“It’s official. Apple as just sent out media invites to its annual fall product event, confirming The Wall Street Journal’s earlier scoop that the event would be on Sept. 12 at Apple’s new Steve Jobs Theater in Cupertino,” Daniel Sparks writes for The Motley Fool. “In line with the usual iPhone product cycle, the event will almost certainly be focused on the launch of the ‘iPhone 8.’ But the company is also rumored to debut a new Apple Watch and Apple TV set-top box at the event as well.”
“The iPhone 8, of course, is expected to steal the show,” Sparks writes. “Here’s why the new device is so important for Apple.”
1. It’s been three years since the iPhone design has changed.
2. Apple stock has been on a tear.
3. The iPhone is Apple’s biggest product segment — by far.
4. The iPhone is likely Apple’s most profitable product segment.
5. In a post-Steve Jobs era, Apple still has a lot to prove.
6. Investors are wondering whether iPhone has peaked.
7. The iPhone helps sell other Apple products.
8. It’s the iPhone’s 10th anniversary.
All 8 reasons elucidated in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Once again, we wish Apple would drop the self-defeating “S” nomenclature which inexplicably screams to most of the world (“No big deal this year! No pressing need to upgrade!”).
We’d love to see a clean break in the iPhone-naming game with something like the following naming scheme:
• OLED iPhone – iPhone Pro (2017)
• iPhone 7 Plus – iPhone Plus (2017)
• iPhone 7 – iPhone (2017)
• iPhone SE – iPhone mini (2017)From that point on, simply change the year as Apple already does with Macs. The Plus models will die out as OLED takes over and the huge Plus bodies needed to accommodate LCD are no longer required. The iPhone line could then be simplified to:
• iPhone Pro (year)
• iPhone (year)
• iPhone mini (year)The top of the line could also be grown to offer varied sizes with display size designations (again as Apple already does with Macs):
• 6.5-inch iPhone Pro (year)
• 5.8-inch iPhone Pro (year)
• iPhone (year)
• iPhone mini (year)SEE ALSO:
It’s official: Apple announces special event on September 12th, the first-ever event at the new Steve Jobs Theater – August 31, 2017
iPhone mini would truly be a bad name.
Grand idea …😉
1. It’s been three years since the iPhone design has changed.
Not even remotely true.
They’re probably referring to the chin bezel area. Some people seem to hate what they consider as wasted area. Android smartphones never had a round fingerprint sensor so they’re considered more advanced than Apple. Getting a couple of millimeters more of display area seems to prove a company is highly innovative.
Does it really make that much of a difference to consumers even if the basic iPhone design hasn’t changed over the last three years? There certainly have been plenty of internal upgrades over the last three years. Would consumers stop buying the iPhone because Apple hasn’t changed the basic shape? If an iPhone feels good in the hand as it is, why bother to keep changing it?
I understand there is a trend to greater display area than the iPhone has but it doesn’t change the value of a smartphone. I think there are more important things like battery life that matter more to average consumers. I’m not talking about the techies who are always complaining about everything.
I must really be a weird consumer because I can use the same product for years and still be happy with it. I guess I don’t view electronics like some people view clothing fashions. I’ve seen some new smartphones and they still look kind of sucky so changing the style really doesn’t help in all cases. Change for the sake of change isn’t always a good thing.
Yeah, if Apple doesn’t sell 20 million iPhones the first weekend, I’m sure the company is doomed. Are queues around Apple retail stores still being counted to verify if Apple products are still popular? Only Apple has to live up to these fabricated standards and it seems a bit unfair.
The S “nomenclature” DOES make sense from a marketing perspective. It makes sense, because if there was a new number used every year, we’d be at something like 11 by now. After “iPhone 10,” that naming standard becomes more and more awkward.
In fact, after the actual iPhone 10 (and 10S), I think Apple will move to a different product name that’s NOT “iPhone” with a number. Look at how Mac OS X (“10”) never became Mac OS XI or 11 because going beyond 10 is awkward for marketing.
Maybe iPhone 10 uses the “X” again to create a new product name from that point forward, and the numbering can restart. Using a new number every TWO years (with the “S”) extends how long the great “iPhone” name remains viable.
Also, two years generally fits the way many customers upgrade their iPhone, about every two years. These days, an iPhone (short of being damaged) can remain useful for much longer than two years, but having that number change every two years signals a “major change,” and motivates more customers to upgrade (even if not essential). If the number just changed every year, it’s a “so what” (it happens every year) event and more customers keep using their existing iPhones instead of upgrading sooner.
I have long advocated on MDN for Apple to change their naming conventions and follow the auto industry MODEL. Autos refresh every year in August (?) and iPhones refresh in September.
iPhone 2017. If an incremental model is released six months later, iPhone 2017s. Simple. Accurate. More importantly, easy for everyone to understand …
That said, MDN has the best solution hands down …
Personally, I would prefer if all manufacturers only ship models that are very significantly improved and not just a new model a year. What’s happening now with the yearly flagships is contrary to “when it’s ready” and serves the company disproportionately more than it serves the user. But we buy them up like suckers, myself included.
I’d like to see market research of typical iPhone consumers, I doubt that most have more than a foggy idea of the differences from year to year or care about the name, what matters most “is it the new one? Is it the best?”
MDN:
Sit down, report the news and be quiet.
Arguably the best product offering in the modern era doesn’t need your 2 cents.
But now I don’t have an extra kidney 😂