Best to mention what it’s not bringing to the table, but arguably should have these 5 things in the 16 pro series ….
3. A diet. Yep , the pro phones are true porkers these days. Just go pick up an iPhone 6/7 series phone and feel that difference. Ah wait, next years 17 air / slim might give you that.
It will be the best iPhone yet, but honestly …
Just switch to Android. That is the best possible feedback to Apple that their products aren't good enough for you.
Why would any of us willingly torture ourselves with generic Android dross? AND lose Apple system integration?
Classic cutting off of one’s nose to spite who?
One of the many major selling points of iPhone is it’s seamless integration with other Apple products.
Mac, iPad, Apple Watch, Apple TV, AirPods Pro and not, etc., etc.
Just responding to a troll post. If certain features are important to people, they should really get a phone with those features. It's not hard... It's the usual spec race that got Apple to say "specs don't matter". What matters is the user experience.
Google actually says the same thing, they build phones designed for the user experience, not spec-humping. Yet apparently for some notable percentage of Apple users, specs do matter afterall, whether Apple or Google believes they shouldn't (Samsung doesn't weigh-in for some reason).
There's no shortage of spec-sheet comparisons here at AppleInsider whenever an Apple competitor releases a new device, and those articles attract a lot of eyeballs and comments.
Yes, spec comparisons do attract eyeballs, but we do know better, right? The articles are easy to write, the conversations around them could be interesting, and thus they are written, but we know better.
You can characterize some feature through the hardware that can drive that feature. For UI operations, I would like to have a UI latency specification, and if possible, for a device's dimensions, a handling qualities specification. So, as long as there is one-to-one relation between hardware and feature, specs can be very important and you can rely on a bigger/smaller is better type mentality. I'd love to have a device surface temperature to work performed type of "specification", and a work done per Watt-hour type of benchmark. A data rate versus cellular range and signal quality specification would be great too.
But of those listed by lewchenko? No.
Having a large amount of RAM is not needed for Google Gemini on Android devices. Is Gemini not done entirely in the cloud right now? So, the RAM capacity is there for some other purpose, correct? What other AI models are running on-device on AndroidOS? Meanwhile, Apple is designing the iPhone to have the same user experience as competitor phones without more RAM. It's advantageous for them. So, what's the right thing to do here?
Camera MP is obviously not an indicator of picture quality or camera user experience, right? Everyone here has lived through the digicam and smartphone cam eras. If a camera maker has a 12 MP camera that takes better pictures than a 48 MP camera, and it is fast, I'd take that all day, any day. The advertising power of more mega-pixels is huge, so OEMs are climbing the ladder on MP while picture quality has remained static, or has not improved commensurately? A 12 MP with large pixels would make for a nice camera.
The iPhone weight criticism assumes lighter is better. That's not true, and even so, the criticism is factually incorrect. The iPhone 15 Pro Max is the same weight as that Google Pixel Pro 9 XL, at around 220 grams. The iPhone 15 Pro is lighter than the Google Pixel Pro 9 at 187 and 198 grams respectively. But, weight is a premium feature to some people. Apple designs denser iPhones as a feature and differentiator at times. The market can get bored of it, so Apple will change it, kind of like fashion.
There are a gazillion threads on AI. The initial set of AI features will be, or is, underwhelming for the majority of market. It's going to take a few more years for ML models and services to be useful to wider range of the market. I think none of these models down the road will be run on-device. The rumored 0.2" increase in display size for the iPhone 16 Pro models? That will be perhaps a bigger feature for most of the market. Likely a more marketable feature.
The dynamic island is Apple's chosen brand for the past few iPhone models. It houses a sensor array that Apple believes gives iPhones an advantage in the market. Apple believes Face ID is a huge feature for them, and they believe the way they do it is a really good way. Like, more and more Vison Pro style eye and hand recognition features can come to Face ID devices. That's feature differentiation for them and currently deemed more important than a no-cutout display.
Best to mention what it’s not bringing to the table, but arguably should have these 5 things in the 16 pro series ….
3. A diet. Yep , the pro phones are true porkers these days. Just go pick up an iPhone 6/7 series phone and feel that difference. Ah wait, next years 17 air / slim might give you that.
It will be the best iPhone yet, but honestly …
Just switch to Android. That is the best possible feedback to Apple that their products aren't good enough for you.
Why would any of us willingly torture ourselves with generic Android dross? AND lose Apple system integration?
Classic cutting off of one’s nose to spite who?
One of the many major selling points of iPhone is it’s seamless integration with other Apple products.
Mac, iPad, Apple Watch, Apple TV, AirPods Pro and not, etc., etc.
Just responding to a troll post. If certain features are important to people, they should really get a phone with those features. It's not hard... It's the usual spec race that got Apple to say "specs don't matter". What matters is the user experience.
Google actually says the same thing, they build phones designed for the user experience, not spec-humping. Yet apparently for some notable percentage of Apple users, specs do matter afterall, whether Apple or Google believes they shouldn't (Samsung doesn't weigh-in for some reason).
There's no shortage of spec-sheet comparisons here at AppleInsider whenever an Apple competitor releases a new device, and those articles attract a lot of eyeballs and comments.
Yes, spec comparisons do attract eyeballs, but we do know better, right? The articles are easy to write, the conversations around them could be interesting, and thus they are written, but we know better. But of those listed by lewchenko? No.
Having a large amount of RAM is not needed for Google Gemini on Android devices. Is Gemini not done entirely in the cloud right now?
Best to mention what it’s not bringing to the table, but arguably should have these 5 things in the 16 pro series ….
3. A diet. Yep , the pro phones are true porkers these days. Just go pick up an iPhone 6/7 series phone and feel that difference. Ah wait, next years 17 air / slim might give you that.
It will be the best iPhone yet, but honestly …
Just switch to Android. That is the best possible feedback to Apple that their products aren't good enough for you.
Why would any of us willingly torture ourselves with generic Android dross? AND lose Apple system integration?
Classic cutting off of one’s nose to spite who?
One of the many major selling points of iPhone is it’s seamless integration with other Apple products.
Mac, iPad, Apple Watch, Apple TV, AirPods Pro and not, etc., etc.
Just responding to a troll post. If certain features are important to people, they should really get a phone with those features. It's not hard... It's the usual spec race that got Apple to say "specs don't matter". What matters is the user experience.
Google actually says the same thing, they build phones designed for the user experience, not spec-humping. Yet apparently for some notable percentage of Apple users, specs do matter afterall, whether Apple or Google believes they shouldn't (Samsung doesn't weigh-in for some reason).
There's no shortage of spec-sheet comparisons here at AppleInsider whenever an Apple competitor releases a new device, and those articles attract a lot of eyeballs and comments.
Yes, spec comparisons do attract eyeballs, but we do know better, right? The articles are easy to write, the conversations around them could be interesting, and thus they are written, but we know better. But of those listed by lewchenko? No.
Having a large amount of RAM is not needed for Google Gemini on Android devices. Is Gemini not done entirely in the cloud right now?
Best to mention what it’s not bringing to the table, but arguably should have these 5 things in the 16 pro series ….
3. A diet. Yep , the pro phones are true porkers these days. Just go pick up an iPhone 6/7 series phone and feel that difference. Ah wait, next years 17 air / slim might give you that.
It will be the best iPhone yet, but honestly …
Just switch to Android. That is the best possible feedback to Apple that their products aren't good enough for you.
Why would any of us willingly torture ourselves with generic Android dross? AND lose Apple system integration?
Classic cutting off of one’s nose to spite who?
One of the many major selling points of iPhone is it’s seamless integration with other Apple products.
Mac, iPad, Apple Watch, Apple TV, AirPods Pro and not, etc., etc.
Just responding to a troll post. If certain features are important to people, they should really get a phone with those features. It's not hard... It's the usual spec race that got Apple to say "specs don't matter". What matters is the user experience.
Google actually says the same thing, they build phones designed for the user experience, not spec-humping. Yet apparently for some notable percentage of Apple users, specs do matter afterall, whether Apple or Google believes they shouldn't (Samsung doesn't weigh-in for some reason).
There's no shortage of spec-sheet comparisons here at AppleInsider whenever an Apple competitor releases a new device, and those articles attract a lot of eyeballs and comments.
Yes, spec comparisons do attract eyeballs, but we do know better, right? The articles are easy to write, the conversations around them could be interesting, and thus they are written, but we know better. But of those listed by lewchenko? No.
Having a large amount of RAM is not needed for Google Gemini on Android devices. Is Gemini not done entirely in the cloud right now?
Best to mention what it’s not bringing to the table, but arguably should have these 5 things in the 16 pro series ….
3. A diet. Yep , the pro phones are true porkers these days. Just go pick up an iPhone 6/7 series phone and feel that difference. Ah wait, next years 17 air / slim might give you that.
It will be the best iPhone yet, but honestly …
Just switch to Android. That is the best possible feedback to Apple that their products aren't good enough for you.
Why would any of us willingly torture ourselves with generic Android dross? AND lose Apple system integration?
Classic cutting off of one’s nose to spite who?
One of the many major selling points of iPhone is it’s seamless integration with other Apple products.
Mac, iPad, Apple Watch, Apple TV, AirPods Pro and not, etc., etc.
Just responding to a troll post. If certain features are important to people, they should really get a phone with those features. It's not hard... It's the usual spec race that got Apple to say "specs don't matter". What matters is the user experience.
Google actually says the same thing, they build phones designed for the user experience, not spec-humping. Yet apparently for some notable percentage of Apple users, specs do matter afterall, whether Apple or Google believes they shouldn't (Samsung doesn't weigh-in for some reason).
There's no shortage of spec-sheet comparisons here at AppleInsider whenever an Apple competitor releases a new device, and those articles attract a lot of eyeballs and comments.
Yes, spec comparisons do attract eyeballs, but we do know better, right? The articles are easy to write, the conversations around them could be interesting, and thus they are written, but we know better. But of those listed by lewchenko? No.
Having a large amount of RAM is not needed for Google Gemini on Android devices. Is Gemini not done entirely in the cloud right now?
How RAM dependent is it? What features are done on-device?
You do have a search bar, correct?
I doubt anyone really knows except for Google folks, and I doubt they are talking. Then, I don't think Google fan media knows either. You track or follow Google a lot more closely than most folks. Easier to ask you. Can you answer the question, please?
Best to mention what it’s not bringing to the table, but arguably should have these 5 things in the 16 pro series ….
3. A diet. Yep , the pro phones are true porkers these days. Just go pick up an iPhone 6/7 series phone and feel that difference. Ah wait, next years 17 air / slim might give you that.
It will be the best iPhone yet, but honestly …
Just switch to Android. That is the best possible feedback to Apple that their products aren't good enough for you.
Why would any of us willingly torture ourselves with generic Android dross? AND lose Apple system integration?
Classic cutting off of one’s nose to spite who?
One of the many major selling points of iPhone is it’s seamless integration with other Apple products.
Mac, iPad, Apple Watch, Apple TV, AirPods Pro and not, etc., etc.
Just responding to a troll post. If certain features are important to people, they should really get a phone with those features. It's not hard... It's the usual spec race that got Apple to say "specs don't matter". What matters is the user experience.
Google actually says the same thing, they build phones designed for the user experience, not spec-humping. Yet apparently for some notable percentage of Apple users, specs do matter afterall, whether Apple or Google believes they shouldn't (Samsung doesn't weigh-in for some reason).
There's no shortage of spec-sheet comparisons here at AppleInsider whenever an Apple competitor releases a new device, and those articles attract a lot of eyeballs and comments.
Yes, spec comparisons do attract eyeballs, but we do know better, right? The articles are easy to write, the conversations around them could be interesting, and thus they are written, but we know better. But of those listed by lewchenko? No.
Having a large amount of RAM is not needed for Google Gemini on Android devices. Is Gemini not done entirely in the cloud right now?
How RAM dependent is it? What features are done on-device?
You do have a search bar, correct?
I doubt anyone really knows except for Google folks, and I doubt they are talking. Then, I don't think Google fan media knows either. You track or follow Google a lot more closely than most folks. Easier to ask you. Can you answer the question, please?
No one at Google keeps me informed. I learn what I learn by lots of reading and judicious use of a web search, often many of them. I don't mind correcting inaccuracies since I would hope it prods that person into finding out the details for themselves, and most often by - using a search engine.
Doing the in-depth research for you isn't my favorite thing to do, and me telling someone the answers is often met with distrust anyway. The answers aren't all that difficult to find. Heck, I gave you a link earlier that can get you started.
Best to mention what it’s not bringing to the table, but arguably should have these 5 things in the 16 pro series ….
3. A diet. Yep , the pro phones are true porkers these days. Just go pick up an iPhone 6/7 series phone and feel that difference. Ah wait, next years 17 air / slim might give you that.
It will be the best iPhone yet, but honestly …
Just switch to Android. That is the best possible feedback to Apple that their products aren't good enough for you.
Why would any of us willingly torture ourselves with generic Android dross? AND lose Apple system integration?
Classic cutting off of one’s nose to spite who?
One of the many major selling points of iPhone is it’s seamless integration with other Apple products.
Mac, iPad, Apple Watch, Apple TV, AirPods Pro and not, etc., etc.
Just responding to a troll post. If certain features are important to people, they should really get a phone with those features. It's not hard... It's the usual spec race that got Apple to say "specs don't matter". What matters is the user experience.
Google actually says the same thing, they build phones designed for the user experience, not spec-humping. Yet apparently for some notable percentage of Apple users, specs do matter afterall, whether Apple or Google believes they shouldn't (Samsung doesn't weigh-in for some reason).
There's no shortage of spec-sheet comparisons here at AppleInsider whenever an Apple competitor releases a new device, and those articles attract a lot of eyeballs and comments.
Yes, spec comparisons do attract eyeballs, but we do know better, right? The articles are easy to write, the conversations around them could be interesting, and thus they are written, but we know better. But of those listed by lewchenko? No.
Having a large amount of RAM is not needed for Google Gemini on Android devices. Is Gemini not done entirely in the cloud right now?
How RAM dependent is it? What features are done on-device?
You do have a search bar, correct?
I doubt anyone really knows except for Google folks, and I doubt they are talking. Then, I don't think Google fan media knows either. You track or follow Google a lot more closely than most folks. Easier to ask you. Can you answer the question, please?
No one at Google keeps me informed. I learn what I learn by lots of reading and judicious use of a web search, often many of them. I don't mind correcting inaccuracies since I would hope it prods that person into finding out the details for themselves, and most often by - using a search engine.
Doing the in-depth research for you isn't my favorite thing to do, and me telling someone the answers is often met with distrust anyway. The answers aren't all that difficult to find. Heck, I gave you a link earlier that can get you started.
Google's ad copy says Gemini Nano will be supported on Pixel 8 and 8a phones. Those are 8 GB RAM devices. The page only lists two currently listed features: audio-to-text or transcript summarization and a text rewriter. Later in the year, it will support multimedia recognition.
So back to the original criticism of iPhone 15 Pro and 16 models not having enough RAM for AI. Is it a problem relative to the competition? Doesn't sound like it if Google's Gemini Nano model can fit inside 8 GB RAM devices.
It's a moving target on both ends of the scale. The output of AI models don't fail completely with less resources. They get slower or degrade in accuracy. On the other end of the scale, AI model developers are continuously trying to fit models in smaller and smaller footprints while maintaining their accuracy and speed requirements. Whether they truly want to ship AI features in smaller RAM devices is a question for the marketers.
The base model iPhone 16 will also receive a significant change to the rear camera alignment. Unlike the diagonal layout found on the iPhone 15, the device will feature vertically aligned rear cameras.
How do I know when it’s time to update my iPhone? When the camera shuffle returns to the same arrangement my 11 has LOL.
... So ... the big question here for me is whether the iPhone 16s are the 1st generation "Apple Intelligence" iPhones (AI iPhones) or whether the iPhone 15s will be post facto declared to be the first "AI iPhone?" If the iPhone 15s are able to run all Apple Intelligence features without any restrictions then perhaps jumping on iPhone 16 isn't really taking another leap of faith on a 1st generation Apple product. I'm still leaning more in the direction of the iPhone 16s being the true 1st generation "AI iPhones." Of course this may not matter to a ton of potential buyers because an iPhone is an iPhone and iPhones are always a smart purchase. Even if some of the Apple Intelligence features are a little raw or unrefined at first on the iPhone 15s and iPhone 16s, most of the potholes should be able to be filled via software updates.
No matter how you look at it, if you want to jump on the Apple Intelligence bandwagon with both feet, the iPhone 16s will probably deliver the best possible AI experience. The iPhone 15s will be a half-step or full-step behind the iPhone 16s. A year from now, the iPhone 17s will probably blow the 15s and 16s out of the water in terms of the width, breadth, and performance of Apple Intelligence on an iPhone platform. That is of course subject to how well Apple Intelligence ensconces itself into iPhone users' personal relationship with their iPhones. The jury is still out on this because a very tiny percentage of prospective iPhone buyers have any understanding of what Apple Intelligence brings to their table, myself included, and I try to stay up to date on what's happening with Apple.
I wouldn't count on anything Apple Intelligence making a meaningful improvement on your computing experience in the near future. And, I doubt it will generate a bigger sales cycle.
If you don't understand how it helps you, it means the people hyping it don't have an understanding how it helps people too. Therefore, be skeptical.
From what we've seen so far, it's basically an advanced writing helper, image creation, audio/video creation tool. So, it may be useful to a certain niche of people, but basically not useful to the majority of the market. It goes right down the wheelhouse of today's media, and is getting much more hype due to that than it really deserves.
Even for that niche, you really have to question whether people will continue to use it after the novelty wears off. Most of that niche wants to have their own voice, their own unique style for their creations. Creating their stuff with an LLM interpolator makes it generic, and gradually, people will recognize that for what it is. Just generic dreck.
Eventually you'll have AI doctors and stuff like that. Like, an AI service that will diagnose and prescribe medicine or a course of action for you. Maybe in 5 years?
What you’re saying makes perfect sense. Apple is making a big deal about AI but has not gone over the edge like Microsoft is doing with its Copilot PCs. The PC world is in a bit of a quandary because several vendors jumped aboard the AI hype train only to learn that Microsoft and Qualcomm redefined what being a “true” Copilot PC entailed. Now those early hype train boarders are stuck with tickets, I.e., stock of shippable PCs, that won’t get them to the promised land as Microsoft now defines it. Sucks to be them.
I was actually happier when Apple was simply adding AI/ML to their products as needed and for useful intent rather than bloviating about “AI here, there, and everywhere, AI in your socks, AI in your dog’s collar, AI in your popcorn bowl…” like so many other hardware and software vendors were doing and are still doing.
I don’t know whether Apple got spooked by the market scrutiny or whether Apple saw a bandwagon that they could crush with their bigger and better bandwagon, but they caved and everyone in their C-suite had to mandatorily submit to getting an Apple Intelligence tattoo in their choice of skin space. Hopefully the smart ones got it in an inconspicuous location.
... So ... the big question here for me is whether the iPhone 16s are the 1st generation "Apple Intelligence" iPhones (AI iPhones) or whether the iPhone 15s will be post facto declared to be the first "AI iPhone?" If the iPhone 15s are able to run all Apple Intelligence features without any restrictions then perhaps jumping on iPhone 16 isn't really taking another leap of faith on a 1st generation Apple product. I'm still leaning more in the direction of the iPhone 16s being the true 1st generation "AI iPhones." Of course this may not matter to a ton of potential buyers because an iPhone is an iPhone and iPhones are always a smart purchase. Even if some of the Apple Intelligence features are a little raw or unrefined at first on the iPhone 15s and iPhone 16s, most of the potholes should be able to be filled via software updates.
No matter how you look at it, if you want to jump on the Apple Intelligence bandwagon with both feet, the iPhone 16s will probably deliver the best possible AI experience. The iPhone 15s will be a half-step or full-step behind the iPhone 16s. A year from now, the iPhone 17s will probably blow the 15s and 16s out of the water in terms of the width, breadth, and performance of Apple Intelligence on an iPhone platform. That is of course subject to how well Apple Intelligence ensconces itself into iPhone users' personal relationship with their iPhones. The jury is still out on this because a very tiny percentage of prospective iPhone buyers have any understanding of what Apple Intelligence brings to their table, myself included, and I try to stay up to date on what's happening with Apple.
I wouldn't count on anything Apple Intelligence making a meaningful improvement on your computing experience in the near future. And, I doubt it will generate a bigger sales cycle.
If you don't understand how it helps you, it means the people hyping it don't have an understanding how it helps people too. Therefore, be skeptical.
From what we've seen so far, it's basically an advanced writing helper, image creation, audio/video creation tool. So, it may be useful to a certain niche of people, but basically not useful to the majority of the market. It goes right down the wheelhouse of today's media, and is getting much more hype due to that than it really deserves.
Even for that niche, you really have to question whether people will continue to use it after the novelty wears off. Most of that niche wants to have their own voice, their own unique style for their creations. Creating their stuff with an LLM interpolator makes it generic, and gradually, people will recognize that for what it is. Just generic dreck.
Eventually you'll have AI doctors and stuff like that. Like, an AI service that will diagnose and prescribe medicine or a course of action for you. Maybe in 5 years?
EXACTLY. The things they have been hyping, “an advanced writing helper, image creation, audio/video creation tool” are simply not things that I want. I see a fair number of people saying they are going to wait for the 17 because it will have AI more deeply integrated. I’m not waiting because all I’m going to do is turn them off.
... So ... the big question here for me is whether the iPhone 16s are the 1st generation "Apple Intelligence" iPhones (AI iPhones) or whether the iPhone 15s will be post facto declared to be the first "AI iPhone?" If the iPhone 15s are able to run all Apple Intelligence features without any restrictions then perhaps jumping on iPhone 16 isn't really taking another leap of faith on a 1st generation Apple product. I'm still leaning more in the direction of the iPhone 16s being the true 1st generation "AI iPhones." Of course this may not matter to a ton of potential buyers because an iPhone is an iPhone and iPhones are always a smart purchase. Even if some of the Apple Intelligence features are a little raw or unrefined at first on the iPhone 15s and iPhone 16s, most of the potholes should be able to be filled via software updates.
No matter how you look at it, if you want to jump on the Apple Intelligence bandwagon with both feet, the iPhone 16s will probably deliver the best possible AI experience. The iPhone 15s will be a half-step or full-step behind the iPhone 16s. A year from now, the iPhone 17s will probably blow the 15s and 16s out of the water in terms of the width, breadth, and performance of Apple Intelligence on an iPhone platform. That is of course subject to how well Apple Intelligence ensconces itself into iPhone users' personal relationship with their iPhones. The jury is still out on this because a very tiny percentage of prospective iPhone buyers have any understanding of what Apple Intelligence brings to their table, myself included, and I try to stay up to date on what's happening with Apple.
I wouldn't count on anything Apple Intelligence making a meaningful improvement on your computing experience in the near future. And, I doubt it will generate a bigger sales cycle.
If you don't understand how it helps you, it means the people hyping it don't have an understanding how it helps people too. Therefore, be skeptical.
From what we've seen so far, it's basically an advanced writing helper, image creation, audio/video creation tool. So, it may be useful to a certain niche of people, but basically not useful to the majority of the market. It goes right down the wheelhouse of today's media, and is getting much more hype due to that than it really deserves.
Even for that niche, you really have to question whether people will continue to use it after the novelty wears off. Most of that niche wants to have their own voice, their own unique style for their creations. Creating their stuff with an LLM interpolator makes it generic, and gradually, people will recognize that for what it is. Just generic dreck.
Eventually you'll have AI doctors and stuff like that. Like, an AI service that will diagnose and prescribe medicine or a course of action for you. Maybe in 5 years?
EXACTLY. The things they have been hyping, “an advanced writing helper, image creation, audio/video creation tool” are simply not things that I want. I see a fair number of people saying they are going to wait for the 17 because it will have AI more deeply integrated. I’m not waiting because all I’m going to do is turn them off.
“An advanced writing helper” - absolute LOL. It’s funny and pathetic at the same time. Right now I have an iPhone that has apps that proactively change what I am typing. It’s absolutely annoying and a complete waste of time.
... So ... the big question here for me is whether the iPhone 16s are the 1st generation "Apple Intelligence" iPhones (AI iPhones) or whether the iPhone 15s will be post facto declared to be the first "AI iPhone?" If the iPhone 15s are able to run all Apple Intelligence features without any restrictions then perhaps jumping on iPhone 16 isn't really taking another leap of faith on a 1st generation Apple product. I'm still leaning more in the direction of the iPhone 16s being the true 1st generation "AI iPhones." Of course this may not matter to a ton of potential buyers because an iPhone is an iPhone and iPhones are always a smart purchase. Even if some of the Apple Intelligence features are a little raw or unrefined at first on the iPhone 15s and iPhone 16s, most of the potholes should be able to be filled via software updates.
No matter how you look at it, if you want to jump on the Apple Intelligence bandwagon with both feet, the iPhone 16s will probably deliver the best possible AI experience. The iPhone 15s will be a half-step or full-step behind the iPhone 16s. A year from now, the iPhone 17s will probably blow the 15s and 16s out of the water in terms of the width, breadth, and performance of Apple Intelligence on an iPhone platform. That is of course subject to how well Apple Intelligence ensconces itself into iPhone users' personal relationship with their iPhones. The jury is still out on this because a very tiny percentage of prospective iPhone buyers have any understanding of what Apple Intelligence brings to their table, myself included, and I try to stay up to date on what's happening with Apple.
I wouldn't count on anything Apple Intelligence making a meaningful improvement on your computing experience in the near future. And, I doubt it will generate a bigger sales cycle.
If you don't understand how it helps you, it means the people hyping it don't have an understanding how it helps people too. Therefore, be skeptical.
From what we've seen so far, it's basically an advanced writing helper, image creation, audio/video creation tool. So, it may be useful to a certain niche of people, but basically not useful to the majority of the market. It goes right down the wheelhouse of today's media, and is getting much more hype due to that than it really deserves.
Even for that niche, you really have to question whether people will continue to use it after the novelty wears off. Most of that niche wants to have their own voice, their own unique style for their creations. Creating their stuff with an LLM interpolator makes it generic, and gradually, people will recognize that for what it is. Just generic dreck.
Eventually you'll have AI doctors and stuff like that. Like, an AI service that will diagnose and prescribe medicine or a course of action for you. Maybe in 5 years?
EXACTLY. The things they have been hyping, “an advanced writing helper, image creation, audio/video creation tool” are simply not things that I want. I see a fair number of people saying they are going to wait for the 17 because it will have AI more deeply integrated. I’m not waiting because all I’m going to do is turn them off.
“An advanced writing helper” - absolute LOL. It’s funny and pathetic at the same time. Right now I have an iPhone that has apps that proactively change what I am typing. It’s absolutely annoying and a complete waste of time.
Microsoft has been pushing it grammar checker in Word for a very long time. I’ve always found it to be something I turn off immediately after doing a fresh install of Word.
I’ve always enjoyed writers that have a unique style and expressiveness in their writing. I can’t help but think that anything AI generated or corrected would be somewhat robotic.
Using Ai for to produce something that you present as your own work is kind of like use of autotune and pitch correction in the music industry. Everything is cool until the day comes when you have to present your work without the aid of the technology that’s been propping you up. If your natural talent doesn’t live up to the processed presentation things could go horribly wrong.
For example, say you present a stellar AI generated resume or cover letter to obtain an in-person interview. Then you show up in-person and cannot present yourself anywhere close to what the AI generated. This could be very uncomfortable for everyone.
I waited 5 years with a XS Max for USB-C to finally be adopted. Have Blue 1TB 15 Pro Max. As I am an OLD MAN approaching 78, I’ll be upgrading every year til I die so I can enjoy the latest tech til it’s all over for me. Since DEATH is imminent, I plan to buy a Gold 2TB 16 Pro Max September 13 at 5am PDT for about $2K. I’m a member of the You Can’t Take It With You school of thought. I like my iPhones BIG.
Also stuck with the last 44mm Aluminum Gold Apple Watch Series 6 til now. Will be buying a Starlight or Gold (if offered) 49mm Series X (ten) UNLESS it won’t report SLEEP APNEA. In that case instead I’ll upgrade my Gold size 10 RingConn Gen 1 to a Gold Gen 2. I can’t stomach the size of the Ultra.
And I’m happy with a base M2 Pro Mac mini that I might replace with a base M4 Pro Mac mini just for no good reason.
Comments
You can characterize some feature through the hardware that can drive that feature. For UI operations, I would like to have a UI latency specification, and if possible, for a device's dimensions, a handling qualities specification. So, as long as there is one-to-one relation between hardware and feature, specs can be very important and you can rely on a bigger/smaller is better type mentality. I'd love to have a device surface temperature to work performed type of "specification", and a work done per Watt-hour type of benchmark. A data rate versus cellular range and signal quality specification would be great too.
But of those listed by lewchenko? No.
Having a large amount of RAM is not needed for Google Gemini on Android devices. Is Gemini not done entirely in the cloud right now? So, the RAM capacity is there for some other purpose, correct? What other AI models are running on-device on AndroidOS? Meanwhile, Apple is designing the iPhone to have the same user experience as competitor phones without more RAM. It's advantageous for them. So, what's the right thing to do here?
Camera MP is obviously not an indicator of picture quality or camera user experience, right? Everyone here has lived through the digicam and smartphone cam eras. If a camera maker has a 12 MP camera that takes better pictures than a 48 MP camera, and it is fast, I'd take that all day, any day. The advertising power of more mega-pixels is huge, so OEMs are climbing the ladder on MP while picture quality has remained static, or has not improved commensurately? A 12 MP with large pixels would make for a nice camera.
The iPhone weight criticism assumes lighter is better. That's not true, and even so, the criticism is factually incorrect. The iPhone 15 Pro Max is the same weight as that Google Pixel Pro 9 XL, at around 220 grams. The iPhone 15 Pro is lighter than the Google Pixel Pro 9 at 187 and 198 grams respectively. But, weight is a premium feature to some people. Apple designs denser iPhones as a feature and differentiator at times. The market can get bored of it, so Apple will change it, kind of like fashion.
There are a gazillion threads on AI. The initial set of AI features will be, or is, underwhelming for the majority of market. It's going to take a few more years for ML models and services to be useful to wider range of the market. I think none of these models down the road will be run on-device. The rumored 0.2" increase in display size for the iPhone 16 Pro models? That will be perhaps a bigger feature for most of the market. Likely a more marketable feature.
The dynamic island is Apple's chosen brand for the past few iPhone models. It houses a sensor array that Apple believes gives iPhones an advantage in the market. Apple believes Face ID is a huge feature for them, and they believe the way they do it is a really good way. Like, more and more Vison Pro style eye and hand recognition features can come to Face ID devices. That's feature differentiation for them and currently deemed more important than a no-cutout display.
Quite a bit of Google's AI happens on-device, and even Gemini runs.... wait for it.... on device.
https://store.google.com/intl/en/ideas/articles/gemini-nano-google-pixel/
using a search engine.
Doing the in-depth research for you isn't my favorite thing to do, and me telling someone the answers is often met with distrust anyway. The answers aren't all that difficult to find. Heck, I gave you a link earlier that can get you started.
So back to the original criticism of iPhone 15 Pro and 16 models not having enough RAM for AI. Is it a problem relative to the competition? Doesn't sound like it if Google's Gemini Nano model can fit inside 8 GB RAM devices.
It's a moving target on both ends of the scale. The output of AI models don't fail completely with less resources. They get slower or degrade in accuracy. On the other end of the scale, AI model developers are continuously trying to fit models in smaller and smaller footprints while maintaining their accuracy and speed requirements. Whether they truly want to ship AI features in smaller RAM devices is a question for the marketers.
How do I know when it’s time to update my iPhone? When the camera shuffle returns to the same arrangement my 11 has LOL.
Also stuck with the last 44mm Aluminum Gold Apple Watch Series 6 til now. Will be buying a Starlight or Gold (if offered) 49mm Series X (ten) UNLESS it won’t report SLEEP APNEA. In that case instead I’ll upgrade my Gold size 10 RingConn Gen 1 to a Gold Gen 2. I can’t stomach the size of the Ultra.
And I’m happy with a base M2 Pro Mac mini that I might replace with a base M4 Pro Mac mini just for no good reason.