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.

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.

michaelx74 said:

We apparently don’t need to complete the challenge to acquire the physical pin?  Hmm…

It's just a cheap gimmick to get people into physical stores. And it might be more effective than handing out Yet Another T-Shirt. You can wear the "Close Your Rings" pin and not have to launder it. Pins don't have sizing or inventory management issues like t-shirts. The wearer doesn't look like they work for the company which is frequently the case whenever you wear corporate branded apparel from some Silicon Valley tech firm. And it's easy to gift a pin to someone else.

Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if Apple Marketing just ripped this one straight out of the San Francisco Giants playbook. Decades ago, ballpark attendees who stayed until the (winning) end of an extra-innings night game at Candlestick Park received the "Croix de Candlestick" pin, actual cost was probably less than a quarter. Nearly free advertising.

dewme said:

The only thing that could hold back the thinnest iPhone is the battery run time. If they can get good battery run time I think they will sell extremely well, especially to people who like slender pants, small purses, or hate the weight of the other iPhones. I get chided nearly every day by my wife because of the size and weight of her standard iPhone 16. 

First of all, it's not your fault that Apple doesn't sell smaller, thinner phones, don't know why your wife is chiding you.

Moreover, the iPhone 16 is very similar in size and weight to the 6.5 year old iPhone X. That's been the standard size for the mainstream smartphone from Apple for almost seven years.

And Apple has made smaller, lighter phones. And they don't sell those anymore. Just not enough interest. That's why your wife doesn't own one right now.

This thin iPhone might get some attention for a few months but soon every Instagram and TikTok influencer is going to wave one on camera yet will be using an iPhone 16 Pro Plus behind the scenes as their daily driver.

Let's face it, the battery life of this purported iPhone Thin will be worse than what's in the iPhone 16 and 16e. As I mentioned earlier, the 6.3mm thick iPod touch (6th generation) had piss poor battery performance (even with an underclocked CPU) and this rumored thin phone is even thinner than that.

My guess is that this will flop hard unless there's some revolutionary new battery technology waiting in the wings. We haven't seen that yet from Apple's competitors so the likelihood of that is pretty slim.

I am still clinging on to my trusty iPhone 12 mini. There's an iPhone 16 waiting to replace it but I'm waiting for iOS Software Engineering to clean up iOS 18 to the point that it doesn't suck so much and I can use it as my daily driver. Maybe June.

But I'm not delusional, I know Apple isn't bringing back small handsets. Consumer preferences have evolved over the years and almost everyone doesn't want a smaller phone.

I think I saw one folding smartphone before the pandemic (one of the ill-fated Samsung models) but nothing in the past few years. And I live in Silicon Valley and if there was a lot of interest, I'd probably see several of them every day at the coffee shop, beer garden, pub, grocery store, whatever. 

So both the iPhone Fold or iPhone Slim are pretty sketchy rumors. I absolutely believe that there are prototypes in a lab in Cupertino and probably have been for a decade. I just don't see any major advantages here. I mostly just see increased COGS and worse battery life.

My gut feeling is that the market for a thin iPhone is very small, maybe even smaller than that of the iPhone mini. The iPhone mini was discontinued after two generations and all of Apple's major competitors have abandoned the smaller form factor as well. The market just isn't there in most places.

We do know that consumers prioritize certain things in their phones: display, cameras, and battery performance. There are plenty of people carrying around external battery banks or desperately scrounging around for power outlets in the afternoon for their regular smartphones. I'm not convinced that a thin iPhone is going to provide the typical of battery performance that today's smartphone consumers want.

I have an iPod touch (6th generation) that is about 6.3mm thick. Its battery life was always atrocious and Apple even deliberately downclocked the 1.4GHz CPU to 1.1GHz to reduce battery drain. It's sturdy enough but I'm careful not to shove it into the back pocket of my jeans.

I've also owned some smaller phones (iPhone 4S, iPhone SE, iPhone mini 12) as well as full sized phones (iPhone 6S, iPhone XS). I'm a light phone user but even at the end of the day (especially while traveling) the smaller phones have far more depleted batteries than the standard size phones.

If Apple does release a thin iPhone my guess is that it will be discontinued after two generations (short of the introduction of some revolutionary new battery technology).