Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Other Why assume iPhone 17's are going to be 'the one' to upgrade to after disappointment?

Correction for Iphone XS: Still same 5.8” size as X (and 11 Pro).

XR was the 6.1 size, which also happened to increase with iPhone 12 Pro.

Apple is on a 4-year update cycle on each body now (previously 3-year):

6 > 6S > 7 > 8 (Same year X was released)
X > XS > 11 Pro
12 Pro > 13 Pro > 14 Pro > 15 Pro
16 Pro > 17 Pro > 18 Pro > ?

I really would love to see more RAM in the 17 Pro for a true upgrade, especially if Apple is pushing AI now. So if iPhone 17 Pro gets the rumored 12GB of RAM, I’m probably going to upgrade from 14 Pro.
 
my excitement for phones has definitely fell off...realistically what else can they add to excite people without morphing these things into something else? I'm also someone that uses different devices for specific things, so for people that want their phone to be their all in one device I guess i understand their disappointment.

I game on my PS5 bc i don't like phone games, I consume content on my Macbook bc its a better experience, and I take pictures on my fuji because I hate how phone pictures come out over processed.

hardware wise idk what else companies can do, itll be a software game for a while.

I do wish apple made the camera button modular, like being able to use that capacitive touch in other apps as a scroll wheel or something wouldve been cool.
 
TeeWrecks said:
my excitement for phones has definitely fell off...realistically what else can they add to excite people without morphing these things into something else? I'm also someone that uses different devices for specific things, so for people that want their phone to be their all in one device I guess i understand their disappointment.

I game on my PS5 bc i don't like phone games, I consume content on my Macbook bc its a better experience, and I take pictures on my fuji because I hate how phone pictures come out over processed.

hardware wise idk what else companies can do, itll be a software game for a while.

I do wish apple made the camera button modular, like being able to use that capacitive touch in other apps as a scroll wheel or something wouldve been cool.
Click to expand...
They are still missing pen input, NEX connection, foldable screen
 
caligurl said:
i didn't upgrade last year (again) since i wasn't impressed with the upgrades.... i assumed (ya i know) that this year would be better (it's not)... but i'm sick of charging my 13PM multiple times a day..... so i'll upgrade (and not what will mean the 17 is awesome... so i'll have to do a 1 year upgrade! lol!)
Click to expand...

I have the 15PM.

My parents have the 13Pros and they stated the battery life on their phones suck so I’ll upgrade them to the 16PM.

I’ll probably hold off until next year or the following year since battery is fine right now.

AI is not high up on my list and the current camera is more than enough for me.

This year Apple didn’t innovate much.
Same old AirPod max with new colors and usbc. AirPods 4 just get anc for the higher priced model and I guess hearing aid certification.

Apple Watch 10 is an afterthought this year. Nothing ground breaking.

Apple Watch 2 ultra just gets a new black titanium color.

Apple probably didn’t want to spend too much in development this year and wants to milk us as much as possible.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 3Rock and caligurl
pugxiwawa said:
Hope ip16 sales bomb that will force Apple to reevaluate their strategy of milking every upgrade with minimal features. Apple is treating customers like sheeps over last 5+ years, it’s time to make some noise.
Click to expand...
Apple doesn’t care about noice. There are 1000 threads with complaints at this point. Apple only looks at the sales figures. If we really want Apple to give us more we need to vote with our wallet. We can even make zero noice but if we vote with our wallets then they will be forced to re-evaluate their strategy. But as far as I see here people complain and still buy their stuff :D
 
  • Like
Reactions: 3Rock
thadoggfather said:
What in particular is going to be so compelling about iPhone 17 iterations? If you just said possibility of 120hz on regular models, and a base storage bump somewhere, fine that's all fine and dandy if either of those were a deal breaker. but to most people and the average user, I don't think they'll be 'holding out' for either thing or even care about that or even aware of what 120hz is, and they might know the storage amount but just shrug it off or bump up their total price to anticipate their storage usage needs and begrudgingly shrug that off too and mosey on like every other year.

..obviously this is a purely speculative thread since the iPhone 16 hasnt' officially launched yet just been announced Monday but. What would you even imagine it could be? And I'm not suggesting there isn't meat on the bone to innovate, that smartphones have peaked and now they can't do anything else because they are a mature product at their base functions... not at all. Just considering this confined within the timeline of iPhone releases from 2017 onwards, not looking to what competition is doing or dabbled in.

If I re-cap this new X era of phones:

2017 X: new style, 5.8 size, first time dual camera sensor in a compact non-Plus form, faceID + wireless charging (and 8 variants in 2017)
2018 XR / XS: new style, 6.1 size, colors, literally an S-cycle in moniker and design for the 'pro tier' X.
2019 iPhone 11 Pro: triple camera intro
2020 iPhone 12 / Pro: new boxy style
2021 iPhone 13 Pro: ProMotion / notch on a diet
2022: iPhone 14 Pro: dynamic island
2023 iPhone 15 Pro: titanium / USB-C / action button
2024 iPhone 16 / Pro: AI / S-cycle without moniker / size bump on pro's. Camera button across the board..
With 16 new camera module design / colors
2025?

2025 seems like the 'Ultra air' or whatever is going to be priced to the moon beyond $1199 base Pro Max. And probably with performance or camera quantity stipulations. Else the regular will be more colors (surely the pill camera cutout won't be a one-cycle thing)? And Pro and Pro Max an SS-cycle? with more ram and deeper AI?
An SE4 that will be an iPhone 14 body at a 'revolutionary' price for SE/mini/older gen model users who can't justify $829 entry point?


I'm also not arguing that you have to be wow'd by iPhone 16 / Pro upgrades, even if iPhone 17 proves to be a bit boring too. You can hold both opinions - idc. Just speculating on what in particular will make 2025 'the one'
Click to expand...
it won't be as it will be speced like a non pro model.
 
Apple generally operate on a slower product roadmap than most people realise or remember. We used to have the S-years as off years for big ideas. There was an expectation that big updates were bi-annual at a minimum.

This slowed down as the market plateaued into a 3-year cycle. The 6-chassis stayed until the X. That stayed until the 12.

You would therefore have expected the 15 to be the next big redesign but Apple kept it largely the same. This was not due to a lack of effort but rather their company-wide design language. This started with the flat edges of the iPad Pro and has grown to encompass their entire product line (bar the watch).

Apple's biggest innovation this year has been the 3nm M4 chipset. We can therefore expect thinner products to become the Apple staple over the next few years. Before years' end I expect to see that smaller Mac Mini and a 5mm iMac. It stands to reason that the iPhone 17 will be the next big redesign.

Rather than capitalise on smaller, more power efficient chipsets with bigger batteries Apple will seek to use te gains as a way to slim down their products without impacting battery life.
 
  • Like
Reactions: unobtainium, DSTOFEL and Carlsberg69
Nowadays, I think most people buy iPhone just to update their old iPhone because of its been slower, short battery life or the camera factor. Probably very few of them buy because of the new “features” (at least not me nor my family members and friends).
 
  • Like
Reactions: 3Rock and caligurl
Honestly the only improvement I look for every year again and again is a better batterylife.. Surely everyone has their own "Innovation" they looking forward to. But I personally just wanna see decent battery life on smaller phones, I am tired of carrying a brick around with me. So yeah that is my personal reason I look forward to every years iPhone in the hope the battery life will finally get a huge bump.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: 3Rock and Carlsberg69
maerz001 said:
They are still missing pen input, NEX connection, foldable screen
Click to expand...
Yeah apple pen input would be cool, but I’d be lying if I said that’s a feature I really care about having.

Writing on paper > typing on iPhone > writing on phone screen

And from the foldable phones I’ve seen it’s just not a technology I care too much about.

I’m curious to know if a foldable device is what the majority of people are waiting on.

My biggest wish is that they’d turn the current 3 camera layout into 1 camera that takes up that space and has a bigger sensor.
 
I rarely upgrade my phone as my standard for “meaningful improvement” is probably higher than that of most tech enthusiasts. I’m leaning toward getting this year’s phone though because coming from my old phone the spec improvements have piled up over the years, plus it has one brand new feature I really want (layered recording). The only rumored improvement for the 17 that I’m interested in is the 48MP telephoto, but it’s not clear to me how much of an improvement that will be. Also I don’t think it’s rumored but 2TB storage would be of interest, but I would need to think more about how I would use it before I decide.
 
It doesn't matter what Apple releases/announces, people are going to complain it "wasn't enough" or "Tim needs to be fired" or "It's the same phone, I'll keep [insert model] for another year" or "Apple doesn't innovate anymore"

Reality is, some people are happiest when they have something to complain about.
 
  • Like
Reactions: azhava, 3Rock and TeeWrecks
thadoggfather said:
What in particular is going to be so compelling about iPhone 17 iterations? If you just said possibility of 120hz on regular models, and a base storage bump somewhere, fine that's all fine and dandy if either of those were a deal breaker. but to most people and the average user, I don't think they'll be 'holding out' for either thing or even care about that or even aware of what 120hz is, and they might know the storage amount but just shrug it off or bump up their total price to anticipate their storage usage needs and begrudgingly shrug that off too and mosey on like every other year.

..obviously this is a purely speculative thread since the iPhone 16 hasnt' officially launched yet just been announced Monday but. What would you even imagine it could be? And I'm not suggesting there isn't meat on the bone to innovate, that smartphones have peaked and now they can't do anything else because they are a mature product at their base functions... not at all. Just considering this confined within the timeline of iPhone releases from 2017 onwards, not looking to what competition is doing or dabbled in.

If I re-cap this new X era of phones:

2017 X: new style, 5.8 size, first time dual camera sensor in a compact non-Plus form, faceID + wireless charging (and 8 variants in 2017)
2018 XR / XS: new style, 6.1 size, colors, literally an S-cycle in moniker and design for the 'pro tier' X.
2019 iPhone 11 Pro: triple camera intro
2020 iPhone 12 / Pro: new boxy style
2021 iPhone 13 Pro: ProMotion / notch on a diet
2022: iPhone 14 Pro: dynamic island
2023 iPhone 15 Pro: titanium / USB-C / action button
2024 iPhone 16 / Pro: AI / S-cycle without moniker / size bump on pro's. Camera button across the board..
With 16 new camera module design / colors
2025?

2025 seems like the 'Ultra air' or whatever is going to be priced to the moon beyond $1199 base Pro Max. And probably with performance or camera quantity stipulations. Else the regular will be more colors (surely the pill camera cutout won't be a one-cycle thing)? And Pro and Pro Max an SS-cycle? with more ram and deeper AI?
An SE4 that will be an iPhone 14 body at a 'revolutionary' price for SE/mini/older gen model users who can't justify $829 entry point?


I'm also not arguing that you have to be wow'd by iPhone 16 / Pro upgrades, even if iPhone 17 proves to be a bit boring too. You can hold both opinions - idc. Just speculating on what in particular will make 2025 'the one'
Click to expand...
I don't know and I'm not assuming that the 17 is "the one", I just know that for me the 16 isn't "the one".
There still haven't been enough improvements over my 14 Pro Max to compel me to upgrade just yet. But even if the 17 is another incremental upgrade, the cumulative upgrades of the 15, 16, and 17 series will probably be enough. It's nice to hold off on upgrading for a few years and then enjoy years worth of improvements all at once rather than just getting tiny improvements that don't really feel like a brand new phone every year.
 
TeeWrecks said:
Yeah apple pen input would be cool, but I’d be lying if I said that’s a feature I really care about having.

Writing on paper > typing on iPhone > writing on phone screen

And from the foldable phones I’ve seen it’s just not a technology I care too much about.

I’m curious to know if a foldable device is what the majority of people are waiting on.

My biggest wish is that they’d turn the current 3 camera layout into 1 camera that takes up that space and has a bigger sensor.
Click to expand...
For sure not a majority for foldableS. I also dont care. But i am for options. Now we have basically just 2 screen sizes (not counting the 10 year old SE design)

Regarding bigger sensor there is the physics behind that it requires a bigger focal lens which means the lens will stick out even more.
 
Has there been anything really significant since the removal of the home button? Removing the notch to a dynamic island is still pretty minor. OLED and some other screen tech, has been pretty good but still nothing like the paradigm shift of that home button which changed how the entire IOS works. I don't even think AI will be as significant. A flip iphone could be the next big thing, but I don't know if they will do it, and I don't really know how much people really want it.

80 hours video playback 20% less weight and current battery?
Zero bezel?
Magnesium or TI ultralight air premium models? Could be cool but would still be pretty incremental as far as a change.
A 180g 6.5" screen model that's 5mm thick - I doubt it.

Can't really think of much really for really significant changes that could even be made.
 
I got 256gb this go round on 16Pro just in case I dont like what I see next year :p

a little more storage breathing room might be nice and perhaps will incentivize a private sale when I upgrade next go round vs. getting somewhat hosed on Apple trade in price. Glad I got rid of my base 14PM for 615 while I could tho
 
  • Like
Reactions: timeconsumer
Last year when the 15 specs dropped they were saying wait, because the 16 would be "the one" to upgrade to. Some things never change. LOL. Me? I am on a 5 year or so upgrade cycle that came due now. Hopefully my next upgrade phone will be able to open up a time travel portal. Dammit.
 
Last edited:
Well for many of us, the upgrade will depend entirely on the camera for photos and videos. Sensors, optics, night mode for the night sky, & ProRaw. Safari and all other apps work the same, not much difference with them. I do however wish that apple will gis us a different camera sound, something more quiet and unique. The camera sound has been the same since day one I think. Been the same since my 3Gs. Of course the iphone can be put on silent whilst taking a photo, but I prefer sound. I wish it was different.
 
Don’t think there will ever be ‘the one’ again and Apple will never give it to us, anyway. The one, is on each persons need, want or their perceived value.
 
I doubt the 17 series will be any larger of a leap than the 16 is. Until technology makes a leap, we will be sticking with incremental hardware updates like the 16. Software is what Apple is depending on and we will have to wait and see if it can do what they suggest!
 
Agree with this. Look at the PC market - when is the last time someone unveiled 'groundbreaking' desktop PC hardware? Software, on the other hand, is about to take center stage. If you aren't already using AI every day, you should start. We're on the cusp of a seismic shift in how we interact with computing devices. I would estimate I gained an additional 4 hours of productivity at work from AI this week alone. Apple AI is still in its infancy. I think next year's phone will be given the computing power it needs to take advantage of on-device processing models that will be developed over the next few years.
Jackbequickly said:
I doubt the 17 series will be any larger of a leap than the 16 is. Until technology makes a leap, we will be sticking with incremental hardware updates like the 16. Software is what Apple is depending on and we will have to wait and see if it can do what they suggest!
Click to expand...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back