The 15 was a good jump with lighter titanium and some battery and camera upgrades. Had I bought the 15 I would have skipped the 16. Now that I'll have the 16, I will likely not buy the new one until the notch/launch pad is removed, which I don't think is going to happen on the 17. If it does, then I will get it. I just can't think of much that is going to be a major change. Another 10 hours of batter in the 18 but still the launch pad, well for that maybe!
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Other Giving up on Apple for iPhone
- Thread starter tagsaid
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Cell phone's hardware overall have reached it peak. Its all about iOS now. Trust me, I have a Samsung Z Fold, and my iPhone 15PM is my daily driver. You can innovate all you want, its not usable if the software is crap.
I work in IT and appreciate the small refinements each year. I continue upgrading each year because I’m still excited by the new iPhones. Eventually I will likely get to the point where I don’t want to upgrade each year but I’m not sure when that will be.
There’s only so much Apple can do and soon it’ll just be all screen. The average user doesn’t like or want drastic change each year. They want their new iPhone with some changes but mostly the same as their previous iPhone so there’s less of a learning curve.
There’s only so much Apple can do and soon it’ll just be all screen. The average user doesn’t like or want drastic change each year. They want their new iPhone with some changes but mostly the same as their previous iPhone so there’s less of a learning curve.
I'd love for apple to come out with something that changes the game, but I have no idea what it would be. What would make a big difference to me are things like improved connectivity, which is mostly my carrier's issue, and improved predictive functions and integrations, which is software.
I don't really mind phones being just a big ole screen. I definitely don't want a folding phone.
I don't really mind phones being just a big ole screen. I definitely don't want a folding phone.
The mostly underestimated feature of the iPhone 16 is its camera button, a game changer for sure. The ability to handle camera tasks without screen contact brings a new level of convenience. The intelligence of Apple, with its flawless integration, really does enhance our lives in a way that stands out from other Android phones.
It’s an annual trend here. Folks who want to talk themselves out of FOMo trash the released product. Couple months later folks who buy with FOMo will post regret rants. Rinse and repeat every year.
While smartphones are a mature area, I feel the shortcomings of iPhones to be in the cameras. They seem to fall far short of their Android counterparts.
My previos iPhone was an 11 PM and it took great photos. I moved to a 14 PM and the cameras are a disaster. Only under ideal conditions does it give good results. 2x and 3x zoom, meh, and there’s also the pixel resolution drop. Same with the wide angle.
My wife is still using her 11 PM and the photos are amazing. My 14 PM can’t even come close. Heck, I have photos from my XS Max that are better. I’m waiting for the 17 and the rumors of the 18 to decide if I’ll get a 16 PM.
My previos iPhone was an 11 PM and it took great photos. I moved to a 14 PM and the cameras are a disaster. Only under ideal conditions does it give good results. 2x and 3x zoom, meh, and there’s also the pixel resolution drop. Same with the wide angle.
My wife is still using her 11 PM and the photos are amazing. My 14 PM can’t even come close. Heck, I have photos from my XS Max that are better. I’m waiting for the 17 and the rumors of the 18 to decide if I’ll get a 16 PM.
Absolutely.
And the dichotomy of people looking for dramatic renovation is such an interesting juxtaposition to the people complaining that their 1-2-3 year old phones aren’t getting software features because they’ve decided the hardware absolutely should support it (even if it ends up being a mid experience, for instance with memory throughput or battery drain or image capture pipelines). It’s basically a damned if they do and samned if they don’t. People want incentive to upgrade but they want their old hardware to keep up as if we haven’t had 17 years of this tick tock cycle experience.
OP is basically complaining at physics, that’s like saying aircraft’s, helicopters, motorbikes, bicycles, cars, pots, pans, plates etc have not been innovating since the physical design and function is the same.
OP if you feel the smartphone space is boring why not start up your own company and show the industry and the rest of us “true innovation” every years.
Please don’t encourage this behaviour as I guarantee that once foldable becomes commonplace the OP will complain about that too.
On another note it seems Apple loves the pill design language; buttons, DI, UX, etc. Even Google Android remote resembles a pill.
OP has SciFi delusions thinking all that is possible in one year sprint vice a marathon of refinements due to limitations, unbelievable.
People complain that iOS UX is boring but fail to see that it’s meant to be appealing and easy to understand/navigate to the common person and even the elderly. I ratio of elderly using iOS compared to AndroidOS is no surprise. Let’s forget that those folding phones have long term reliability issues which generally iOS users hold onto their devices for 2 years or longer with far better reliability compared to the competition.
I think the only thing Apple is being lazy and uncaring about is meeting your expectations.
Between what you think and Apple's private internal vision of its products, who do you think Apple will serve?
If you think it should be you, maybe you own stock in Apple.
Aeroplanes is a great example; sure there are incremental improvements and advances in the internal technologies, but the B52 airframes have been in service around 70 years, and it is still a viable platform.
It’s not just Apple. I think more and more people are hitting smartphone fatigue feelings.
Nothing wrong with that, I suppose. This is the first year in 10 years I don’t upgrade.
Nothing wrong with that, I suppose. This is the first year in 10 years I don’t upgrade.
B52, C-130, DC-3, Twin Otter and the A-10 (at least for a while).
The Air Force has even regened two B52s in the last few years.
Technology still updated, but the basic airframe has remained the same. Just like iPhone.
Apple isn’t lazy, they’re just doing things that are under the radar as far as attention for being revolutionary.
Handoff
Continuity.
Cut/paste from one device to another.
It’s work in the finance arena.
The most accurate mass market wearable tech.
The all-too-easily-dismissed camera upgrades.
iPhone 16 lets you select specific microphones during video recording to only capture noise from specific people or directions.
How about Silicon? That’s nothing short of incredible.
These are all really impressive introductions. Whats really lazy is the accusation that Apple is lazy - why? Because they aren’t introducing entire product categories every 5 years? The work Apple is doing to refine these mature technologies is actually very impressive, as are some of the developments in finance such as removing card and personal details during transactions.
The seamless experience across devices is remarkable, would have felt like magic not many years ago, and is untouched by competitors.
The “Apple is lazy” crowd are largely just complaining that the iPhone doesn’t have every feature that Android has, but that has never been Apple’s way.
Handoff
Continuity.
Cut/paste from one device to another.
It’s work in the finance arena.
The most accurate mass market wearable tech.
The all-too-easily-dismissed camera upgrades.
iPhone 16 lets you select specific microphones during video recording to only capture noise from specific people or directions.
How about Silicon? That’s nothing short of incredible.
These are all really impressive introductions. Whats really lazy is the accusation that Apple is lazy - why? Because they aren’t introducing entire product categories every 5 years? The work Apple is doing to refine these mature technologies is actually very impressive, as are some of the developments in finance such as removing card and personal details during transactions.
The seamless experience across devices is remarkable, would have felt like magic not many years ago, and is untouched by competitors.
The “Apple is lazy” crowd are largely just complaining that the iPhone doesn’t have every feature that Android has, but that has never been Apple’s way.
Last edited:
Outside of foldable phones which are still early and far from maturity, other companies are facing the same issue with Android. The “candy bar” form factor that we are used to is boring in every competitors devices. Look at the last few pixel and galaxy phones, tiny incremental updates that look generally the same year over year.
It’s not an issue exclusive to the iPhones, it’s an issue with the form factor in general. I honestly don’t know if we’ll ever get foldable iPhones, but I do expect Apple to try to find ways to innovate in the candy bar phone when all of the components get smaller and more efficient without compromising cost.
It’s not an issue exclusive to the iPhones, it’s an issue with the form factor in general. I honestly don’t know if we’ll ever get foldable iPhones, but I do expect Apple to try to find ways to innovate in the candy bar phone when all of the components get smaller and more efficient without compromising cost.
what alternatives are you exploring to accompany your criticisms? Because all manufacturers are undergoing the same thing. And other manufacturers who are putting new concepts in their phones are shoehorning in novelty features to pass as innovative solutions -- in which do not live up to consumer expectations or were not ready for the market.
What you are experiencing regarding HARDWARE frustration for apple, is not Apple's fault, its the industry.
However, software on the other hand, i find it hard to compare Apple to anyone else in regards to their ios.
What you are experiencing regarding HARDWARE frustration for apple, is not Apple's fault, its the industry.
However, software on the other hand, i find it hard to compare Apple to anyone else in regards to their ios.
I agree with you the design and tech has been plateauing for years mainly because Apple and other corpos switched from innovating to pushing more services and collecting customers data which seem to be more lucrative while saving on R&D. I have a feeling that future tech innovations will be even more tied to customer's data, biometrics and behavior analysis without the possibility to opt-out which is a nightmare for those who care about security and privacy.