Most Apple Fans Have no idea What to Expect from iPhone 8
If you’ve been keeping up with the iPhone 8 rumors, you’ll know exactly what to expect from Apple’s big refresh this fall. But for the vast majority of fans, the upgrade will come as a huge surprise.
One survey has found that for ordinary iPhone users, the urge to upgrade is no more significant than it has been for previous, more incremental releases.
The iPhone 8 — which could also be called “iPhone X” or “iPhone Edition,” according to recent reports — could be Apple’s biggest release since the original. An all-new design, larger OLED display , and swanky new features are expected to start an upgrade “ super-cycle .”
Many tech fans will already have a good idea of what to expect from Apple’s special event next week , and they will likely have their credit cards at the ready long before pre-orders go live. But most iPhone users still have no idea that they’ll want to upgrade.
Piper Jaffray surveyed more than 400 existing iPhone owners and discovered that interest in upgrading this year is virtually no stronger than it has been for previous iPhone releases. In fact, just 16 percent have already decided they’ll get the new model, versus 15 percent in 2016.
“We believe the survey suggests that awareness of potential for this year’s iPhone to be a more robust upgrade is relatively low,” reads the research note obtained by Business Insider .
The analysts aren’t suggesting iPhone 8 will be a flop — they’re predicting bigger sales growth than any previous model, with the exception of the “smash hit” iPhone 6 — it’s just that consumers simply aren’t yet aware of how significant the upgrade will be.
For three years now, the iPhone has looked almost exactly the same, and the improvements Apple has made internally haven’t exactly been spectacular. As a result, demand has fallen as fans become bored with the design that made iPhone 6 so successful.
But Apple has been preparing a special upgrade for the iPhone’s tenth anniversary this year. Its high-end model for 2017 is expected to bring an edge-to-edge OLED display, advanced facial recognition , wireless charging , and an all-new glass design.
Those who haven’t been following the rumors won’t be expecting any of this, so they probably don’t have plans to upgrade anytime soon unless their contract is coming to an end. But when Apple makes the upgrade official, and iPhone 8 ads start appearing on our TV screens, that’s likely to change for a significant number of people.
”Specifically, our analysis suggests that at the time of iPhone X launch there will be an installed base of
330M users on an iPhone that’s at least 2 years old… We believe a sizable portion of these users, in addition to users with newer devices, will look to upgrade due to the age of their device and the more significant changes to the device.”
Based on its research, Piper Jaffray expects Apple to shift around 242 million iPhone units in the 12 months following the launch of iPhone 8, iPhone X, iPhone Edition, or whatever its final name will be.
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What to expect from iPhone 8
SAN FRANCISCO (CNNMoney) — Tim Cook probably wishes people were a little less excited about the next iPhone.
On Tuesday’s earnings call, the Apple CEO blamed a slowdown in iPhone sales on rumors about future iPhones. Apple is expected to release an especially exciting new smartphone this fall to mark the device’s 10th anniversary. iPhone loyalists are putting off buying the still young iPhone 7 in anticipation of a better upgrade.
Nobody wants to drop $800 on a phone that will be old news in a few months.
As usual, details are sparse but here are a few ways Apple could live up to the hype.
A new name
Historically, Apple announces a new phone in September, and and a new numbered iPhone every other year. Last year was the iPhone 7, so this Fall it should release an iPhone 7S. Incremental upgrades don’t really sing «greatest update ever.» Apple could jump ahead to iPhone 8, or pick a new name entirely like iPhone Pro or iPhone X. Adding a higher-end iPhone to the line up would mean Apple could still release an iPhone 7S and 7S Plus. The «Pro» version might also add another digit to the price. Expect the new iPhone to start at $1,000.
Nothing but screen
Buttons are so 2015. Like the recently announced Samsung Galaxy S8, a new iPhone could extend the touchscreen so it dominates the entire front side of the phone. That would mean booting the physical home button for an on-screen button or buttons. Apple already took the first step towards this un-buttoning when it made the dot touch sensitive last year.
The higher end iPhone might also switch from LED to a more advanced OLED screen. The edges may also curve for a smoother, seamless look. According to Nikkei, Apple placed an order for 70 million OLED panels this year.
Eyes are the new fingers
The Home button doubles as a fingerprint sensor. The same capacitive touch technology might not work with a full-screen phone. Instead of a fingerprint sensor, Apple could use different kinds of biometric security such as face recognition or iris scanning, according to KGI analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
Shape of things to come
Tweaking the physical design of the iPhone is pretty minor, but it’s what will signal to the world, «Hey, I spent all my money on the very latest iPhone.» There’s not much you can do with a slim rectangle, but Apple will likely make a few tweaks to the body. In addition to the all-glass front, it could have another piece of glass on the back to double your chances of shattering something when it drops. Also look for different curves or cuts around the edges, and new materials like stainless steel. If you use a case and are worried nobody will know you’re an Apple early adopter, just pop in some Airpods.
RIP wires
Tech companies have been tinkering with wireless charging for years, but the technology just hasn’t been ready yet. Apple is rumored to be working on wireless charging for the new iPhone. Last year, Bloomberg reported Apple was working on wireless charging over the air. The reality may be less exciting, according to MacRumors: Inductive charging, which is also wireless but requires physical contact between the device and the charging station.
More port drama
The iPhone 7 removed the headphone jack. It was a controversial decision and forced people to use headphones that worked with the proprietary Lightning port, AirPods or an adapter. It’s unlikely Apple will bring the port back, but there is a small chance it could swap it out for the industry standard USB-C port.
The usual
They are the under appreciated upgrades, the predictable results of Moore’s Law and constantly improving technology. Every new iPhone, it seems, is faster, lighter and thinner. Expect new processors, improved cameras, and general spec upgrades. Battery life hasn’t significantly improved in years, in part due to other upgrades sucking up more power. Apple is also due to update the iOS this year. iOS 11 would likely be previewed at Apple’s developer conference this summer.
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What to expect from the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X
After months of rumors and leaks, the next iPhone is just days from being unveiled at Apple’s brand new Steve Jobs Theater.
So, what do we know so far? Typical of Apple leaks in recent years, we’ve heard trickles of information on just about every piece of the new device, but, as always, everything is still up in the air. The screen, the camera, the pricing — even the name has been subject to debate in recent weeks.
There does seem to be a bit of clarification on the latter point, courtesy of a massive iOS 11 software leak that hit this weekend. Turns out the reason so many names have been floating around is simple: Apple’s releasing a bunch of phones. In addition to the expected iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus, we’ll also likely be getting a third: the iPhone X. Here’s a break down of what we think we know about the phones so far.
Price
Much to Apple’s chagrin, this is going to be one of the phone’s most discussed new features. Samsung took flack for pricing the Note 8 at just under $1,000, and the rumors are true, that’s nothing compared to what Cupertino’s got cooking. Various reports have priced the premium model around $1,000 to $1,200. Of course, the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus will almost certainly slot in at cheaper price points, and Apple’s never been known for its cost savings. But this would be in line with the recent trend toward skyrocketing pricing points as companies look to distinguish themselves with flagship features.
Display
No surprise, the screen will be the primary driver of that unwieldy price tag — and a familiar name is behind the hike. Apple’s move to OLED on its premium model could bump its per device cost from
$125. So, what does an upgrade get you? More accurate colors, better uniformity across the screen and improved power management among others features. It doesn’t sound like much, but if the LGV30 is any indication, it will be a stunning thing to behold.
And then, of course, there’s the notch. Essential braced us for this a bit with its first phone, but the cutout at the top of the screen looks to be more pronounced on the new iPhone. That said, we didn’t find it a major detriment to using the phone in our experience. Design is at the core of Apple’s DNA, and the company has no doubt been pushing for ways to make it go largely unnoticed. Expect the transition to be easiest on the company’s own apps first, as third parties work to keep up with the design. The good news is there will be a lot more screen real estate jammed into a smaller form factor, including a virtually bezel-free design.
Camera
Of course, dual cameras are expected to be on-board here yet again — though this time out, they’ll stack vertically, rather than horizontally, according to reference designs. The biggest upgrade here is much improved depth sensing. Though it ought to make the camera even better at the bokeh effect the company trotted out on past devices, but the implications are much bigger.
While Tim Cook has afforded virtual reality a little love (including development for HTC and Oculus’s handsets), he’s long said he anticipates that AR will be much bigger in the short term. And if the deluge of ARKit programs we’ve seen pop up since it went live are any indication, we can expect some really amazing things on that front. But a truly lifelike augmented reality experience is going to require much more robust on-board depth sensing. And from the sound of it, the iPhone X, at least, will be the phone to deliver it.
Face ID
Facial unlock has been one of the most consistent rumors in the lead-up to the new phones, and this weekend, it appears to have finally gotten a name: Face ID. The same leak also points to an animation for setting up the feature that involves the user moving their face around for the camera —not dissimilar to what we’ve all been doing for years now in the fingerprint scanning setup process.
A leak discovered via HomePod, meanwhile, points to the feature’s (then codenamed: Pearl ID) ability to unlock a phone even while lying flat on a table. Face ID also seems likely to feature some integration with third-party apps at or near launch.
The addition of face scanning could mean a couple of things for the old familiar fingerprint scanner/home button. A generation after moving to the more failsafe “taptic engine,” Apple could switch to a virtual scanner housed on the iPhone’s screen — similar to what Samsung does on its Galaxy devices. Newly surfaced rumors also heralded the end of the fingerprint scanner and home button on the X. It would be a bold move and, depending on the efficacy of the technology Apple employs, a potential safety concern. As we pointed out in a piece last week, companies like Samsung don’t regard their own Face Unlock feature as on-par with more advanced biometrics.
That said, the leaked set-up process points to a phone that benefits from added depth-sensing cameras — something Apple is definitely keen to bring on board as it works to boost excitement around ARKit applications. The addition of more complex images with depth reading could ultimately make it much harder to fool Face ID with a simple picture.
Availability
This is bound to be another sticking point among critics. Numerous reports have stated (and we’ve independently confirmed) that the iPhone X is going to ship later than its low end brethren. This appears to be another hiccup introduced when Apple opted to with those OLED units on the premium models. How long the delay will actually be is still up the air — there’s a decent chance the company might not mention an ETA for fear of missing the mark. The delay could impact Apple’s bottomline by pushing more people to buy a cheaper model, but there’s a lot to be said to getting it right the first time.
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What to Expect From Apple’s iPhone 8
Rumors about Apple’s iPhone 8 (aka iPhone X, aka iPhone Anniversary Edition), began to spread last year, almost before the print was dry on Apple’s iPhone 7 announcements. With Apple’s September 12th unveil now less than a week away, some of those rumors have reached a fever pitch. But what, exactly, should consumers be expecting?
9to5Mac believes the new high-end phone will be called the iPhone Edition, making this the second time Apple has launched a halo product with that name, and the second time its branding has made no sense whatsoever. Hopefully the company sticks with iPhone X or iPhone 8, though it’s also been implied that the iPhone 8 / 8 Plus will actually be the devices we’ve previously called the iPhone 7s / 7s Plus. Again, Apple may be skipping a number to bring itself in line with Samsung and to try and portray its entire product line this year as being a larger leap over the iPhone 7 than previous s-class products were over their non-s predecessors. This would be the first time since the iPhone 3GS launched in 2009 that Apple didn’t use an “s” for a second-generation product family.
Other expected top-end features include an edge-to-edge screen at a resolution of 2436×1135. That’s a substantial jump over the iPhone 7, which has a 1334×750 display. An OLED panel is also expected. OLEDs aren’t typically quite as power efficient as LCDs, though this is heavily influenced by content type and brightness settings. On a dark background or theme, OLEDs can use significantly less power than LCDs. On an all-white background, OLED power consumption can be significantly higher. If these resolution figures are accurate, it would give the Anniversary Device a 521 PPI display; far above what’s required for Retina quality. Overall screen area is expected to be higher than any previous Apple device, thanks to the edge-to-edge display.
Fingerprints or Facial Recognition?
The internet has no collective clue whether the Anniversary iPhone will have a fingerprint scanner. Multiple leaked images show no front-facing sensor or visible Home button.
Apple’s original goal, sources agree, was to embed a fingerprint scanner in the display itself. Samsung was reportedly also interested in this feature, but had to drop it and slap the fingerprint scanner on the back of its own phones once it became clear the technology wasn’t going to be ready in time for the Galaxy S8 launch. Apple may have run into similar problems, despite having more time to work on the design. This leaves the company with two choices: It can stick the fingerprint sensor on the back, or it can use facial recognition + PIN for services like Apple Pay. Which option the company will go with is still unknown.
Alternately, Apple may have delayed shipping the device until it can hammer out problems in the sensor. The Inquirer reports that while Apple will take orders, it may not actually ship the phone until this holiday season. Other analysts disagree, so take this with a grain of salt. We might also see the company split the difference, with a handful of early orders and long ship times thereafter. It wouldn’t be the first time Apple has launched a product with a 4-6 week shipping window for everyone but the first handful of users.
There are rumors of a front-facing camera that’s suitable for augmented reality, and dual back cameras for improved photos, possibly including 4K recording at 60 frames per second.
Analysts are assuming Apple will again target $649 and $749 for the two lower-end iPhone models. The high-end device is expected to cost $1,000 for 64GB of storage, $1,099 for 256GB, and $1,199 for 512GB. Various payment plans may make this easier to swallow, but that’s clearly a new frontier for phone prices, or at least one we haven’t seen in many years.
The one thing no one is talking about is whether the iPhone Edition will be faster than the standard iPhone 7s / 7s Plus (or 8) that Apple ships at the same time. Typically phones are power-constrained, and Apple hasn’t previously tried to use different SoCs between its standard and Plus-sized hardware. Presumably all three phones will use the same SoC and modem, with the difference between them boiling down to features like the OLED display and 512GB storage options. But as is typical, Apple hasn’t clarified which devices will have which features, or confirmed any features at all. Until it does, we won’t have a sense of what you get from stepping up to the $1,000 price point, compared with the lower-end models.
The question of whether the anniversary iPhone will sell almost doesn’t need to be asked. Unless Apple completely bungles this launch, it absolutely will. The company has benefited from a nearly year-long hype cycle, and Apple is ensconced as a status symbol in North America. The regular iPhones may be great devices in their own right, but it’ll be the iPhone Edition / Anniversary / X / whatever that wins most of the headlines.
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