently. I was about to pull the trigger with regular 15 (don’t wanna waste more money on Pro model) but 16 got hideous looking camera bump now and also not much of a difference to 15. I will be waiting for better phone because I don’t upgrade that often. I believe if I update my 11 Pro to 18 it will be useless slow brick😂
Now that’s easy: A compact-sized model. No camera bump. No notch or pill.
But really, regardless of hardware or software, for me it would be the absence of annoyances (of which there are way too many), and for new features to be easy and straightforward to use and not get in the way, not add more taps to existing functions, or otherwise increase the cognitive overhead.
It's not just Apple, clearly they'll get the most attention but it's because of the whole Cult/Sheep. The S/Ultra hasn't changed either but no one is talking about it.
I own both, why pick sides when you can enjoy the best of both worlds.
I lost the link but if you Google Kimmel/iPhone Swap it says it all how iPhone fans are.
What else can Apple or any company do, it's a Cell Phone hence the Camera Button and AI.
My only question is why is Apple taking forever to release a Foldable iPhone? My guess is it has something to do with their iPad.
I own both, why pick sides when you can enjoy the best of both worlds.
I lost the link but if you Google Kimmel/iPhone Swap it says it all how iPhone fans are.
What else can Apple or any company do, it's a Cell Phone hence the Camera Button and AI.
My only question is why is Apple taking forever to release a Foldable iPhone? My guess is it has something to do with their iPad.
