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Opinion: iPhone 7 should be imaginative, not status quo, or risk spectacular fail

peak-iphoneWalt Mossberg, “Friend of Apple” and Personal Technology Columnist at The Verge, is out today with his take on the iPhone SE announcement from Monday. His not terribly hot take?

Screenshot 2016-03-23 12.01.29

Ouch. That’s not a great sign. Neither is the fact that Apple’s Chief Design Officer Jony Ive didn’t make the 2-building over commute to see the show.

We, however, thought the iPhone SE $399 price was a big deal. Its incredible power in small size was unprecedented and frankly lustworthy.

But Mossberg glossed over any meaningful discussion of the SE and instead ultimatum-ed a wishlist for the iPhone 7…

If the iPhone is to maintain its ever-thinning lead as the best smartphone you can buy, Apple needs to impress big time in the fall.

Mossberg, who is fresh off reviewing the Galaxy S7, says that Apple must move the bar if it is going to continue to lead the technology industry and gives seven incredibly uninspiring ways that Apple must, MUST improve the iPhone 7.

Here’s the list:

  1. Better battery (don’t care if it makes the phone thicker)
  2. Faster charging (like Android flagships)
  3. “Seriously shrink, the large top and bottom bezels on the iPhone, and even the smaller side ones”
  4. Better camera/optical zoom “Samsung’s new camera is better”
  5. Hardier phone, waterproof “like Samsung phones”
  6. Bundle adequate internal storage in the base model (we all agree 16GB is tight)
  7. Up software game. Mail app needs to do a much better job of handling Gmail. Select own favorite “default” apps for core functions. Apple Maps and Siri both need much more work to be consistently reliable, and it’s time to make iMessage, which works well, cross-platform.

Yeah. All of these things are either explicitly or implicitly things that Samsung and other Android makers (notabley LG’s G5 with dual cameras) currently have on the market.

“Mossberg, our friend, is no longer writing good things about us.”

iPhones typically have the smallest batteries in their class by mAh rating. It is a testament to Apple’s iOS team that Apple is almost able to keep up battery-wise with thicker and much bigger batteries on Android flagships. Some Android phones like the tank that is the Moto Droid Turbo 2 with its 3760 mAh battery will last 2 days or more. Rumors are that the iPhone 7 is much thinner, not thicker.

There isn’t a flagship Android that doesn’t have Quick Charge 2.0 or 3.0 fast charging on board and the feature debuted with the Moto Nexus 6 a year and a half ago. Mossberg wants this on iPhone.

Galaxy S 7 iPhone

Top and bottom, side bezels are much smaller on…you guessed it, the Samsung Galaxy S7. And even more so on LG’s G5. I’m actually in agreement with Mossberg here. All the Thinnovation™ in the world isn’t worth the huge chin and forehead iPhones are famous for. Apple’s iPhones have always had a Home button and have always been symmetrical so perhaps its time to put that Home button behind the screen.

Camera. iPhones always have the best cameras on the market until they don’t. The iPhone 7 will have a better camera than the iPhone 6/s. It might even have two of them which might make optical zooming better … like the LG G5.

At this point, Mossberg gives up and starts saying “like Samsung.” Make the iPhone waterproof. Like Samsung. Make it more rugged [like the nutty Moto Droid Turbo 2 which you can spike like Jeremy Shockey on pavement and the metal sides will dent before the glass breaks]. Sony had waterproof phones more than 2 years ago. Damn right Apple needs to get iPhone there already.

iphone-6-protruding-camera

Bundle adequate internal storage in an iPhone. 16GB doesn’t cut it. Flagship Android phones not only start at 32GB but they also include an SD card slot that allows you to go up to over 300GB of space for as little as $60. Apple makes $200 on the jump from 16GB to 128GB, but how long can it continue to do so?

One area where Samsung’s S7 falls flat is its TouchWiz overlay and its whoring to carriers to let them put anything they want on the phones. But what Mosberg is referring to is better Gmail and Google Maps experiences and letting Messages and FaceTime be cross-platform like….Hangouts. These are obviously all things every Android phone has and does very well.

DISAGREE

I’m going to respectfully disagree with Mossberg on the larger idea though. If Apple releases an iPhone with the above capabilities, which would put it in squarely in the Android field, it won’t be spectacular. It will be a spectacular flop.

What Apple needs to do, what they’ve done to get on top, is do the stuff we (consumers, techies, journalists) aren’t even thinking about. Things that change the game. Think 2007. Think Magic. Think Different.

I know that the iPhone 7 design is locked up by now and is probably so thin you can use it as a huge flat bookmark. But I really hope Apple has more up its sleeve than matching Android flagships on specs and software. Stuff like 3D Touch and Live Photos on the iPhone 6s scratch the surface but I want to be wowed again. At least give us a show that Jony Ive would want to see.

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Comments

  1. Alex Moran - 8 years ago

    Spoiler: iPhone 7 is going to be nothing major. When mark Gurman speaks we listen.

    Moral of the story. iPhone 7 is going to be a slightly better iPhone 6. iPhone 7 plus is going to be an iPhone 6 Plus with new camera tech.

    Users of smaller iPhones are going to be pissed. Apple won’t give a single fuck

  2. Alan Aurmont - 8 years ago

    It’s been failing spectacularly for the past 9 years. Here’s to another spectacular failure!

  3. Lee Palisoc - 8 years ago

    Sorry, who is this Mossberg? His lists are so biased. He’s looking for an iPhone that runs Android. -__-

    • and95es - 8 years ago

      In fact he’s looking for an Android phone that runs iOS.

    • bdkennedy1 - 8 years ago

      Try doing some research.

    • rnc - 8 years ago

      Some grumpy old journo that now speaks for everyone.

      I hope that Apple stays true to itself, and doesn’t listen to him, and designs the phone they think it’s the best.

      Don’t care about his opinions of “bezels” and whatnot.

      • rettun1 - 8 years ago

        Steve certainly cared about his opinions, having Walt personally sign off on iTunes for Windows. Wants been around the block a few times, he’s a smart guy. What I don’t understand is that he’s asking to be wow’d, but then asks for features that are in android…?

      • r00fus1 - 8 years ago

        Aka “Goatberg” according to Fake SJ. I actually liked Fake SJ – he wasn’t afraid to punch hard.

  4. scottperdue23 - 8 years ago

    I agree completely. Apple has gone from innovator to spec chaser. 3D Touch is an example of what they need much more of: innovation, not a years-old feature from Android phones that Apple pretends to have revolutionized.

    • Spark - 8 years ago

      Wait. What? In one breath you accuse Apple of no longer being innovative, and in the next you admit that 3D touch is innovative. Why don’t we all just agree that it is okay for more than one company to drag this technology forward. People talk like Android is this monolith. If it were there wouldn’t be so many flavors of it out in the wild. Every phone is a compromise, with strengths and weaknesses. We pick one and glory in its strengths and downplay, or work around its weaknesses. I happen to like the iPhone for a variety of reasons, but I don’t begrudge the Androids others use.

  5. Doug Aalseth - 8 years ago

    A lot of this stuff makes sense. Storage for example. OTOH I’d hate to have Samsung sue Apple for infringing on THEIR design patents.

  6. Jonny - 8 years ago

    Can we quantify “spectacular flop”? What are we talking about here, people… Apple must, Apple should, Apple better or else… we write blog posts and comment on them, Apple ships millions of phones annually that are emulated across the industry.

    • Jonny - 8 years ago

      I should clarify that I’m not opposed to opinion pieces (obviously, I read this and many others on the site) but the hyperbole in the expected fallout for things that may or may not happen is a bit much.

      • Rich Davis (@RichDavis9) - 8 years ago

        He’s just late in getting his suggestions to be considered for the iPhone 7. The product is already finished and all they do in the 6 months leading up to product announcement is getting the OS and apps to be final testing, updating the OS, and with planning and converting the production lines over to iPhone 7 so they can meet their Sept announcement deadline. Apple doesn’t work in a vacuum.

    • macnificentseven48 - 8 years ago

      Every product and service Apple puts out is considered a spectacular flop by the little nobodies of the world. They’re just two-bit critics who can’t do anything except criticize one of the most admired companies on the planet. Sure, Apple isn’t perfect, but probably a lot better than the useless people who are always trash-talking the company. Those trash-talkers are nothing but losers. If they were so smart, they’d start their own company and put Apple out of business if they think it’s that easy. Anyone can be a critic. What does it take? Open your mouth and say whatever you’d like with absolutely nothing to back it up. It’s just stupid when a person criticizes the wealthiest publicly traded company on the planet when there are so many other struggling small fry companies to easily criticize. People are always talking about Apple has no innovation but we’re surrounded by companies who lack innovation. We’ve got no supersonic passenger aircraft. No levitating passenger cars. No faster-than-light spaceships. Our subways travel at a snail’s pace. Most companies only put out products with small upgrades each year, but yet people constantly criticize Apple for doing what almost every other company in the world is doing. Critics live in their own little fictitious worlds where reality doesn’t exist.

  7. Avieshek (@avieshek) - 8 years ago

    Apple will remain stagnant until 2018

  8. PMZanetti - 8 years ago

    What a bunch of nonsense. None of those things are areas where I want improvement in the next iPhone.

    Battery life is fine already. It gets through the whole day.
    I charge at night, don’t care much how long it takes, but its already fast.
    Bezels? STFU
    Better camera? Already the best camera in a smartphone.
    Waterproof? Don’t drop your phone in water, dumbass.
    Base model storage? You don’t understand buzinesz, do you Walt?
    UP THE SOFTWARE GAME? Now you’re flipping whacked. It runs iOS. Enough said.

    What an embarrassment. Is that seriously the best you can come up with Walt? Your imagination sucks.

    • Jonny - 8 years ago

      The battery thing is weird… for me, until there is a leap in battery technology that changes habits, I’m not too concerned with it being much better than it currently is. If a phone gets 1-2 days battery or even 2-3, we’re still charging it ‘every night’. Any increase of 4-5 hours or even 12-24 hours doesn’t get us out of the habit of needing charging cables in cars, at desks, in overnight bags, etc.

    • Steve32 - 8 years ago

      We will see how you will change your opinion radically once Apple implements each or everyone of these points in future iPhone announcement. I have read your responses over time, and you have made some very intelligent comments before. Unfortunately however, a lot of your comments, including this one, are basically comments an iSheep would make. There is nothing wrong with the author’s point, they are simply his opinion. As Apple fans, we all like to see Apple make better devices, but blindly accepting whatever Apple decides to do is just very childish.

      I’m not hating on you, I respect your opinion on how you don’t think any of the author’s points are what you are looking for in the next iPhone, but name calling, in a way bullying, and worst of all not showing tolerance to any form of criticism is just so childish.

      • PMZanetti - 8 years ago

        I don’t know what you’re blabbering about, these are all very unimaginative and arguably measly feature requests/improvements that don’t add up to anything revolutionary. For anyone to stand by these Samsung-grown bullet points as anything significant shows a lack of imagination and creativity.

        There is nothing iSheep about the comment. Read into it a little bit. Everyone wants better battery life, but does the iPhone desperately NEED that right now? No. Its battery is damn fine. Same with the other points.

    • espressosipper - 8 years ago

      I believe your imagination isn’t all that great.

      Battery life isn’t all that great if you use your phone for more than just calls and texts. I never get a whole day without having to charge. Don’t play games or stream video but do a ton of work with it.

      Quick charge is not a new tech and is pretty freaking awesome.

      The bezels can and should be smaller. Almost all phones have the same or greater screen size as our iPhones but come in a small package because the bezels are smaller.

      The iPhone camera is not the best on the market anymore.

      Water resistant is something that would be nice but not a deal breaker.

      Except for you and a very few other posters, base storage of 16GB is a joke now days.

      Software I agree with you on.

      You know people are aloud to give Apple criticism. But you seem to be one of those people that will defend Apple no matter what they do right or wrong. (Wait, you don’t believe Apple does anything wrong).

      • fitkingrichard - 8 years ago

        Quick charge only applies to the charger it comes with…
        I have a multi-USB charger with Qualcomm quick charge tech… and an iPhone 5s… I can charge that sucker more than 50-60% in 20-30 minutes.

        The 16GB storage is for people that have flip phones, and now want to get something cheap…
        If my mom needed a new phone, she definitely would not be buying a large, ultra-gig-storage phone, latest 12Gigablertz of pixelbitz in the camera…
        She wants one with numbers on it to dial..
        That’s who the Low-Storage iPhone is aimed at… cheap, and great entry phone. The users are hooked into iTunes/iPhone/iPad/iwhatever system, and will now hopefully be buying macs, ipads, etc.
        You want more than the measly minimum option?? Look at upgrading to the bigger options… only $3/month, or whatever…

        I’d like to see Apple take the crown on some of these specs though… Perhaps offer a 256GB and maybe even a 512GB option…
        Or add 8 “hidden” GB for the iOS, so when you buy a 16GB phone, you have 16GB to use, not 12.5 after the IOS is installed.
        And give every iPhone user a free 25GB iCloud account… that will satisfy most “I’m running out of space” users.

      • r00fus1 - 8 years ago

        Speak for yourself. I’m a power user – I use my iPhone for skypes, slack, webex (including screensharing), messaging, weather, etc etc. Oh and calls – like thousands of hours a month. Battery life is decent.

        Android is shit comparatively, in my experience (I have a Nexus also and family has Samsungs) – while standby time is good, actual active usage really drains battery because it’s frigging running bytecode VM.

        While I’d love better battery, I’m not stressing too hard about it today. For a while my Apple Watch would drain it a lot, but that went away and I use the watch all the time. If I really need to, I have a battery case.

        Your other criticisms (and the article’s) are valid, but not urgent to me.

    • jmiko2015 - 8 years ago

      Tried both cameras. Been able to capture night sky with stars easily visible with Galaxy S7. Apple definitely needs to make the night camera like this.

      • Noah Allen - 8 years ago

        Thankfully, the s7 is meant to compete with the iPhone 7, not the iPhone 6s. I gotta say though, the GS6 camera at least matches the 6s if not betters it. My roommate had one and the phone was unbearably choppy and slow, but the camera was beautiful.

    • pdixon1986 - 8 years ago

      once upon a time my battery would last longer… if you rarely touch your phone, and maybe for light browsing and the odd game – then you get a days battery and maybe a bit more… but as soon as you want to go on facebook, have the screen on too long, have a longer commute, or actually properly use the phone for work and play (as it is intended) then you find even the iphone 6plus struggles to make it through the day…

      When you are on the go and need an actual all day battery (for example my laptop will last a full work day if i am connected to the internet, doing browsing, writing documents etc — but my iphone doesnt come close… it would be like using my laptop with wifi and everything turned off, keeping the screen dim etc etc)…which means, for those of us that use the phone to do our work through the day (whether thats calling, messaging, going online, having a break with a few games) we need to charge during the day — which is when fast charging is needed for a quick top up… plus, there are times when we need our phones even at night – maybe we went to a late night event, or we are travelling home from vacation etc… apple kinda admitted it’s an issue by making their own battery pack.

      Bezels — yes bezels… for a smaller phone – ok… for the 6, liveable… but as soon as you jump to the iphone 6plus, then you really notice how big the phone is when it doesnt need to be — in fact, it would probably be possible to put a 5″ screen in the iphone 5SE if they reduced the bezels.

      Camera – if you really think they are offering the best camera then you must live under a rock… they are on par with many other phones, and do outshine cheaper phones… BUT they are not the best — other phones have been pushing for better night shots etc.

      Waterproof — people are not dropping phones in water all the time BUT some people live near lakes and beaches… some people go fishing on the lake… some people have swimming pools and want to be connect to the world by the poolside… and some people have kids of which are sometimes unpredictable and will use your phone as a submarine…then there are people like me who like to listen to music in the shower and bath.

      Base model storage — this has nothing to do with business… storage is a lot cheaper than what it used to be even a year ago — considering a 16gb micro SD is about $6 and a 32gb micro SD is around $12…it will not cost apple much to stop with the 16gb base model — apps are bigger than what they used to be, videos take up more space (especially now iphones do 4K), plus they want to encourage gaming etc too (which some of the high end games around about 2gb or more)…

      iOS has barely changed over the years — it’s just had stuff added to it here and there…and the design simplified to better suit Ives design image… it is heavily outdated and needs a full refresh — plus the fact they are still running an iphone OS on an ipad and the fact they are not taking advantage of the larger screen size of the iphone 6plus, shows that something needs to be done.

      Clearly you are happy with your phone — but a lot of people are not… having used the iphone 4 and 5 and now 6plus i am strongly considering skipping 7 and actually downgrading to the iphone 5SE (the 5 was the best design and now it outshines the iphone 6) — Apple have also hit a peak with iphones and will need to both catch up AND surpass the competition if they want to impress — they have fallen behind, and are missing many key features which are becoming standing among other flagship phones.

      • migsimoes (@migsimoes) - 8 years ago

        rip off Facebook from your phone, you dont need it, it is just a wast of resources, even when the App is off or not in background, the App is still running and eating recourses from you phone. to prove my acusations, just close the app, throu it away from background, then go to another computer friends, see his Facebook page, and voilá, you are there marked as available on the phone.

        I deleted the App from the phone and improved significantely the battery life, also the Messages (facebook) the same sh***t.

        If you want to use Facebook on the mobile, just use it on Safari, all the possibilities are there.

      • pdixon1986 - 8 years ago

        i have heard using it on safari is better for the battery but to be honest, facebook isnt a huge issue for me… it’s 830pm where i am and my facebook battery reads 7% usage… chrome used more…although games used the most.

      • PMZanetti - 8 years ago

        Apple’s customer SAT ratings and the iPhone customer SAT ratings indicate that you are talking out of your ass.

  9. Tim Evans - 8 years ago

    I agree with most of Mossburg’s points. And if the iPhone 7 doesn’t include those features, it probably will be a flop … to critics. What critics fail to take into account is they are not the typical user.

    There are three types of smartphone users, based on my observations. The first is primarily price-sensitive. They will always pick the cheapest smartphone, so more than likely, an Android phone. The second type is spec-obsessed. These also tend to pick Android because Android phones generally look better on paper than iPhones. Finally, you have where I think most users fall. These people are primarily concerned with ease of use. Because Apple focuses so much on user experience, these people will tend to choose iPhones.

    • DanG (@Ingila_Bear) - 8 years ago

      I’m a 4th kind of user. Jumping between Android and iPhone. I used both Android phones and iPhones extensively for work. My last iPhone was 6S and my latest Android is S7 edge. I’m not going back to another iPhone until Apple make improvements on sharing files between apps and make the back button larger.

  10. Avieshek (@avieshek) - 8 years ago

    Prefer MacRumors rendering of iPhone SE for iPhone 7

  11. applegetridofsimandjack - 8 years ago

    It won’t have better battery life. Why? Because every time Apple makes an iPad, iPod or iPhone and realise it has much better battery life than the standards they have had for previous iPhones, they will make it thinner untill they reach the same battery life. Because thinness has an extremely underestimated WOW-effect.

    I’m a designer myself so I know what I’m talking about. Apple will never sacrifice thinness for battery life. It just won’t happen and I can understand that.

    • rnc - 8 years ago

      The iPads always had the same battery life: 10 hours.

      The iPhones ALWAYS had BETTER battery life than the previous generation. So your argument is invalid.

      • Jonny - 8 years ago

        iPhones 4, 4s, 5, and 5s all had the same battery life when it comes to audio and video playback. Talk time and internet time varied slightly. So YOUR argument is INVALID.

  12. mpias3785 - 8 years ago

    I absolutely agree with Mossberg, especially on the first point. The iPhone needs significantly better battery life, thinness be damned. I’m surprised Ive hasn’t outgrown this silly obsession yet.

  13. 311sie - 8 years ago

    I think it’s pretty clear that Mossberg hasn’t been a “friend of apple” since Jobs passing and his writing reflects it. Not to say that his perspective should be ignored, but he has not been an insider for a while now.

    • mpias3785 - 8 years ago

      Apple hasn’t been a “friend of Apple” since Jobs died and you don’t have to be an insider to see this, simply objective. Jobs had control over Ive, now no one does. Ive is going to thin the company out of existence and Cook doesn’t see this because he has no passion for the products.

      The BOD needs to do something about this very soon.

      • taoprophet420 - 8 years ago

        6s is .2 mm thicker then the 6, because of adding 3D Touch to the display panel. The 7 being 1 mm thinner is solely because of the display panel being 1 mm thinner. The 9.7″ iPad has stayed the same thickness of 6.1 mm since the first Air. Apple is not as obsessed about thinness as people try to say.

      • pdixon1986 - 8 years ago

        I’m glad there is someone else who has noticed what Ive is doing… personally i think Ive feels he’s reached perfection and so it’s just about minor changes… i actually feel his designs are very outdated and not a game changer… he needs to retire and allow a new generation of designers to take center stage and show how a phone should look now instead of almost 10 years ago (notice how iphone 6 brought back the curved edges, plus the metallic back, and the same old iOS with a flatter design).

        Other phones have shown that if the iphone was a little thicker and used an oled display that it could have a bigger battery, it could have a better camera with no bump, it can have many more things — but a lot has been sacrificed for Ives design…. i am almost certain it is him who wants the headphone jack gone because of design symmetry, and for the same reason it is him wanting to keep the big upper and lower bezels.

  14. bdkennedy1 - 8 years ago

    Like I’ve said several previous times, Apple is spreading its management thin and going back to the days of the early 90’s when it got itself into trouble. Too much focus on how many products they can make and not enough products that are of high quality.

    Cars, watches, computers, phones, music, iPod’s, iPad’s, UFO campuses, server farms, iCloud infrastructure, etc.

  15. Grayson Mixon - 8 years ago

    Here is the one thing I completely agree with, and is actually possible.

    Steve Jobs said that FaceTime would become a standard. It hasn’t, but it could be eventually. But it really doesn’t have to be for Apple to release an Android and Windows FaceTime app. And while they are at it, why not iMessage.

    The thing is, with so many people having Androids, people turn to cross platform solutions like Facebook Messenger, Skype, and Hangouts, and if they are used to using those apps, they use them to communicate with other iPhone users as well. I mean, why not use the same app for everyone you know?

    Apple has released an Android app for Apple Music, and they have released Windows apps for years. Why not make FaceTime and iMessage cross platform? I don’t see any harm there. It’s not like those are major selling points for iOS and OS X. People on other platforms just find another way to accomplish the same thing, not buy Apple products to get those features.

    • r00fus1 - 8 years ago

      For FaceTime, see virnetX patent suit. Why should Apple pay patent licensing fees for each install of Facetime on another device just so they sell less iDevices?

    • Aunty T (@AuntyTroll) - 8 years ago

      They have cross-platform iTunes purely because it makes money for them. Releasing iMessage or Facetime will give Apple absolutely zero monetary gain, so it will never happen.

    • pdixon1986 - 8 years ago

      i use facebook messenger for the simple reason, everything is in one app… i can message, call, and video chat all from the one app – i can still send videos, photos, and files…also links… and now even play a simple mini game of basketball. — i can get all my messages from the message app, the facebook page, or even the messenger browser on any platform… iMessage, just like facetime, just like iWorks, just like Apple Mail, just like iCloud ARE ALL FAR BEHIND!

      Microsoft and google allow you to share docs and colab on docs from the browsers. Sharing files is far more easier on other cloud storage.
      iTunes is a complete mess and so confusing — you have your own files, apple files, your phone, streaming music service, music store, movie store, tv store…

      Apple need to integrate a lot more – which is why they need to redesign iOS… theyve just been adding and adding, and now it’s all over the place.

  16. “3. Seriously shrink, the large top and bottom bezels on the iPhone, and even the smaller side ones”

    This. I was cringing so hard when I watched the iPhone SE event and they released this new 4-inch phone that is “the best 4-inch phone on the market” as Phil described and it’s bezels were the same as Original iPhone from 2007.

    It’s a disgrace how old Apples LCD screens look compared to OLED and how embarrassingly thick the bezels are. IT’S A DISGRACE. Apple has made a fool of themselves. If there’s no improvement on this with iPhone 7 I, for the first time in my life, will switch to superior Android phones.

    • Rich Davis (@RichDavis9) - 8 years ago

      OLED for many years wasn’t that great as they had that Green tint to them and they didn’t hold their color well over time. It’s gotten better which I think it’s time for Apple to switch, which they are in the process of doing that, but they also have to design their screens with their own technology and get production capacities up, and the costs down, which is why they got Foxconn to buy Sharp and get more involved with mfg panels. That will hopefully allow Apple to have newer screen technology designed where Samsung and LG don’t necessarily know what they are doing. It may take some time for them to adopt OLED, but it’s definitely in the works. I just don’t know if they’ll do it for the iPhone 7 or not.

    • Rich Davis (@RichDavis9) - 8 years ago

      FYI, I have a friend that just bought a S6 Edge and she can’t stand the thing and it’s more with the OS than anything else.

      They simply had to cut corners in some areas with the 6SE so they could drop the price, which is why they essentially stuck with the same case design with minor altercations to it. I wasn’t cringing with the 6SE event, I know why they are doing things the way they are and it’s probably the only thing that made sense from a cost standpoint and what little room they have to jam whatever they can. I think they did a decent job considering, but then again, I’m not in the market for 4inch model, but for those that are, it’s probably one of the best 4inch models on the market and they did manage to drop the price, which is always a good thing.

      I do wish Apple would get off their can and just get 32GB as standard without having to jack up the MSRP, and just bite the bullet on that one, that would certainly make a lot of people happy.

  17. Avieshek (@avieshek) - 8 years ago

    Can’t comment Pictures? Bring ‘Disqus’

  18. Rich Davis (@RichDavis9) - 8 years ago

    First off, Apple handling Gmail better? why? It’s a POS email system. I think it’s not Apple’s fault, I think it’s Google fault for how they designed Gmail to work on IOS, same with Maps, same with any Google app that’s meant to run on iOS, so I think Walt is off his rocker. He should be telling Google to get their apps to work better on iOS. Personally, I rarely use Google apps, most of them suck. I wish Apple had a Google Earth equivalent, I’m sure they’d do a better job once they got the data set handled, which they are doing better. I think Google Earth has a LOT of room for improvement, even though it’s fun to poke around at street views, it still sucks at it.

    I agree with everything else he says, but his take on the 6SE. The 6SE was released now for several reasons. 1. They have people that want a 4inch screen. 2. Apple simply does NOT have the amount of production capacity to release all models once a year, they HAVE to stagger product releases and since we are going into the slower quarters, it’s better for them to release the smaller screen, less expensive model now, than to do it in reverse, so Walt doesn’t GET IT. I think dementia is setting into Walt’s aging brain, either that or he’s just not a small screen buyer and he just doesn’t get the production capacity limitations. Heck, Samsung doesn’t release every new model at the same time, they stagger product releases.

    Yeah, Apple already has the design locked up and Walt should know this, but he’s a typical media idiot that likes to get attention to feel important, when all he is is just some overpaid person that sits around playing with tech toys acting like he actually knows what he’s talking about. I gave up on Wall Street Journal many years ago,, I don’t see them as the best sources for business information, and tech information?? Nope, Walt does fairly superficial reviews, they seem to have gotten more like your typical local newspaper, where they are just going for what gets ad clicks and not really supplying a lot of depth in what they cover.

    • Michael Harwell - 8 years ago

      Maybe Rupert Murdock sent an email to all the journalists to start sensationalizing headlines and stories a la Fox News.

  19. taoprophet420 - 8 years ago

    The display is lagging way behind other devices. Even mid tier Android phones have a much higher dpi then then iPhones. i have a hard time believing Apple can’t get enough OLED displays. With 3D Touch I’m not sure how easy it is to put that tech with an OLED display panel.

    Apple has had patents for years to put Touch ID in either the Apple logo or display panel. It’s not that hard to reduce the bezels and physical size of the iPhone. LG had the G2 mini 2 years ago and it comes close to squeezing a 4.7″ display in something barely wider then the iPhone 5 and SE.

    Battery I don’t much of an issue with. My 6 plus gives me a day and half of usage which is plenty. Removing the SIM card and headphone jack would allow the. To make 2/3 or. Ore of the battery all on one side of the decice, similar to how the G5, board and battery are laid out. It doesn’t take that like for my 6 plus to charge.

    The built in Apps do need a lot of work for both iPhones and iPads.

    Most of all Apple just needs to release a bold design. The G 5 is a welcomed bit of fresh air in the smartphone market. I’m tired of staring at huge chins and using a home button that became needless with 3D Touch. Bake Touch ID into the Apple Logo or into the display like Apple has had patented for a couple of years and get rid of the giant fucking bezels. OLED would be great for higher dpi and reduced or no side bezel.

    All the new internals and features are great, but the physical design is stale. The 12.9″ iPad Pro is the prime example of Apple sticking to the old silhouette. Time for the Jay Leno chin and forehead to go away from idevices.

  20. According to many biographers and insider accounts. Walt Moss berg was extremely close to jobs and he along with David Pogue and John Gruber are the only journalists apple really cared about so think before you speak

  21. espressosipper - 8 years ago

    Pretty much agree with the Walt. Better screens would be awesome as well.

  22. Lawrence Krupp - 8 years ago

    Apple, proudly failing and doomed for forty years come next week. I swear if had a nickel for every “What Apple must do to survive” article I’d be richer than the Donald.

    • chrisl84 - 8 years ago

      Had Jobs not rescued Apple it would have FAILED….so yeah, your sarcasm pointing to 40 years of dominance is rewriting history.

      • Michael Harwell - 8 years ago

        where in his comment did he say Apple had dominated anything?

      • chrisl84 - 8 years ago

        That is the typical implied belief of the “apple is doomed” mock comment. If you don’t understand that you dont even belong in the comment section.

    • chris9771 - 8 years ago

      “I’d be richer than the Donald.” You might be – no one knows! LOL

  23. crichton007 - 8 years ago

    Years ago when Microsoft added “widgets” to Windows I read Walt’s review (not something I did regularly back then and still don’t do today) and he said that Microsoft was just copying Apple with that feature. I emailed him to point out that Apple had copied the feature first and his reply was that it wasn’t relevant. I guess that is a nit-picky detail but to me if you’re going to blame one tech giant for copying another you might as well point out that someone small was ripped off first. I understand this is how things work and I’m not bitter about either company doing it but I do feel that it was shoddy journalism. Ever since then I’ve not had a lot of respect for Mossberg and I still don’t understand why he is so revered.

  24. What’s the deal with the thin bezels? The current ones have enough room for a protective case (like the leather one Apple produces, I really like it and has protected the phone well) and there is much less chance that you accidentally touch something with your palm while adjusting your grip, especially if you use the phone with one hand only.

    • Michael Harwell - 8 years ago

      He likes it shorter… but apparently doesn’t care that the iPhone is thinner.

    • taoprophet420 - 8 years ago

      The iPad Pro’s already have screen tech that ignores accidentally screen touches like resting plan of hand on it when you draw with the Pencil.The smartphones that have smaller bezels still have room for cases.There is also the ability for Apple to build a device that doesn’t require a case. They are rumors the entire shell for the & will be ceramic

  25. macnificentseven48 - 8 years ago

    Who cares what Mossberg thinks? Apple is a global corporation and with Tim Cook running it and having to report to a board of directors isn’t going to be taking any major risks. As an Apple shareholder I’d rather Apple continue making small upgrades with their main product than taking any major risks and end up alienating loyal customers. I’m sure Apple must know what it is doing or at least I hope they know what they’re doing. Most consumer companies in the world don’t take major risks because there’s too much to lose if some mistake is made. Change just for the sake of change is stupid. Why should Apple listen to a bunch of tech-heads when it comes to creating products? I’m sorry, but I don’t want to see Apple create an Edsel. The Mustang was one of those rare things that seldom happen. Success can easily turn into failure for a company by taking big risks and I don’t want to see that happen to Apple. If they have to take a risk, let it be with some other product and not the iPhone.

  26. Jimmy Hauser - 8 years ago

    I would LOVE to be able to use iMessage on my windows desktop. I doubt that’s ever going to happen though.

  27. RP - 8 years ago

    I phone 6 is neither a clean nor elegant design. Which makes it a very un-Apple device and looked dated from the moment it was released.

    Yes, it preposterously humongous for its screen side and has a lot of little weird details like the antenna bands and camera bump that distract. I have no idea how the thing got past concept stage. It has made the SE look all the more appealing.

    All of the things that Walt mentioned are on the button but I do not think we will be seeing anything but minor tweaks and refinements this year. By all the leaks and rumors it sounds like a massive upgrade is in the wings but won’t be ready until next year.

    • taoprophet420 - 8 years ago

      I agree unless Apple decides to release an iPhone Pro and includes OLED and a fresh design.

      The iPhone 6 is the laziest external design I have seen Apple release. I would like to see how Jobs would reacted if Ivey handed him a mockup of the 6. Im sure it would been smashed against a wall.

      • bdkennedy1 - 8 years ago

        I think the iPhone 5 was the last design Steve saw and was likely involved with. I don’t feel he would have ever gone from a “beautiful Leica camera” design to the boring design that was Jony approved. And I agree Steve would have smashed it against a wall.

  28. ankushnarula - 8 years ago

    Kind of agree with the conclusion – although I do think Apple can do both at the same time. How about wow-ing us with an innovative solution to the battery/charging problem rather than wasting time on stuff nobody asked for like Lightning audio?

  29. AeronPeryton - 8 years ago

    The exact opposite.

    Apple needed to always be bold and daring when it was almost dead. Now that Apple is not going to die, they need to be predictable and dependable far more than exciting and surprising. iPhone users want to be excited, but they also need to know that they will get something technically better yet mostly the same so they can feel safe continuing to buy them. I like the Apple that is refining itself as a company just as much as it refines its products. The Apple that is almost completely carbon neutral. The Apple that is spending millions and taking millions in hits to fight for factory worker conditions and refusing to deal with supply chains that won’t. The Apple that cares about my privacy so much that it is willing to take political heat for it.

    People say that Apple is starting to lose its lustiness. But in the terms of releasing products with a front-facing OMG wow! factor, that happened years ago. A lot of why Apple is still being considered bold and daring is because they are doing things that scare stalwarts like driving technology forward by shedding legacy junk that people don’t use anymore. Getting rid of optical drives and removing the HDD performance bottleneck is so daring. At least to an industry that historically holds onto the past for dear life.

    The iPhone 7 will probably look different, definitely be faster and more powerful, and is guaranteed to make Apple hundreds of millions of dollars no matter how many scare pieces WSD, Gizmodo, or 9to5 writes.

  30. Notnerd (@N0tnerd) - 8 years ago

    Walt Mossberg is so attention starved. A few weeks ago he was talking about how the new Samsung phones are horribly cluttered with software. The iPhone 7 will be either a little better or a bunch better, and guess what, it will break sales records again. I think Walt and Gene Munster should go find a clue.

    • Inaba-kun (@Inaba_kun) - 8 years ago

      Well done on completely misunderstanding him. He praises Samsung’s hardware because why wouldn’t he? It’s beautiful and clearly a generation beyond the iPhone. But he also slams Samsung for Touchwiz and carrier crap.

      • Tom@L (@Wild_hunt_) - 8 years ago

        which are fair points. Hardware wise, s7 edge blows iphone away. Samsung’s software is the problem as usual. Walt’s observations are definitely correct as iPhone is definitely falling behind hardware wise except for its SOC.

  31. animatedude - 8 years ago

    I’m sorry but all the 7 reasons he listed are LAME! who cares if it’s waterproof?! what you wanna take it to the swimming pool? GET A LIFE! and anyone who thinks the iPhone in general doesn’t offer proper Battery, again NEEDS TO GET A LIFE!…How about Apple add features that will change everything like WIRELESS CHARGING!

  32. taoprophet420 - 8 years ago

    The 2 most exciting things from Monday announcements were CareKit and an iPhone recycling robot. Apple still has some innovative products, but most them are services and api’s. The devices are not getting the most out of the backbones Apple is building.Hopefully with the new Camus coming Apple will be get back to were the software and hardware are equally and one organism. Apple needs some restructuring and fresh voices.

    HealthKit, CareKit, ResearchKit and the Health app are all pretty fantastic, The bad thing is there is no device that pushes those thing to truly innovative life changing technologies. The Apple Watch is being promoted as a doodle device, you get notifications on and is a $299 iPhone accessory.They could have a true health tracking device to take advantage of the truly great technologies that will change forever how we view and manage are health. The health api’s and app are being kept from being life changing, because Apple has not released a device that takes full advantage of it. Instead we get some colorful nylon straps and lather bands in new colors.

    HomeKit, iBeacons, AirPlay and CarPlay all pretty great, but because MFI and other old Apple thinking devices are slow to market.Apple TV 4 could been a great home hub with HomeKit built in and Airport built in. Instead the Apple TV $ still feels beta even with the new tvOS updates.

    Photos app for Mac and iOS have not gained much sense they were announced or released. Many of Apple’s apps have been neglected, back in the days of iLife the apps got plenty of stage time and periodic updates throughout the year, not just when OS X got a yearly update 5 years later iOS for iPad is still mostly a blown up version of the iPhone. minus split screen, the UI for iPads has not been optimized for the larger screens they have and is the biggest thing holding back their sales, The OS is greatly holding iPads back, they are great pieces of hardware that lack the OS, UI and software they deserve.

    iPhones external design is growing old. They implement great tech like3#D Touch, but are slow to take advantage fully of it. Tie to ditch the home button and reduce the bezels. 3D Touch is perfect for iPad’s, but they don’t have support it even though they can do 3D Touch gestures with the Apple Pencil. Apple should turned on those gestures and include pencils for all iPad Pro’s to increase the productivity of iPads. The gestures of 3D Touch are most more suitable for iPads then iPhones.

    I hope the new giant spaceship campus allows Apple to take full measures instead of the many half steps the products and software have taking lately.Im tired of flyovers of the fucking place. I want to see how it will help Apple be a better company and release the best products and services they can make.

    • Noah Allen - 8 years ago

      I disagree with most of the comments here, but this is probably one of the best points about Apple right now. There’s SO much potential, but there are so many things that could be improved. Another thing to add software wise, share extensions and the like are really great… but currently more difficult to use than on Android. Same with App switching. On Android, links automatically open in their proper apps, but on iOS most links take you to the web and then ask you to open an app. Developers could support that better, of course, but Apple could make it default. There’s so much good, but also so much that small improvements would make iOS a million times more easy and intuitive to use.

  33. Walt was pretty spot on with all his comments , apple is turning into Microsoft when their down fall started. They are to big to take a risk….but what got apple back in the game ? A damn see through colored computer!!!!!! This whole “S” upgrade crap is getting old, the “S” update is just to buy two years time to create a new iphone. iOS is getting boring , 3D touch is useless and a gimmick, and it has half ass widgets. Again how long can apple keep everything the same? I for one am sick of it, and the only reason I still have iPhone is imsg , switch back to green bubbles/text msg is hell especially now that mostly every has a iphone, I think apple knows this. They are getting complacent and lazy is software and design. The last great design choice they made was the new mac book, and in typical apple fashion they make it low powered so when the next update comes they don’t have to change much just the internals. But more recently I have been hearing from normal’s (non-techies) “its the same, let me guess its faster”. Apple has forgot what got them to the point they are now GREAT HARDWARE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! that’s whats they are known for , and that’s what sells. Shit if it wasn’t for imsg and samsung’s terrible software I would have a edge 7 already, and even apple die-hards cant deny that phone is beautiful. I don’t even want to get started on the head phone jack thing, blutooth head phone’s suck and they break all the time, and they don’t sound good. Im sure apple will pawn of some cheap beats shit, but I have a friend who is a manger at best buy and the return rate on beats its super high , they break bottom line. I am tied into the apple echo system , iphone, mac, apple tv, (the apple watch is ugly and anyone who knows watches knows this) sorry no apple watch. But if there aren’t any Major changes to the 7, I am 96% sure ill ditch it for a nexus and deal with the pain of losing text messages in no where land.

    • chris9771 - 8 years ago

      “Apple has forgot what got them to the point they are now GREAT HARDWARE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ” .. What?? Where has this ever been written, that Apple is a great software company?? And I am sorry you are having trouble with SMS vs Imessage, really its a color change of a bubble – what is the difficulty of that for you? the “lost messages” bug was fixed a few Ios’s ago.

      if iOS really all that boring for you, why do you have an iOS device? are you locked into the Apple ecosystem? (not sarcasm, truly wondering)

      • Noah Allen - 8 years ago

        SMS has tons of problems with the character limits and long messages coming in out of order and MMS is a joke on most Android phones (I’m talking Moto X, GS6, GS5, etc). Trying to have a multi-person chat over anything SMS or MMS related is a disaster. There’s something like a 10 person limit, and beyond that texts get to people’s phones in really weird ways. iMessage is far superior to both of those standards, as is any other IM service. Thank God T-Mobile is developing an advanced messaging service to replace those. (https://newsroom.t-mobile.com/news-and-blogs/advanced-messaging-blog.htm)

      • chris9771 - 8 years ago

        Thanks Noah, I have a windows phone now (due to Ip5s logic board issue) but when i had the 5s I didnt experience any of those issues between devices. I didnt have 10 person chats going, so that could be why.

  34. Brandon Burkett - 8 years ago

    Wait. Apple needs to release a game changing product every year, else they are doomed. Samsung plays the spec game each year, and that’s innovation? I think that logic is terribly flawed.

    By that same measure, Intel is useless, as they haven’t released any “game changing” products since, arguably, the return from P4 to Core microarchitecture. Just yearly spec bumps (new node, new additions to arch, slightly higher clocks). Perhaps the Iris arch.

    This ADHD inspired mentality of some ill defined “game changing” advancement that must come yearly is a mental illness. It needs to stop. If/when a leap comes, be it in the form of performance, feature or new category, we will revel in it, like we did with the first iPhone (even if it doesn’t come from Apple). Until then, expecting this from any company is just disturbing.

    The iPhone 7 needs to be an iPhone 7. Be it 100 new features, or just a rebadge of a 6s. It is great to wish, want, hope. It’s an entirely other to get emotional over it.

  35. Apple Car will be the iPhone 7. Same design as 6S but with wheels. Big enough leap for you Mossberg!?

  36. Inaba-kun (@Inaba_kun) - 8 years ago

    Mossberg is right, but he’ll be disappointed if Gurnan’s rumours are correct. Sounds like the iPhone 7 is just a 6 minus the ability to plug in 99.999999999999999999% of the world’s headphones. Its stunningly uninteresting and completely pointless. Doesn’t even sound like Apple will fix the slippery shape or the ugly design.

  37. bhayes444 - 8 years ago

    The overall point of the article is agreeable, but there are some serious fact issues in here. Not every Android flagship has Quickcharge 2 or 3; the Nexus 5X and 6P do not have this tech. They essentially use a fast charging equivalent (although not as nice); akin to the iPhone 6 fast charging. Also, the Nexus 6 wasn’t the first phone with Quickcharge, it did come out during the year of Quickcharge… Heck, not every Android flagship even came with a microSD slot. Last year’s S6 is a notable example, and every Nexus phone after the Nexus One; to name a few. Even the Nexus 5X and Moto X pure edition start with 16GB of storage.

    Granted, this is based on Mossberg’s list, but picking out what you like best in a phone and saying that Apple needs to do it is what tech enthusiasts have been doing for forever. Everyone wants a phone with the battery life of X, the ergonomics of Y, the power of Z, etc.

  38. Mike Retondo (@mretondo) - 8 years ago

    “perhaps its time to put that Home button behind the screen.”
    What are you nuts! Press the button on the back. Flip the phone over in your hand. Pick up phone off of floor now with cracked screen.

    • Doug Aalseth - 8 years ago

      Not a 100% sure but I think he meant make it a touch button through the screen, not a physical one.

  39. bpmajesty - 8 years ago

    #3 & #6 are the only ones that I think are majors. The others don’t move me at all.
    • My battery gets me through a full day with lots to spare.
    • With that being said, I charge my battery at night while I’m sleeping, so I don’t really care how long it takes to charge.
    • The camera on the iPhone is just perfect for me. Any additional technology there is welcomed, but I don’t need it.
    • My wife & daughter would love a waterproof iPhone, so I’ll concede that this needs to happen. But I couldn’t care less about this. I have an Watch, so my phone doesn’t go near water anymore.
    • I haven’t had an issue with Apple Maps in over a year. I actually love and appreciate how CLEAN the UI is. Other maps services are cluttered- especially Google. Mail works fine. iMessage would be nice if it were multi-platform, but in no way does that make not having this feature a make or break for Apple.

    Overall, Mossberg needs to calm it down just a little bit. @llsethj I wholeheartedly agree with everything you wrong after the DISAGREE title. We don’t want Apple to keep us with Android. We want Apple to make us proud again.

    • bpmajesty - 8 years ago

      *wrote, not wrong. BTW- For reference, I have an iPhone 6S Plus.

    • chris9771 - 8 years ago

      Great comment. (and thank you for saying “couldn’t” care less. huge pet peeve to me when people say they ‘could care less’…I want to tell them to stop caring so much! LOL :)

      • bpmajesty - 8 years ago

        Ha! Yes!!! I am compelled to correct people when they say that.

  40. Joseph Mireles - 8 years ago

    I love my iPhone 6, dont get me wrong, but, there are some simple things that Apple could do to appease much of the crowd without being innovative. Give us a native swipe feature that WORKS WITHOUT HAVING TO USE HALF BAKED 3RD PARTY KEYBOARDS. Let us do more with the phone without having to jailbreak it, such as completely turn off animations, instead of having the reduced motions. LET US FREAKIN MODIFY OUR DOCK TO SOMETHING OTHER THAN A 5×4 GRID. Let us have swappable docks. Give us true multi-tasking for the love of god.

    Sorry /endrant

  41. jedwards87 - 8 years ago

    Walt is an out of touch old man that should retire already.

  42. Paul Van Obberghen - 8 years ago

    Apple is innovating and it is not where media people – including the most clever ones, including Walt Mossberg – are expecting them to innovate. They expecting Apple to provide the world a “wow” consumer product every other year, and that would be innovating. Right?
    Apparently these people where asleap during the first part of the last keynote and numerous ones before. A company that is aiming at having 100% of the energy that it needs to exist renewable – worldwide! – IS a company that is innovating. A BIG WAY. It may not be as spectacular as the 1st iPhone or iMac but it is way more innovative. Especially when it doesn’t only do it in the U.S. but also in… China! Not to mention it’s investment in renewability of its own products, going up to inventing a robot that would intelligently tear a used iPhone apart to recycle as much as possible. Who else does that?
    And then comes the HealthKit, ResearchKit and now CareKit, which Apple is providing FOR FREE and open source it. Ain’t that innovating A BIG WAY?
    If Walt Mossberg is right, Apple would be innovating by implementing everything that the others already do into the iPhone. And that would be “innovating”. Right?

  43. vxxxcv - 8 years ago

    It wont be a flop even if it has hole in a screen.Their customers are tossers,idiots who want to pay for old spec phone.

  44. Patrick Metcalfe - 8 years ago

    It’s Apple…please just wow us. I know a lot of people say they “have to” do something and they frankly don’t but please just bring the magic we all love. There are years when I do t realize how incredible Apple is until I use the new product (Apple Pencil, 3D Touch, etc) and I hope they have something like that. Apple…change the world!

  45. cruz23site - 8 years ago

    I did never like comparisons with Samsung..
    Samsung has the edge on many things, ok, good. But Apple has other qualities no one else has.

    But in obe thing I will agree that Samsung has done great thar Apple refuses to do: listen to costumers!

    Doesn’t matter if you’re coming from iOS or Android, everybody likes:
    – more memory. The base model in Samsung’s phone is 32GB and it can be increased by 2 TB (yes, you read this correctly, Google it).
    – bigger battery life. Samsung offers more durable flagship models.
    – fast charging. Even fast wireless charging.
    – dust and water resistance.

    Android phones don’t offer many updates but they offer features, real features nowadays, it’s not the same lame OS it used to be.

    Apple better wow me too next September!

  46. Jamison.IO (@Jamison_IO) - 8 years ago

    The Apple of 2007-2012 will never be seen again in my lifetime.

  47. pdixon1986 - 8 years ago

    So many were not impressed by the iphone 6 — the rounded design meant gripping was awkward, it hurt peoples hands, most screen protectors are not able to do a full job, the made compromises on the camera and the actual strength of the phone — in iphone 6s we saw minor improvements, such as the removal of the bump and some reinforcement.

    The iphone 7 NEEDS to reduce the bezels — especially the top and bottom!!!
    They need to add USB-C and stop monopolising over the lightning cable which is NOT the future of tech.
    They need to remove the bands!!! (i would rather it be glass than plastic that often looks discoloured and out of place) — other companies added ‘bumpers’ that allow for phone signals etc.
    They need to catch up with tech — update the display!!!
    But most importantly — update the iOS… this next one will be iOS 10 — the way people use and interact with technology has changed over the years BUT Apple continue to use an iOS that still feels more or less the same as how it did way back when — it has had many features added, which for me now makes it feel bloated — they also gave it a little makeup session (which is now becoming old).
    Personally, i feel Ive is sticking passionately to his designs which were great BUT they are struggling to keep up with modern times… it just seems like he’s there in the background saying “my design took years of study and development…it IS the perfect design… we can only make MINOR improvements” — thus making it thinner seems like the only options for them at the moment…

    7 needs to be something amazing — but sadly i think this could be their biggest flop in iphones.

  48. BeardMan - 8 years ago

    “Make the iPhone waterproof. Like Samsung.”

    The Galaxy S7 isn’t waterproofed. It’s water-resistant!

    Mossberg didn’t do his homework well.

  49. shareef777 - 8 years ago

    Seth, you’re wrong and all that agree with you are nothing more then sheep. Say the word Samsung or Android and everyone jumps stomps all over you. Who the hell DOESN’T want a better battery that’ll charge faster? Who here prefers large bezels? Weren’t we all clamoring for bezel free phones for years!? I don’t recall seeing anyone say INCREASE bezel size, I love talking on my iPad like its a phone! Nor does anyone enjoy a fragile phone. Don’t know about you guys but I loved seeing that video showing the iPhone 6 being submerged in water for an hour. Now make it officially water proof (and therefore covered by warranty) so I can feel comfortable about my phone laying near any drink or having a cup accidentally spilled on it. And 16GB is a joke when it costs Apple pennies to bump that minimum. Finally, Maps sucks and Siri pales in comparison to OK Google and even Amazon’s Echo.

    The only point I disagreed with Mossberg on is the camera (iPhones have always had the best smartphone cameras outside the Lumia line). Everything else is nailed down perfectly. But he mentions Samsung/Android and everyone dismisses everything he said. Years of pro-apple reviews and ONE suggestion and everyone brings the pitch forks out. SMDH!

  50. migsimoes (@migsimoes) - 8 years ago

    some guys are still Windows / Android brain, and want to mix it with Apple.

    touch the core os the iOS from outsideres would simple kill the whole thing. thats whats make Apple different to alll the others, it works, not by the grace o god, but because the develop it and test it. if you give permissions to touch on the core of your system, you will loose control of it and then we would have an Android in your hands.

    so if you want to mod. your system buy a windows or a android, leave Apple alone, we love it as it is

  51. cjt3007 - 8 years ago

    I completely understand why Jony didn’t go… I fell asleep and didn’t bother to watch the video over again cause I just didn’t care about anything in it (except the black milanese loop band). Like, WTF was the point of this past event?

  52. ロハン増進 - 8 years ago

    More than technical specs and technology, importantly, Apple really needs to get back to track on design. Let make iphones like iphones, not just phones! Their technology is never the problem even after Steve’s era. But they have surely blown away their taste in design and image of Apple brand. 16 to 64 GB iphone models, ugly accessories, soulless ios design, less practical hardware like macbook with one port, Apple pencil charging style, magic mouse 2 charging style, ugly antenna lines on iphone 6x series and so on. seeing iphone SE I am happy to know that they have realized their mistake somewhat and tried to follow their proven and loved design standard even though its old. People still love prior iphone 6x much more than ugly 6x series. Let’s hope for the best to come!

  53. Philip Steffel - 8 years ago

    Mossberg needs to get his Google head out of his Android a*…tush… Seriously who in their right mind is still using gmail? Especially if you have an iPhone and a @me /@icloud adress….

  54. vkd108 - 8 years ago

    Please could you kindly explain the grammar of the highlighted section of the following sentence from your above article:

    ” Neither is the fact that Apple’s Chief Design Officer Jony Ive >>>didn’t make the 2-building over commute to see the show.<<<"

  55. tmaraccini - 8 years ago

    The thing that Apple should do is to ignore the laundry lists of features that tech journalists rattle off. Also, avoid anything that is “like” the competition. “like” means you’re behind.

    None of the listed features makes for a better phone.

    so, go ahead Apple. Do what you think I’ll like. And, I’ll vote with my money.

  56. piablo - 8 years ago

    Honestly, it’s like Veruca Salt writes these things. “I want a spectacular iPhone, and I WANT IT NOWWWW!”. This same stuff gets pulled out each year, dusted off with new feature demands, but the same tired diatrbe about flopping and failing.

    Yawn.

  57. Griffin Kennedy - 8 years ago

    i disagree with the last paragraph apple makes thin phones with no flexibility in external hardware options like adapters they pretty much shut off any capability of a third party adapter working no SD card support even if they made a proprietary shaped card like Sony did with the psVita, they have NFC for apple pay only cant transfer pictures v-cards (contact info) or anything else over NFC just apple pay. small batteries that last 3/4 a day at best if youre a heavy user. no IR blaster may be a gimmick feature but it is awesome to control an xbox tv AC unit and many other things. The Software side of things in iOS is so limited cant do anything with out itunes if you dont use app store or itunes many dont and have a CD collection, you cant just plug in an iphone to your computer and have it show up like a flash drive like android phones how dumb. in safari you cant download much past word or pdfs or need a third party app. there is no file system access like an android phone. Apple needs to leave Steve Jobs reality distortion field behind and give the ios users what they want not what apples thinks we want like force touch screen not that exciting or revolutionary

    in short Apple needs to give some more freedom to ios and the ios devices it runs on like android but with that apple flair that apple is famous for. Until then android will always trump. yes there is fragmentation among the versions out on the phone but that is not an OEM issue as much it is the carriers

  58. bonaccij (@bonaccij) - 8 years ago

    So, I had this discussion with someone today. What they really need to be focusing on is the style of the phones. Like I pointed out, and I’m a HUGE Apple fan (have had every iteration from day 1) but they need to make something that *appears* new. Specs… heck… specs change every few months… that’s a losing game. Just make a great phone. If you look a the design of the original, then the 3 series, then the 4 series, MAN! Those design changes were HUGE! Then you go 4/4S/5/5S – and they are essentially the same phone… *chamfers*… lol then the 6/6+/6S/6S+… a bigger, albeit more sleeker/rounder version of the 4/4S/5/5S… I just think Apple is dropping the ball here. Yes, they do this with their computers. I get it. There is a design logic there and they base major decisions on case design for many years. How far can they push that case. I get it. But, I gotta tell you, I really don’t feel like spending (off contract) $900 on a PHONE every year that looks JUST LIKE MY LAST ONE! lol People want change and sex appeal when it comes to the phone they use. No doubt about it, the Samsungs are Sexy. Hurts to say it, but it’s true. I honestly believe in my heart of hearts that if Apple just went really radical on their design choices every major iteration, people like Walt may say, “Well, they could have done this or added this or had more this… but the phones are just SO GORGEOUS it doesn’t really bother me.” I dunno. It’s just a theory… but I really think it’s true.

  59. abigailrcohen - 8 years ago

    The next iPhone will have projector itself or maybe hologram. Lmao.

  60. Robbie Catto-Smith - 8 years ago

    Mossberg guy sounds like a real tosser hahaha, sounds like every 12 year old obsessed with tech…

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Publisher and Editorial Director of the 9to5/Electrek sites.


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