For me, current iPhones are too heavy and too big, plus they’ve got plenty of battery life.
I bought an iPhone 16 Pro and returned it on day 14 because of its unwieldy size and weight.
I don’t care about a “slim” phone at all, but give me something with a smaller screen and a lighter weight and I’m interested, even if it means pulling features, reducing cameras, etc.
While I don't doubt that there's a segment of people who want smaller, lighter phones, Apple's data must clearly show it's not a large enough group to support the offering of such a product.
Apple's data shows they don't have any capability to produce a diversity of SKUs (and components) economically. Anyone would be very happy to ship an iphone form factor which would only sell 100k units -- if they could make a margin on it.
I've never understood this line of reasoning. I'm sure there's some business mumbo jumbo an a MBA could school me on, but the iPhone is by far Apple's best selling product, yet it offers far fewer form factors than their far less popular IPad and Mac lines (I mean there's 8 different types of Mac! 7 screen sizes if you count their external displays!). Why? How is that economical but more than 3 phone sizes isn't? I'm sure even the "poor selling" iPhone minis outsold most of their non-iPhone products.
But yeah, I also just don't understand the general public here. Why they seem to prefer the more expensive Pro models lately, why more pixels > wieldability/pocketability on a device that is intended to be mobile with an OS that doesn't give you any more flexibility on a bigger screen than a smaller one, why battery life is SUCH a concern... like you can afford a pro phone (the benefits of which are... what, the camera? BFD), yet you can't find a place to charge it all day? Something doesn't add up.
Why the fuck not? Not EVERYONE needs to want this phone. It would be a great option for a percentage of the population. Like my wife, for example. Who couldn't care less about having 3 cameras, or a super long battery, or all the bells and whistles. This won't replace the regular or the pro, so not sure why all the whining and complaining. I think its been clear for a while than thinness isn't Apple's north star anymore, and they're perfectly fine with adding size and weight if it means a better product. This will just be an additional option, if it happens at all.
It’s refreshing to see an AppleInsider writer who isn’t afraid to strongly present an argument that the majority may not agree with. And no, I’m not implying that other AppleInsider journalists are all towing the same party line either. I’m saying that they all have a voice and as a reader it’s still up to me to consider others’ perspectives to form my own opinion. It’s also fine in this commentary forum for me to present my opinion, which is exactly what the author of this article has done and what most of the commenters have also done. It’s a good and healthy thing, as long as it doesn’t degrade to ad hominem negativity.
For the record, I hate the camera bumps. It seems ridiculous that a device designed for reading content on a screen can’t lay flat on a hard surface. It’s like having one 26” wheel on a car that has three other 19” wheel or one leg of a sofa 6” taller than the other legs. Being level is a naturally appealing attribute for utilitarian and functional tools. Wobbly stuff feels cheap and malformed, or in gentler terms, wonky.
It’s refreshing to see an AppleInsider writer who isn’t afraid to strongly present an argument that the majority may not agree with. And no, I’m not implying that other AppleInsider journalists are all towing the same party line either. I’m saying that they all have a voice and as a reader it’s still up to me to consider others’ perspectives to form my own opinion. It’s also fine in this commentary forum for me to present my opinion, which is exactly what the author of this article has done and what most of the commenters have also done. It’s a good and healthy thing, as long as it doesn’t degrade to ad hominem negativity.
For the record, I hate the camera bumps. It seems ridiculous that a device designed for reading content on a screen can’t lay flat on a hard surface. It’s like having one 26” wheel on a car that has three other 19” wheel or one leg of a sofa 6” taller than the other legs. Being level is a naturally appealing attribute for utilitarian and functional tools. Wobbly stuff feels cheap and malformed, or in gentler terms, wonky.
But it's not an argument. It's just a rant with no evidence and no consideration for the contrary. That's not refreshing at all.
When you run out of ideas, you make up a solution for a non-problem and pass it off as the reason to upgrade way more often than necessary.
Tim Cook's obsession with thinness and pretty new colors for existing products is embarrassing.
Steve Jobs would never, and I mean never, allow Apple's user experience to get so out of control.
I'd submit that Apple knows their customer base better than you do. They've done more research than you have. And that they know their customers like colors. If anything, they've often been chastised for having too few.
And as to Steve, I really, really, really, really, really wish people would stop channeling the ghost of someone they don't know and have never met in an attempt to bolster their own weak arguments. I guess they do that when they run out of ideas.
You remember, do you not, when Steve came back to Apple and induced the iMac? In colors?????????
And then later on introduced dozens upon dozens of iPods... in colors?????????
Or when Apple reintroduced the iMac line? in colors?????????
Exactly. I would prefer it if people would just talk about what THEY would, or wouldn’t like, rather than trying to impress it upon others as though everyone agreed. If everyone agreed, there would be one phone manufacturer, selling one phone model, with no options. As far as I can tell, that’s not happening.
it’s correct to mention whether something sold well, or not. I remember a number of years ago, after the “other” phone manufacturers stopped making their keyboarded models, that there was a movement to make a new keyboard phone. A couple of manufacturers tried, and a couple made just add on keyboards. But it always seems that the smaller the group, the more vocal they are and the “we want a keyboard” group was pretty loud. But it turned out that, at most, a million people around the world wanted one. That’s a failure from the beginning.
Apple make fewer phone models than other major makers. So their philosophy is to make iconic phones (or anything they make, really), and sell a lot of each, rather than small numbers of lots of models. At one time, Nokia had 225 different phones. Yeah, Apple’s not going to do that.
It’s refreshing to see an AppleInsider writer who isn’t afraid to strongly present an argument that the majority may not agree with. And no, I’m not implying that other AppleInsider journalists are all towing the same party line either. I’m saying that they all have a voice and as a reader it’s still up to me to consider others’ perspectives to form my own opinion. It’s also fine in this commentary forum for me to present my opinion, which is exactly what the author of this article has done and what most of the commenters have also done. It’s a good and healthy thing, as long as it doesn’t degrade to ad hominem negativity.
For the record, I hate the camera bumps. It seems ridiculous that a device designed for reading content on a screen can’t lay flat on a hard surface. It’s like having one 26” wheel on a car that has three other 19” wheel or one leg of a sofa 6” taller than the other legs. Being level is a naturally appealing attribute for utilitarian and functional tools. Wobbly stuff feels cheap and malformed, or in gentler terms, wonky.
But it's not an argument. It's just a rant with no evidence and no consideration for the contrary. That's not refreshing at all.
When I right click on the word "argument" in Safari and select Look Up "argument" it returns:
" an exchange of diverging and opposite views, typically a heated or angry one "
This article fits the definition to a T. It's always refreshing to me to hear somebody state an opinion with an explanation of why they are taking that stance, especially if it's coming from their own personal thought process and not a regurgitation of someone else's opinion. It reinvigorates my belief that there are still people out there who can think for themselves.
Whether I agree with their opinion is all on me. In this particular case, the author's argument is not convincing to me because I don't believe that any individual really knows what "people" think. There's no problem with dissenting with the author, but I'm not going to denigrate the author or suggest that he should rewrite the article to match my opinion, your opinion, or any other individual's opinion. I think the majority or comments in this thread did exactly what I would do, which is to pick apart the premise of the argument itself.
Quite surprised by this one-sided strong take. I've consistently seen complaints that iPhones are too thick and heavy, especially since the 14 Pro, and requests for smaller and lighter phones, like the equivalent of a iPad mini or a better SE. And many would sacrifice a bit of battery life for it. Definitely not the majority, but there is a market for it. Such a one-sided take seems out of touch especially from a professional tech writer.
Why the fuck not? Not EVERYONE needs to want this phone. It would be a great option for a percentage of the population. Like my wife, for example. Who couldn't care less about having 3 cameras, or a super long battery, or all the bells and whistles. This won't replace the regular or the pro, so not sure why all the whining and complaining. I think its been clear for a while than thinness isn't Apple's north star anymore, and they're perfectly fine with adding size and weight if it means a better product. This will just be an additional option, if it happens at all.
But... but... isn't the iPhone SE already the perfect phone for people who want what your wife wants in an iPhone: a more minimal design that eschews bells and whistles, focuses on basic core features and offers outstanding value. Listen: Apple is gonna make whatever they're gonna make, no matter who says what on the internets, but a lot of people are wondering who this rumored iPhone Slim with its rumored feature set is for.
brianus said: like you can afford a pro phone (the benefits of which are... what, the camera? BFD),
Well, yeah, the camera actually is a BFD. I take it you're not a pro or prosumer photographer or videographer, so perhaps the Pro iPhones make no sense to you--or not enough sense for what amounts to a better display as their primary advantage for you. Fair enough. But for anyone who simply really cares about their photos and/or videos for whatever reason, the cameras on the Pro models offer incredible capability. Oscar-winning director Stephen Soderbergh has shot entire movies on iPhone Pro--in the right hands, it's that good.
Well, yeah, the camera actually is a BFD. I take it you're not a pro or prosumer photographer or videographer, so perhaps the Pro iPhones make no sense to you--or not enough sense for what amounts to a better display as their primary advantage for you. Fair enough. But for anyone who simply really cares about their photos and/or videos for whatever reason, the cameras on the Pro models offer incredible capability. Oscar-winning director Stephen Soderbergh has shot entire movies on iPhone Pro--in the right hands, it's that good.
Re Soderbergh: I saw his "Unsane" with Claire Foy. Kind of underlit all the way through, maybe intentional, maybe not. Nice that it was done on iPhone I guess, but I'm not sure I would use it as the sine qua non of filmography.
It’s refreshing to see an AppleInsider writer who isn’t afraid to strongly present an argument that the majority may not agree with. And no, I’m not implying that other AppleInsider journalists are all towing the same party line either. I’m saying that they all have a voice and as a reader it’s still up to me to consider others’ perspectives to form my own opinion. It’s also fine in this commentary forum for me to present my opinion, which is exactly what the author of this article has done and what most of the commenters have also done. It’s a good and healthy thing, as long as it doesn’t degrade to ad hominem negativity.
For the record, I hate the camera bumps. It seems ridiculous that a device designed for reading content on a screen can’t lay flat on a hard surface. It’s like having one 26” wheel on a car that has three other 19” wheel or one leg of a sofa 6” taller than the other legs. Being level is a naturally appealing attribute for utilitarian and functional tools. Wobbly stuff feels cheap and malformed, or in gentler terms, wonky.
But it's not an argument. It's just a rant with no evidence and no consideration for the contrary. That's not refreshing at all.
When I right click on the word "argument" in Safari and select Look Up "argument" it returns:
" an exchange of diverging and opposite views, typically a heated or angry one "
This article fits the definition to a T. It's always refreshing to me to hear somebody state an opinion with an explanation of why they are taking that stance, especially if it's coming from their own personal thought process and not a regurgitation of someone else's opinion. It reinvigorates my belief that there are still people out there who can think for themselves.
Whether I agree with their opinion is all on me. In this particular case, the author's argument is not convincing to me because I don't believe that any individual really knows what "people" think. There's no problem with dissenting with the author, but I'm not going to denigrate the author or suggest that he should rewrite the article to match my opinion, your opinion, or any other individual's opinion. I think the majority or comments in this thread did exactly what I would do, which is to pick apart the premise of the argument itself.
Scientifically, an argument is a position that you present. There doesn’t have to be an opposing view.
Personally, I would prefer that my phone be thinner. But I can’t help remembering “bendgate,” the phenomenon attributed to the iPhone 6 and 6+ where the phones would actually bend, and be concerned if not fearful about a thinner version.
Comments
But yeah, I also just don't understand the general public here. Why they seem to prefer the more expensive Pro models lately, why more pixels > wieldability/pocketability on a device that is intended to be mobile with an OS that doesn't give you any more flexibility on a bigger screen than a smaller one, why battery life is SUCH a concern... like you can afford a pro phone (the benefits of which are... what, the camera? BFD), yet you can't find a place to charge it all day? Something doesn't add up.
For the record, I hate the camera bumps. It seems ridiculous that a device designed for reading content on a screen can’t lay flat on a hard surface. It’s like having one 26” wheel on a car that has three other 19” wheel or one leg of a sofa 6” taller than the other legs. Being level is a naturally appealing attribute for utilitarian and functional tools. Wobbly stuff feels cheap and malformed, or in gentler terms, wonky.
it’s correct to mention whether something sold well, or not. I remember a number of years ago, after the “other” phone manufacturers stopped making their keyboarded models, that there was a movement to make a new keyboard phone. A couple of manufacturers tried, and a couple made just add on keyboards. But it always seems that the smaller the group, the more vocal they are and the “we want a keyboard” group was pretty loud. But it turned out that, at most, a million people around the world wanted one. That’s a failure from the beginning.
Apple make fewer phone models than other major makers. So their philosophy is to make iconic phones (or anything they make, really), and sell a lot of each, rather than small numbers of lots of models. At one time, Nokia had 225 different phones. Yeah, Apple’s not going to do that.
" an exchange of diverging and opposite views, typically a heated or angry one "
This article fits the definition to a T. It's always refreshing to me to hear somebody state an opinion with an explanation of why they are taking that stance, especially if it's coming from their own personal thought process and not a regurgitation of someone else's opinion. It reinvigorates my belief that there are still people out there who can think for themselves.
Whether I agree with their opinion is all on me. In this particular case, the author's argument is not convincing to me because I don't believe that any individual really knows what "people" think. There's no problem with dissenting with the author, but I'm not going to denigrate the author or suggest that he should rewrite the article to match my opinion, your opinion, or any other individual's opinion. I think the majority or comments in this thread did exactly what I would do, which is to pick apart the premise of the argument itself.
Well, yeah, the camera actually is a BFD. I take it you're not a pro or prosumer photographer or videographer, so perhaps the Pro iPhones make no sense to you--or not enough sense for what amounts to a better display as their primary advantage for you. Fair enough. But for anyone who simply really cares about their photos and/or videos for whatever reason, the cameras on the Pro models offer incredible capability. Oscar-winning director Stephen Soderbergh has shot entire movies on iPhone Pro--in the right hands, it's that good.