Ask Slashdot: Are You Excited About Upcoming 4-inch iPhone or 9.7-inch iPad Pro?

If rumors are to be believed, at its 'Let Us Loop You In' event on Monday, Apple will launch a new smartphone dubbed "iPhone SE," and a new tablet dubbed "iPad Pro." According to 9to5Mac's Mark Gurman, who has a reliable track record with Apple news, the iPhone SE will sport a 4-inch display and have the same processor, RAM and other innards as the iPhone 6s, which was launched last year. The new 9.7-inch iPad will reportedly have the same hardware specifications as the 12-inch iPad Pro, which was also unveiled last year. The Associated Press reports that the forthcoming event hasn't stirred "much passion." It adds, "So far, however, there have been no hints of any dramatic announcements, such as last year's highly anticipated Apple Watch debut, or major initiatives like the company's long-rumoured but yet-to-materialize streaming TV service." Are you looking forward to purchasing either of the devices?

Comments

not one bit

[dimko]

Don't buy their products, purely for philosophical/philanthropic reasons.

Re:not one bit

[afc_wimbledon]

Don't buy their products, purely for philosophical/philanthropic reasons.

Smugness come in to it too, or was that just why you felt the need to share this with the world?

Re:not one bit

[Anonymous Coward]

That's funny, because I thought a smug sense of superiority came with every Apple purchase.

Re:not one bit

[AmiMoJo]

Don't forget cost. Premium prices for three year old hardware.

Re:not one bit

[Plumpaquatsch]

That's funny, because I thought a smug sense of superiority came with every Apple purchase.

Odd how we have two anti-Apple posts with it, and we are only three posts in.

Re:not one bit

[MobileTatsu-NJG]

Android fans are programmed to be hostile towards the competition. Apple fans love their phones, Android fans hate your phone.

Re:not one bit

[war4peace]

I'm sure it would.
I use a Samsung Galaxy 4 Mini, company provided, a bit over 2 years since I got it, my mobile phone usage hasn't change a bit. Its screen size is enough, it can run the apps I use just fine, why change it? At most I'd change the battery when its life shrinks to less than 12h.

While I never owned an Apple device (of any type), I had plenty opportunities to try some out. They certainly cover my requirements but lack the freedom I enjoy in my phone. I can drag-and-drop music from my PC to my phone without having to install any software on my PC; the bluetooth stack works flawlessly and with more devices than Apple's. On top of that, I can get a phone that covers my needs much cheaper than anything Apple provides.

Lastly, I can use an Android device without having to create/have an account on it. With Apple's, not so much.

Re:not one bit

[whipslash]

You think Apple really paid us to get (by and large) roasted by people who hate Apple? Come on, you're better than that.

Yadda Yadda Yadda

[Anonymous Coward]

Apple has been the whipping boy of Slashdot ever since CmdrTaco's infamous slight of the iPod. Apple could come out with the best product in the world and you'd still have to contend with the Applebash fanaticism around here.

The bottom line is if you like Apple, so be it. If you don't, so be it. You won't find much in the way of real technological insight and definitely no business insight from the comments here. Save your time and go read something on PhysOrg. You may actually learn something worth knowing instead of fanboy vs fanboy wars that are pointless and only sway the kinds of insecure cretins who really never get beyond the entry level of life.

Re:Yadda Yadda Yadda

[Opportunist]

Not even that.

"Are you excited about (product)" is the question asked. And in nearly all cases the answer to this is only a resounding NO. Not because it's Apple but because it's yet another cell phone in a market that is saturated with cell phones that have been "good enough" at the very least 2 generations ago. We're now reaching with cellphones what we reached ages ago with Operating Systems: It's good enough. It does what I want it to do. There is nothing new, nothing innovative, no advantage that I am looking for. There is simply nothing you offer that I want. That's basically it.

Was Win95 exciting? Hell yeah! True 32bit, a genuine GUI instead of a tack-on. That was exciting! Was the first iPhone exciting? You bet! So many new things (like them or not, it was different!).

Was Win10 exciting? Nope. What's new about it, it's yet another damn OS without a reason to exist. Is the new iPhone exiting? No. For exactly the same fucking reason!

Re:Yadda Yadda Yadda

[AmiMoJo]

There are still interesting and exciting things happening with phones, just not Apple phones.

A friend recently bought a Windows phone (Nokia). It was cheap and the battery lasts a week, no kidding. Many Android phones easily get multiple days of heavy use now.

There have been some really big improvements in phone camera tech in the last six months. The new Nexus devices with their extra large pixels have unbeatable low light performance. Marshmallow also brings some big improvements to SD cards, something people here really seem to want. As well as being for media storage, you can now use the card to expand "internal" storage as well, i.e. the stuff where app data and caches go.

LG's hot swappable battery is pretty interesting for a lot of people, and again something Slashdot seems keen on.

I'm still waiting for the perfect phone, so announcements do interest me, but always seem to lead to disappointment. For the record, I want a reasonable amount of memory (64GB+) or expandability via SD card, Qi wireless charging, fingerprint scanner + NFC for payments, around 5.5-6.0 inch screen, 2+ day battery life and unmolested Android OS. The new Nexus devices would have been perfect if they hadn't ditched the Qi.

Yes

[HalAtWork]

Those are much better sizes for portable devices. Large phones are cumbersome and add little, and heavy 13" devices are more difficult to use for long periods of time unless you're at a desk.

Re:Yes

[cadeon]

I'm interested, particularly in the phone. #MakePhonesSmallAgain.

Re:Yes

[Lumpy]

These were the exact same people 3 years ago were screaming that only idiots would want a large phone.

Re:Yes

[MrKrillls]

Size. I'm glad to see Apple buck the tide of idiot behemoth phones. I'm really glad they are offering a reasonably sized phone. I'm not a mindless Apple fan, and no is, in the end, my answer, but it's complex.

I really applaud Apple's stance in the latest FBI escapade.

The hardware is pretty rugged, at least in the 4s, which was my introduction to smartphones. I've used it long enough to appreciate it's strengths and to curse it's weaknesses.

My biggest gripe, which I cannot imagine Apple would remedy, is that I have no meaningful ability to go into the file system, not enough even to folderize my pictures and re-name them. When your product has room for 900 photos, why in heck can you not allow users to organize them? Yes, I know there are workarounds, but the ones I have dug up are clunky, lame and time intensive.

There are many other things. Idiotically low memory - 1/2 G - forcing the browser to reload over and over if I jump out of Safari for a moment. The supposed upgrades break apps that fit me well. I was lucky enough to dodge that bullet when I saw a friend's phone with the next version. I couldn't get the same app's new version to do the things I do in a heartbeat on my phone. So, contrary to every good practice, I've stayed with the original OS and never upgraded.

Then there's Apple's hard-ass stance on independent repair shops. Unconscionable. And the breathtaking bricking incident.

There's more, but those alone were enough to make me wary of accepting Apple's decisions without checking very carefully.

In the end, too many things have made the golden cage too tight a fit. So, I'm not excited at all over a new iphone.

Re:Yes

[Drethon]

Why my battery doesn't last longer than a couple hours, I prefer to buy a new battery, rather than buy a new phone. I don't use it to extend the life of a normal battery but to extend the life of the phone. Phones used to improve enough to warrant a regular upgrade but I'm planning on driving my Galaxy S5 into the ground.

Call the new 9.7 inch the iPad SE

[jfdavis668]

Since it has the same screen size as the Macintosh SE.

Re:Call the new 9.7 inch the iPad SE

[ChunderDownunder]

thanks but I'll wait for the SE/30

My interest depends on cost

[thermopile]

My 4S is getting very long in the tooth, and I am ready for an upgrade. It all comes down to cost.

A 64GB 6s today costs $750. If the 64GB 4" version costs $650 or less, I'm sold. If it's the same price as the 6s, I will probably grudgingly shell out the $750 for the 6s.

I, along with my family, am too tied in to the Apple ecosystem to jump ship now.

Excited? No. Pleased? Yes.

[garcia]

I have owned an iPhone since the 3G arrived on the market and, up until the 6 came along, I upgraded to the latest and greatest major version each time. For me, the 5/5S were fine sizes and appropriate for what I want them for but the 6 and especially the 6+ were too large. When I needed an upgrade from my 5, I opted to go w/the 5S and have been seriously considering moving to another platform to stay at that size which I find most comfortable.

With this announcement, I am not "excited" but I am pleased that Apple has realized some of their users do not want something larger and are instead quite happy to stay at a comfortable size for them.

They'll get my money if they do this but they may not if they don't. Seems like a great business decision, at least to me.

Re:Excited? No. Pleased? Yes.

[Sad Loser]

I had exactly the same sentiments, but went with the iphone 6 but if there had been the option for a large capacity 5s then would have been quite happy with that.

Not sure about 'the loop bit' - I am sure this is a Malcolm Tucker reference - now that would be a product launch I would go to.

For those that do not know 'In the Loop' then judging by 'house of cards', our last great political drama, you should get your version of Malcolm in about 10 years time.
NB Malcolm is very occasionally NSFW
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUky4_A7Zw4

Re: Excited? No. Pleased? Yes.

[Albanach]

I've had the original, the 4S and when 6 came out I decided against it on two reasons and got a 5s - I don't need a door to carry in my pocket and I don't need a snitch that can be read by any passer by. So if they put the innards of whatever 6 or 6s in the SE without removing the NFC I am not going to get one. NFC and wallet and fingerprint reader are bad for security

So let's get this right, you're comfortable with your phone broadcasting over bluetooth, wireless 802.11 a,b,c,g and n, 2g, 3g and LTE wireless signals in CDMA and GSM etc. But when it comes to NFC you draw a line? That makes perfect sense.

Re: Excited? No. Pleased? Yes.

[Wrath0fb0b]

So if they put the innards of whatever 6 or 6s in the SE without removing the NFC I am not going to get one. NFC and wallet and fingerprint reader are bad for security

The NFC chip in the iPhone is in passive mode ("listen only") until you authorize with your fingerprint. But don't believe me, you can verify this for yourself trivially by getting any NFC reader (and some Android phones can be configured as such) and polling for a response. Seriously, try it before you bash it ...

I mean, this is a really easy claim to verify empirically, why speculate?

No interest in Apple's Walled Garden

[QuietLagoon]

Apple devices are fine so long as all you have are Apple devices.

.
But, for example, try to get an AppleTV to work with a media server besides iTunes, and you're out of luck.

If you enjoy staying locked up inside Apple's Walled Garden, then you may have an interest in the new devices.

I have no interest in them.

Re:No interest in Apple's Walled Garden

[frnic]

Uh, you mean like Plex? Theres an app for that.

They lost me as a customer a while ago.

[Bearhouse]

Changed connectors, and thus obsoleted all of the devices in the house & cars that used the iPhone 4/old iPad interface.
Then made my perfectly fine iPhone 4s unusably slow with a software "upgrade".
Then disabled all the chargers that used to work fine (with an adaptor tip) for my kids iPhone 6, plus other cables for video out etc.

Got an Android now; could not be happier. Much cheaper too.
With SD card reader....
And I control the encryption and sync to my private servers.

Same sausage different lengths

[zerofoo]

Apple seems to be stuck in a rut - the products are all very similar in functionality. Form factor seems to be the only significant difference.

They are a bit like the auto industry at this point.

Re:Same sausage different lengths

[swb]

I think they're suffering from a crisis of innovation largely brought on by their own iron grip on the hardware and software features.

As an example, is refusing to support a Bluetooth mouse really meaningful anymore? Maybe it was with iPad 1.0 because they wanted to promote a touch interface and allowing a mouse in on the "ground floor" of a touch-centric device might have corrupted a touch-centric UI, but IMHO there's a lot you can do with a mouse in terms of functionality and productivity that touch or even a pen can't provide. Yet to do this day you can't pair a Bluetooth mouse with an iPad, even if the mouse is only enabled for apps that might specifically support it (ie, won't work in the home screen, settings, etc, but could with with an app specifically written to support mouse events).

The lightning port is far more locked down than 30 pin was, there's no support for external storage devices, and so on.

I think if they want "excitement" at this stage they have to open the door to innovation by opening up the device in some ways that lets someone else develop new and interesting uses for it. Apple have fenced themselves in with these devices by restricting so much that the list of interesting uses has become kind of a finite set.

I am excited for the 4" Phone

[The Eight-Bit Link]

Most phone companies play follow the leader, and if Apple releases a 4" phone, that might bring about the end of this phablet stupidity, especially if the phone isn't gimped in any way.

If i can't code for it

[Z80a]

I don't want it.

No, and stop asking

[TheDarkMaster]

No. Overpriced and inferior hardware, locked OS without any possibility of customization, really shitty way (iTunes) to retrieve or store musics/photos/etc. Why would I buy such a thing except to show to others that I am rich (status symbol)?

Re:it's for old people

[MitchDev]

If their sight is bad, a smaller iPhone is NOT a good choice...

Re:No

[JRV31]

But it's fun to watch the ilemings stand in line in the cold to get their latest fix.

Re:meh

[jon3k]

I love that people are already not impressed by a device they haven't even seen yet. It's basically religious fanaticism at this point.

Nope. Shitty interface

[DogDude]

I still can't believe people use these things. I suppose that Candy Crush and Tinder are more important than a modern interface to most people. Very surprising to me. I'm going to stick with my Windows Phone, thanks!

My grandparents are excited

[JoeyRox]

They called me up last night and asked if I've heard about Apple's new doohickey.

Re:Also not excited by paid ad placement

[whipslash]

it's not paid. cry me a river

Re: Also not excited by paid ad placement

[whipslash]

I'm not going to admit something that's not true just because someone wants to stir up shit because they don't have anything better to do. Thank you for crying me a river

Re: Also not excited by paid ad placement

[TheRaven64]

Go on, just once, it will give the conspiracy theorists something to point to for the next 3-5 years and keep them entertained. Then you can auto-mod anything that links to the admission to -1, thus keeping the trolls away from the rest of us and also giving them something else to complain about. It's win-win!