Apple To Extend iPhone's Product Cycle; Shift To 32GB Internal Storage On Base Model: Reports (nikkei.com) 289
According to Japanese outlet Nikkei, which has a good track record, Apple is planning to extend its iPhone's product cycle. The Cupertino, California-based company, which currently utilizes the same design language for two years, now plans to make major refreshes to its iconic smartphone every three years. The report claims that Apple is changing the refresh cycle as it struggles to innovate and provide new features and substantial improvements to its iPhone. For those planning to purchase the next iPhone, don't expect any design changes, the report adds. From the report: The new version slated for this autumn will look almost identical to the current iPhone 6. Functions such as the camera, water resistance and battery capacity will likely be improved, and the headphone jack will be removed. Also, a high-end version of the model will give users better-quality photo capabilities via correction functions. On the sidelines, the media is abuzz with reports that the next iPhone will have 32GB internal storage in its base model.
remove the headphone jack (Score:2, Insightful)
why would you do this? to artificially inflate battery life or make it slimmer, not worth it, this is a stupid move.
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why would you do this? to artificially inflate battery life or make it slimmer, not worth it, this is a stupid move.
Physically headphone jack extends a long way into the phone - more than you would expect. So its a logical step if you want to add to battery life and make things slimmer.
I'd like to say that it is a great step to alienate your customers, but Apple has left a pile of things lying by the roadside as it kept speeding on (EG DVD drives, floppy disk drives, ADB etc to name a few).
I'd also say that Apple has totally lost the plot if it moves to a 3 year cycle for phone hardware. All it takes is one brand new h
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To be clear: they are talking major redesigns every 3 years. E.g. iPhone 6 family => iPhone 7 family.
I'm sure they will still have interim 'S' releases to incorporate new hardware die shrinks and minor feature changes.
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Well on the flip side, the headphone plug/jack connector is a common point of failure across multiple failure modes. You snag the cord and the phone goes flying, the thread-like conductors used in the cable break at the plug; water infiltrates through the jack into the case; mechanical wear caused by frequent insertions/removals degrades the electrical connection.
These are all addressable issues, of course, to some degree at least. But you can just go wireless.That's what I do; I keep my Android phone in
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* Serial Port
* Parallel Port
* ISA
* VESA Local Bus
* PCMCIA
* AGP
* PCI
Just to name a few. All of them have been replaced with more modern connector types. Technology, it doesn't sit still; it's always evolving, getting better. More and more people want wireless now and Bluetooth offers that.
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On the one hand, I agree with you. On the other hand, in my experience, the part most likely to fail is the headphone jack. I'd go with the reduced battery life of a bluetooth headset just to never again have to pry open the case in order to replace that flimsy plastic jack. (Which exposes me as not a true apple aficionado. who would instead trade their phone in.)
Re:remove the headphone jack (Score:5, Insightful)
Problem is that it's not only the headphones that will be missed. for some, is also the ability to use the headphone jack connected credit card readers.
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Yep, unless Square has a bluetooth reader (which seems insecure) this is a bad move.
Re: remove the headphone jack (Score:3)
For the small businesses I see using Square, I'm sure they would prefer having a BT card reader that didn't have to be perched precariously on top of the iPad (it's never an iPhone, but I'm assuming that the iPad will be next to lose the headphone jack). The reader could have a weighted bottom to rest on the counter for dipping, rather than having the iPad be passed back and forth between cashier and customer.
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You also need it to use something like the Rode SmartLAV [rode.com] microphone....which previously was a great, economical way to mic someone for video shoots.
But also..what if you have a car that has a bit older head unit that isn't bluetooth or otherwise wireless capable and need the jack to plug your phone into it to play?
There's lots of use for that mic jac
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But also..what if you have a car that has a bit older head unit that isn't bluetooth or otherwise wireless capable and need the jack to plug your phone into it to play?
How many people are buying a new $650 phone, but have a car so old it doesn't have Bluetooth?
Serious question...
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Plenty of new cars don't have bluetooth, on entry-level trims.
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I have one myself that's a Bluetooth transceiver that allows me to use my Bluetooth Skullcandy headphones (way cheaper than Beats!) with my home entertainment system's headphone jack.
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Neither of my cars (both from the early 2000s) have aux ports. Apparently there is a way to add one on one of the cars, but the parts cost hundreds of dollars and it involves basically dismantling the dashboard.
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Erm, no. Even luxury vehicles didn't offer Bluetooth standard ten years ago. Cadillac, for example, didn't offer it as a standard feature until 2012.
My car is a 2003, but I'm likely to spend at least $650 when I upgrade my phone next year. Why? Because I don't have a car payment eating up my disposable income.
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My car is a 2003, but I'm likely to spend at least $650 when I upgrade my phone next year. Why? Because I don't have a car payment eating up my disposable income.
Then you have spending priority problems, a 2003 car is no longer up to modern safety standards and likely will start costing you money to drive.
This doesn't mean you have to buy a new one, but a nice 2013 off-lease car will be a FAR better place to put your money than a new iPhone.
From all points, safety, dependability, and environmentally.
You're an idiot, Starscream. You're literally suggesting that someone should ditch a perfectly capable car because it's 14 years old?
Safety standards haven't changed much. A newer vehicle isn't necessarily safer, and when they are they're only marginally so (side air bags) or only so for idiots (backup cameras, self braking).
If someone has no payment on a vehicle and no unusual maintenance costs, it's far, far, far cheaper to keep it than it is to buy a newer car for $$$$$.
Environmentally, keeping a car a
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Then you have spending priority problems, a 2003 car is no longer up to modern safety standards and likely will start costing you money to drive.
I remember paying $400/mo for a car loan. I don't do that any more. It frees up a whole lot of cash to buy fripperies like phones. If one's choices involve saving many thousands of dollars on one non-essential new thing while blowing a few hundred dollars on one non essential thing, then one does not have spending priority problems.
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All vehicles cost money to drive. The advantage here is that it doesn't cost money to *own*. And with only 70,000 miles, the maintenance costs are not significant. Certainly less than financing even an entry level used vehicle.
In terms of safety, my vehicle already has more features than required for new vehicles - front and side airbags, tire pressure monitors, traction control, anti-lock brakes, daytime running lights, etc, etc. There are more features available today, to be sure, but I don't consider
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5 years for an automobile? I'd accuse you of being a shill, but if you were you would have recommended 3 years (and stated it as "36 months"). You're just a fool. A car should last at least a decade.
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*raises hand*
Actually, that's not true. My car has Bluetooth, but it is headset profile only (no A2DP), which means that I can't use it for playing music or anything else. But even if it did have proper Bluetooth A2DP, the experience would still suck horribly, from what I've seen.
As an experiment, I bought a Bluetooth receiver (JETech [amazon.com]) to see if I could survive with Bluetooth if Apple decided to ditch the headphon
Magstripe is old tech. (Score:5, Informative)
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If only there was a way for that dongle to be cheaper.
Oh, wait: http://www.tama.com.cn/en/mfi.... [tama.com.cn]
Expect to see them on every street corner when Apple does this.
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Great News! (Score:2)
Wow!
why purchase $5.00 headphones to listen to highly compressed lossy music, when I can purchase the same headphones, at 10-20X the price, because of a proprietary connector.
Also, they should have a DRM chip in the headphones themselves, so users can't plug in headphones from someone else's device, they can market this as an anti-theft feature, it's helping the users!
Also, the connector should be as flimsy as possible, breaking at the slightest use.
Headphones are disposable anyway, a 3 month life time shou
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Re:Great News! (Score:4, Insightful)
why purchase $5.00 headphones to listen to highly compressed lossy music, when I can purchase the same headphones, at 10-20X the price, because of a proprietary connector.
No one is forcing you to use a proprietary connector at 10-20X the price. Bluetooth headphones start at about $11 shipped [amazon.com] these days. Granted, they likely won't be decent, but neither will the $5 set you're worried you can't use. Alternatively, there are third-party Lightning -> 3.5mm audio jack adapters available for relatively cheap, allowing you to still use your $5 crappy headphones if you're dead-set on them.
But let's be honest: none of this is actually something that'll ever affect you since you have no interest in this product. You just wanted to complain about a product from a company other than the one you support so that you could feel better about your purchasing decisions, which explains why you conveniently chose to ignore the obvious. That's not something unique to one side or the other. Apple fanboys do it. Android fanboys do it. But none of that makes it right. You're doing a disservice to yourself when you exaggerate the situation unnecessarily.
Re:Great News! (Score:5, Informative)
No, let's be honest: you don't want to hear it. I agree with him, and I've purchased the iphone 5, 5s, 6, and 6se (not all for myself, mind you).
I use a 6 and a 6se. I prefer the 6se. And it's going to take serious feature improvement to get me to move to a headphone jack-less successor to the 6se.
Specify what you'll take as proof, because removing the headphone jack is one of the more idiotic decisions that I think Apple can make, and by God it does affect me.
Re:Great News! (Score:5, Insightful)
You're (quite understandably) assuming something I didn't say. I asserted that he was grossly overstating the situation, which he was. I never said I was a fan of them dropping the headphone jack, which you seem to have incorrectly inferred.
I'm actually on the fence about it. In the long-term, I do want this stuff to go wireless, since it opens up new form factors, provides more freedom in how we use our devices, and makes it easier to move around (I can't count how many times I've pushed back from my desk at work and had my headphones yank off my head/out of my ears). I actually just purchased my first set of Bluetooth headphones this week (admittedly, a rather cheap set) to see how they work for me in practical use. That said, the idea of needing to replace batteries or charge on a regular basis, introducing room for additional latency, dealing with signal interference, adding cost (even if it's marginal), or facing the idea that they might stop working at the least convenient time is utterly and completely unappealing. That's why I went cheap; I get to see how much those disadvantages hurt and whether they matter to me in practice before I commit more fully.
More or less, I'm uncomfortable with the idea of them dropping the headphone jack, since there are clear advantages to it, but my misgivings feel very similar to the ones I had when floppies went away or as we've started to see optical media disappear. It's a bit painful at the time, and there are things that are lost in the process, but by and large, the changes are for the better in the end. We can argue about whether the time to do this change is now or not, but I think most of us have a sense that the world should be going this direction eventually.
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More or less, I'm uncomfortable with the idea of them dropping the headphone jack, since there are clear advantages to it, but my misgivings feel very similar to the ones I had when floppies went away or as we've started to see optical media disappear.
The irony is that the loss of the floppy was a "big deal" at the time, because so many things still required a floppy drive.
When it went away on the iMac, I was dumbfounded at first, because even updating the BIOS on most computers at the time simply could not be done without a floppy drive, they were hard coded to require it.
By comparison, the loss of optical media happened with a wimper... I don't even know when it happened, it just did...
One day I was using DVD drives to install Windows, then the next I
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because removing the headphone jack is one of the more idiotic decisions that I think Apple can make, and by God it does affect me.
Everyone said that about the floppy drive on the first iMac, and Apple turned out to be right.
In 5 years, the idea of a 3.5mm audio jack will seem quaint.
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I said Bluetooth headphones are $11. I have no clue how much the adapters are. I just know I've seen them online.
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Amazon has none listed, nor does Newegg, There are none on the Apple store, and only this story http://appleinsider.com/articl... [appleinsider.com] about a Chinese company advertising them on their website with no way to actually purchase them. So while they may exist when the iPhone 7 launches, they currently do not seem to. Seeing how they will need to incorporate a DAC I don't think they will be as cheap as you think.
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Hmm, that may be what I was thinking of. I don't read AppleInsider, but it's possible that a reference to that product is what I was thinking of, I'll admit. If so, apologies for the inaccurate information.
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Wow!
why purchase $5.00 headphones to listen to highly compressed lossy music...
If you really hate your ears that much just use the shitty ones that come with the phone.
Tim Cook finally admits: (Score:2)
Yup, we're all out of innovation here.
Headphone jack is important (Score:2)
I actually USE the headphone jack. I have a new 6s+ and will not replace it for some time, but when I do, I will not consider a jack-less phone if there is a competitor with one. So, Apple, remove the jack, and Samsung here I come.
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Bluetooth security is even worse than WiFi "personal" security. WiFi security is tolerable if you use good passwords (essentially as long as authentication tokens), but Bluetooth is just a haven of bad security.
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Bluetooth security is even worse than WiFi "personal" security. WiFi security is tolerable if you use good passwords (essentially as long as authentication tokens), but Bluetooth is just a haven of bad security.
So, you're REALLY worried that the NSA cares about your stupid musical preferences?
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Moot point. His musical preferences are meta data and the government already has that.
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I'm not worried about the government, I just don't see the advantage of using a broken protocol if a wire would do the same job, and even much better.
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Who cares, and why?
The guberments, they do be spying on him night and day.
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[Agent Smith]: I'd like to share a revelation that I've had during my time here. It came to me when I tried to classify your playlist, and I realized that you're not actually musical. Every musical person on this planet instinctively develops a natural rhythm, a selection of choices that are pleasing in one way or another ; but you listen to Justin Bieber. You move to an area and you listen to that crap until every nearby government agent runs away screaming in pain. There is another organism on this planet
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I actually USE the headphone jack. I have a new 6s+ and will not replace it for some time, but when I do, I will not consider a jack-less phone if there is a competitor with one. So, Apple, remove the jack, and Samsung here I come.
You DO realize, of course; that as soon as Apple removes the jack, SO WILL EVERYONE ELSE.
Mark my words: You heard it here first. If Apple removes the 3.5mm jack, there won't be a SINGLE phone or tablet by ANYONE that will have one in 1 to 2 years' time.
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I actually USE the headphone jack. I have a new 6s+ and will not replace it for some time, but when I do, I will not consider a jack-less phone if there is a competitor with one. So, Apple, remove the jack, and Samsung here I come.
You DO realize, of course; that as soon as Apple removes the jack, SO WILL EVERYONE ELSE. Mark my words: You heard it here first. If Apple removes the 3.5mm jack, there won't be a SINGLE phone or tablet by ANYONE that will have one in 1 to 2 years' time.
I would be OK with that if they didn't replace it with something proprietary, but instead created an open standard for a new connection that any mfg could use. But, sadly, this is not how it works so....
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Same here. I enjoy my iPhone 6 and really enjoy the ease of sharing and interacting with everyone else who has an iPhone, but I am too invested in the 3.5mm headphone jack to give it up. That standard has been around since 1964, and Apple is deluded if they think they can make it disappear. I'm sure there will be an adapter, but unless they're a buck a piece, tiny, and allow you to still charge your phone, then no thanks.
Farther back than that, if you count "monaural" versions.
I clearly remember seeing portable "transistor radios" with 1/8" (3.5mm) "earphone" jacks since at least the late 1950s.
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...which is itself just a smaller version of a 19th century connector:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/maga... [bbc.co.uk]
Has anyone made a 1/4 inch jack to Lightning adapter yet?
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I am too invested in the 3.5mm headphone jack to give it up. That standard has been around since 1964, and Apple is deluded if they think they can make it disappear.
Apple didn't start this path, most major companies are planning for the death of the 3.5mm jack. Apple is just getting on the train.
http://www.theverge.com/2016/4... [theverge.com]
Intel wants USB-C to replace the headphone jack
Yes, dropping the headphone jack seems boneheaded. (Score:5, Insightful)
On the other hand, I'm old enough to remember when Macs dropped the serial port in favor of USB, and all the squalling about "b-b-but my cheap modems!" Heck, I remember the complaints about non-standard (i.e. not DB9 or DB25) serial connectors.
Maybe it'll look boneheaded five years from now, maybe it won't. I'm going with "will", but I've been wrong before betting against Apple.
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I'd like to see some customization option, such as a little slide-out section that allows one to pick what kind of jacks they want. Apple could charge say an extra $30 for non-default or extra jacks, and make a profit on that aspect. Win-win!
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It would cost a hell of a lot more than $30. The entire reason for removing the jack is to make the phone thinner and provide more space for things like more battery capacity.
Not saying I LIKE the idea -- I'm saying your suggestion is unworkable. They'd have to have two models with completely different specs from motherboard to case design.
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Loss of the headphone jack on the iphone, not a problem. Loss of MagSafe on the new MacBook, huge problem. I'd have bought one already if it weren't for that. I mean... even if they've decided that USB-C is the new hotness and all, couldn't they have at least improved the connector on the MacBooks side to lose the friction plug and include the magnets?
and the headphone jack will be removed (Score:5, Interesting)
"and the headphone jack will be removed"
Is this what people want? I mean, I know a lot of people like their wireless ones... but I prefer wired. I hate charging the stupid things. I hate pairing the stupid things. I like just being able plug them in and go. I like that by being plugged in the headphones stay with the phone; and don't get left behind. I like that they are cheap and easy to replace.
Plus I still occasionally connect it to aux inputs and such in cars. My daughter uses headphones with her iphone all the time. Everyone i know has wired headsets and headphones... only a handful prefer wireless/bluetooth solutions.
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"and the headphone jack will be removed"
Is this what people want? I mean, I know a lot of people like their wireless ones... but I prefer wired. I hate charging the stupid things. I hate pairing the stupid things. I like just being able plug them in and go. I like that by being plugged in the headphones stay with the phone; and don't get left behind. I like that they are cheap and easy to replace.
Plus I still occasionally connect it to aux inputs and such in cars. My daughter uses headphones with her iphone all the time. Everyone i know has wired headsets and headphones... only a handful prefer wireless/bluetooth solutions.
Thus will you be sucked into the hole that is the apple ecosystem, which can no longer offer innovation and so will remove the hole forcing you to buy all new stuff if you want to play their game.
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"and the headphone jack will be removed"
Is this what people want? I mean, I know a lot of people like their wireless ones... but I prefer wired. I hate charging the stupid things. I hate pairing the stupid things. I like just being able plug them in and go. I like that by being plugged in the headphones stay with the phone; and don't get left behind. I like that they are cheap and easy to replace.
Plus I still occasionally connect it to aux inputs and such in cars. My daughter uses headphones with her iphone all the time. Everyone i know has wired headsets and headphones... only a handful prefer wireless/bluetooth solutions.
As much as I don't like the idea of a 2.4GHz microwave transceiver stuck in my ear/strapped to my head, I also hate that almost constant "dammit!" that happens when you get your headphone/headset cable looped under the parking brake handle, and the spare cable dance you have to do to "dress" the extra headphone/headset cable SOMEWHERE to keep it from getting caught on EVERY. SINGLE. THING.
So, I can sort of see it both ways. I just hope that sound quality doesn't (further) erode from all this. Afterall, on
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Since when what people want matters? We aren't hearing tons of people screaming out for thinner phones (or laptops). Many people would rather keep the same thickness or even increase it slightly and have the extra space given to batteries.
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In general, I agree completely - I want an analog headphone jack.
Removing it is not just about the headphone jack, though. Sure, there is the size of the jack, but you also have to have the D/A chip and a nice, clean analog amplifier to drive the headphones - the amp has its own design constraints (needs to be located in a place it won't pick up noise from the rest of the phone), as well as space to hold it.
Ditching the headphone jack (and amp) can allow a decent amount of internal volume to be re-purposed.
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So switch to lightning cabled headphones
So I can pay an Apple Tax [macrumors.com] on my headphones. No thanks.
Strange strategy (Score:2)
Re:Strange strategy (Score:4, Funny)
Doubtless, many will probably give up on Apple.... (Score:2)
Apple probably won't even miss the people who will move to other brands because of this design decision.
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Apple probably won't even miss the people who will move to other brands because of this design decision.
That's because of two things:
1. The numbers you speak of will be a statistical rounding error.
2. EVERY other manufacturer will scramble to follow suit within one product-cycle.
Curious... (Score:2, Insightful)
The 32GB base absolutely makes sense as 16GB is not nearly enough for anyone but a casual user. Load up a couple dozen Apps, store email on your phone and take some photo's and BAM, your 16GB is done.
As far as the headphones, I personally do not care. I use bluetooth and for those that still want to use headphones, there will be a lightning adaptor to do so. I really do not get the reason, though. To make the phone .xxx MM thinner? IMO, it's already too thin and quite cumbersome to use w/o a case on it
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The 32GB base absolutely makes sense as 16GB is not nearly enough for anyone but a casual user. Load up a couple dozen Apps, store email on your phone and take some photo's and BAM, your 16GB is done.
As far as the headphones, I personally do not care. I use bluetooth and for those that still want to use headphones, there will be a lightning adaptor to do so. I really do not get the reason, though. To make the phone .xxx MM thinner? IMO, it's already too thin and quite cumbersome to use w/o a case on it.
Personally, I think it's to get rid of that damnable "I'm caught!" feeling when you get your earbuds yanked out because you just caught your headset/headphone cord caught on something.
If it was JUST the thickness of the jack, Apple already has a patent granted [google.com] to fix that.
16GB is pretty usable if you lean heavily on cloud (Score:2)
16GB is actually a pretty good amount of storage for a few different users:
1) Enterprise customers just just load a few apps on an iPad.
2) Elderly people that just use the iPhone/iPad for a few things and do not really care much for games.
Photos don't take up much room and if you have the iCloud photo thing turned on you will not run out of space. People who take a lot of video will run out of space faster but that's not everyone...
I think the only reason Apple is moving to 32GB is because it's reached pri
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because it's reached price parity where it's almost as cheap to order the 32GB storage as the 16GB storage
Nailed it. That and they can still make good margins on the 64/128/256 flash at $100 per increment ($200 for 256, I assume).
16 works fine for anyone who is mostly cloud-bound, and with a couple dollars a month you can upgrade your iCloud storage to keep all your photos safe and out of your local storage. Not that iCloud is going away - no, you'll still need that subscription to backup the (now larger) internal memory. Win-win (for Apple, that is)
The Apple upgrade treadmill is losing steam. (Score:3)
32GB... (Score:2)
How cute.
"Struggles To Innovate" (Score:2)
One shudders to think what the mind who thought up that idea thinks of Android.
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Indeed. What's an example of a truly innovative AND useful idea for any smart-phone of late?
I suspect the next "game changer" will be a UI that is controlled by moving your hands in the air. Image recognition and parallax (3D) cameras will read hand signals so that one can navigate and scroll around easier without having to touch the phone with both hands. Call it the "symphony conductor UI" or SCUI.
Or, "Borg-lite" interfaces dir
headphone connectivity? (Score:2)
Where are the reports on how we'll be able to connect our existing headphones to the iPhone 7?
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I anticipate no problems hooking up my headphones to the new iPhone.
Then again, I joined the 21st century a while back with a decent set of bluetooth headphones.
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Preach it brother! :) What kind of headphones?
I have the Sennheiser Momentum 2.0 On-ear Wireless and the B&O BeoPlay H8. Expensive but worth every penny. I use them with all my devices from laptop to smartphone to computer. For my computer, because Windows' BT stack is embarrassingly bad, I use an "Imperial BART (Bluetooth Audio Receiver/Transmitter) 1" imported from Telestar in Germany. Works like a charm with Bluetooth 4.0 w/ aptX Low Latency :)
iOS needs to stop leaking storage space (Score:2)
I had to backup and restore to reclaim 3.5GB of lost storage space, thanks to the massive bug that loses storage space when they download unwanted OS updates. Deleting the update doesn't reclaim the space.
32GB will help, I guess. Longer period between having to refresh everything
Re: iOS needs to stop leaking storage space (Score:2)
Or you could, you know, tell the phone to install that iOS update.
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He would, but he can't because now there isn't enough room to update and he has to delete all of his data in order to perform the upgrade. The best condition is when there's not enough room for the update even after you delete everything. Then your only option is to install iTunes on some huge dinosaur Intel machine, assuming you even have one of those still lying around.
Headphone jack removed (Score:2)
Is this "confirmed"? Who wants this? I really don't want to add headphones to the list of things I need to plug in.
Skip a size? (Score:2)
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+$100 for 64
+$100 for 128
+$200 for 256
The accountants are salivating.
Hate the different capabilities (Score:2)
When the two different sizes came out they used to have identical capabilities with the only difference being the screen size. Now they are giving the larger phones extra capabilities and the SE gets even fewer features. If you can't use the largest screen then you have to give up on features that you may want. Or if you feel like you need a feature you end up buying the bigger phone. Yes, Apple is free to configure and price their phones how the want but I'm also free not to like it.
32 GB flash is now...what? 7 bucks? (Score:3)
Why kill the headphone jack? Marketing! (Score:2)
Unless Apple is planning on shipping a pair of Bluetooth earbuds with the product, this sounds very much like a marketing tactic. Apple owns Beats Audio, and I guarantee there will be "seamless integration" with their headphones. This is the same company that charges $200 for headphones of dubious quality, i.e. they're "nice" but "not $200 nice" and endorsed by conspicuous use by celebrities. I know the headphone jack eats up a lot of case space, but wouldn't running Bluetooth a lot more than you would with
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Eliminate the headphone jack and switch to a $5/pc mfi certification/ip fee for all lightning cable-1/8" jack adapters and direct connect headphones. It's brilliant, I tell you! They can still just put the same cheap headphones with the lightning connector in the box - no wireless needed.
Removal of the 3.5mm jack will jack up in-car inte (Score:3)
One of the big wins Apple scored in the past decade, outside their own industry, was the way they spurred automobile manufacturers to add iPod/iPhone integration. Now, the average car on today's roads is about 11 years old. Most cars of the mid-2000's provided just a 3.5mm aux Jack. I realize Apple's customer base skews to the higher end of the income spectrum, and likely drives newer cars, but that still will leave a large number of customers out in the cold because they don't have the means (or willingness) to change their car.
Re: Removal of the 3.5mm jack will jack up in-car (Score:2)
USB and Bluetooth integration are increasingly common in new cars, starting from 2011 or so. But in many cases the Bluetooth is limited to phone calls and can't do streaming audio. CarPlay has even less penetration, and is only in cars (at all) from 2014 on, is not yet remotely ubiquitous in new cars, and likely won't become moreuniversal until the federal backup camera mandate kicks in in 2018 and rail-roads all cars into having in-dash touchscreens.
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And there are even cheaper options. There are standalone bluetooth A2DP receivers with a 3.5mm output jack for $12.
I've owned and used one for close to a decade now.
memory (Score:2)
> On the sidelines, the media is abuzz with reports that the next iPhone will have 32GB internal storage in its base model.
I understand this is rumor, but it makes sense. Memory has never been cheaper, and it just doesn't make any sense anymore to pay a boutique-grade premium in order to get a usable amount.
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Oooh, a whole 32GB? Wow, such a blessing from Apple to reward its faithful with something other phones have had for a long time now.
Impressive .. isn't it... iPods with 32GB of internal flash must be getting close to the decade mark by now.
Amount of RAM, CPU performance, GPU performance, display resolution, camera megapixels, network bandwidth keeps going up and up while amount of onboard persistent storage is essentially a flat line over time. 32GB micro SD cards cost $5.
I would love for someone to esplain this in terms that don't involve deliberate actions to artificially constrain devices as much as vendor can possibly hope to get a
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So they're not innovating as fast as they used to.
What was that about Silicon Valley being the center of innovation? Now innovation is decreasing.
In case you haven't noticed; no one is actually "innovating" much in the mobile space. All the manufacturers more or less "agreed" on what a smartphone would be, and that's kind of where we are for the foreseeable future. I believe that even something as advanced as VR/AR tech is going to be seen (no pun) as kind of "ho-hum" at this point.
Smartphones are moving into the "mature product" category; and it is MUCH harder to be "disruptive" in that space.
If Apple gets off the R&D gas in the mobile space