Anyone Else Thoroughly Underwhelmed by The iPhone 13 and Apple Watch Series 7?

neilpatrickharris on 15/09/2021 - 12:37
Last edited 16/09/2021 - 11:46 by 1 other user

Watched the super cut apple keynote event of the iPhone 13 and Apple Watch series 7.

Other than the improved battery on the iPhone, didn’t seem like a huge deal to me at all.

I’m surprised the watch didn’t include some new sensor. I’m still rocking my XS Max and series 5 watch and have no plans to upgrade.

In saying that, I know a lot of people will blindly upgrade and Apple will continue to make billions from this. I guess my question is, will you upgrade?

For those with an iPhone 11 or 12 looking to upgrade, why?

Poll Options

  • 134
    Will upgrade my iPhone to the iPhone 13,
  • 32
    Will switch my android phone to an iPhone 13,
  • 43
    Will switch my iPhone to an android phone,
  • 719
    Will keep my current phone
Mobile Apple Mobile Phone Smartwatch

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Comments

    • Ghost47 on 15/09/2021 - 14:31
      +2

      You can do a hack to Face ID to use it with a mask, never tried it myself as my phone doesn’t have Face ID.

      I personally prefer Touch ID over Face ID and am hoping Apple eventually comes out with an under screen fingerprint reader, will probably upgrade when that happens.

    • payless69 on 15/09/2021 - 19:28
      +1

      Under screen ultrasonic fingerprint! A tad slower but mega safe, works with ink on fingers who needs a huge notch!

  • PurchaseAnxiety on 15/09/2021 - 13:51

    I'm kind of relieved. I was considering getting a 12 as my first iPhone in over a decade, but was waiting to see if the 13 would have any compelling additions worth the extra cash (USB-C, always on display and/or Touch ID probably would've sold me). Now I'm probably just going to save some money and get a 12, and an S6 Apple Watch if they don't disappear too quickly.

    Are the recent iPhone 12 deals the new 'normal' price or did I miss the boat for now?

    • theguyrules on 15/09/2021 - 14:40
      -1

      Yeah exactly the same here - but as an upgrade.
      I decided to order a used iPhone 12 Pro Max on eBay as the 13 didn't sell me

  • jjjaar on 15/09/2021 - 13:57
    +1

    I’m still running on an 8, so will do a bit of digging to find out whether it’s worth it for me.

  • Hugh G Rection on 15/09/2021 - 14:05

    im excited for the wider camera sensor, cinematic mode, longer lasting battery, smoother and brighter screen. i buy a new phone every year and pass my year old phone to my kids.
    if you don't have an iMac or MacBook, i would just get a samsung or something else.

    once you're in the apple ecosystem its hard to get away because it works perfectly and seamlessly. i only have a pc for gaming, but everything else is apple for me: 27 iMac, MacBook pro, serveral iPads, iPhone, etc… i had the apple watch, but its stupid, lol. i really love my garmin marq driver watch.

    • try2bhelpful on 15/09/2021 - 14:43

      The watch is great. I barely use my phone since I got the watch. I have a watch, and an iPad, and the phone is, basically a camera and a hot spot for the watch, and iPad.

  • p1 ama on 15/09/2021 - 14:28
    +17

    It was never going to be a big upgrade - this was an "S" year, they just decided to call it the 13 rather than the 12S.

    In terms of the broader market, it's obvious that the smartphone market has reached maturity now. It would be unrealistic to expect sweeping changes that we saw 10 years ago. Manufacturers have settled on what consumers want, and from here, it's just an iteration of features and capabilities year-on-year.

    Back in 2009-2010 when smartphones were new and shiny, I upgraded basically every year. Each new iteration (both Apple / Android) were a huge improvement on the last with the differences noticeable immediately.

    These days I'll upgrade once every 2 - 3 years and it's fine. Even then, I will only upgrade if there's an issue (e.g. battery died, screen cracked…etc.).

    • Kangal on 19/09/2021 - 20:03
      +3

      To be fair, the "S" years were the best years to buy. For instance;

      • iPhone, was not able to do many things
      • iPhone 3G, after a couple software upgrades it was great. Still had some decent competition from HTC/Sony running Windows Mobile or Nokia/Samsung running Symbian. So it's a toss up.
      • iPhone 3GS… undisputed smartphone king for basically two years. So definitely worth buying. Finally challenged by the likes of Samsung Galaxy S/Epic 4G in 2010. The Motorola Droid/Milestone were okay.
      • iPhone 4…. Apple added lots of missing features, whilst Android's software was still in the 2.2 Froyo days. Despite what benchmarks showed, it was just a better experience on iPhone and it's optimised Apps and OS. Definitely worth upgrading to for the front-camera.
      • iPhone 4S…. It was iterative but it had a big processor upgrade, and lasted very long. In hindsight, this happened to be a worthy upgrade from the 4. It did give the S2 a good challenge, and the Note1 was large and revolutionary.
      • iPhone 5…. new aspect ratio with little dev optimisation. Not too much huge upgrades overall. This phone died next to the 4S.
      • iPhone 5S…. 64bit processor saw it supported much much longer. Definitely worth upgrading from the 4S to the 5S. Most Apps finally updated for the 16:9 ratio when this launched.
      • iPhone 6…. this was the 5S but refreshed, and in a new form factor. No App optimisation yet for the new sizes. Very little upgrades all round. Bendgate. Price increases. Not worth paying for the upgrade.
      • iPhone 6S…. lots of issues fixed, big improvements all around, Apps now optimised. Turns out to be the final Headphone Jack model. Worth upgrading to. This outlasted the 5S/6 models by a significant time.
      • iPhone 7….. added water-resistance, removed headphone jack. Camera was improved. Didn't upgrade other things too much. Not worth upgrading to.

      • iPhone 8….. last to support TouchID. Lost the aluminium backplate for a cheaper Glass backplate. Moderate improvements all around. Worth buying.

      • iPhone X…. Now things get weird. Just skip the X-model, it is an idiot tax.

      • iPhone XS…. huge price increases, not worth upgrading to from the X or 8 models. Moderate improvements all around. Last model with 3D-Touch. Just skip the Xr model, another idiot tax.
      • iPhone 11…. still expensive. Only Pro/Max version should be considered. Only really worth upgrading to from the iPhone 8+. Again skip the cheaper and tempting New iPhone 8e.
      • iPhone 12…. increasing prices. Better lineup Mini/Pro/Max. Hardly any internal improvements from the 11. New ergonomics and glass makes it more durable. It finally has been long enough (2017 to 2020) to warrant an upgrade. But pandemic so money is tight for most.
      • iPhone 13…. still stupidly expensive. 120Hz screen. Not much improvements otherwise. We skipped upgrading from the iPhone 8+ to the iPhone 11, then the iPhone 12 came with barely no improvements and we're in more need to upgrade. So we should now upgrade to the iPhone 13… oh but the pandemic is still raging over. Again very little upgrade over the iPhone 12, and again people affected financially by pandemic. No discounts to be expected. Skip buying, don't give Tim Cook your money yet.
      • iPhone 14…. 2022 the pandemic is under-control and ending. Finally we're getting good improvements to internals/camera, no changes to form-factor/display/battery life. Our iPhone 8+ is five years old, works, abandoned, obsolete and is running on ductape and hope. Now is the time to upgrade, we deserve it. We should from this point upgrade every 3-4 years instead. If you were rich, and managed to upgrade to the iPhone 12 in the meantime, then good for you, but hand in your OzBargain membership card.
      • p1 ama on 20/09/2021 - 15:22

        I agree, the "S" years were the best to buy because you got a more refined phone, but that's the entire point, it's like a "tic toc" model of improvement, you'd get the big changes in one year, then the refinement in the next year.

        FWIW, I agree and disagree with your analysis. I would say that the only real "revolutionary" changes were the 3GS (for reasons you cite), 4 (for the retina display), 6 (for the new form factor), and X (for the new form factor). Everything else is marginal improvements or things only phone nerds truly care about.

        Your logic of "we skipped upgrading from the iPhone 8+ for XYZ years" is emblematic of how the market has fundamentally changed and I think it's actually great that it's perfectly normal for one to upgrade every 3 - 4 years now. Why would you want to keep spending money every year buying new shit? Phone launches are no longer exciting, but neither are washing machine and dishwasher launches. Phones are no longer cool or hot, everyone has one, they're pretty boring.

        The good old days where you had revolutionary changes every few months are over, just like how it was over in the early 90's for computers…etc.

        • Kangal on 20/09/2021 - 23:19

          Yeah, I am the PhoneNerd.
          Just wanted to highlight that phones had this "tick-tock" cadence for decently long time. And generally I love it, progress is exciting. And Apple has been the biggest innovator in the market, and they've been very careful, calculated, and intelligent about a "slow progress release" so that they can maximise their profits for their shareholders. Impressive. But such ambitious cadence can't be maintained forever, even Intel moved away from "tick-tock" to a new logical three-step model which was "Shrink-Architecture-Optimise" (not that they've been able to uphold it themselves).

          I think iPhones have been moving in the same direction, ever since the first-X. They're probably following a pattern of "form-factor" year, then a "chipset" year, then a "feature" year. Where "feature" probably focussed on the Camera, or Display, or a Unique Hardware Ability, and this new feature needs to follow the chipset upgrade, as it probably relies on that upgrade. Whilst the "form-factor" changes are likely the most easiest of the three, which is why that goes first. They might even transition to a four-step model, where they might consider Battery Life or splitting 2x "feature" year steps.

          We've definitely plataeud. Even relatively minor upgrades back in 2008-2011 actually affected the User Experience. Hence buying a new phone every 5-13 months was justified. We no longer have yearly or two-yearly improvement patterns, it is more like 3-years (Android) and 4-years (Apple). I think the smartphone market jumped the shark in 2016, that was the Best Year for Consumers. We had S/M/L options from Apple with the iPhone SE/6S/6S+. Also great S/M/L phones from Android such as the Sony Z5c, ZTE Axon 7, Samsung S7+. Or was the Best Year in 2014? It gave us the iPhone 5S, iPhone 6, iPhone 6+…. and then the Sony Z3c, HTC M8, Samsung Note4. It's been nothing but compromises, price hikes, copy-catting since then, us PhoneNerd's had enough with these two steps forwards and three steps back.

          • p1 ama on 21/09/2021 - 02:19
            +1

            @Kangal:

            Just wanted to highlight that phones had this "tick-tock" cadence for decently long time. And generally I love it, progress is exciting.

            It depends on how you define progress, but if you look at something like laptops, "progress" for a while now has been very incremental - e.g. better performance, better quality screen, more battery life, thinner / lighter…etc.

            It's the same with phones - we've reached a stage where "progress" is incremental, most people replace their old phones when those phones break / are too slow…etc. rather than being wowed by some new "must have" feature.

            I think the smartphone market jumped the shark in 2016, that was the Best Year for Consumers. We had S/M/L options from Apple with the iPhone SE/6S/6S+. Also great S/M/L phones from Android such as the Sony Z5c, ZTE Axon 7, Samsung S7+. Or was the Best Year in 2014? It gave us the iPhone 5S, iPhone 6, iPhone 6+…. and then the Sony Z3c, HTC M8, Samsung Note4.

            You have nostalgia goggles. The "best year for consumers" is right now. If you want an Apple phone, the iPhone 13 is far better than anything you've listed, and if you want an Android, likewise with the S21. You're associating how good a phone is with the "warm, fuzzy feeling", not with any objective measure.

            You saying that 2016 or 2014 is the "best year for consumers" would be like me saying 1990 was the best year for PCs with the Pentium MMX or whatever. That makes no sense.

            It's been nothing but compromises, price hikes, copy-catting since then, us PhoneNerd's had enough with these two steps forwards and three steps back.

            What compromises?

            What price hikes? iPhone 3G, 3GS, 4 were $US699 at launch, 4S, 5, 6, 7, 8 were US$849…etc. Newly launched iPhone 13 is US$799. Where's the price hike? iPhones have always been around this price point.

            What copy-catting? If another manufacturer comes out with a new feature, you're saying others shouldn't follow suit?

            Think you're yearning for the glory days where having a new phone made you the hot kid round the block. Those days are long gone now. 14 year olds at the local high school will have an iPhone 13 Pro Max on launch day.

    • try2bhelpful on 15/09/2021 - 14:44
      +6

      Been a long time since people "camped" out.

      "Do keep up, Bond"

    • raptormesh on 15/09/2021 - 14:53
      +3

      Like clockwork, they just couldn't resist.(The comments, not the campers).

    • smartazz104 on 17/09/2021 - 08:34

      Commenting drivel like a true sheep.

  • ThithLord on 15/09/2021 - 14:40
    +7

    In saying that, I know a lot of people will blindly upgrade and Apple

    What makes you say that? Apple has some of the highest retention rates for mobile phones. Users regularly get 5+ years of support. I just don't get the obsession with people assuming Apple expects their customers to want to upgrade every year to the latest device.

    I got the iPhone 12 mini; upgraded from an iPhone SE 1st Gen. The upgrade was monumental!

    The iPhone 13 mini has barely an iota of an upgrade from the 12 mini, so guess what? I won't be upgrading.

    • raptormesh on 15/09/2021 - 14:55
      +1

      Yeah I used my iPhone 6 for 5 years before upgrading, and three years with the XR now only upgrading to a different form factor.

    • Quantumcat on 15/09/2021 - 15:13
      +5

      Same here, went from iPhone 4 to iPhone 6s to iPhone 12. Not going to upgrade for a long time

    • p1 ama on 21/09/2021 - 02:20

      What makes you say that? Apple has some of the highest retention rates for mobile phones. Users regularly get 5+ years of support. I just don't get the obsession with people assuming Apple expects their customers to want to upgrade every year to the latest device.

      Psychology really - everyone wants an excuse to go out and buy more shit, they lose that "reason" when the new phone's the same as what they already have.

  • iridiumstem on 15/09/2021 - 14:54
    +3

    Hasn't it been fairly like that all across the phone market for a while? Nothing much except incremental changes, which do build up.

    I am kinda hoping next year, we'd see glucose monitoring and more for the smart watches (which may not be as accurate as the traditional methods, but non-intrusive constant information would be welcomed by many).

    • Caped Baldy on 15/09/2021 - 15:11

      Well, Android manufacturers are doing flexible screens but do agree with you in general ie candybar/slab form factor.

      • iridiumstem on 15/09/2021 - 15:21
        +2

        Even that I feel can be seen as innovations for the sake of innovations.

        Samsung and their s pen (and slightly stronger screen) and water resistance on a foldable phone, I think is a step forward. I guess the question is still, why foldable?

        The apps I feel isn't suited to a non-standard ratio (from using an Android tablet, Samsung does have an app for it however).

        Eh that's just me trying to analyse things. As a tech nerd, I think what they've done is amazing.

        • MrFunSocks on 16/09/2021 - 17:23

          Foldable lets you replace 2 devices, phone and tablet, with one. As someone that has my phone and my tablet on me at almost all times at work and uses them both regularly, I can't wait to get a foldable in a few more years when they've ironed out all the kinks.

          • iridiumstem on 16/09/2021 - 19:10
            +1

            @MrFunSocks: I think it does have a future, but the innovations on it feels very niche almost?
            Is what they are pushing really something to be pushed as "the innovation" for the smartphone market?

            As with the foldable becoming something much bigger, I think as long as they are able to make people go "why not", it has potential.
            Flip 3 I think is actually making a bit of a market for its own because in terms of design, it's a really nice, unique looking phone, for example.

            I am kinda happy that I can see all these to be honest :D

          • p1 ama on 21/09/2021 - 02:31

            @MrFunSocks:

            Foldable lets you replace 2 devices, phone and tablet, with one. As someone that has my phone and my tablet on me at almost all times at work and uses them both regularly, I can't wait to get a foldable in a few more years when they've ironed out all the kinks.

            I very much strongly considered a foldable on the merits of the form factor for the same reasons as what you're saying here.

            However, just like laptop / tablet hybrids have never really taken off (even Surface moving towards traditional laptop form factor now), I don't think foldables will take off either.

            They're cool and I'd totally get one as a conversation starter, but a foldable is a bad phone and a bad tablet for more money than a good phone and a good tablet. Just consider that for the price of a Fold 3, you can get an S21 Ultra + Tab S7 FE (or iPhone 13 + iPad Air 4).

            • MrFunSocks on 21/09/2021 - 10:00

              @p1 ama:

              (even Surface moving towards traditional laptop form factor now)

              No they aren't, they're just covering all bases. They sell a tablet (Surface Pro), a laptop (Surface Laptop), and a hybrid tablet/laptop (Surface Book)

              Just consider that for the price of a Fold 3, you can get an S21 Ultra + Tab S7 FE (or iPhone 13 + iPad Air 4).

              For now. This won't always be the case.

              • p1 ama on 21/09/2021 - 11:26

                @MrFunSocks:

                No they aren't, they're just covering all bases. They sell a tablet (Surface Pro), a laptop (Surface Laptop), and a hybrid tablet/laptop (Surface Book)

                They are - it's clear that the latest and biggest updates have all been for the laptop models, the Surface Pro hasn't been updated since October 2019 (Surface Pro 7), with the 7+ just being a very minor refresh (CPU bump).

                But in any case, they are "covering all bases" because it's clear they no longer have faith in their initial strategy of having a hybrid laptop/tablet (i.e. the whole point of the Surface name).

                Even beyond the Surface, there are basically no other popular "Surface-like" devices on the market despite them being very prevalent a few years ago. Sure there are "2-in-1's", but those are just laptops with a touch screen, not a hybrid.

                For now. This won't always be the case.

                It will - I picked premium options, but even if you look at the base model iPad, that's $450, or around 30-40% of a premium phone. The "foldable tax" will always be higher than that 30-40%.

                I don't doubt that foldable is really, really cool, but "really, really cool" is different from a mass market product.

                Trend is towards phones being simpler and cheaper, not the other way around unfortunately.

                • MrFunSocks on 22/09/2021 - 16:29

                  @p1 ama: That's not true at all. The Surface Pro line is 7 iterations in, it's just refinement at this stage. It's a proven design that people love. They are going to be releasing a new Surface Pro X with Windows 11 soon too (and the Surface Pro X line is new in the last few years).

                  Foldable prices will come down to the point where it's not cheaper to buy a flagship tablet and flagship phone. That's not even debatable. Look at the price reductions in the Fold from 1-3 already, and the Flip.

  • try2bhelpful on 15/09/2021 - 14:56
    +2

    I went for iPhone 6 Plus to an XS and I, only, really upgraded because the Iphone 6 plus was dying and it wouldn't work for the Apple watch.

  • Caped Baldy on 15/09/2021 - 15:09
    +1

    "Improved" smaller notch - I still think a thin bar across the top would be better.

    Would be awesome if they managed to have an under screen fingerprint scanner combined with FaceID.

    I'm continually disappointed with the fragmentation of the models by the cameras. Even budget android phones have triple camera set ups. Probably costs them $30 but charge $300 for the difference.

    • MrFunSocks on 16/09/2021 - 17:24
      -3

      "Improved" smaller notch - I still think a thin bar across the top would be better.

      On iOS the notch gives you more screen space. Why would you want less?

      • Caped Baldy on 16/09/2021 - 17:37
        +1

        Not sure we're on the same page..

        I'd prefer the speaker, camera and sensors moved into the bezel. So overall it takes up a fraction of the height of the notch.
        For video consumption the notch is either visible or a solid black bar gets added (losing screen space).

        Something like this
        https://www.notebookcheck.com/fileadmin/Notebooks/News/_nc3/…

        • MrFunSocks on 17/09/2021 - 08:17
          -3

          That’s just not possible though with today’s tech so it’s irrelevant. The notch is there specifically because that is impossible at the moment.

          Also for video consumption the notch only interferes in the video if you force full screen content, in which case you’re cutting off like 20% of the video already on the top and bottom. The aspect ratio of the screen means that the notch doesn’t cut in to videos.

          • Caped Baldy on 17/09/2021 - 08:30
            -1

            @MrFunSocks:

            That’s just not possible though with today’s tech so it’s irrelevant.

            So apple isn't innovating?

            There's heaps of android phones with thin bezels and hole punch cameras. So the tech is out there.

            • MrFunSocks on 19/09/2021 - 00:40
              -1

              @Caped Baldy: None of which have 3D face unlock which uses IR. There is only 1 android phone with that, the pixel 4, and it has a massive top bezel.

          • Zephyrus on 18/09/2021 - 09:45

            @MrFunSocks: The Xiaomi Mi Mix 4 has an underdisplay front facing camera.

            No notch, no nothing.

            • MrFunSocks on 19/09/2021 - 00:39

              @Zephyrus: An under display camera is not the same as what Apple has in their notch.

              Apple has a mini xbox kinect camera in their notch. Like literally, they bought the company that made kinect for Microsoft. It uses the same technology for 3D face scanning. It doesn't just use a camera, in fact it doesn't need a camera because it uses IR.

            • Caped Baldy on 19/09/2021 - 08:01
              -1

              @Zephyrus: I'm going stop arguing with that guy. This clown is ridiculous and doesn't know what he's on about.

              Doesn't need a camera because it uses IR…. too bad it needs an IR camera.

              • MrFunSocks on 20/09/2021 - 08:42
                -1

                @Caped Baldy: You know what I mean by "no camera", a camera as in a normal photo camera, don't be obtuse. No phones have an under display IR camera.

                Since you apparently know what you're talking about, please direct me to a phone that has tiny bezels or under display cameras and has 3D face unlock. Good luck.

                Guess we'll find out who the "clown" is now ;)

  • Drakesy on 15/09/2021 - 15:34
    -1

    I'm honestly amazed that Apple can still say they're selling more Iphones year on year.
    There's no way people are replacing their phones as regularly as say in the iphone 4,5,6 days when the improvements were actually tangible. People are holding onto their phones for longer, i'd think that they would have reached peak saturation a while ago.

    Innovation has really hit a snag at Apple, seems like it's run by people trying to leach off Steve Job's innovative success.

    They literally had a whole segment on applying filters to photos?!?
    Also did anyone else notice a fair portion of the presentation was about software features that Iphone 12's, 11's and X's could/would probably be able to run.

    • isthatallyougot on 15/09/2021 - 16:24
      +6

      I would disagree with the bit about innovation , they have certainly moved quite a bit since just making the iPhone . look at their ability to build a world class processor in house . Did you also forget the airpods and the iwatch ?

      • Drakesy on 15/09/2021 - 16:35

        Yes the airpods were a big step forward i don't disagree with that, however things like processors - Samsung has done the same for years. Iwatch i'm not really convinced. As for actual major changes, the battery still only lasts a day and is smaller than similar sized Android phones which have since caught and even surpassed them in recent years.

        Last Iphone i had was an Iphone 6 and i loved it. Ever since with the incorporation of the notch and average battery life i haven't seen a need to go back.

        Watching the presentation from a tech standpoint there weren't many 'real' numbers, just flimsy marketing claims of 80% performance enhancements etc. But then again if you're an apple fan the numbers won't really matter as it's the experience. As for me i'll be sticking with Android.

        • MrFunSocks on 16/09/2021 - 17:25

          however things like processors - Samsung has done the same for years.

          Samsung's processors are nowhere near Apples. The M1 is just ridiculous, and the A15 is still years ahead of anything Qualcomm/Samsung/MediaTek can make.

          Also the iPhone 11 and now probably 13 have had the best battery life any iphone has ever had, by far.

          • Drakesy on 16/09/2021 - 19:02

            @MrFunSocks:

            Also the iPhone 11 and now probably 13 have had the best battery life any iphone has ever had, by far.

            yes, for an Iphone.
            Still a 3000mah battery is tiny in this day and age, just imagine if they put a decently sized battery into it.
            They'd be class leading.
            But unfortunately they choose to be the par.

            • MrFunSocks on 17/09/2021 - 08:20
              +3

              @Drakesy: A 3000mAh battery in an iPhone is pretty much the equivalent of a 5000mAh battery in an android phone though. The iPhone 12 Pro Max beats phones like the S21 Ultra in most battery tests for example.

              I’d love a 5000mAh battery in an iPhone, it would legit be a 2 day phone.

              • Drakesy on 17/09/2021 - 09:38
                +1

                @MrFunSocks: Thats what im getting at
                They could
                But they choose not to

                • ProlapsedHeinous on 19/09/2021 - 22:36

                  @Drakesy: theyre probably saving that for a future upgrade to fleece their customers with

        • buckethat on 16/09/2021 - 19:06

          Iwatch i'm not really convinced.

          Not sure it matters whether you are convinced or not mate.. Numbers are pretty clear, Apple Watches is easily the most popular smartwatches and have been since launch.

          https://www.statista.com/statistics/524830/global-smartwatch…

        • dealsucker on 16/09/2021 - 23:10

          "Samsung has done the same for years" - this is categorically incorrect. Their own designed cores were a disaster which is why they now use the bog standard Arm cores in their latest design. They use to fabricate Apple's CPU design's earlier but its not even that anymore. Apple has TSMC for that.

      • irony on 17/09/2021 - 12:19
        +2

        airpods? not innovation. Other Bluetooth ear buds were in the market first, eg: Onkyo W800BT from 2015

        iwatch? try Sony SmartWatch from 2012

        In house Arm chip? Certainly very fast, but not innovation….

        Got anything else from Apple?
        Maybe the mouse or the GUI???

        • ankor on 19/09/2021 - 13:37

          Doesn't matter who was first. It is who sells it best and that is Apple.

    • p1 ama on 15/09/2021 - 17:20
      +11

      I'm honestly amazed that Apple can still say they're selling more Iphones year on year.

      This is a stupidly ignorant view. Most sales growth are not happening here, it's in places like India and China.

      e.g. see https://9to5mac.com/2021/09/06/iphone-sales-in-india-growth/

      Apple is finally breaking into new markets as those markets become richer and have higher disposable income to spend on things like phones.

      Innovation has really hit a snag at Apple, seems like it's run by people trying to leach off Steve Job's innovative success.

      What do you mean by "innovation"? What exactly do you want your phone to do that it doesn't currently do right now? They will continue to get better and faster, but they are not going to get new groundbreaking features anymore. Not until there's some breakthrough with the way we see / do things.

      FWIW, I'm an Android user, there's hardly any innovation going on there either.

      • payless69 on 15/09/2021 - 19:33
        +1

        Apple penetration in India: 5 to 6% ! Xiaomi is the killer globally with India leading. They have many brands like Poco.
        Now cheap Indians also look at ZTE a former junk brand now having 5G phones that are 30% faster than the IP12 and around 15% of the cost.

        • buckethat on 16/09/2021 - 19:00
          +1

          30% faster in what metric?

      • Drakesy on 16/09/2021 - 13:40
        +1

        What do you mean by "innovation"? What exactly do you want your phone to do that it doesn't currently do right now?

        I just want it to last more than 8 hours.
        Not have a huge notch with big bezels
        have a fingerprint reader

        • p1 ama on 16/09/2021 - 22:24

          How are any of those things innovations? Galaxy S21 Ultra has all three of those features right now.

          • Drakesy on 18/09/2021 - 11:09

            @p1 ama: Sorry
            Should've been minimum specs
            Apple still hasnt met them

  • ronitdias on 15/09/2021 - 15:44

    I'm planning on getting the 13 Pro Max, for 2 reasons is I prefer big phones and after using a OnePlus with 90Hz refresh rate for 2+ years, I cannot see myself go back to a 60Hz screen, If the 13 did not have ProMotion I would have ended up getting the 12 Pro Max. Even though this model is an increment, its still a good buy for someone like me who is jumping on iOS after many years of Android. It'll be interesting to see how long this holds up if the next iPhone comes with drastic changes.

    • payless69 on 15/09/2021 - 19:35
      +4

      Samsung has variable refresh.

      • ronitdias on 15/09/2021 - 19:58
        +2

        Eww, never Samsung.

        • ozbargainer88 on 16/09/2021 - 15:20
          +6

          I said the same after being a pixel user for a few years but my current phone is a S20 FE 5G and it is the best phone I've ever used.

          Never Apple for sure though

          • ronitdias on 16/09/2021 - 15:30

            @ozbargainer88: I've used Samsung phones, I know they are great, but my only reason to switch to iPhone/Apple now is longetivity. Don't like the habit of spending every 2 years and even with software, Apple supports phones for a long time, which kind of doesn't make things too outdated. That and I now have an M1 Macbook Air so it'll work well with that as the ecosystem.

            • jobrro on 16/09/2021 - 17:07
              +2

              @ronitdias: Recent Samsung Galaxy phones have software support for three years (then security updates for at least a couple more). Combine that with the fact Android works a bit differently and core apps can be updated independently of OS updates and it isn't a huge difference any more in terms of updates. Plenty of other reasons to prefer Apple or Android though (like you are already in and enjoy the Apple ecosystem), no wrong choice.

  • poohduck on 15/09/2021 - 16:49
    +2

    I'm always underwhelmed by the manufactured hype and then the subsequent hysteria by the general public. Sheesh, what little lives.

    • ankor on 19/09/2021 - 13:40

      I watched the whole event thing and it was super slick and aspirational. We could all be better people who are more productive and creative if we just lived in the Apple ecosystem! /s

  • popcornready on 15/09/2021 - 17:31
    -1

    OP, you say “I’m surprised the watch didn’t include some new sensor“.

    What new sensor do you want?

    If there is currently no demand or need for another sensor, why just add something random.

    • neilpatrickharris on 15/09/2021 - 17:53
      +3

      blood pressure, blood glucose/sugar, body temperature, body fat composition, improvements to oximeter which doesn’t require you to stay completely still to measure.

      I don’t necessarily want all this, but I’m sure there’re others who’d want it. Personally it would’ve been nice to see body fat composition thrown in there. They already have ECG capability and I’d imagine some tweaking to this technology would’ve allowed for body fat %. Samsung managed to do it.

      • Nexo on 17/09/2021 - 20:04

        Genuinely curious, how can a watch get your body fat %?

        • YeemaiI on 17/09/2021 - 20:18

          "Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA), which sends a weak electric current through the body. It's calculating the amount of water in the body — the signal moves more quickly through tissue that has higher percentages of water."

  • payless69 on 15/09/2021 - 19:23

    I went from Uniden in car to Nokia analogue handset to tons of Sony Ericcsons to the Nokia N6110 Navigator that at the time could beat every Navman!
    Played with first Iphone and several pods, got the first Google phone.
    When 4G came the HTC velocity was 18 months ahead of Apple. How I miss that time.
    Then the Samsung Galaxy S6 and then I needed an Iphone to use the Insta 360 camera. Yuck! Iphone 6 was so slow compared to the Samsung.
    So went Huawei and their photos especially night shots were years ahead of competition.
    Doing crazy hikes I wanted a low cost "burner" phone. Samsung A20 gave me Oled, good fingerprint, NFC and USB-C. All for 160 bucks! And plausible photos to complement a Huawei.
    Despite having fibre NBN to my house I tried the Samsung S21U 5G and am so happy that I turned off Aussie Broadband and do everything on one device. One hotspot for the old i7 PC, 2 notebooks on bluetooth as well as the happy wife now enjoys the A20 hanging also off bluetooth tethering.

    Still toying with the idea of a Macbook Air in gold. Not so ugly but at retiring age is it worth the extra grey hair? The pads have good touch feeling but the Iphone 13 seems a fading joke!

  • macfudd on 15/09/2021 - 20:33
    +1

    I'm torn. The camera on my 6S+ just doesn't compare with modern phones and when you've got kids it sucks missing great photos of them - so I should upgrade. My phone still works fine though, could do with a second battery replacement but not like I'm ever more than 5m from a charger in lockdown anyway.

    I really, really dislike phones without a physical home button though. I was hoping if I held out long enough they might come back around.

    • neilpatrickharris on 15/09/2021 - 22:04
      +3

      Get the 12 Pro Max when stores start dropping the price.

    • MrFunSocks on 16/09/2021 - 17:28
      +1

      Get the SE. The camera on it is amazing - it's virtually the same as the iPhone 11, which was industry leading at the time. The video the SE takes is still better than any flagship android phone even today.

      The battery life is not good though, but if that doesn't bother you then it's all good.

  • VYCanisMajoris on 15/09/2021 - 20:35
    +2

    I'm definitely intrigued by the iPhone 13 mini. Every Android maker has jumped on the 6+" range. I might pick that one up as the mini isnt a great seller and the deals for that one should be enticing.

    Only other phone that interests me is the Pixel 6 with their semi custom SOC but the smallest one is 6.4" and has kinda chonky bezels.

  • Jimothy Wongingtons on 15/09/2021 - 21:22

    Was going to settle for 6 but stuff it will just drop primo dollars for the 7 as I know I’ll regret

  • BewareOfThe Dog on 15/09/2021 - 21:51
    +3

    And a a result, I have ordered a galaxy fold 3.

    Apple - still no usbc, or folding display. Also, no decent antenna since the iPhone 8.

    Remember when they were cutting edge? Yes the processor is good, but the rest is….

    • try2bhelpful on 16/09/2021 - 08:45
      +5

      I wonder how long before the recalls start on the folds? I’m not that keen on “bleeeding” edge technology.

      • dealsucker on 16/09/2021 - 23:14
        -1

        And the fact that you can get them dented and scratched if you are careless with your screen touches. Touche'! And who even wants an Android tablet even if it can fold?

  • Ade99 on 16/09/2021 - 07:33

    at the launch they were selling the idea that each IPhone release was a giant step forward……immediately rings alarm bells that it is really a "slightly" new and improved 12.

  • Geoff-bargain on 16/09/2021 - 09:25
    +3

    I've got a MacBook Pro and iPad pro. I would be tempted to change to an iPhone if they would just put USB-c on it. I really can't be bothered with lightning when all my other devices are USB-c

  • sjj89 on 16/09/2021 - 10:24
    +12

    You wont be impressed by any phone releases for years. Phone tech has plateaued .

    • tessel on 16/09/2021 - 11:30

      Exactly.

    • mctubster on 16/09/2021 - 15:55
      +2

      Cameras have not plateaued and Apple has done a lot of great work in computational photography quite recently. This was only reason I upgraded from my S8 to a Phone mini last year. So glad they didn't can that form factor

    • HeyHeyHeyIsItADeal on 16/09/2021 - 19:46
      +2

      Idk The Samsung Fold and Flips look pretty nice… but not for 2.5k nice lmao.

  • cyrax83 on 16/09/2021 - 11:01

    Garbage update

  • KaTst3R on 16/09/2021 - 11:18
    +3

    Apple needs to get rid of lightning. It serves no real world consumer purpose/advantage other than to artificially segregate the market.

    • Zondor on 16/09/2021 - 11:22
      +1

      Apple makes money from every 3rd party lightning port device sold

      • try2bhelpful on 16/09/2021 - 11:24

        It is, slowly, being moved out.

  • Zondor on 16/09/2021 - 11:21
    +3

    I'm happy because now the 12 will be cheaper!

  • tessel on 16/09/2021 - 11:23
    +1

    What were you expecting? Phones have pretty much peaked in what they can do. The technology isn't there to enable anything else amazing.

    • Wiede on 16/09/2021 - 21:35

      I don't know. I quite enjoy my fold 3. Feels exactly like when I first got my Blackberry, then first iPhone (imported from US jailbreak as it was ATT exclusive) then a Galaxy Note. I feel like this is the next big thing

  • Mosher on 16/09/2021 - 11:52

    I treat my phone's like crap so I won't buy anything over $100.00

    Nobody is going to mug me for my phone :)

  • Morien on 16/09/2021 - 12:42

    I think you over estimate how many people will "blindly upgrade."

    A lot of people will upgrade, sure. They will of course go for the 13 series, being the newest. But they aren't necessarily upgrading from something like an 11 or 12. I upgraded last year, but it was from an 8 (3 years). Phone I had before was a 6 (also 3). Even if the iPhone 15 is an underwhelming upgrade from an iPhone 14, I'll likely upgrade to that from my 12, because it will be the biggest tech difference at the time.

  • ashftc on 16/09/2021 - 12:49
    +1

    Recently bought iPhone 12 pro which was an upgrade from iPhone 7. I am not a heavy user and noticeable differences for me were camera, screen size, body and battery. I won't consider upgrading until iPhone 18 or so. Gone are those days when every new release were actually felt like an upgrade. For me, prime reason sticking to Apple is my iPhone 7 actually still works pretty well apart from battery. These phones lasts man.

  • CryptoReaper on 16/09/2021 - 13:15

    No updated AirPods announcement either

    • MrFunSocks on 16/09/2021 - 17:31
      +1

      Do they even need updated air pods? What needs improving?

      I don't have them so I genuinely don't know, I use Galaxy Buds Live with my iPhone 12 Mini.

      • CryptoReaper on 16/09/2021 - 22:43

        Current Gen is like 2-3 years old from memory. Rumours were new design, better chip, better battery life, ANC on the non-pro models etc

  • 4rcane on 16/09/2021 - 13:23
    +1

    with tim cook, apple have been going on auto pilot and making minor incremental improvements. No big innovations anymore

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