Apple Plans Return of Touch ID and New Cheap iPhone (bloomberg.com) 25
Apple is reportedly developing in-display fingerprint technology for as early as its 2020 iPhones, according to Bloomberg. "The technology is in testing both inside Apple and among the company's overseas suppliers, though the timeline for its release may slip to the 2021 iPhone refresh, said the people, who asked not to be identified discussing private work." From the report: Apple introduced fingerprint scanning on iPhones in 2013, following its acquisition of AuthenTec Inc., a pioneer in the field. Integrated into the iPhone's home button, the Touch ID system was used for unlocking the device, approving payments and authorizing app downloads -- and it gave Apple a technological edge with its speed and reliability. Touch ID was replaced with face-scanning sensors in 2017 with the iPhone X launch. Branded as Face ID, the new face authentication again put Apple ahead of the competition with a more robust and secure implementation than rivals. The upcoming fingerprint reader would be embedded in the screen, letting a user scan their fingerprint on a large portion of the display, and it would work in tandem with the existing Face ID system, the people familiar with Apple's plans said.
The report also mentions Apple is working on its first low-cost iPhone since the iPhone SE: That could come out as early as the first half of 2020, the people said. The device would look similar to the iPhone 8 and include a 4.7-inch screen. The iPhone 8 currently sells for $599, while Apple sold the iPhone SE for $399 when that device launched in 2016. The new low-cost phone is expected to have Touch ID built into the home button, not the screen. Nikkei reported plans for a cheaper iPhone earlier this week.
So courageous (Score:1)
Is this all they have to tempt people to buy new phones? That and keyboards that became so thin they don't actually work any more.
Short Apple stock now.
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Short Apple stock now.
Grow up.
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What about the MacBook Pros that aren't even allowed on aircraft?
"But ... making things thinner used to make money!" - Apple 2019
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That was before people started to confuse their new iPhones with the foil it was wrapped in.
Plus, what good is having a razor-thin phone if I have to wrap it in an inch of ugly rubber so it doesn't crumble the moment I put it in my pocket?
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Plus, what good is having a razor-thin phone if I have to wrap it in an inch of ugly rubber so it doesn't crumble the moment I put it in my pocket?
Perhaps the option to buy a non-ugly rubber covering to match the user's taste?
There has to be a billion dollar per year industry in making these phone covers. There are so many to choose from that I find the complaint of them being "ugly" as a matter of being exceedingly picky, cheap, ignorant of product choices, or just an old stick in the mud that has to find something to complain about.
My phone is wrapped in a simple black case that has likely saved it a dozen times now from dings and scratches, or wor
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How about making a phone that's actually sturdy enough that it doesn't need a cover? The phones get thinner and thinner, with the net effect that you have to wrap them in more and more elaborate covers, essentially causing them to be just as thick as before. Where's the logic in that?
Not what users want (Score:5, Insightful)
So this will be an iPhone 6, but without an audio 3.5mm plug and under a new name?
I suspect that if "lower price" was all that users wanted, they would have gotten the device they want on the used market - thankfully there is no lack of selection at all price points.
Anecdotally, I am using iPhone SE because it is smaller and has an audio plug. Neither of these requirements is optional. Unless a new phone from Apple satisfies both - I am not buying it (and will be eventually forced to find a non-iOS device, in spite of the issues in moving family away from imessage/facetime)
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So an iPhone 7, then? :-D
They really should speed-bump the SE. It's a much more user-friendly form factor, in spite
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I prefer the SE form factor as well, that phone's just so much easier to hold compared to the larger models, especially the newer ones with the glass black that makes them slippery.
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I agree with you. I bought my first iphone last year. It was an SE because I wanted an audio plug, good audio quality, a small form factor. I don't know if I would buy another iphone in the future. However I would strongly consider buying one if it has an audio plug. Adding to that a bigger battery, why not hot-swappable and a better photo lens even in low light conditions, I think I would have the courage to buy one.
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Anecdotally, I am using iPhone SE because it is smaller and has an audio plug. Neither of these requirements is optional. Unless a new phone from Apple satisfies both - I am not buying it (and will be eventually forced to find a non-iOS device, in spite of the issues in moving family away from imessage/facetime)
Are there any new smart phones today that still feature a 1/8 inch audio jack?
Seems to me what's killing the old audio jack is the problem of defining a common standard for the contact assignment.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]
It's just easier to leave out the jack and include a region specific adapter in the box than to try to make a phone with a jack that complies with conflicting standards.
USB-C now has a standard for passing through analog audio as well as providing power. Having power to the headset
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It's just easier to leave out the jack and include a region specific adapter in the box than to try to make a phone with a jack that complies with conflicting standards.
How is dropping in a "region specific adapter" any easier than dropping in a "region specific" headset?
Shouldn't manufacturers drop multiple "region specific" adapters in the box, one for each of the conflicting standards?
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At this point, everybody is using CTIA except mainland China. Doing anything special to make OMTP work is a waste of time and effort. If the Chinese government wants to mandate a bad standard, let them use dongles.
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Exactly the reason I use an iPhone too. If there is no successor, I won't be getting an iPhone when my SE dies.
I'll probably switch to a cheap Chinese Android phone. I was exceedingly surprised by the build quality of the LeEco x522, which I got for 75€ on AliExpress as a toy for my son. I even used it for a week when my IPhone SE battery was being replaced. It has some shortcomings, but nothing I can't do without (okay,
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Unfortunately the audio jack seems to be on its way out pretty much everywhere.
Manufacturers gotta save that .03 on the D to A converter and another .10 for the jack hardware, I guess. Especially Apple with its historically small margins.
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Unfortunately the audio jack seems to be on its way out pretty much everywhere.
Manufacturers gotta save that .03 on the D to A converter and another .10 for the jack hardware, I guess. Especially Apple with its historically small margins.
it is not about cost savings, dumbass.
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It also sounds like they made sure that this new cheaper phone won't be available until 2020, making sure that it doesn't hurt the iPhone refresh profit machine for Q4.
I guess that's Apple's new motto. So long "Think Different"... hello "Think Higher Profit Margins!"
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It also sounds like they made sure that this new cheaper phone won't be available until 2020, making sure that it doesn't hurt the iPhone refresh profit machine for Q4.
I guess that's Apple's new motto. So long "Think Different"... hello "Think Higher Profit Margins!"
Hey stupid fuck.
Do you think that ANY company can go from "I have an idea" to "You can buy this is 30 countries" in under a YEAR?
Remember, we're talking about something that not only has to be designed and built; but then, even after all THAT, it has to pass "Agency Approvals" in some combination of those 30 countries. And only THEN can the actual "Production" start...
People just don't think things through.
Cheap I-phone? (Score:2)
All I-phones are cheap... for Apple. Not for you. Didn't you really meant a _low cost_ cheap I-phone.
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But they are low cost.
To Apple.
If Apple thinks we want a *cheap* phone (Score:2)
They've badly misjudged what people like about the SE. It feels really good in the hand, it's light, it works. Battery life is surprisingly good andâ"I canâ(TM)t emphasize this enoughâ"it's *small*.
Apple customers don't buy iPhones because we're unaware there are cheaper phones on the market. We're also perfectly capable of buying used iPhone 7s and 8s. I am annoyed at the size of my iPhone XR at least once a day. I am delighted at how compact my partner's SE is every time I pick it up. Somet
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I use an iPhone SE because I tired of replacing my previous iPhone6 Plus when the screen went wonky and it would lock-up.
The iPhone SE I use was $150, bought as an AT&T To Go (pre-paid) phone - with apple care it was $250 + tax out the door.
Nearly every day someone comments on how small my phone is, usually in the positive.
The ONLY thing I'd change with my iPhone SE is the memory capacity, I stepped down from 128 Gig to 32 Gig when I switched to the iPhone SE.
Missing the mark (Score:2)
Apple needs 2 factor authentication for its devices: Face or Touch ID and a PIN, instead of the or as is the case now.
we design your dreams (Score:1)