the snail paced incremental updates, the AI fiasco, intentionally grotesque design, recent price gouging (of apple products in general) - anyone else have general iPhone & Apple fatigue and just losing all interest?
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Other anyone else have iphone fatigue?
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eyoungren
macrumors Nehalem
Whatchu talking about Willis?!
The youngest device I have is from 2021. And that's the device taking this picture, iPhone 11 Pro Max.
My devices are tools. I don't usually get bored with tools.
GMShadow
macrumors 68030
OP appears to be a "Steve Jobs Would Never" guy, which was quaint and funny in 2014 and is just sad and tired 15 years later.
That, or it's gadget acquisition syndrome and Apple's stuff is largely in mature categories at this point, those two don't mesh. I sympathize a little there, but still, my stuff works great.
That, or it's gadget acquisition syndrome and Apple's stuff is largely in mature categories at this point, those two don't mesh. I sympathize a little there, but still, my stuff works great.
BigMcGuire
macrumors G4
I remember thinking this way when I was younger. I always wanted the latest and greatest. Now I'm an old man and all I want is stability - these are tools, nothing more, nothing less. And I appreciate that the iPhone is very stable, works well, lasts me days on a charge, and could probably last me 5 years+ with usage before needing to upgrade.
I don't like tech that is always changing - I used to when I was younger. But I got more important things to do now and a lot of the new ... stuff... coming out is a lot more inconvenient to use than not. Lot of the new stuff today is designed to grab as much attention and as much time out of your life as it can - not improve it.
I don't like tech that is always changing - I used to when I was younger. But I got more important things to do now and a lot of the new ... stuff... coming out is a lot more inconvenient to use than not. Lot of the new stuff today is designed to grab as much attention and as much time out of your life as it can - not improve it.
Agree with the war on attention span. Interesting insights
lol, amazing use of conjecture. Keep the sad and tired adjectives for your own life.
turbineseaplane
macrumors Penryn
Yes, I do.
All I want is a small, light, pocketable iPhone to do the essentials ...
And every year all the options seem to get a little thicker or heavier or add more stuff I don't want or care about.
I'm nearly into the camp of wanting an iPhone that runs WatchOS at this point.
That's how ridiculous it has gotten.
All I want is a small, light, pocketable iPhone to do the essentials ...
And every year all the options seem to get a little thicker or heavier or add more stuff I don't want or care about.
I'm nearly into the camp of wanting an iPhone that runs WatchOS at this point.
That's how ridiculous it has gotten.
Yeah they’re definitely missing the mark with a sizeable set of customers who want less not more
mansplains
macrumors 68000
For me, it’s a fatigue of consumer electronics in general. A funky predicament for an early adopter like I consider myself. Then, add the enpoopification and annoyances encountered with basic interactions… I’ve relegated my PC to games only with how awful Windows has become. Then Apple continues to choose silly limitations (no independent volume controls to satisfy the wheel squeaking for nearly 20 years) or often implements them in the most silly ways (go to yet another settings page to adjust alarm volume, instead of directly in the clock app). App updates three times a week with half a gig of bloat, I finally disabled auto updates for the first time. I don’t mean to be a downer, but the tech advancements nowadays simply aren’t in this area for now.
turbineseaplane
macrumors Penryn
Me too.
The App Update situation is beyond ridiculous.
Literally every time I seem to open it, like 94 updates are there.
I have it do them all, and a week later it's a number nearly as high.
I'm sorry, but none of these Apps need to be updating this much.
It’s true tech has lost its magic, it’s become used for extrapolating user data and controlling people politically etc -
Apple used to put customer experience first and it showed in the products - there was an innocence to the developments and competition - now it feels like consumers are being squeezed like never before and monetised more than anything else -
completely understand what you mean - and it’s not just tech unfortunately, getting this en poopification across the board
skodises
Contributor
I find that I'm also completely over the iPhone: the forced march to iOs26 and its associated Googlized-AI-everywhere-all-the-time "features" leaves me completely out in the cold.
I'm looking at several dumbphones that interest me, to a greater or lesser extent. Foremost among them at this instant is the Mudita Kompakt (https://pausegadget.com/mudita-kompakt-review/), although I really dislike the fact that it is based on Android, which I trust even less than Apple. A close second is the Punkt MP02 (same Android issue), followed by the Kyocera Dura XA (same Android issue). Fourth would be the HMD/Nokia 2660 (https://pausegadget.com/hmd-nokia-2660-review/) which avoids the Android-spooge issues. I hope that this product gets some renewed development effort, because just a couple of tweeks on the S30+ OS and phone network support would vault it directly to the top of the list.
I'll keep my iPhone15 Pro until it either fails or (more likely) takes an update that annoys me even further. But its replacement will most certainly be a non-Apple, non-Google dumbphone. Speaking strictly for myself: I want a device that has never been touched by either Google or Apple, places and accepts voice calls on the current generation of cellular networks, has minimal text capability (mostly for receiving the apparently-obligatory 2FA codes), can store and play back a few hours of music via Bluetooth, has no Web browser or voice recognition capabilities whatsoever, and has a clock. And does not gather non-opt-outable electronic intelligence on me, to quietly send back to its mothership without my knowledge. Icing on the cake, if possible of course, would be a battery that lasts longer than 24 hours...
A nice dumb retro clamshell flip-phone would serve my purposes nicely. And, looking at the literature, it would appear that I'm not alone... But your mileage may vary.
I'm looking at several dumbphones that interest me, to a greater or lesser extent. Foremost among them at this instant is the Mudita Kompakt (https://pausegadget.com/mudita-kompakt-review/), although I really dislike the fact that it is based on Android, which I trust even less than Apple. A close second is the Punkt MP02 (same Android issue), followed by the Kyocera Dura XA (same Android issue). Fourth would be the HMD/Nokia 2660 (https://pausegadget.com/hmd-nokia-2660-review/) which avoids the Android-spooge issues. I hope that this product gets some renewed development effort, because just a couple of tweeks on the S30+ OS and phone network support would vault it directly to the top of the list.
I'll keep my iPhone15 Pro until it either fails or (more likely) takes an update that annoys me even further. But its replacement will most certainly be a non-Apple, non-Google dumbphone. Speaking strictly for myself: I want a device that has never been touched by either Google or Apple, places and accepts voice calls on the current generation of cellular networks, has minimal text capability (mostly for receiving the apparently-obligatory 2FA codes), can store and play back a few hours of music via Bluetooth, has no Web browser or voice recognition capabilities whatsoever, and has a clock. And does not gather non-opt-outable electronic intelligence on me, to quietly send back to its mothership without my knowledge. Icing on the cake, if possible of course, would be a battery that lasts longer than 24 hours...
A nice dumb retro clamshell flip-phone would serve my purposes nicely. And, looking at the literature, it would appear that I'm not alone... But your mileage may vary.
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jz0309
macrumors P6
if its iPhone and Apple - you have choices ...
smartphones, computing devices in general have long ago peaked, any tech improvement has slowed down for quite a while. what you're describing applies to the entire tech world.
smartphones are still slabs
laptop form factor hasn't changed in 40 years
turbineseaplane
macrumors Penryn
The issue for me is just how little device size diversity there is in smartphones.
Royksöpp
macrumors 68030
For once I'm not planning on upgrading. There is no way in hell I'm paying another 100-200 for a bs price increase.
ClaraStahlbaum
macrumors 6502a
I am getting heavy iphone fatigue. I know I have upgraded from the 13, to the 16e, then the 17e, but the actual difference in day to day usage is pretty much non-existent besides a slightly better camera and more storage. I won't be forking over the money to get another Iphone any time soon since the actual difference will be minimal.
That is the reason why my next phone might be an Android. A completely new experience.
That is the reason why my next phone might be an Android. A completely new experience.
Le_Chiffre
macrumors regular
I’m excited for the new iPhone Air 2.
Don’t really have any fatigue, I buy iPhones when I want, don’t really feel any pressure to buy devices. I had an iPhone 14 Pro Max and upgraded to an iPhone 17 pro max. Now I want an iPhone Air 2 to supplement my iPhone 17 pro max.
What’s the alternative Google services and Android? No thank you.
Personally I don’t use any Google services and don’t intend on beginning now. 😂
Don’t really have any fatigue, I buy iPhones when I want, don’t really feel any pressure to buy devices. I had an iPhone 14 Pro Max and upgraded to an iPhone 17 pro max. Now I want an iPhone Air 2 to supplement my iPhone 17 pro max.
What’s the alternative Google services and Android? No thank you.
Personally I don’t use any Google services and don’t intend on beginning now. 😂
skodises
Contributor
Le_Chiffre
macrumors regular
I do. Thankfully Apple has implemented pcc for user privacy.
“Apple’s solution centers on its Private Cloud Compute (PCC) framework, a custom architecture that processes AI queries in isolated, stateless compute nodes.”
You should read the article you posted. 😂
jz0309
macrumors P6
I can certainly appreciate that, choices would be a good thing, but correct me if I'm wrong, there is no "iPhone mini" equivalent anymore on the market, right?
At least we're getting some form factor choices with foldables.
turbineseaplane
macrumors Penryn
Correct.
It just so frustrating.
Human hands have not changed sizes, and it's insane to have no options for anything super pocketable and lightweight for essential usages.
jz0309
macrumors P6
Yea, thanks to the development model that the SW industry has adapted, the focus is not to release "bug-free" SW but get something out, re-iterate every few months with addl features getting priority over bugs... never liked that approach ...
dmr727
macrumors G4
Like others, for me it's fatigue with tech in general.