Other Giving up on Apple for iPhone

[ofarlig]

If you upgrade every year, it won’t seem worth it. Going from a 12-16 is worth it for example. I don’t understand how some people think there’s going to be revolutionary updates year to year.

Doesn't need to be revolutionary updates but at least something meaningful, I started using Apple products because they were putting out cool products that were pushing boundries and got meaningfully better every year.

These days that is what other manufacturers are doing and the most meaningful thing I got when going from my 15 Pro Max to a 16 Pro Max was slightly smaller borders. So the question is at what point do I get bored of that kind of progress and look at other shiny things instead?

 

[iRizz]

Doesn't need to be revolutionary updates but at least something meaningful, I started using Apple products because they were putting out cool products that were pushing boundries and got meaningfully better every year.

These days that is what other manufacturers are doing and the most meaningful thing I got when going from my 15 Pro Max to a 16 Pro Max was slightly smaller borders. So the question is at what point do I get bored of that kind of progress and look at other shiny things instead?

Does your phone do what it needs to do? I don't see any other purpose for a phone. Everyone is just becoming jaded with technology.

 

[Webcat86]

Doesn't need to be revolutionary updates but at least something meaningful, I started using Apple products because they were putting out cool products that were pushing boundries and got meaningfully better every year.

These days that is what other manufacturers are doing and the most meaningful thing I got when going from my 15 Pro Max to a 16 Pro Max was slightly smaller borders. So the question is at what point do I get bored of that kind of progress and look at other shiny things instead?

Apple’s putting focus into seamless experience, and is by far leading the way when it comes to interactions between devices.
Apple is also leading the way with the M chips.

There is plenty of innovation at Apple, so why a myopic focus on iPhones not getting reinvented every year?

 

[canadianpj]

Exactly what kind of dark magic are people expecting Apple to do every year anymore? Or any company? I know there are the folding phones with the, to me, awful-looking fold marks, but give Apple time; they'll do that too.

It's a small glass slab; you can only do so much.

People say Apple does not innovate all the time anymore, which has never happened in their history.

 

[ofarlig]

Does your phone do what it needs to do? I don't see any other purpose for a phone. Everyone is just becoming jaded with technology.

The phones before the iPhone did what they needed to before the iPhone as well, but we got something better. Progress is what gets us better technology in the end.

Apple’s putting focus into seamless experience, and is by far leading the way when it comes to interactions between devices.
Apple is also leading the way with the M chips.

There is plenty of innovation at Apple, so why a myopic focus on iPhones not getting reinvented every year?

It doesn't need to get reinvented every year but I'd love for them to take bigger leaps at least sometimes. Tech is supposed to be fun.

 

[Webcat86]

It doesn't need to get reinvented every year but I'd love for them to take bigger leaps at least sometimes.

Like what?

Tech is supposed to be fun.

It’s fun to me. What isn’t fun for you? As I said above, I absolutely love the seamless experience Apple has created.

The interplay between devices is unparalleled. For example, we had a Chromecast in our bedroom for a long time. Changing the WiFi was so torturous I wanted to throw it out of the window - the instructions are incomplete, so you have no choice but to search online for troubleshooting.

Compare that with Apple TV - it instantly appears on my iPhone and asks me of if I want to use that to set it up. Then it automatically adds ATV to the WiFi, syncs my apps, my name, and profile. Perfect.

Copying on one device and pasting to another is still magic to me.

Sidecar is magic to me.

Who is going to say, with a straight face, that the tech in the new Apple Pencil is not innovative - or fun? The pressure sensitivity, barrel rolls, and gesture controls are absolutely innovative.

The health features on the watch save lives.

Satellite in the phones is an innovation.

Apple’s work with anonymity in financial transactions has been innovative and sorely needed.

AirPod Pros becoming hearing aids personalised to each wearer’s hearing test results is a jaw dropping step forward.

There is no shortage of innovation at Apple. I stopped using Android because so much of the lauded innovation was nothing but garbage bloatware. Now I’m to believe a folding phone is innovation despite solving literally no problems? No thanks.

 

[Knowimagination]

Doesn't need to be revolutionary updates but at least something meaningful, I started using Apple products because they were putting out cool products that were pushing boundries and got meaningfully better every year.

These days that is what other manufacturers are doing and the most meaningful thing I got when going from my 15 Pro Max to a 16 Pro Max was slightly smaller borders. So the question is at what point do I get bored of that kind of progress and look at other shiny things instead?

The bold part is just fiction. No other manufacturer is doing anything other than slightly iterative updates with the exception of foldables.

In addition to that if you don't value updates that doesn't make them meaningless. The camera button, upgraded ultrawide camera, microphone improvements etc are all worthwhile updates between the generations. Again if they don't add value for you that is fine, but pretending that Apple is doing nothing while everyone else is making huge leaps each generation is just fake news at this point.

 

[EdMan]

If you think about how everyone just sits and stares at phones all day everyday is it any wonder we have become bored with them? It's become an everyday item that everyone owns. There's really nothing exciting about them anymore. They've become part of our wardrobe. A new case maybe to liven things up? Nicer pictures and videos are about as exciting as it gets. Speed is there. Upgrading every year and expecting huge change is no longer realistic.

 

[ofarlig]

Like what?

It’s fun to me. What isn’t fun for you? As I said above, I absolutely love the seamless experience Apple has created.

The interplay between devices is unparalleled. For example, we had a Chromecast in our bedroom for a long time. Changing the WiFi was so torturous I wanted to throw it out of the window - the instructions are incomplete, so you have no choice but to search online for troubleshooting.

Compare that with Apple TV - it instantly appears on my iPhone and asks me of if I want to use that to set it up. Then it automatically adds ATV to the WiFi, syncs my apps, my name, and profile. Perfect.

Copying on one device and pasting to another is still magic to me.

Sidecar is magic to me.

Who is going to say, with a straight face, that the tech in the new Apple Pencil is not innovative - or fun? The pressure sensitivity, barrel rolls, and gesture controls are absolutely innovative.

The health features on the watch save lives.

Satellite in the phones is an innovation.

Apple’s work with anonymity in financial transactions has been innovative and sorely needed.

AirPod Pros becoming hearing aids personalised to each wearer’s hearing test results is a jaw dropping step forward.

There is no shortage of innovation at Apple. I stopped using Android because so much of the lauded innovation was nothing but garbage bloatware. Now I’m to believe a folding phone is innovation despite solving literally no problems? No thanks.

It can be loads of stuff, just look at what different other manufacturers are doing, foldables, multiple screens, I'd even settle for extra features like reverse wireless charging for the AirPods Pro/Apple Watch among other things. I am sure Apple have something in their R&D labs that will be released once they feel that they habe milked this enough, because I doubt the best thing they can come up with are the small incremental improvements.

I went iPhone 12 Pro Max -> 14 Pro Max -> 15 Pro Max -> 16 Pro Max and it wasn't exciting setting up the devices since there were more or less small changes at every point. The foldables I've had inbetween to get some fun tech in my system had much more exciting improvements per generation. But the same can really be said for my iPad Pros or iPad Minis, where the latter actually regressed with a terrible screen in the last iteration.

Overall I just feel that these days it isn't Apple that has shiny new things but Android manufacturers, at some point someone else will get my money instead because there's a limit on how many times I can spend money to get more or less the same before I get fed up.

 

[JRoDDz]

I think you're far away from being the only one feeling there is some arbitrary innovation curve that Apple has strayed away from. I disagree tho, because you can't blame Apple for the market and the industry, let me explain a bit.
The iPhone X was not supposed to be released when it was. Apple planned of revealing the X in 2018 and not 2017, but found themselves in a situation where they could simply not just release and get away with the 7s, or as its better known, the iPhone 8. They rushed the iPhone X through development and production to make it at least available the same year, if not the same day or month. The X was a big step, but not what it was supposed to be, that would have been the Xs, coming in two sizes, with actually better cameras and stereo recording in videos. In essence, the X was what Apple could get away with while Xs is what the X was supposed to be.
Going forward a couple of years, rumours mounted that Apple will finally introduce Pro Motion to the iPhone with the iPhone 11 (Pro), which didn't happen. Then it was rumoured the 12 Pro must come with it, but it didn't. Because Apple cheap-ed out and thought 5G and the new design would be enough for people, right? Well, turns out, maybe, but one definite reason why the 12 Pro only came with a 120hz touch sample rate instead of a 120 hz refresh rate was because Apple couldn't source the amount of displays they wanted with the specs and quality they wanted. Even if they wanted Pro Motion, they could simply not have done it. Until next year that is.
So, what happened then? Well, the X was in fact the big step Apple thought they'd make, as the general design didn't change to much from then, and how could it? How many times can you remove the home button and the chin and forehead from a smartphone design? How many times can you revert to glass on the back? How many times can you introduce more cameras? How often can you rearrange technology on the front of the phone that can't be put behind the display (as of yet)? So what can you actually expect? Because it seems like there isn't much room for anything but refinements. Even the 15 Pro is just a refined X despite Pro Motion, AOD, three cameras with one having 4x the resolution, an actual high quality OLED screen with far less inconsistency, an actually somewhat useful notch, an actually almost user friendly repairable design, a bigger screen despite a not much bigger frame, new frame materials and a new internal design to improve the felt weight, USB C, a user mappable solid state button!, dual e sim support and a SOC made for AI that wouldn't see the light of day for another one and a half years, meaning its still not out.
In my honest opinion the 15 Pro might be a contender for best iPhone in a couple of years because it is the best and most refined version of the iPhone ever, together with iOS 18 which brings features that finally make the iPhone feel mature (mainly customisation options because that's the main thing missing from iPhone since day one).
So, what can you expect from the 16? Just more refinements after the perhaps most solid iPhone release since the X ? Because what is it that was missing from the 15 Pro? IMO, nothing really. In fact, it has AI in mind, a feature we didn't even know would come to the iPhone until this year.
What's left for the 16? Well, apparently 1 button from last years Pro phone and 1 completely new button for new camera controls from this years Pro phone, a "new" camera system with last years Pro phones 48 MP camera and improved zoom capabilities including a new arrangement enabling spatial videos (yeah yeah Vision aint for everyone but its a future proofing thing), a SOC with AI in mind and overall almost the same feature set as the Pro models without the Pro Motion screen. The 16 Pro on the other hand, yeah that's more like the jump from the 11 Pro to the 12 Pro, with 5G being the camera button, but ey, what else is there to be improved, literally? Apple has no incentive to break the mould the way they did with the X, because there is no place for another X. Foldables, sure, different story. But to expect more than what we got, eh, that just shows to me how little people understand the industry, the market, innovation in technology and supply chains. Is the 16 Pro the 15 Pro S? Yes, is it just as much of an improvement as the 4s was for the 4, no, id say its considerably bigger.
Really, Apple added another button to their Pro phones and 2 to their non Pro phones and still people say they are giving up on the iPhone, I find that funny. I mean, Apple makes an obvious commitment to invest even more time and resources into the cameras on their phones, signalling their commitment to cameras going way into the future.

I think the 16 is just as exciting as the 15 Pro was and see no problem with Apples rate of introducing new features to their one ups. Having (potentially) the Rabbit R One/Humane.AI pin in your pocket, with a camera that strives to replace dedicated cameras, that's big and exciting. I acknowledge over peoples opinions on this matter, I just think they are wrong. This year is bigger technically bigger than last years but ey, wait a couple years and you see why I mean.

senseless rant over

Edit: sorry for the typos but my screen is broken and I can’t be bothered to deal with correcting anything

You just crit me with wall of text! Thank you!

 

[Webcat86]

It can be loads of stuff, just look at what different other manufacturers are doing, foldables, multiple screens, I'd even settle for extra features like reverse wireless charging for the AirPods Pro/Apple Watch among other things. I am sure Apple have something in their R&D labs that will be released once they feel that they habe milked this enough, because I doubt the best thing they can come up with are the small incremental improvements.

I went iPhone 12 Pro Max -> 14 Pro Max -> 15 Pro Max -> 16 Pro Max and it wasn't exciting setting up the devices since there were more or less small changes at every point. The foldables I've had inbetween to get some fun tech in my system had much more exciting improvements per generation. But the same can really be said for my iPad Pros or iPad Minis, where the latter actually regressed with a terrible screen in the last iteration.

Overall I just feel that these days it isn't Apple that has shiny new things but Android manufacturers, at some point someone else will get my money instead because there's a limit on how many times I can spend money to get more or less the same before I get fed up.

You’ve completely ignored the examples I gave of where Apple is in a league of its own with software innovation.

The stuff you’ve mentioned from other manufacturers are small scale gimmicks. Foldables are not mass market devices yet and the screens are a big step backwards, reminiscent of the resistive screens that the iPhone was largely responsible for making obsolete once already.

Some manufacturers are better placed for doing smaller scale niche items like a folding phone, Apple isn’t one of them. That doesn’t mean nothing they’re doing is innovative.

 

[ofarlig]

You’ve completely ignored the examples I gave of where Apple is in a league of its own with software innovation.

The stuff you’ve mentioned from other manufacturers are small scale gimmicks. Foldables are not mass market devices yet and the screens are a big step backwards, reminiscent of the resistive screens that the iPhone was largely responsible for making obsolete once already.

Some manufacturers are better placed for doing smaller scale niche items like a folding phone, Apple isn’t one of them. That doesn’t mean nothing they’re doing is innovative.

Because we are talking hardware here, if I give a manufacturer a sack of money every year for upgrades I want to feel excited when using the devices instead the old ones. And that has been lacking with Apple lately.

Apple got where they are today by doing new stuff that might not have 100% market appeal from the start and I don’t see how they can stay competitive if they never do it again. But Apple seems to have no problem doing small scale gimmicky devices these days, they made the Vision Pro.

I don’t agree with the screens being a ”big step backwards” on foldables, they are different but I’d take any of the folding displays I’ve had over the insanely terrible iPad Mini 6 display as an example.

 

[ISignedUpToAskThis]

I can (almost) forgive Apple for not giving big updates every year with new 'must-have' features. Smartphones have matured etc.

What I can't forgive, is the lack of new colours for the Pro.

I mean, Apple knew this was one of the least progressive years in terms of the technology, they could have at least given us one new colour for the pro or something we haven't seen for a while - red, green etc. Midnight Green on the 11 Pro is one of my all-time favourite colours.

Even something niche/novelty like a see through panel phone revealing the insides.

But nothing - Black, White, Natural, Desert (for all intents and purposes, Rose Gold).

.

I hope sales are dramatically less and Apple see they need to step up and do more.

Give us something fresh or new, or new for Apple at least.

New colours.

A flip phone or foldable phone. Other manufacturers have been doing these for years.

Under-screen FaceID/camera so the front panel is completely clean.

 

[4sallypat]

I still am waiting for mine to get delivered.

 

[Webcat86]

Because we are talking hardware here

No. That’s an arbitrary and unfair limitation for a company that does more than hardware and has made ongoing significant innovations in software.

But Apple seems to have no problem doing small scale gimmicky devices these days, they made the Vision Pro.

Vision Pro is basically a proof of concept. With its price tag it was not designed as a mass consumer device at this stage.

I don’t agree with the screens being a ”big step backwards” on foldables, they are different but I’d take any of the folding displays I’ve had over the insanely terrible iPad Mini 6 display as an example.

They are objectively worse than iPhone and other slab screens.

 

[ofarlig]

No. That’s an arbitrary and unfair limitation for a company that does more than hardware and has made ongoing significant innovations in software.

No it’s not an unfair limitation, when I handed Apple money for my 16 PM I paid for new hardware. I didn’t pay for to get the software since my 15 PM already ran the same software.

Vision Pro is basically a proof of concept. With its price tag it was not designed as a mass consumer device at this stage.

I agree, but nothing is stopping Apple from having more forward thinking phones not intended for mass market as their own additional product. That’s what other manufacturers are doing.

They are objectively worse than iPhone and other slab screens.

No they aren’t, the front display of the foldables are on par with the iPhone display. On top of that you have an additional folding display, so objectively the total sum of display value will be at least on par if you don’t value a folded tablet display at all.

I for one think the foldable display beats my Mini 6 display any day, but the Mini 6 display is garbage and it’s outright embarrassing that Apple sold it. So total value is much higher on the foldables in the display department.

 

[Webcat86]

No it’s not an unfair limitation, when I handed Apple money for my 16 PM I paid for new hardware. I didn’t pay for to get the software since my 15 PM already ran the same software.

It's entirely unfair. you CHOSE to give them money for a new phone that you evidently didn't need. Do you complain that Apple has given software upgrades for free, even on the Mac in a time when Microsoft charged a significant sum to upgrade Windows? Or that Apple gives ongoing upgrades to older devices, all at the same time, in the same era that Android users seldom know if they're getting an update let alone when it will arrive?

Hardware is mature now. Surely you're aware of that, and you can't just dismiss what Apple is doing in the software space because it doesn't fit your narrative.

And even if you do want to focus on hardware, why are you ignoring the advancement that silicon chips have introduced?

No they aren’t, the front display of the foldables are on par with the iPhone display.

But the front isn't the main interface area, is it? And the inside certainly isn't on par.

On top of that you have an additional folding display, so objectively the total sum of display value will be at least on par if you don’t value a folded tablet display at all.

Nonsense. You're comparing total screen real estate with the quality and experience of use — foldable phones remain an unproven concept, let's see how those screens look after 24-36 months of continual opening and closing.

I for one think the foldable display beats my Mini 6 display any day, but the Mini 6 display is garbage and it’s outright embarrassing that Apple sold it. So total value is much higher on the foldables in the display department.

Your argument is so thin that you've had to sidestep from iPhone 16 to an entire other product line, and the most neglected product from that line. How about the M4 iPad?

 

[ofarlig]

It's entirely unfair. you CHOSE to give them money for a new phone that you evidently didn't need. Do you complain that Apple has given software upgrades for free, even on the Mac in a time when Microsoft charged a significant sum to upgrade Windows? Or that Apple gives ongoing upgrades to older devices, all at the same time, in the same era that Android users seldom know if they're getting an update let alone when it will arrive?

Hardware is mature now. Surely you're aware of that, and you can't just dismiss what Apple is doing in the software space because it doesn't fit your narrative.

And even if you do want to focus on hardware, why are you ignoring the advancement that silicon chips have introduced?

I started the discussion with saying my problem is that for people like me that like tech and thus will upgrade yearly Apple isn’t pushing the boundaries for new things as much and giving us a meaningful yearly upgrade.

I am not dismissing what Apple is doing in software, but when I buy new hardware the transaction doesn’t include things I already have. I pay for what additional things I get and weigh that against the cost, that you now have to compound multiple years of new things to make the value proposition make sense is my entire point.

You are free to be happy with what Apple is doing, but I am still getting fed up with getting so little extra for my money every year.

But the front isn't the main interface area, is it? And the inside certainly isn't on par.

Nonsense. You're comparing total screen real estate with the quality and experience of use — foldable phones remain an unproven concept, let's see how those screens look after 24-36 months of continual opening and closing.

Your argument is so thin that you've had to sidestep from iPhone 16 to an entire other product line, and the most neglected product from that line. How about the M4 iPad?

The front screen on a foldable is the main area for phone things, that is the one that replaces your phone so Apple could put the same display as their Pro as the front screen if they made a foldable so it would be the same (like Google did). The larger inner display replaces your small tablet usage not your phone usage, thus the comparison with the iPad Mini. That is the appealing part of a foldable, adding utility to your phone so it can be useful for things like reading or productivity tasks.

Have you even owned a foldable to evaluate them?

 

[Webcat86]

I started the discussion with saying my problem is that for people like me that like tech and thus will upgrade yearly Apple isn’t pushing the boundaries for new things as much and giving us a meaningful yearly upgrade.

I am not dismissing what Apple is doing in software, but when I buy new hardware the transaction doesn’t include things I already have. I pay for what additional things I get and weigh that against the cost, that you now have to compound multiple years of new things to make the value proposition make sense is my entire point.

You are free to be happy with what Apple is doing, but I am still getting fed up with getting so little extra for my money every year.

This is pretty simple: you voluntarily give Apple money every year and then complain that they haven't changed enough in 12 months. That's on you. Apple gives ongoing support and updates to older models and the hardware is more than good enough to last longer than 12 months. Do you change TVs every year?

The front screen on a foldable is the main area for phone things, that is the one that replaces your phone so Apple could put the same display as their Pro as the front screen if they made a foldable so it would be the same (like Google did). The larger inner display replaces your small tablet usage not your phone usage, thus the comparison with the iPad Mini. That is the appealing part of a foldable, adding utility to your phone so it can be useful for things like reading or productivity tasks.

Have you even owned a foldable to evaluate them?

I've used them as a few friends have them, I wouldn't own one at this stage. That inner display will not look new in 2 years, and people will complain about it. They will complain a second time when they realise how much it devalues what they can expect when trying to sell it to put money towards a new phone.

At this stage, foldables are a solution in search of a problem. I'm glad you like yours but let's not pretend that they are the peak of tech innovation today, nor that they diminish the significant strides Apple has made in software. As I've said before, the utility of using my AppleTV and then being able to use FaceID on my phone to, say, input my password on the TV is orders of magnitude more useful and impressive to me than a folding phone. Nobody is coming close to what Apple is doing with device interaction/ecosystem and it is a petty, clearly biased stance to pretend the argument can only focus on folding screens. Because even in hardware, it's Apple that developed silicon chips. I remember watching an M4 iPad review and the YouTuber showed how this device would let him replace the multi-cam Studio computer setup that cost multiple thousands of dollars — now it could all be controlled by an iPad. And guess why? HARDWARE.

 

[Bungaree.Chubbins]

I started the discussion with saying my problem is that for people like me that like tech and thus will upgrade yearly Apple isn’t pushing the boundaries for new things as much and giving us a meaningful yearly upgrade.

I am not dismissing what Apple is doing in software, but when I buy new hardware the transaction doesn’t include things I already have. I pay for what additional things I get and weigh that against the cost, that you now have to compound multiple years of new things to make the value proposition make sense is my entire point.

You are free to be happy with what Apple is doing, but I am still getting fed up with getting so little extra for my money every year.



The front screen on a foldable is the main area for phone things, that is the one that replaces your phone so Apple could put the same display as their Pro as the front screen if they made a foldable so it would be the same (like Google did). The larger inner display replaces your small tablet usage not your phone usage, thus the comparison with the iPad Mini. That is the appealing part of a foldable, adding utility to your phone so it can be useful for things like reading or productivity tasks.

Have you even owned a foldable to evaluate them?

I don't understand why people go so nuts for folding phones. I've never owned one, but I've played with a few, both book fold, and flip. I mean no offence when I say this, but they're truly awful! I don't see any redeeming feature. Odd screen ratios, the crease down the middle, the fragile feeling hinges, the soft plasticky screen, and the whole phone really!

Maybe one day materials science will advance to the place where it is possible to make a folding phone that is properly good, but I don't see it being feasible yet.

 

[ofarlig]

This is pretty simple: you voluntarily give Apple money every year and then complain that they haven't changed enough in 12 months. That's on you. Apple gives ongoing support and updates to older models and the hardware is more than good enough to last longer than 12 months. Do you change TVs every year?

Yeah I agree, and my point is that I might stop giving Apple my money soon because they are giving me less and less added value every year, voting with my wallet as you suggest and only giving it to other manufacturers.

I've used them as a few friends have them, I wouldn't own one at this stage. That inner display will not look new in 2 years, and people will complain about it. They will complain a second time when they realise how much it devalues what they can expect when trying to sell it to put money towards a new phone.

At this stage, foldables are a solution in search of a problem. I'm glad you like yours but let's not pretend that they are the peak of tech innovation today, nor that they diminish the significant strides Apple has made in software. As I've said before, the utility of using my AppleTV and then being able to use FaceID on my phone to, say, input my password on the TV is orders of magnitude more useful and impressive to me than a folding phone. Nobody is coming close to what Apple is doing with device interaction/ecosystem and it is a petty, clearly biased stance to pretend the argument can only focus on folding screens. Because even in hardware, it's Apple that developed silicon chips. I remember watching an M4 iPad review and the YouTuber showed how this device would let him replace the multi-cam Studio computer setup that cost multiple thousands of dollars — now it could all be controlled by an iPad. And guess why? HARDWARE.

Yeah, I don’t trust any foldable to last two years but devaluing is what happens when things move fast. I took a 70% loss on my Samsung Fold 5 when selling it after a couple of months, that is just the cost of using new things that are still evolving fast instead of those that aren’t really going forward that much.

While I agree that the integrations between devices are nice I value utility higher, adding utility improves what I can do more. Adding the possibility to read or do somewhat productive things on my phone means I don’t have to always bring a bag to get the same utility from an iPad or something.

Yeah I can agree that for creators the iPads must be very cool and capable, I can’t even do my work on a Mac because of enterprises being so far into Microsoft world so my reaction when I went to my M4 iPad Pro from the MiniLED version was more of a ”this is a bit nicer I guess”.

 

[ofarlig]

I don't understand why people go so nuts for folding phones. I've never owned one, but I've played with a few, both book fold, and flip. I mean no offence when I say this, but they're truly awful! I don't see any redeeming feature. Odd screen ratios, the crease down the middle, the fragile feeling hinges, the soft plasticky screen, and the whole phone really!

Maybe one day materials science will advance to the place where it is possible to make a folding phone that is properly good, but I don't see it being feasible yet.

For me it is mainly utility, and for this point only the book fold makes sense to me. Being able to read a book on the go without bringing a bag with my iPad Mini is really nice, same goes for when I need to configure my mom’s wifi, remote control a computer or do changes in a spreadsheet. Carrying a bag with me all the time just in case is just too cumbersome so that means most of the times I don’t have my iPad Mini with me, so when I get stuck in the doctors office I can’t read my book or similar things.

But my second reason is that it just feels cool to have a large display and fold it and put it in my pocket, it feels like a step towards a future of Star Trek like devices. And those feelings shouldn’t be overlooked, I think tech should be fun to use and own.

 

[Bungaree.Chubbins]

For me it is mainly utility, and for this point only the book fold makes sense to me. Being able to read a book on the go without bringing a bag with my iPad Mini is really nice, same goes for when I need to configure my mom’s wifi, remote control a computer or do changes in a spreadsheet. Carrying a bag with me all the time just in case is just too cumbersome so that means most of the times I don’t have my iPad Mini with me, so when I get stuck in the doctors office I can’t read my book or similar things.

But my second reason is that it just feels cool to have a large display and fold it and put it in my pocket, it feels like a step towards a future of Star Trek like devices. And those feelings shouldn’t be looked over either, I think tech should be fun to use and own.

I guess I keep overlooking the cool factor. I was one of the few who had one of those old Motorola flip phones back in the day, and hated it. I can see there are circumstances where they'd have some utility, but they don't have any coolness to me. I think because their utility is irrelevant to me, they just look like cheap toys for $3300.

I'm fortunate enough that my work generally stays at work. If a work question does pop up when I'm out, either I need to go home to use AutoCAD, or I just need to look at a PDF on my phone.

 

[avalon68]

I have a feeling I'll have my 15 Pro for another few years, throwing a new battery in when the time comes. And I'm okay with that - as others have said it's a pretty mature technology at this point. I don't see any manufacturer doing anything that's super interesting these days.

Im still on a 13 mini. I like the size and havent felt any need to upgrade. I dont really think theres a lack of innovation - most phones are the same now, from all brands. Id rather the maturity of a well tested product that have them introducing gimmicks every year. The thing that really bugs me about apple products at the moment is they are becoming unaffordable for many. Not just the phones, but in general the prices keep going higher, especially for those outside of the USA. Ive been an apple user for a long time, but as Ive gotten older, I just value money differently I guess. The pricing is what puts me off more than the product features these days.

 

[Neil J. Squillante]

And now 16… AI (mainly powered by ChatGPT), and adding yet another camera feature with the new button, again nothing mind blowing.

The chip improvements and lack of price hikes don’t get enough praise. Also, the Camera button uses precious real estate but I suspect it will be very popular. The full Apple Intelligence experience requires this button. A lot of this year’s “innovation” consists of software (AI).

Overall, Apple is heading into its strongest and most coherent product lineup in years. I hated how messy the Mac and iPad lineup were during the early Apple Silicon years. Apple has ironed this all out. As someone else said, if you’re looking at these products on a 4-5 year cycle they’re all very enticing. (Except for leather accessories.)