With the iPhone 7 no thinner, lighter, taller or sharper than its predecessor, where will Apple look next in order to drive upgrades?
It's nine years since the iPhone 2G first went on sale and for a while each major upgrade shaved off a few millimetres and shed some weight. No-one ever complained that the previous iPhone was too thick and heavy – if anything they said they'd tolerate a little extra bulk in return for better battery life – but Apple was determined to keep pace with its wafer-thin competitors.
![As Tim Cook hones Apple's smartphone design, what will the next iPhone look like?](/web/20160916103232im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/r/b/a/g/l/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.grhpo2.png/1473991693388.jpg)
These days the iPhone's weight loss seems to have plateaued, it's only lost half a millimetre since the iPhone 5 and has actually put on a little weight. It's a similar story when it comes to the screen size and resolution – the dimensions of the standard iPhone haven't changed since the iPhone 6 when we saw the introduction of plus-size phablets.
Apple's quest for slender smartphones has meant making sacrifices along the way, but losing the headphone jack on the iPhone 7 is even more frustrating when you consider that the new iPhone is no thinner than the iPhone 6S.
In fact for the first time the new-model iPhone hasn't undergone any kind of cosmetic makeover and, headphone jack aside, it looks identical to its predecessor. You can be sure that's why Apple introduced the options of Black and Jet Black, because it knows some people want to be seen holding the latest smartphone – it's no surprise the Jet Black is already sold out.
That's not to say that the iPhone 7 isn't an improvement, just that the improvements are more subtle. It's actually quite a respectable upgrade – packing more grunt under the bonnet, a brighter screen with better colours, an improved camera and support for faster LTE speeds. Plus it's finally waterproof, which has always been one of the iPhone's weaknesses.
What's next?
So where does Apple go from here? Will it bother trying to shave another millimetre off the iPhone 8? Will it change the form factor or screen resolution when people will presumably have the choice of the iPhone 8 Plus? Will iPhone sales stagnate if the new models don't look new?
You might expect Apple to step up its war on buttons, having killed off the physical home button in the iPhone 7 in favour of a touch sensor. A streamlined iPhone would certainly look elegant but scrapping the physical volume, power and mute buttons wouldn't be straight-forward.
In theory Apple could abolish the volume buttons in favour of touch sensors – sliding your finger up and down the left side of the phone, perhaps double-tapping to mute.
Of course that would create massive problems for iPhone case makers. It's difficult to built a sturdy case around the rim of the phone if you need to leave a large area exposed in order to reach those touch-sensitive volume controls.
Siri is getting very good at following instructions but another option might be to rely on the front camera for gesture support, letting you wave your hand over the phone to control the volume and other features. We've already seen Samsung go down this path with gesture controls and we know the two tech giants aren't afraid to "borrow" ideas from each other.
Alternatively Apple could borrow LG's idea of knock codes, using the iPhone's accelerometer to detect when you tap out a pattern on the phone. Some iOS apps such as Sleep Cycle already support this, letting you whack your iPhone to snooze the alarm.
If it really wanted to upset people, Apple could look to abolish the Lightning jack in favour of wireless charging and data transfers. The problem is that wireless charging is painfully slow compared to using a wall socket. The technology will certainly improve over time, although I doubt Apple would want to inflict such a major change on iPhone users having just abolished the headphone jack.
Predicting Apple's next move is one of the great blood sports of the internet, but what changes would you like to see in the design of the next iPhone?
0 comments
New User? Sign up