There is zero chance it's going to get a 'complete redesign' next year, or in the foreseeable future.
The reality is that phones are a mature product now. Next year's iPhone will look a lot like last year's iPhone. There has been zero substantive change since 2017, and that wasn't a change for the better with the loss of the home button. The cameras get slightly better, the chips get slightly faster, and the edges change shape slightly. And the edges are cyclical, the first iPhone had rounded edges, the 4 got more squared off edges, the 6 went back to rounded, and now we're back to more squared off.
But ultimately phones haven't changed since 2007. There's a touchscreen, some cameras, a battery, a logic board, and some buttons. Sure, the UI gets slightly uglier every year, and has since it got massively uglier in 2013 with the UI abomination that was iOS 7.
Oh, and at some point Apple will introduce a copy of Samsung's folding phone. It will have the same problems, it'll be more fragile, because folding screens have to be. And even though it'll just be a copy of something stupid Samsung did years before, people here will call Apple 'innovative' for doing it.
Jony Ive famously expressed his eventual goal for phone design to be a single slab of glass. (Unbreakable, one would hope.) And that would seem to be the inevitable direction in which we are heading--it's just a matter of when the tech allows it to be possible. I think your point about the cyclical nature of edge design for iPhone is a good one--the iPhone 12, billed as a significant redesign, was very much an iPhone 5 on steroids.
I assume you are neither a photographer nor videographer because your comment about "slight" improvements in the cameras could only come from a casual snapshooter. The camera advancements have been nothing short of astonishing. I fall into the "prosumer" category, and I sold all of my high-end Nikon pro gear and lenses and now shoot strictly iPhone. Is that gear "better" than the camera modules and lenses in an iPhone Pro? Of course. But no major camera company can touch Apple when it comes to the huge benefits of computational photography, which gives me better shots more consistently with an iPhone. AND... most importantly... the iPhone is always with me. I often do 13 x 19 prints directly from iPhone pics, no filters, no retouching... my iMac to a Canon Pro-100s printer... and people inevitably ask what kind of camera equipment I use to get those results. I love watching their jaws hit the floor when I say, "It's a photo taken straight from my iPhone."
You're so right about Apple copying Samsung. Samsung goes first and does it wrong, the better to alpha test something on their buyers paying full price for tech that isn't ready for release. (I'm lookin' at you, Samsung phones that have famously exploded, caught fire or had their folding screens break right out of the box.) Real innovation isn't about treating your buyers like guinea pigs so you can be "first" to deliver insufficiently tested products. Apple waits to deliver features when they make sense and "just work." That's why Apple takes 66% of global profits from phones vs. 17% for Samsung.
“WILL” get a complete re-design?? Because of one silly analyst’s wild guess? “May“ would be more appropriate, dear Apple Insider. Are you really hurting for clicks that bad?
Yeah I never liked their headlines with misleading authoritative phrasing
Well considering Grumer couldn't even get the release date of the new iPad Mini right on the day if it's launch or the launch date for the MacBook Pro models right. I wouldn't trust everything he says. Leakers and supposedly 'analysts' have got several things wrong about Apple devices in recent times, even Koh has got things wrong several times.
There is zero chance it's going to get a 'complete redesign' next year, or in the foreseeable future.
The reality is that phones are a mature product now. Next year's iPhone will look a lot like last year's iPhone. There has been zero substantive change since 2017, and that wasn't a change for the better with the loss of the home button. The cameras get slightly better, the chips get slightly faster, and the edges change shape slightly. And the edges are cyclical, the first iPhone had rounded edges, the 4 got more squared off edges, the 6 went back to rounded, and now we're back to more squared off.
But ultimately phones haven't changed since 2007. There's a touchscreen, some cameras, a battery, a logic board, and some buttons. Sure, the UI gets slightly uglier every year, and has since it got massively uglier in 2013 with the UI abomination that was iOS 7.
Oh, and at some point Apple will introduce a copy of Samsung's folding phone. It will have the same problems, it'll be more fragile, because folding screens have to be. And even though it'll just be a copy of something stupid Samsung did years before, people here will call Apple 'innovative' for doing it.
Jony Ive famously expressed his eventual goal for phone design to be a single slab of glass. (Unbreakable, one would hope.) And that would seem to be the inevitable direction in which we are heading--it's just a matter of when the tech allows it to be possible. I think your point about the cyclical nature of edge design for iPhone is a good one--the iPhone 12, billed as a significant redesign, was very much an iPhone 5 on steroids.
I assume you are neither a photographer nor videographer because your comment about "slight" improvements in the cameras could only come from a casual snapshooter. The camera advancements have been nothing short of astonishing. I fall into the "prosumer" category, and I sold all of my high-end Nikon pro gear and lenses and now shoot strictly iPhone. Is that gear "better" than the camera modules and lenses in an iPhone Pro? Of course. But no major camera company can touch Apple when it comes to the huge benefits of computational photography, which gives me better shots more consistently with an iPhone. AND... most importantly... the iPhone is always with me. I often do 13 x 19 prints directly from iPhone pics, no filters, no retouching... my iMac to a Canon Pro-100s printer... and people inevitably ask what kind of camera equipment I use to get those results. I love watching their jaws hit the floor when I say, "It's a photo taken straight from my iPhone."
You're so right about Apple copying Samsung. Samsung goes first and does it wrong, the better to alpha test something on their buyers paying full price for tech that isn't ready for release. (I'm lookin' at you, Samsung phones that have famously exploded, caught fire or had their folding screens break right out of the box.) Real innovation isn't about treating your buyers like guinea pigs so you can be "first" to deliver insufficiently tested products. Apple waits to deliver features when they make sense and "just work." That's why Apple takes 66% of global profits from phones vs. 17% for Samsung.
^ this guy gets it
I'm about to buy $6000+ in pro photo/video gear shortly and the new iPhone shit is giving me pause. I'm still going to do it, but the kit I'm replacing (an older APSC mirrorless Sony with Zeiss glass that costs more than the body) is now worse quality than my iPhone. I'm literally right now editing a FCP project of a video shoot I did with it and wishing I had shot it with my iPhone. Yeah it's almost 8 years old, but still. It's fucking incredible how far the phone tech has come.
Some people literally don't understand the advancements that we've gotten and wouldn't think anything innovative happened unless Apple released a triangular iPhone like The Office. It's fucking stupid.
I visited one of my local Apple stores over the weekend to check out the iPhone 13. My first impression was how heavy the devices still feel and compared them to my Xs iPhone. I wish Apple would concentrate on making the iPone lighter in weight. I know there are models which are smaller and lighter but the high end model should lead the way not only with a better camera and larger storage but a lighter more streamlined body.
My impression looking over the table with these new phones was how dull the color options are these days. Yes I know there are tons of options with cases but one of the best feature of Apples products is the industrial design, I can't bring myself to wrap an iPhone with $10 plastic case or spend another $50 for higher end case I compare it to buying an expensive suit and covering it with plastic raincoat.
I purchased the very first iPhone the day it was released and over the years bought a new one every 4 years or so when I believed the newer models had reached another level. The 13's are not that for me although I'm sure someone from a much earlier model would love them.
It would be this type of asinine decision by Apple that will hinder the iPhone mini's ultimate success. iPhone mini = iPhone Pro (physical size of mini limiting any iPhone Pro features) iPhone mini development/iterations should never be for economical purposes.
There is zero chance it's going to get a 'complete redesign' next year, or in the foreseeable future.
The reality is that phones are a mature product now. Next year's iPhone will look a lot like last year's iPhone. There has been zero substantive change since 2017, and that wasn't a change for the better with the loss of the home button. The cameras get slightly better, the chips get slightly faster, and the edges change shape slightly. And the edges are cyclical, the first iPhone had rounded edges, the 4 got more squared off edges, the 6 went back to rounded, and now we're back to more squared off.
But ultimately phones haven't changed since 2007. There's a touchscreen, some cameras, a battery, a logic board, and some buttons. Sure, the UI gets slightly uglier every year, and has since it got massively uglier in 2013 with the UI abomination that was iOS 7.
Oh, and at some point Apple will introduce a copy of Samsung's folding phone. It will have the same problems, it'll be more fragile, because folding screens have to be. And even though it'll just be a copy of something stupid Samsung did years before, people here will call Apple 'innovative' for doing it.
Jony Ive famously expressed his eventual goal for phone design to be a single slab of glass. (Unbreakable, one would hope.) And that would seem to be the inevitable direction in which we are heading--it's just a matter of when the tech allows it to be possible. I think your point about the cyclical nature of edge design for iPhone is a good one--the iPhone 12, billed as a significant redesign, was very much an iPhone 5 on steroids.
I assume you are neither a photographer nor videographer because your comment about "slight" improvements in the cameras could only come from a casual snapshooter. The camera advancements have been nothing short of astonishing. I fall into the "prosumer" category, and I sold all of my high-end Nikon pro gear and lenses and now shoot strictly iPhone. Is that gear "better" than the camera modules and lenses in an iPhone Pro? Of course. But no major camera company can touch Apple when it comes to the huge benefits of computational photography, which gives me better shots more consistently with an iPhone. AND... most importantly... the iPhone is always with me. I often do 13 x 19 prints directly from iPhone pics, no filters, no retouching... my iMac to a Canon Pro-100s printer... and people inevitably ask what kind of camera equipment I use to get those results. I love watching their jaws hit the floor when I say, "It's a photo taken straight from my iPhone."
You're so right about Apple copying Samsung. Samsung goes first and does it wrong, the better to alpha test something on their buyers paying full price for tech that isn't ready for release. (I'm lookin' at you, Samsung phones that have famously exploded, caught fire or had their folding screens break right out of the box.) Real innovation isn't about treating your buyers like guinea pigs so you can be "first" to deliver insufficiently tested products. Apple waits to deliver features when they make sense and "just work." That's why Apple takes 66% of global profits from phones vs. 17% for Samsung.
I’m still just playing with the 13 pro’s cameras, and it is some remarkable gear, especially for a slab that fits in your pocket.
Ditching your pro gear and lenses, though? That seems a bit extreme. The computational stuff is significant, and the glass is high quality, but you’re still just working with three fixed-aperture prime lenses. I suppose if you’re accustomed to using the ‘auto’ settings on the Nikon gear you might not notice the difference as much, but as someone who swaps out lenses and fiddles with aperture/ISO/exposure manually, I wouldn’t want my iPhone to be my only camera.
I visited one of my local Apple stores over the weekend to check out the iPhone 13. My first impression was how heavy the devices still feel and compared them to my Xs iPhone. I wish Apple would concentrate on making the iPone lighter in weight. I know there are models which are smaller and lighter but the high end model should lead the way not only with a better camera and larger storage but a lighter more streamlined body.
My impression looking over the table with these new phones was how dull the color options are these days. Yes I know there are tons of options with cases but one of the best feature of Apples products is the industrial design, I can't bring myself to wrap an iPhone with $10 plastic case or spend another $50 for higher end case I compare it to buying an expensive suit and covering it with plastic raincoat.
I purchased the very first iPhone the day it was released and over the years bought a new one every 4 years or so when I believed the newer models had reached another level. The 13's are not that for me although I'm sure someone from a much earlier model would love them.
Found my 3GS and 5S in a draw the other day iPhone 11 Pro feels heavier than both combined.
As for the Mini disappearing, that will depend on its success or not this year. They're not going to kill an iPhone iteration that has enough demand for it.
Yeah, hopefully this is just speculation (which it seems to be). That would be a really bad move for Apple, but it isn't unlike they haven't made bad moves. It isn't going to be the best selling model, but does it need to be? Just like the iPad mini, it has a very practical (and loved) place in the lineup. Personally, and an iPhone 12 mini owner, I'd go back to my original SE if it had the 12-guts. It is right on the edge of being too big. I tolerate it, but miss my SE.
The mini will become the new SE at some point, just with LCD instead of OLED.
I doubt it, or at least hope not. Apple has now properly distinguished form factor from budget. The SE will (hopefully) remain whatever size is the biggest seller, combined with a bit older tech for an entry-level price. The mini will (hopefully) be the small form-factor of whatever the current iPhone is (as much as can be shoved into it). That is what many of us 'mini' lovers have been long asking for, and Apple delivered. They just didn't go small enough for some of us, but I'll take what we can get up to a point.
Give the mini the "Pro" upgrade with all cosmetic and camera parity (features limited due to size constraints) and call it a day. The mini should never be "economically focused" in development or features.
Comments
I assume you are neither a photographer nor videographer because your comment about "slight" improvements in the cameras could only come from a casual snapshooter. The camera advancements have been nothing short of astonishing. I fall into the "prosumer" category, and I sold all of my high-end Nikon pro gear and lenses and now shoot strictly iPhone. Is that gear "better" than the camera modules and lenses in an iPhone Pro? Of course. But no major camera company can touch Apple when it comes to the huge benefits of computational photography, which gives me better shots more consistently with an iPhone. AND... most importantly... the iPhone is always with me. I often do 13 x 19 prints directly from iPhone pics, no filters, no retouching... my iMac to a Canon Pro-100s printer... and people inevitably ask what kind of camera equipment I use to get those results. I love watching their jaws hit the floor when I say, "It's a photo taken straight from my iPhone."
You're so right about Apple copying Samsung. Samsung goes first and does it wrong, the better to alpha test something on their buyers paying full price for tech that isn't ready for release. (I'm lookin' at you, Samsung phones that have famously exploded, caught fire or had their folding screens break right out of the box.) Real innovation isn't about treating your buyers like guinea pigs so you can be "first" to deliver insufficiently tested products. Apple waits to deliver features when they make sense and "just work." That's why Apple takes 66% of global profits from phones vs. 17% for Samsung.
I'm about to buy $6000+ in pro photo/video gear shortly and the new iPhone shit is giving me pause. I'm still going to do it, but the kit I'm replacing (an older APSC mirrorless Sony with Zeiss glass that costs more than the body) is now worse quality than my iPhone. I'm literally right now editing a FCP project of a video shoot I did with it and wishing I had shot it with my iPhone. Yeah it's almost 8 years old, but still. It's fucking incredible how far the phone tech has come.
Some people literally don't understand the advancements that we've gotten and wouldn't think anything innovative happened unless Apple released a triangular iPhone like The Office. It's fucking stupid.
My impression looking over the table with these new phones was how dull the color options are these days. Yes I know there are tons of options with cases but one of the best feature of Apples products is the industrial design, I can't bring myself to wrap an iPhone with $10 plastic case or spend another $50 for higher end case I compare it to buying an expensive suit and covering it with plastic raincoat.
I purchased the very first iPhone the day it was released and over the years bought a new one every 4 years or so when I believed the newer models had reached another level. The 13's are not that for me although I'm sure someone from a much earlier model would love them.
spice-boy said: Found my 3GS and 5S in a draw the other day iPhone 11 Pro feels heavier than both combined.
The mini should never be "economically focused" in development or features.