mpantone

williamlondon said:

henrybay said:

Apple should make a smaller phone, like the iPhone 13 mini, not a thinner one. 

Because both can't exist in the same time frame?

Look, we have gone over this time and time before. Apple knows what a small and thin device will bring. And so do I: I own an iPod touch (6th generation) as well as the iPhone 12 mini. Making a thinner iPhone 12 mini would simply just reduce battery life. They even underclocked the CPU in the iPod touch 6th gen and the battery life sucked then and still sucks today. I'm sure when Apple was prototyping the iPhone 12 mini, they had fatter and thinner prototypes in their labs.

And let's face it, if this iPhone "Air" rumor ends up being true, the device that ships will be the sole one amongst dozens (if not hundreds) of prototype designs in a variety of sizes, thicknesses, BOMs, whatever that made it out of the lab and to the manufacturing line. It's not like Apple only makes one design attempt at any product and that's it.

A LOT of people here don't seem to understand the basics of designing a product. Even that chocolate chip cookie you bought at the local bakery was probably developed after dozens of test batches and recipe tweaks. That's basic prototyping for everyone, not just Apple, Toyota, or Nike.

For something like the iPad Pro or the iPhone there are probably 8-10 major reasons why that particular device has those specifications and components. It's not like Apple blindly grabs a handful of parts out of a fishbowl and sees what they can make with those components.

Remember that the typical iPhone ten years ago was way smaller than the mainstream iPhone 16. Apple knows how to make small phones. And they recognize that consumer tastes have evolved and Joe Consumer in 2025 doesn't really want a small phone. And that's why none of Apple's major competitors make small phones either. The only ones I've seen since the pandemic are some kids models in Japan for domestic use.

One thing for sure, if Apple has access to new battery technology, better battery life will come to the mainstream phones as well in the next generation. It's not like Apple is going hold back on that.

henrybay said:

Apple should make a smaller phone, like the iPhone 13 mini, not a thinner one. 

That era is over.

Apple knows exactly how many iPhone 12 mini and iPhone 13 mini units were sold and in what markets. They also know that their main competitors don't market smartphones in that size anymore. The handful of people like us (I'm still clinging to my iPhone 12 mini as my daily driver) moaning about it on online Q&A forums, social media, whatever aren't enough to change Apple's product roadmap.

It would have to take a major shift in overall consumer trends to see a significant group clamor for smaller phones. And it's not happening now nor does it look like it's going to happen. Consumers basically want a smartphone with the biggest and brightest screen they can hold in one hand. And clearly human beings are getting larger.

Remember that Apple's iPhones (and those of their competitors) ten years ago were smaller than the ones they market today. Companies need to go where their customers are. The technology is there, the market isn't.

Time to let this go.

And even if there's new battery technology to make an iPhone "Air" a reasonably good performer in terms of battery life, that same technology would definitely come to the primary models (iPhone Pro, regular iPhone) anyhow. Let's remember what hardware consumers really care about in smartphones: display, cameras, and battery life.

My guess is that Giannandrea will eventually find himself in a corner office at Infinite Loop (not Campus 1) with the title VP Special Projects with a handful of others below. At this time, he might find himself thinking that a change of scenery would be better for all. He has changed companies before, it won't be the first.

In any case, it appears that the previous trajectory wasn't working. It's a business, sometimes these changes must be made.

I vaguely recall an Apple executive who said on camera "the greenest electricity is the electricity you aren't using."

Yes, the whole carbon credit business is a racket. And I find it bizarre that Cupertino-headquartered Apple supports planting eucalyptus trees. For decades these trees have been considered by many Californians to be an invasive species. They were heavily planted in California by many cities (and some developers) who prioritized fast growing trees without thinking of the later consequences. (Redwoods and other conifers were also used this way.) Basically when a eucalyptus tree dies or is removed, it won't be replaced by a eucalyptus tree.

I can see some argument for planting them as a cash crop in a reforestation effort with planned harvesting but monocultures are generally a bad thing, I hope some other native species are also used for these carbon credit programs. Lol, maybe they can plant more coffee plants, there's a shortage of beans right now. 

But we are still going to use electricity anyhow. I suppose this is one compromise, an interim solution to offset some of the damage until we come up with better methods. At least Apple is making an effort here at leading by example. There are many other companies and organizations that do far less.

There's no way that multiple user accounts on iPhone are coming in the foreseeable future. It's probably the most personal device you own, full of financial, medical, fitness, and other private data. Sure, there are a handful of weird edge cases but it opens up a whole can of worms increasing software complexity, storage management, security concerns, etc. Just not worth the extra engineering effort. Or would you be willing to pay an extra $5 per month per extra user? Or do you (of course) want it all free?

But this article isn't about that, it's about some extremely unlikely rumor that Apple is considering adding a traditional menu bar to iPadOS. It's not going to happen for reasons several people have discussed in this thread (and other previous discussions here and elsewhere on the Internet).

From a usability standpoint, the menu bar makes no sense in iPadOS based on the way users interact with the device.

I'm still not convinced that touchscreen displays on notebook computers add any exceptional value. What percentage of the time does the user need to be touching the screen to make it worthwhile? We already saw how much success the Touchbar enjoyed. Could they make the trackpad on a notebook a configurable display? Sure, absolutely. Yet no one has shown any interest, not even in a standalone Magic Trackpad-like device. There are a handful of specialized devices like Stream Decks but nothing mainstream.