Many Looking Past iPhone 7 to Next Year's iPhone 8 (fortune.com)

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Many Looking Past iPhone 7 to Next Year's iPhone 8 (fortune.com)

Posted by msmash on Wednesday September 7, 2016 @03:00AM from the I-will-wait dept.

Reuters reports: The iPhone 7 is expected to make its global debut on Wednesday, but many consumers and investors are already setting their sights on Apple's 2017 version of the popular gadget, hoping for more significant advances. At its annual product launch in San Francisco on Wednesday, the world's most valuable publicly traded company is expected to reveal an iPhone without a headphone jack, paving the way for wireless headphones, a touch-sensitive home button that vibrates, double-lens cameras for the larger Plus edition and other incremental improvements. Apple typically gives its main product, which accounts for more than half of its revenue, a big makeover every other year and the last major redesign was the iPhone 6, in 2014. The modest updates suggest that this cycle will be three years.Apple will celebrate iPhone's 10th anniversary next year. Rumor has it that the company plans to switch from LCD to OLED for display on the next year's flagship phone. It is also pegged to have an all-glass body.

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Gooood! by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-07 03:02 · Score: 0

Goooood!
Sounds familiar by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-07 03:03 · Score: 1

Isn't this what the report says every year... right before setting new sales records?
1. Re:Sounds familiar by Austerity+Empowers · 2016-09-07 04:59 · Score: 1
  
  It says that iff they didn't receive enough ad revenue from Apple.
Wireless Headphones by Aerokii · 2016-09-07 03:03 · Score: 4, Insightful

"Paving the way for wireless headphones"- really? We've had them for ages, they're not exactly new or even all that uncommon.
1. Re:Wireless Headphones by grumpy-cowboy · 2016-09-07 03:10 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  It's from Apple, so it's new again. ;)
  
  --
  Will $CURRENT_YEAR be the year of the Linux Desktop?
2. Re:Wireless Headphones by Kohath · 2016-09-07 03:29 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  Just like there were MP3 players before the iPod.
3. Re:Wireless Headphones by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-07 03:29 · Score: 0
  
  More important is wireless headphones are far less popular. Unless you can make them not need charging itsbuust more BS to remember for minimal returns
4. Re:Wireless Headphones by PhrostyMcByte · 2016-09-07 03:34 · Score: 2
  
  Yes, but this time it's Apple doing it, so it's new and innovative. Like MP3 players and multi-touch were.
5. Re:Wireless Headphones by ilsaloving · 2016-09-07 03:39 · Score: 4, Interesting
  
  They probably mean "Paving the way for wireless headphones that are ginormous piles of crap".
  Honestly, Stereo bluetooth sounds like crap. It's adequate if you're listening to music in a noisy environment so you would be able to identify details anyway, or if you just don't care... The compression used in Bluetooth is so severe that it not only ruins music, but even makes the majority of VOIP codec's unusable. I tried setting up a VOIP system on a tablet, and the only way I could make it work was to use a codec that did minimal compression (and so was very bandwidth intensive). Anything else made it sound like a Cylon being pushed feet-first into a Blendtec Blender.
  There are some devices out there that use aptX for higher fidelity audio, but that's a proprietary codec that has very tiny market penetration.
  The next major version of Bluetooth, which should be available "soon", is supposed to have a new profile specifically for high quality audio, and I'm setting my hopes on that.
  Also, it's not unusual for Apple to get certain technology before anyone else (ie: thunderbolt), so I'm hoping that they are doing what they are doing with the iPhone 7 because they have got some kind of exclusivity agreement with someone for their silicon, and so the audio should sound amazing. If they don't... well... I expect Apple's phone division will probably have a bad time this year.
6. Re:Wireless Headphones by Aerokii · 2016-09-07 03:50 · Score: 1
  
  Yeah, that's the other part of this that I wouldn't be happy about if I were an apple customer- bluetooth sound quality is far, FAR from superb. While I DO own a pair of headphones of that variety, the only reason I use them at all is to make my life easier while working out/not destroying the cord like I have so many times before.
  
  Speaking of which, I imagine many users will be stuck charging their headphones daily- perhaps even more if they're anything like mine which top out at 4 hours. Right now it's only a frustration, since I charge twice a week- but having to deal with it on a regular basis is not something I'd look forward to.
  
  That being said, the silver lining I see in this is the possibility that we'll see a major push to improve the quality of wireless headphones. Unless they're using their own proprietary standard, at which point they can get fucked.
7. Re: Wireless Headphones by Type44Q · 2016-09-07 04:04 · Score: 1
  
  Stereo bluetooth sounds like crap. It's adequate if you're listening to music in a noisy environment
  If you're not using A2DP Lossless, you're doing it wrong.
8. Re: Wireless Headphones by ilsaloving · 2016-09-07 04:31 · Score: 2
  
  Unless you can also tell me where on my mobile device I can explicitly set the bluetooth profile you specify, your comment is basically useless.
  Most devices don't give you that level of control, or may well not provide that profile at all, so claiming that someone is "doing it wrong", whether developer or end user, is pointlessly hostile.
9. Re:Wireless Headphones by djbckr · 2016-09-07 04:32 · Score: 1
  
  I don't hear that at all from my headset. Now, it does have to be configured properly - when the microphone is on, the sample/bitdepth changes to 8K/8bit mono and it sounds quite horrid. However it is capable of 14.4K/16bit stereo and it sounds *really* good. They only cost $20 too on Amazon. Coulax, in case you are wondering, but I'm sure many headsets are similar. I am a former audio engineer and musical hobbyist, so I feel like I am able to speak somewhat intelligently to this matter.
10. Re:Wireless Headphones by ilsaloving · 2016-09-07 04:35 · Score: 1
  
  I just came across this article, farther down in the list:
  https://apple.slashdot.org/sto...
  So it sounds like they may well be trying to go their own way. So... I guess getting themselves fucked is exactly what they're aiming for. :P
  Guess I definitely won't be getting an iPhone 7. Maybe they'll pull their head out by the time the iPhone 8 comes around, but I won't be holding my breath.
11. Re:Wireless Headphones by ilsaloving · 2016-09-07 04:38 · Score: 1
  
  Oh? This is new information for me. I didn't realize that that happens when the microphone is active. I will have to look into that brand. Could you give a specific model? Also, do you know if it supports Siri?
12. Re:Wireless Headphones by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-07 04:48 · Score: 0
  
  However it is capable of 14.4K/16bit stereo and it sounds *really* good.
  
  Impossible. A sampling rate of 14.4K is only good for frequencies up to 7.2kHz. That would hardly sound good unless you're 85 years old.
13. Re:Wireless Headphones by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-07 05:16 · Score: 0
  
  This is a pretty familiar rant.
  Oh yeah. It's almost 20 years old
  Seriously. People were whining about the loss of ADB and floppy drives when the original imac launched. Check out this post from 98
  https://apple.slashdot.org/story/98/04/07/1456223/the-imac-debate-editorial
  The imac launched the popularity of USB peripharls (USB was around, but hardly anyone used it yet as it was so new), and 3rd party companies sprung up selling USB floppy drives and USB ADB adapters to fill demand.
  Sometimes less is more - A maxim apple competitors often ignore while they gawk at Apple's profits in envy.
14. Re:Wireless Headphones by mallyn · 2016-09-07 05:23 · Score: 1
  
  Yeah, first of all, you should have mentioned Vitamix Professional series blenders. They are faster and louder.
  But what I want to say is to have good audio that is truly yours and something to be proud of, you need to make your own vacuum tube amplifier and then use it to power real electrostatic headphones over a wire.
  And the source? Vinyl.
  
  --
  Most Respectfully Yours Mark Allyn Bellingham, Washington
15. Re:Wireless Headphones by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-07 05:44 · Score: 0
  
  Nope. Didn't happen. I can't hear you.
16. Re:Wireless Headphones by dgatwood · 2016-09-07 06:04 · Score: 1
  
  I'm assuming that was a dyslexic moment, and that the GP meant 44.1.
  
  --
  Check out my sci-fi/humor trilogy at PatriotsBooks.
17. Re: Wireless Headphones by Blaskowicz · 2016-09-07 06:11 · Score: 1
  
  This is how I feel with "RAM is cheap" comments. No, even if a terabyte of DRAM costs $50 that means nothing if your computer only has a couple DIMM or SO-DIMM ddr2 slots. This makes it a $300 upgrade not a $50 upgrade (more for a laptop), and if it's just for running what you were already running before such as a web browser, what a waste.
18. Re:Wireless Headphones by Blaskowicz · 2016-09-07 06:27 · Score: 1
  
  Apple's legacy connectors were dickish (a VGA connector with the wrong layout), redundant (Apple-only keyboards? yawn), 1980s crap used only by themselves - whatever the printer/modem/localtalk ports were, and external SCSI was overpriced and dangerous.
  We can only wish Apple took a similar initiative to get rid of "legacy" on their iPhones. This means to get rid of their Lightning connector and use USB-C in its place.
19. Re:Wireless Headphones by ilsaloving · 2016-09-07 06:57 · Score: 1
  
  Either that, or they forgot the appropriate command in their AT init string, and forgot to enable compression. AT%C2 should bump that puppy up to 57.6kbps if you have a clean line. :)
20. Re:Wireless Headphones by hondo77 · 2016-09-07 07:42 · Score: 1
  
  You clearly don't know what MP3 players were like before iPod.
  
  --
  I live ze unknown. I love ze unknown. I am ze unknown.
21. Re:Wireless Headphones by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-07 07:42 · Score: 0
  
  Yes, but this time it's Apple doing it, so it's new and innovative. Like MP3 players and multi-touch were.
  Innovation and invention are two separate things, but are often used as synonyms:
  
  Innovation is defined simply as a "new idea, device, or method".[1] However, innovation is often also viewed as the application of better solutions that meet new requirements, unarticulated needs, or existing market needs.[2] This is accomplished through more-effective products, processes, services, technologies, or business models that are readily available to markets, governments and society. The term "innovation" can be defined as something original and more effective and, as a consequence, new, that "breaks into" the market or society.[3] It is related to, but not the same as, invention.[4]
  * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Innovation
  Getting the same result in a better way can be considered "innovation". See Toyota's manufacturing system over just about everyone else's, even though it's manufacturing of cars.
22. Re: Wireless Headphones by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-07 10:49 · Score: 0
  
  I look forward to the iPhone 8 too. When they realize how badly they screwed up and put a proper headphone jack back on it.
23. Re: Wireless Headphones by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-07 10:58 · Score: 0
  
  You buy devices that all support A2DP Lossless, and they auto-negotiate it.
  The point being made here is that Bluetooth doesn't have to sound like crap - A2DP can stream other codecs beyond the baseline SBC, like aptX (relatively common) or AAC (iOS 7+). You just need to make sure the devices you buy both support something better. So now you know.
24. Re: Wireless Headphones by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-07 13:30 · Score: 0
  
  How does Tim's dick taste?
25. Re:Wireless Headphones by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-08 04:22 · Score: 0
  
  And magical.
26. Re:Wireless Headphones by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-09 05:16 · Score: 0
  
  You clearly don't know what MP3 players were like before iPod.
  I do. I had the awesome RIO Karma. Good hardware, good software, the Audio quality was excellent (far better than anything Apple for quite some time) and the interface was better than the first iPods (and I still like it better than the later ones). It was hampered by a physical HDD (very similar to early iPods) and a company that didn't make a lot of money, therefore didn't have the resources to follow up with patches the same way Apple did. It also played MP3, FLAC, WMA and Ogg files with gapless playback. It also had a built in adjustable 5 band equalizer. Light years ahead of the iPod. Was it ugly? Yeah, a bit. Could it have used a better physical interface? Sure! I'd still trade all of that for actual music features. Which I did. And it still works and still sounds fantastic.
27. Re:Wireless Headphones by arglebargle_xiv · 2016-09-18 23:10 · Score: 1
  
  Yeah, first of all, you should have mentioned Vitamix Professional series blenders. They are faster and louder.
  
  Nah, what you need is Turnex, son of Durex, the blender for the next millennium. Not only is it faster and louder, but it can also be turned into the most powerful vacuum cleaner!
"Paving the way" by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-07 03:07 · Score: 0

Nobody was stopping wireless headphones before. This is a downgrade.
"Thinner and lighter" by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-07 03:10 · Score: 0

Big deal. Come back when Apple solves the wireless carrier problem in the US.
1. Re:"Thinner and lighter" by unixisc · 2016-09-07 09:03 · Score: 1
  
  What problem? All the carriers offer iPhones. It's Microsoft that is not supported by 2 of the 4 carriers
Many not satisfied with N say N+1 will be it. by 0100010001010011 · 2016-09-07 03:10 · Score: 2, Insightful

Apple, Ford, Android, Dell, Intel, et al.
Invariably you'll get the slashdotters whining that N+1 is only an incremental improvement over N without looking at the fact that some people are still on N-5. Skylake may not be the end all be all but if you're coming from Core or Nehalem it's a noticeable improvement.
New owners, you should know by now this isn't the stuff Slashdot is made of. At the minimum tack it on to the actual release story.
1. Re:Many not satisfied with N say N+1 will be it. by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-07 03:20 · Score: 0
  
  Osborne....
2. Re:Many not satisfied with N say N+1 will be it. by ranton · 2016-09-07 03:56 · Score: 1
  
  Invariably you'll get the slashdotters whining that N+1 is only an incremental improvement over N without looking at the fact that some people are still on N-5. Skylake may not be the end all be all but if you're coming from Core or Nehalem it's a noticeable improvement.
  When these companies thrive on the most profitable segment of their customer base upgrading every 1-2 years, critiquing N+1 or N+2 incremental improvements is justified. Any company should easily be able to make an N+5 upgrade seem like the device can walk on water, so that is no achievement. But being able to keep people on a one or two year upgrade treadmill is what makes Apple the most profitable company in the world.
  Its not too surprising Apple is only doing incremental improvements since its main flagship phone competitor (Samsung) is doing the same. I still have my Note 4 since I think the last two years of Samsung updates are lackluster. The only reason Apple made big updates in 2015 is because they were a couple years late on moving towards phablets.
  I agree with the summary and add that both Apple and Samsung are dangerously close to making a three year replacement cycle the norm. That's good for my wallet I guess.
  
  --
  -- All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing. -- Edmund Burke
3. Re:Many not satisfied with N say N+1 will be it. by mallyn · 2016-09-07 05:25 · Score: 1
  
  +2! Well said!!
  
  --
  Most Respectfully Yours Mark Allyn Bellingham, Washington
4. Re:Many not satisfied with N say N+1 will be it. by mjwx · 2016-09-07 13:46 · Score: 1
  
  Apple, Ford, Android, Dell, Intel, et al.
  Invariably you'll get the slashdotters whining that N+1 is only an incremental improvement over N without looking at the fact that some people are still on N-5. Skylake may not be the end all be all but if you're coming from Core or Nehalem it's a noticeable improvement.
  New owners, you should know by now this isn't the stuff Slashdot is made of. At the minimum tack it on to the actual release story.
  The problem is, unlike Ford, Android, Dell, Intel, et.al. that Apple can not advertise the next JebusPhone as simply an N+1, even though it is 100% just an N+1. Apple needs to keep the mouth breathing masses fooled that they are revolutionary. The problem they have is that the RDF has pretty much died off and people are beginning to see that they aren't that great after all.
  Also, as you pointed out people generally go from something that was a few generations ago to something current. Someone buying a Ford Focus would notice a huge difference between a 2005 Focus and a 2015 Focus.. Apple however relies on repeat sales to keep its numbers up, around 80% of Iphone purchases are made by people who already had Iphones, this statistic has probably gotten worse since Apple has almost run out of markets to expand into. So people going from N-3 to N is going to hurt them.
  The problem apple has is that the Iphone has become too passe. Even someone on benefits can get one (and I mean buying it, not stealing it) and now the RDF has worn off people aren't in a hurry to spend hundreds of pounds to upgrade any more.
  
  --
  Calling someone a "hater" only means you can not rationally rebut their argument.
5. Re:Many not satisfied with N say N+1 will be it. by 0100010001010011 · 2016-09-07 14:07 · Score: 2
  
  Wow. Android Fanboy much? Apple puts considerable time into their software development and it comes across polished. While I'm fine installing Cyanogenmod to get rid of carrier shit most people aren't. They use their iPhones and their Macs and they Just Work.
  
  people are beginning to see that they aren't that great after all.
  I wish I had Apple stock for every time I've heard this for the last 2 decades.
Guys. Stop... by epiphani · 2016-09-07 03:12 · Score: 0

Two apple related posts in the first three hours of the day? One about a new rumor, and the other about how someone on fortune thinks people will skip this version? The event is happening in a few hours. How about you report on THAT.
These stories? I don't care. It's not news. It doesn't matter. Stop.

--
.
Ha Ha Ha! by no-body · 2016-09-07 03:12 · Score: 1

Luckily, I am not part of this "Many" at all.
My life won't change a bit through Apple, except this post...
1. Re: Ha Ha Ha! by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-07 03:29 · Score: 0
  
  Not really- even if you're an android user, you must admit Apple has at least some influence on other smartphone makers.
2. Re:Ha Ha Ha! by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-07 13:29 · Score: 0
  
  Yeah, it is lucky for us that you are not part of us! Thanks heaps
Sorry by Comboman · 2016-09-07 03:14 · Score: 4, Insightful

Sorry, it should say, "Paving the way for forced upgrades to proprietary, Apple-branded EarPod wireless headphones".

--
Support Right To Repair Legislation.
1. Re:Sorry by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-07 03:36 · Score: 0
  
  You misspelled Beats.
2. Re:Sorry by cayenne8 · 2016-09-07 05:17 · Score: 2
  
  You misspelled Beats.
  No...he meant something that actually passes for headphones.....
  ;)
  
  --
  Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
3. Re: Sorry by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-07 10:17 · Score: 0
  
  AirPods.
Tim Cook has claimed big things for 5 years by JoeyRox · 2016-09-07 03:14 · Score: 1

Every year of disappointment brings new claims from Apple's CEO about how they're working on amazing things for next year. I guess what Mr. Cook finds amazing is not so amazing to anyone else.
Out of touch, Apple by mysidia · 2016-09-07 03:22 · Score: 2, Interesting

a touch-sensitive home button that vibrates, double-lens cameras for the larger Plus edition
Sigh.... Vibrating button is a parlor trick, nothing useful or appealing...... Go do something useful, like 200GB of memory in the base
model, and provide me a memory card slot, so I can load in data from external devices, archive things, or have additional storage available on
my phone.
Also, longer battery runtime and an option to replace my battery on the go are necessary,
until you do those things, Apple: I have no reason to upgrade.
1. Re:Out of touch, Apple by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-07 03:32 · Score: 0
  
  I'm looking to downgrade to a flip phone next time around. I've tried the smartphone and they have some convenience (and a lot to many users) but I don't use the features enough to justify the costs.
2. Re:Out of touch, Apple by jittles · 2016-09-07 03:51 · Score: 2
  
  This is why I am waiting for the iPhone 7s. It's going to remove the Lightning plug and all you have to do is say a 4 hour prayer to save Steve Job's soul every day to charge the device.
3. Re:Out of touch, Apple by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-07 04:00 · Score: 0
  
  "until you do those things, Apple: I have no reason to upgrade."
  I'm sure they'll be devastated.
4. Re:Out of touch, Apple by Stormwatch · 2016-09-07 04:09 · Score: 1
  
  >card slot
  >replaceable battery
  My Samsung Note II has those. Even the newest iPhone would be a downgrade.
  
  --
  Circumcision is child abuse.
5. Re:Out of touch, Apple by Maritz · 2016-09-07 04:30 · Score: 1
  
  Go do something useful, like 200GB of memory in the base
  What do Apple charge, roughly, per GB? I vaguely recall it being... unreasonable. Apple don't seem to like giving memory out cheaply.
  
  --
  I do not want your cheap brainburning drugs. They are useless for work. And I am a working man today.
6. Re:Out of touch, Apple by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-07 05:27 · Score: 0
  
  200gb - Useful to you, but a waste for 99% of the apple customer base.
  Apple ships millions of these things every month. Each penny shaved off the BOM cost is millions and millions in profits over the course of a product..
  You are not apple's target audience.
7. Re:Out of touch, Apple by Dixie_Flatline · 2016-09-07 05:28 · Score: 2
  
  Apple doesn't care about you.
  That's fine, they don't have to. Stop asking Apple for things if you don't want to buy their devices. The fact that YOU don't want their devices doesn't mean that other people don't. That the devices don't have these features doesn't mean that they're bad or deficient, merely that they don't meet your requirements. Your requirements are fine, and their phones are fine.
  What I don't understand is how every post on /. about Apple's phones becomes a free for all for people to talk about all the things Apple has never done and will never do. Just accept that you're not in their target market and move on.
  Or is it that you really ACTUALLY want to buy an Apple phone and be seen with an Apple phone, but you can't because of these sticking points? Like, you really wish that Tim Cook was the guy you were buying stuff from, and not Sundar Pichai?
  Just give up and commit to Android. I'm sure you have one now, but none of us that follow Apple care what you think is important on an iPhone. I'm not saying this to be offensive, but seriously, your comments are just taking up space and I can't even filter you out by your score because some other Android user that has the same opinion of Apple is voting you up.
8. Re: Out of touch, Apple by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-07 06:04 · Score: 0
  
  Fuck you. Nobody has to "commit to Android."
  It's not a religion for 'the rest of us.'
9. Re:Out of touch, Apple by mysidia · 2016-09-07 06:17 · Score: 1
  
  That's fine, they don't have to. Stop asking Apple for things if you don't want to buy their devices.
  Who says I won't buy their devices? I will buy a lot more of their devices if they make these two improvements.
  That the devices don't have these features doesn't mean that they're bad or deficient
  No, but adding these features will add a LOT more value, then many of the other changes they have already done
  and have potentially taken for this iteration. It would also in some sense ameliorate some recent trouble they have caused
  with crazy removal of the headphone jack.....
10. Re:Out of touch, Apple by Blaskowicz · 2016-09-07 06:36 · Score: 1
  
  Wait for a phone that takes UFS storage (memory cards, not the old useless file system for DVDs)
  That will allow memory cards that are basically as good as the internal flash, or even better. It's a single-chip SSD by this point. You would have the option for crappy internal + good external (i.e. performance, reliability and capacity), or good internal + crappy external, or both crappy, or both good.
11. Re:Out of touch, Apple by Kjella · 2016-09-07 06:55 · Score: 2
  
  This is why I am waiting for the iPhone 7s. It's going to remove the Lightning plug and all you have to do is say a 4 hour prayer to save Steve Job's soul every day to charge the device.
  Well, I suppose that could be useful after the App-ocalypse. We might actually get temples dedicated to Jobs, where they recite the book of Jobs aka the Apple EULA. We could have the orthodox church all in white and a reformed church where they worship the rose gold, gray, silver and black which of course hate each other. His followers will declare that there is no god but Jobs, and Siri is his prophet. And they'll all be awaiting the rAPPture, where all the faithful will be uploaded to the iCloud to live forever. Okay, I'll go take my meds now...
  
  --
  Live today, because you never know what tomorrow brings
12. Re:Out of touch, Apple by unixisc · 2016-09-07 09:05 · Score: 1
  
  200GB would be useful precisely b'cos they don't offer a micro SD slot. If they did, even 16GB might be okay (depending on whether one could set it up for all messages, voicemails, etc to be on the card).
13. Re:Out of touch, Apple by Dixie_Flatline · 2016-09-07 10:31 · Score: 2
  
  No, but they WON'T. You're asking for a tradeoff that Apple isn't willing to make.
  They will never include a memory card slot. They're trying to REDUCE the number of things in the phone so they have more space for other stuff. They don't want a mechanical home button because there are too many failures after people press them for a million times. They've made some choices, and all of them are antithetical to adding a memory card slot.
  256GB of storage on the base model? That's a bit of a pipe dream. I'd love it too, but there are precious few devices from any manufacturer that offer it at any tier.
  They won't make a removable battery. Not ever. Don't ask for it, don't expect it. It takes up space, and is fundamentally against their design principles. Especially after today, it would make it a lot harder to waterproof (not impossible; I have waterproof cameras that have removable batteries--but it takes up a lot more space).
  Their priorities are thin, light phones with as few ports as possible and an extremely locked down configuration that's easier to support. Anything that you ask for that runs counter to those priorities is doomed forever, and that's what I mean when I say Apple doesn't care about you. Your priorities are completely orthogonal to theirs. You want versatility and expandability, and those are perfectly good things to want, but you're barking up the wrong tree.
14. Re:Out of touch, Apple by mysidia · 2016-09-08 06:57 · Score: 1
  
  It's going to remove the Lightning plug and all you have to do is say a 4 hour prayer ....
  They could design the phone so there's no port, And make the aluminum case itself an electrode for charging
  Give you a USB cable with Apple-proprietary magnet/clips; one pair of magnets each to snap onto opposite ends of the phone.
  Induce an electromagnetic field inside the case, and include a coil inside the phone capable of releasing energy stored in the EM field as electricity for charging the battery.
15. Re:Out of touch, Apple by mysidia · 2016-09-08 07:01 · Score: 1
  
  Apple don't seem to like giving memory out cheaply.
  They need to get with the times.... Flash is cheap.
  I have a M.2 card with a 500GB SSD. The flash chip is about the size of a fingernail, and cost less than $200 brand new a year ago.
Biggest thing today by Kohath · 2016-09-07 03:24 · Score: 2

Today will be the turning point in the way you buy a cellular service plan. In 3 years, we will be talking about how, after the iPhone 7 release with iOS 10's first-class treatment of VoIP services, we no longer need to buy voice minutes on cell phone plans.
1. Re:Biggest thing today by danbob999 · 2016-09-07 03:39 · Score: 1
  
  I doubt iOS10 will change much. Just like Android 2.3 integration of SIP didn't revolutionize the market (although it's a nice feature and I use it, it's already possible to go data-only).
  Apple still rely on phone numbers (so carriers) even for protocols such as iMessage, which could work just fine with an email address as an identifier.
2. Re: Biggest thing today by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-07 03:42 · Score: 0
  
  And where is the IP part of VoIP going to come from if not from the service plan? Carries in US don't let you buy a data only plan unless you are medically declared deaf.
3. Re:Biggest thing today by Kohath · 2016-09-07 03:44 · Score: 1
  
  Just like Android 2.3 integration of SIP didn't revolutionize the market
  Because the public doesn't notice when some arbitrary version of Android adds another tech feature. They don't even know which version of Android their phone is running.
4. Re:Biggest thing today by EvilSS · 2016-09-07 03:47 · Score: 2
  
  Do voice "minutes" really matter anymore anyway? At least in the US the vast majority (not all plans, but most of them from the big 4) of available plans already include unlimited minutes because no one talks on the phone anymore. It's all about milking users for that data (and this change will benefit carriers since all those VOIP calls will be over the data when the user is off WiFi).
  
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  I browse on +1 so AC's need not respond, I won't see it.
5. Re: Biggest thing today by peragrin · 2016-09-07 04:32 · Score: 1
  
  Who buys voice minutes? All modern Verizon and att plans are data plans with unlimited voice and text added on.
  
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  i thought once I was found, but it was only a dream.
6. Re:Biggest thing today by danbob999 · 2016-09-07 05:30 · Score: 1
  
  So? It has been there since almost forever. 90%+ of all Android devices ever sold probably has it.
  VoIP on a data-only smartphone is not only possible, it is convenient.
7. Re:Biggest thing today by evilviper · 2016-09-07 12:29 · Score: 1
  
  In 3 years, we will be talking about how, after the iPhone 7 release with iOS 10's first-class treatment of VoIP services, we no longer need to buy voice minutes on cell phone plans.
  Bullshit, that's a trivial improvement. Google reached the end-game years ago with the release of the Hangouts Dialer (unlimited free calls over whatever data connection you have), then doubled-down on it with Google-Fi (no voice minutes at all). The bottom dropped-out of charging high prices for limited minutes and texts years ago, and everything has been sold by data amounts. Apple's first few steps into the area are years behind everybody else.
  
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  Slashdot gets worse every day... Pipedot: News for nerds, without the corporate slant
8. Re: Biggest thing today by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-07 13:33 · Score: 0
  
  Right you little bitch.
Osbourne by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-07 03:24 · Score: 0

So is this post trying to say that their leaks and schedule are causing them to Osbourne themselves? Or is it just more "wah, I don't want a three year old phone but your new ones aren't that much of an upgrade"?
Well... by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-07 03:24 · Score: 0

I know he wasn't behind everything, but I'm not expecting such good chips since Jim Keller left for AMD (and since for Tesla.)
The real headline should be by mike2006 · 2016-09-07 03:26 · Score: 1

"Many Looking Past iPhone to old and new competitors". Due to time they lost the wow want fashion factor and the missing headphone jack will also send many to other options.
This is officially the end of the smartphone boom by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-07 03:26 · Score: 0

Thank god its over
Predicted before by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-07 03:30 · Score: 0

This was predicted long back in the dilbert comics
http://dilbert.com/strip/2012-10-10
1. Re:Predicted before by TechyImmigrant · 2016-09-07 05:34 · Score: 1
  
  This was predicted in the dilbert comics long back
  http://dilbert.com/strip/2012-...
  This was done in practice by Adam Osborne in 1982 and again in 1983 and is generally called "Doing an Osborne".
  
  --
  I should use this sig to advertise my book ISBN-13 : 978-1501515132.
Predicted before by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-07 03:34 · Score: 0

This was predicted in the dilbert comics long back
http://dilbert.com/strip/2012-10-10
iPhone 8. Pfft... by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-07 03:38 · Score: 0

I am waiting until Apple take it up to 11...
Alternating Years by blueshift_1 · 2016-09-07 03:40 · Score: 3, Insightful

Why would they release the 8 next year? In recent years, they've do iPhone #S on the alternating years where they keep the same basic design but improve the internals a bit. I think you'll probably have to wait another year for the 8.
1. Re:Alternating Years by SolemnLord · 2016-09-07 04:43 · Score: 1
  
  I'm eagerly waiting for the day when phone manufacturers (not just Apple) decide that a clear name is all they need for their phones and they can drop the numbers not directly tied to the model. Car manufacturers use years, why not electronics?
2. Re:Alternating Years by UnknowingFool · 2016-09-07 04:55 · Score: 1
  
  Car manufacturers use years, why not electronics?
  Not all of them use just years. Many of the luxury models still use numbers. BMW, Mercedes, Lexus, Infiniti, Acura, etc.
  
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  Well, there's spam egg sausage and spam, that's not got much spam in it.
3. Re:Alternating Years by blueshift_1 · 2016-09-07 06:47 · Score: 1
  
  Not to mention, how would you know which was better? Clearly the iPhone 7 will be 1 better than the 6... just as will be the iPhone 2001 will be 1 better than the iPhone 2000
Of course I'm waiting for the iPhone 8! by moshiko · 2016-09-07 03:56 · Score: 1

But I'm going to buy the 7 while I wait.

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I love burekas in the morning
Advances? by akunkel · 2016-09-07 04:17 · Score: 0

I don't think that word means what they think it means.
Tried Andriod, now on my first Apple by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-07 04:44 · Score: 0

Next step is going back to a flip phone.
The correct title: by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-07 04:55 · Score: 0

Most don't give a shit.
They should release an iPhone 10 so people buy now by no1nose · 2016-09-07 05:10 · Score: 1

It worked for Microsoft!
I'm looking forward to the iPhone 10! by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-07 05:21 · Score: 0

The first double digit iPhone! w00t!
Why Not Get Both? by TechyImmigrant · 2016-09-07 05:29 · Score: 1

Being on the installment plan, I get a new one every year anyway. So do a lot of people. There's no incentive to skip.

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I should use this sig to advertise my book ISBN-13 : 978-1501515132.
1. Re: Why Not Get Both? by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-07 10:53 · Score: 0
  
  There's a huge incentive to skip. No headphone jack.
2. Re: Why Not Get Both? by TechyImmigrant · 2016-09-07 13:04 · Score: 1
  
  There's a huge incentive to skip. No headphone jack.
  Well yes. That has become apparent today.
  
  --
  I should use this sig to advertise my book ISBN-13 : 978-1501515132.
3. Re: Why Not Get Both? by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-07 13:31 · Score: 0
  
  So next phone would bring back the headphone jack? I doubt that
Re: This is officially the end of the smartphone b by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-07 06:09 · Score: 0

The end of the smartphone boom came when good-enough Android phones hit a price of under $150. My current phone costs about $100 new today and it's adequate to play Pokemon Go, which is sort of the benchmark for memory/cpu right now.
iPhone 7 by p51d007 · 2016-09-07 07:51 · Score: 1

LOL, think they will make a "retro" version with a 3.5" screen, HUGE like the original iPhone They'd sell a ton to "nostalgia" types
Fortune's company line. by Darkness+Of+Course · 2016-09-07 11:15 · Score: 0

Same old crap from the antiquated media company hilariously known as fortune.com. They are heavily invested in pissing in the general direction of anything apple. They deserve no links or references here on /. the tech nerd news site.
Quite frankly that is what I am doing by WillAffleckUW · 2016-09-07 12:58 · Score: 1

I just bought an iPhone 5 SE 64 this summer, after my original release iPhone 5 died. Since the guts of the 5 SE are the 6s model, I don't see the point in getting a giant iPhone 7 when I can wait for the market to laugh at giant phones again and Apple comes to their senses and sells an iPhone 8 model that fits in my pocketses, yes, precious.
Suck on that, marketoids.

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-- Tigger warning: This post may contain tiggers! --
All-glass body? by Anonymous Coward · 2016-09-08 04:40 · Score: 0

Enjoy cutting yourself after accidentally dropping the thing when you don't have a case for it yet.
I apologize if this comes off as a trolling or flamebait comment -- I just think it's a bad idea, even if the glass is of a very high calibre toughness. I keep seeing people with phones (Android and iPhone phones alike) that have cracked glass over the screens, and the only thing I can think of is: how is that in any way comfortable to use? Is there a layer of something atop the glass that keeps the sharp edges of the cracks from slicing your fingers to ribbons every time you swipe?
Extend that to the phone's entire body, and -- well, let's just hope that it has some sort of layer like what the flat part above the screen may have*, or that you have a case around it...
*I just have a super-cheap $20 Android phone I picked up in a dollar store, so instead of having glass over the screen to protect it, it's just a layer of durable plastic. I've never used a smart phone that has glass in it, much less one with a cracked screen-cover thing, so I honestly don't know what protection they have besides Gorilla glass.