2021 iPhone and iPad anticipations! (1 Viewer)

[DaveF]

I mean, why not? It is 2020, after all!

iPhone 13 Lineup Rumored to Feature 120Hz ProMotion Displays, No iPhone SE 3 Until 2022

Experienced display analyst Ross Young has today shared a range of information from Mizuho Securities about the "iPhone 13," rumored to...

www.macrumors.com

 

[Sam Posten]

Back in yer hole!

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

Well, this does it! Need to rethink our upgrades to the 12 and probably just wait another year instead.

Apple Settlement Filing Details Critical iPhone 13 5G Upgrade

Planning on buying a new iPhone? You might want to think twice...

www.forbes.com

I didn't really need an upgrade so soon anyway -- and since we're still largely holed up at home for quite some time (and can't benefit much from the phone camera upgrades), I can just have my kid use her phone less (to cut down on the eye strain)...

My wife might still want the upgrade since she's just using an aging 7-plus, but she's generally much more pragmatic than me and at least has a new iPad Mini to meet some of her needs and give her 7-plus some relief...

The increasing likelihood of return of TouchId in the 13 means my mother will probably want to upgrade then as well -- she was otherwise likely just going w/ my wife's hand-me-down for now (to replace her own, screen-cracked 7-plus).

My wife will also like that we postpone the expense of phone upgrades, especially if/since I'm looking to completely overhaul our HT during this pandemic...

_Man_

 

[DaveF]

In 2019, all the rumors were that 2020 was the huge iPhone upgrade.
In 2020, all the rumors are that 2021 is the huge iPhone upgrade.

I suspect that...
In 2021, all the rumors will be that 2022 will be the huge iPhone upgrade!

 

[Clinton McClure]

* Post deleted by member and reposted in proper iPhone 12 Pro and Pro Max buyers and owners thread.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

I wasn’t sure exactly where to put this but since it’s 2021 and I need a new phone, might as well be here.

I had been very happily using an iPhone SE 1st gen model that I picked up in 2018, precisely because it had the same form factor as the iPhone 5 which I also used very happily.

Current phone just bit the dust. Touchscreen was working only intermittently for the past week, the phone had been acting weird in other ways, and today the glass cracked all over. It doesn’t seem worth getting the screen replaced by a third party given that the phone had other issues.

I just reluctantly ordered the newer version of the iPhone SE.

I say reluctantly because it just seems so big compared to the older phone. Everyone I know already has either the new SE or a phone of a similar or larger size. It seems like I might be the only person in the world that doesn’t want a larger device.

Alas, the Apple ecosystem has been so useful for me and various stuff around the house that I don’t want to bail for another brand. And I don’t want to try my luck on a third party used SE from 2016 because I suspect I’d be right back here with similar problems sooner vs later - it was probably approaching end of life in terms of Apple support anyway.

I just find it a little bit of a bummer that Apple isn’t offering an option for people who like smaller devices. The newish “iPhone 12 mini” is still larger than the newer SE! Clearly Apple and I have different ideas about what constitutes a “mini”.

No real solution here, just venting.

 

[DaveF]

...

I just reluctantly ordered the newer version of the iPhone SE.

...

I just find it a little bit of a bummer that Apple isn’t offering an option for people who like smaller devices. The newish “iPhone 12 mini” is still larger than the newer SE! Clearly Apple and I have different ideas about what constitutes a “mini”.

The iPhone 12 mini is smaller than the SE but also has more screen. It's specifically for people who like smaller devices. Seems like it's exactly the iPhone you want. (iPhone SE is for people who want a low-cost iPhone. iPhone mini is for people who want a new iPhone that is also small.)

 

[Josh Steinberg]

The mini a near miss for me. More screen isn’t worth the $300 price differential and the Face ID is a deterrent - I like the feel and function of the button. And when I looked at the difference in sizes between the two bodies, it seemed pretty minuscule. The height of the mini is 5.18 inches vs 5.45 on the SE. The width on the mini is 2.53 inches vs 2.65 inches on the SE. I like the SE layout better. I concluded it wasn’t worth an extra $300 for the slight size decrease since it was still larger than my ideal. And I just don’t think I’ll ever use the advanced screen capabilities or extra camera stuff. I basically use the iPhone to do the same stuff I used the iPhone for when I first got one in like 2009. I know it’s a much more powerful device than I use it for, but for me, as long as I can text, read the paper, surf the web/HTF, play music, and use it as a remote for some of my HT gear, I’m good. But I appreciate having your POV and all options presented.

 

[Sam Posten]

I mean at this point I do t need any improvements but being on the yearly train I’m hoping for home runs on features

 

[DaveF]

The mini a near miss for me. More screen isn’t worth the $300 price differential and the Face ID is a deterrent - I like the feel and function of the button. And when I looked at the difference in sizes between the two bodies, it seemed pretty minuscule. The height of the mini is 5.18 inches vs 5.45 on the SE. The width on the mini is 2.53 inches vs 2.65 inches on the SE. I like the SE layout better. I concluded it wasn’t worth an extra $300 for the slight size decrease since it was still larger than my ideal. And I just don’t think I’ll ever use the advanced screen capabilities or extra camera stuff. I basically use the iPhone to do the same stuff I used the iPhone for when I first got one in like 2009. I know it’s a much more powerful device than I use it for, but for me, as long as I can text, read the paper, surf the web/HTF, play music, and use it as a remote for some of my HT gear, I’m good. But I appreciate having your POV and all options presented.

And this is why Apple doesn’t make small iPhones: no one wants them. The mini is the smallest iPhone, smaller than the SE, and between the 5s and 6 is size. But given the choice, what you really want is a cheap iPhone, not a small iPhone. It seems to be turning out this is representative of prospective buyers true interests: the “small iPhone” market is really a “cheap iPhone” market, and size and features are secondary.

And the industry reports / rumors this year are that the mini has sold relatively poorly, and will be discontinued after this year’s update.

 

[DaveF]

I mean at this point I do t need any improvements but being on the yearly train I’m hoping for home runs on features

We’re upgrading from 8+ (four years old this Fall) with batteries at 85% health. So super looking forward to new iPhones 13. Almost certainly buy Pro to get better camera features.

Wishing Pro would come in good colors like normal iPhone.

Wondering what differences will be between Pro and Pro Max. I would have bought Pro Max this year for skosh better cameras. I do and don’t want the biggest iPhone. Don’t know which way I’ll go with size.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

But given the choice, what you really want is a cheap iPhone, not a small iPhone.

I don’t think that’s true at all.

To me, the “mini” is still a big phone, bigger than I’d like. The SE is a big phone, bigger than I’d like. As long as my option no matter what was “bigger than I’d like” I felt it made more sense to get the cheaper of the “bigger than I’d like” phone. Why pay more if I’m going to be somewhat dissatisfied either way?

What I want in a perfect world is a phone that retains the shape and size of the iPhone 5/SE first generation - under five inches in length. I would have paid more if such a device was available.

I want one that relies on Touch ID and has a button, not one I have to wave in front of my face to turn on.

So that’s why I got the SE. Not because I wanted a cheaper phone but because it was closer to what I wanted in form and function.

 

[DaveF]

There's no market for iPhone 5-size smartphones (or, perhaps more exacting: there appear to be too few customers to be of interest to the smartphone makers). And in round numbers, there's zero customers for a iPhone 5 redux with big chin and tiny screen and big home button.

But TouchID may be coming to a small-bezel iPhone in 2022 or so. iPad Air (2020) has the new TouchId button. Rumors / predictions is it will appear as a dual biometric authentication system in a year or three. Possibly sooner, after the pandemic revealed FaceID is user-hostile for people wearing face masks.

(caveat: I've yet to talk with someone who, facemasks aside, prefers TouchID to FaceID after actually using it. A friend was just lamenting last night getting the iPad Air and now having to deal with TouchID after getting used to FaceID, and wishing he held out for a new iPad Pro. My wife says she likes TouchID more, but then I suggest she's never actually used FaceID and might simply be anxious about new tech that she hasn't yet had a chance to try for real.)

 

[Josh Steinberg]

I will readily admit that I may not be the most average user. I might be in a minority that gets smaller all the time. For me, iPhone is solved tech. I know what I want from the device and the way it’s worked the past decade has been perfectly satisfactory to my needs. I’m not interested in incremental or major upgrades; I can’t imagine what it doesn’t do that it could do that I’d want. It’s a tool for me, a means to an end. I’ve lost interest in gadgets for gadgets’ sake. I don’t want to learn about new things that I can do with my phone. I just want it to do the things it’s always done. I like this screen size because it’s the one most physically comfortable for me to type on; the larger ones all feel less comfortable to hold and type. It’s as simple and boring as that. Plus the larger ones don’t feel as comfortable in my pocket.

And I get it. There’s a huge market out there for all of the things that don’t interest me from incremental upgrades to better cameras/screens/videos, etc. I understand why people want thinner phones or bigger screens or why headphone jacks don’t matter to them when they use Bluetooth.

it’s not that FaceID is a bad concept; it’s just more work than what I do now. If it were up to me, I wouldn’t even use Touch ID or a passcode but the phones pretty much stopped allowing you to use certain features of those weren’t enabled too.

I don’t quite want a dumb phone, but the smartphone is getting smarter than what I need or want for that type of device. I guess I wish there was like a “mildly intelligent phone” that bridged the gap between a flip phone and what iPhones are today.

Ironically, Apple makes iPhones larger than I want while making laptops smaller than I want.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

I’m also an old fuddy duddy that would prefer to directly visit a website rather than use an app. So if I want something on IMDb for example, I go to IMDb.com, I don’t let it download or open its app. My wife thinks I’m crazy and that I’m making it harder on myself. I find my way easier for me. We agree not to discuss it

 

[Sam Posten]

I don’t think you are remotely alone and might not be in the minority there.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

It's a good thing I ordered yesterday and that it's delivering tomorrow, because my current phone completely ceased working this morning. The alarm clock went off as usual, but with the touch part of the touchscreen now completely dead (died overnight I guess?), I couldn't turn the alarm off. After some frantic googling on my laptop, I figured out how to force it off (as opposed to rebooting) so at least I didn't have to listen to the alarm going off all day long.

New case arrived today.

Weird not having my phone on my during the day - fortunately I have one of those old fashioned hard drive iPods that has all of the music necessary to entertain twins during the day, otherwise I would've been sunk.

 

[DaveF]

You’ve got two kids that that you’re taking photos and videos of. That’s the ”killer app” for the latest tech.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

I can't speak for any other parent, but for myself, I've noticed I'm either taking photos or I'm parenting - I'm not great at doing both simultaneously. And they're still very much at an age where they don't hold still - as soon as I try to take a photo, they either run in the other direction, or try to grab the phone out of my hand. Or worse - one runs for the phone and one uses the distraction to try to escape!

 

[Josh Steinberg]

You’ve got two kids that that you’re taking photos and videos of. That’s the ”killer app” for the latest tech.

You know what? LivePhoto. I don't know when that came out, that's been incredibly useful with the kids. That was a cool addition.