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I love that right now if I wanted an iPad, iPhone and watch I could get all three together for under $1000 if I went for the entry level of each. I’d have a very similar software experience as on the high end. On the other hand if I wanted to (which I did) I could spend a lot more and get some awesome bells and whistles (amazing speakers, Face ID, tripe camera system, pro motion display) but those extras are just enhancements to the experience instead of core features. I love that Apple decided it was time to focus on different segments and appeal to that while they’re working on whatever comes next.
 
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Apparently there is a lack of innovation - in the Pixel 4


Specs look like a 3 year old iPhone or older. Of course, if they have all your data to serve ads for the jeans that you bought last week, hardware isn’t so important. Pixel had less than 1% anyway.
 
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I've been reading a lot in these forums the past few weeks since the latest iPhones were announced, many complaining about Apple's lack of innovation in this years releases. I think its time we all take a ride in a tech time machine.

Let's go back just ten short years. Some were on their latest model iPhone 3GS, if you had AT&T. Others like me were using either other smartphones (I was using a Blackberry Pearl, followed by a Blackberry Tour), or even different variants of basic dumb phones. The iPad didn't exist. Having a powerful computer was a must, since you needed it to do any work, sync your phone, sync your iPod, etc. You still carried around a digital camera, since the pics taken with our phones were not great to say the least. I could possibly go on all night but you all get my point.

Today, iPhones are available with any carrier. They feature more powerful processors than most computers. I'd go so far as to say they have essentially replaced computers for 90% of home use. We can command Siri to complete most functions. We put our wireless AirPods (or Beats) in our ear and they connect. The iPhone cameras take phenomenal photos. Our iPhones, iPads, Apple Watches and Macs all connect and sync seamlessly and wirelessly. The technology that is in our pockets and on our wrists is unprecedented. And its getting better all the time, day after day with new apps and new uses, and year after year with new hardware and processors.

I am 46 years old and I am amazed every single day by the advancements and innovation in technology as a whole and by Apple in particular. I can only imagine the amount of innovation being perfected in Cupertino before we even get a peek at it. What they are working on today won't get released for possibly 5 years. This world is amazing folks. Innovation is happening every day. Don't blink or you may miss it.
The talk about lack of innovation is widespread because we have random people claiming to be tech experts on youtube and the news media. "Oh yeah, I'm using a smartphone, so I'm suddenly a tech expert." Let's look at reviews done by these bozos, like the Verge or Engadget, and you'll find that they are just parroting the marketing materials. And for these guys, innovation is something they can see and be wowed at, like a waving pikachu. These people have no clue about the real tech and innovation.

Compare them to reviews from the real techies like Anandtech, where every iteration of the Ax chip is fully analyzed, and they always say how amazing Apple engineers are.
 
Apparently there is a lack of innovation - in the Pixel 4


Specs look like a 3 year old iPhone or older. Of course, if they have all your data to serve ads for the jeans that you bought last week, hardware isn’t so important. Pixel had less than 1% anyway.
Hmmm…wonder what's to be said about my Pixel 3a XL.
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Compare them to reviews from the real techies like Anandtech, where every iteration of the Ax chip is fully analyzed, and they always say how amazing Apple engineers are.
You had me with a like on your post up until this point. Is that sarcasm or do you mean it?

If you mean it, then is that a prerequisite to being a real techie; you have to always say how amazing Apple engineers are or you aren't a real techie?

Or do you mean that they consistently say it because Apple consistently impresses them?
 
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I have to disagree here. The OP takes a trip down to history which in general is always the same result. 1990 vs 2000 was big too. Its always big but that doesn't change certain things.
I feel that there is a lack of real innovation these days. Heck, iPhone X vs 11 Pro is not really different (regardless what anyone says). It doesn't improve lives nor make things easier, better. It just has better specs etc. but doesn't do much else.
iPads were good companion but were crippled by stupid iOS which finally started to change.
I'm not saying we should have revolutionary product every year but I'm just saying that the title is misleading. There is lack of innovation overall.
Lets look at other industry for example - we have problem with plastics in general - and yet, there is not really anything innovative to change that. Apple always claims to be environmentally friendly etc. and yet look at their foot print. Anyway, going a bit offtopic but there clearly is lack of innovation. I also feel that yearly upgrade cycles are not really a good idea overall.
 
I have to disagree here. The OP takes a trip down to history which in general is always the same result. 1990 vs 2000 was big too. Its always big but that doesn't change certain things.
I feel that there is a lack of real innovation these days. Heck, iPhone X vs 11 Pro is not really different (regardless what anyone says). It doesn't improve lives nor make things easier, better. It just has better specs etc. but doesn't do much else.
iPads were good companion but were crippled by stupid iOS which finally started to change.
I'm not saying we should have revolutionary product every year but I'm just saying that the title is misleading. There is lack of innovation overall.
Lets look at other industry for example - we have problem with plastics in general - and yet, there is not really anything innovative to change that. Apple always claims to be environmentally friendly etc. and yet look at their foot print. Anyway, going a bit offtopic but there clearly is lack of innovation. I also feel that yearly upgrade cycles are not really a good idea overall.
1. Why? Because they don't look different? So innovation for you is just something that looks different?
2. Yes, let's look at their foot print, Apple provided extensive report about their foot print. https://www.apple.com/environment/ Show me if any of the Android OEMs are as transparent as Apple.

It seems that you don't even know what innovation means.
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I'm still waiting for Apple to introduce an iPhone that's also a floor wax and a whipped topping, but apparently, they just don't care about their customers. Maybe next year...
I still don't understand why the Mac minis don't have toasters built in to them. Seriously, zero innovation. /s
 
...I feel that there is a lack of real innovation these days. Heck, iPhone X vs 11 Pro is not really different (regardless what anyone says). It doesn't improve lives nor make things easier, better. It just has better specs etc. but doesn't do much else....
I don’t agree with the above. Not everything translates into your going to do a task 10% better, save money in your amazon purchases and get better heath.

Some things, like camera improvements in the iPhone 11 are welcome by parents so they can take better pictures. AFS and HEIC to store those pictures more efficiently. Dynamic hdr in videos and smart hdr. Those are some welcome camera innovations, for example.
 
1. Why? Because they don't look different? So innovation for you is just something that looks different?
2. Yes, let's look at their foot print, Apple provided extensive report about their foot print. https://www.apple.com/environment/ Show me if any of the Android OEMs are as transparent as Apple.

It seems that you don't even know what innovation means.
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I still don't understand why the Mac minis don't have toasters built in to them. Seriously, zero innovation. /s
1) wasn't talking about looks
2) Apple produces more waste than 10 years ago. There was a report a week or so back highlighting the issue. Let me see if i can find it again

Found it: https://appleinsider.com/articles/1...mystified---what-it-all-means-to-the-consumer

See the section about landfill waste.
I'm sure we can all agree that at this pace its not sustainable regardless of what Apple tells us. So, lets innovate there or in fact, lest go to minus numbers. How about that?

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I don’t agree with the above. Not everything translates into your going to do a task 10% better, save money in your amazon purchases and get better heath.

Some things, like camera improvements in the iPhone 11 are welcome by parents so they can take better pictures. AFS and HEIC to store those pictures more efficiently. Dynamic hdr in videos and smart hdr. Those are some welcome camera innovations, for example.
I wouldn't call those innovations. I would call it improvements or iteration. But I guess it all depends on the terminology and perception, right?
 
People also tend to be myopic and only look at the iPhone. Apple wearables are the size of a Fortune 200 company. The iPad was as large as McDonald’s in under 3 years IIRC. The Apple Watch is the best selling watch period and sales were up about 50% YOY. It had an ECG with the S4, abnormal heart rhythm detection since early on, fall detection, etc. None of these existed a few years ago. This looks like a LOT of innovation to me.

Your first sentence is so very true. I kept my post focused on the iPhone because that is exactly what many from the lack of innovation camp do. Plus we’re on the iPhone forum and I see people state how awful Apple is doing in this space. So much so that 2019 was to be an automatic flop year for the iPhone with 2020 (the year of OMG 5G!) being the TRUE year to upgrade.

No one denies the iPad and the Watch, but the iPad ties back to Steve (the argument being innovation ended with his passing) and the Watch is an example of awesome innovation that doesn’t fully do what some expect it to, like not independent from the iPhone or previously without an Always On display being enough to make people buy/not buy, never mind the useful health features, app arrangements, or convenient phone extensibility it offers. The Watch sales prove that the market at large is in love with this product regardless of what is missing.

As an aside, let’s not automatically equate innovation with success - a different conversation though.
 
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I have to disagree here. The OP takes a trip down to history which in general is always the same result. 1990 vs 2000 was big too. Its always big but that doesn't change certain things.
I feel that there is a lack of real innovation these days. Heck, iPhone X vs 11 Pro is not really different (regardless what anyone says). It doesn't improve lives nor make things easier, better. It just has better specs etc. but doesn't do much else.
iPads were good companion but were crippled by stupid iOS which finally started to change.
I'm not saying we should have revolutionary product every year but I'm just saying that the title is misleading. There is lack of innovation overall.
Lets look at other industry for example - we have problem with plastics in general - and yet, there is not really anything innovative to change that. Apple always claims to be environmentally friendly etc. and yet look at their foot print. Anyway, going a bit offtopic but there clearly is lack of innovation. I also feel that yearly upgrade cycles are not really a good idea overall.
Some would say that finding a way to reduce power consumption in order to have all day battery life is innovation, or for some life changing, in that they don't have to carry around battery packs and worry about their phone dying in the afternoon. Or finding a way to take a perfectly good picture in almost dark conditions. Or being able to accidentally drop your phone in a bucket of water (or a toilet) and not have to run for a bag of rice and pray it dries after a week. All of these things are innovative. Unfortunately you can't have a brand new product every year. However, since the introduction of the iPhone, 12 years ago, we have the iPad, Apple Watch, Airpods, among other things. Innovation is happening every day.
 
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It’s staggering the number of times on this site I’ve seen innovation or meaningful change boiled down to the housing design. People are basing their view of progress on the casing. Which is purely superficial and subjective.
 
I remember when Apple presented the first iPhone and the first iPad. I knew people like Steve Balmer who said it wouldn't be a success and it lacked innovation. They said Apple reaches to far. Now the same people use a modern smartphone that's advanced far from the original one they criticized. At the same time they say it lacks innovation. The truth is people who say that wouldn't recognize innovation if it jumped up and took bite out of both their buttocks.
 
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Here is a good video that I found about the last 12 years of iPhone innovation:

 
Off topic but I love your avatar. Did you make it yourself?
Thanks! I wish I could take full credit, but I borrowed it from the 11 Pro section of Apple’s website. In the camera section, you can click a button to learn more about how 3 cameras work as one. This glyph is at the top of that page. The only thing I did to it was resize it so it fit properly as an avatar here.
 
I remember when Apple presented the first iPhone and the first iPad. I knew people like Steve Balmer who said it wouldn't be a success and it lacked innovation. They said Apple reaches to far. Now the same people use a modern smartphone that's advanced far from the original one they criticized. At the same time they say it lacks innovation. They truth is people who say that wouldn't recognize innovation if it jumped up and took bite out of both their buttocks.

Those who criticize most seem to create the least.

I recall JJ Abrams talking about creating a rough draft of tv theme songs in garage band on iPhone. That on a phone that most now would consider inadequate for much, let alone their current complaints.

When Ballmer criticized the original iPhone MS was already in the mobile space on similarly priced hardware. It’s like he didn’t even know they had a product offering.
 
I think people assume innovation has to be exciting and significant and as we know smartphone technology has reached a point of plateau. We had a technology race a few years ago where smartphones developed rapidly but that is over. It’s about fine tuning innovation now rather than bringing something significant to the table. The result of this is less people feel the need to upgrade as often as they used to when phones were more exciting. We now see them as a rather established everyday gadget.

Phones have also gone up in price due to less people upgrading and this has affected the buzz we used to see. People aren’t clambering time get the latest and greatest anymore and innovative is more refined and subtle.
 
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I don't think phones are expensive because of less people upgrading. I think its because of Apple's greed. When you look at their sold numbers (before they stopped doing it) the number was getting bigger almost every year so its not about that.
And of course, as soon as Apple had the audacity to charge (starting from $1000) everyone else followed.
I actually returned my iPhone Pro 11 yesterday as after using it for a week I realised its not really worth $2000CAD price tag. I'll wait for SE2 and see if that makes it more sensible otherwise I'll never upgrade ahahahhahah. :)



I think people assume innovation has to be exciting and significant and as we know smartphone technology has reached a point of plateau. We had a technology race a few years ago where smartphones developed rapidly but that is over. It’s about fine tuning innovation now rather than bringing something significant to the table. The result of this is less people feel the need to upgrade as often as they used to when phones were more exciting. We now see them as a rather established everyday gadget.

Phones have also gone up in price due to less people upgrading and this has affected the buzz we used to see. People aren’t clambering time get the latest and greatest anymore and innovative is more refined and subtle.
 
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I don't think phones are expensive because of less people upgrading. I think its because of Apple's greed. When you look at their sold numbers (before they stopped doing it) the number was getting bigger almost every year so its not about that.
And of course, as soon as Apple had the audacity to charge (starting from $1000) everyone else followed.
I actually returned my iPhone Pro 11 yesterday as after using it for a week I realised its not really worth $2000CAD price tag. I'll wait for SE2 and see if that makes it more sensible otherwise I'll never upgrade ahahahhahah. :)
Sales have been down since 2016 which is why the bragging moved from units sold to profit instead. The profit was bridged by the increase in prices. It’s widely known that the smartphone market has shrunk up to 25% globally on an annual basis since the end of 2015. This is why carriers are rolling out 3 year contracts and trying to entice people with better trade in deals. All manufacturers have raised their prices but Apple keep their prices fixed for up to 11 months at a time whereas the likes of Samsung match Apple on release but lower them in the following months.
 
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As long as you stay loyal to Apple, you'll always be seeing new innovations and cutting-edge technologies that will be copied in 1 to 2 years by competitors. Where Apple leads, the market follows.

Remember when all the competition was laughing about Apple removing the headphone jack, and introducing truly wireless earphones that looked weird? The whole industry is now there trying to copy Apple. Schiller was right from the start.
 
Remember when all the competition was laughing about Apple removing the headphone jack, and introducing truly wireless earphones that looked weird? The whole industry is now there trying to copy Apple. Schiller was right from the start.

Phil Schiller was right, and he actually used the perfect word to describe the situation removing the 3.5 mm Jack, and that was courage. I don’t care how much that word is slandered by a bunch of ignorant individuals who don’t understand what Apple was trying to execute, but it did take courage, and look how successful the AirPods turned out because of this transition In the end, Apple sees the future of where technology _is_ leading, when everyone else seems to focus just on today.
 
As long as you stay loyal to Apple, you'll always be seeing new innovations and cutting-edge technologies that will be copied in 1 to 2 years by competitors. Where Apple leads, the market follows.

Remember when all the competition was laughing about Apple removing the headphone jack, and introducing truly wireless earphones that looked weird? The whole industry is now there trying to copy Apple. Schiller was right from the start.

Apple do their fair share of copying the competition too. They usually do it better though.
 
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Phil Schiller was right, and he actually used the perfect word to describe the situation removing the 3.5 mm Jack, and that was courage. I don’t care how much that word is slandered by a bunch of ignorant individuals who don’t understand what Apple was trying to execute, but it did take courage, and look how successful the AirPods turned out because of this transition In the end, Apple sees the future of where technology _is_ leading, when everyone else seems to focus just on today.

It has to. Average joe consumers can be armchair CEOs as much as they want but their neck is actually not on the line. There’s a really good YouTube video based on this.


 
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