What to expect from Apple’s next-gen iPhones? Expect the same 5.4- and 6.1-inch display sizes for the regular “iPhone 13” models alongside the same 6.1- and 6.7-inch displays for the “iPhone 13 Pro” models and, significantly for those who hate the inelegant kludge, a smaller notch (TrueDepth camera and sensor system).
Mark Gurman for Bloomberg News:
Here’s what I’m expecting:
• New camera capabilities, including a video version of Portrait mode dubbed Cinematic Video, a new AI-driven filter system to apply different styles to your photos, and higher-quality video recording in ProRes for the Pro models.
• A faster A15 chip with the same core counts as the A14 chip.
• New screen technology that will enable ProMotion (a faster, 120-hertz refresh rate on the Pro models) and potentially an always-on screen mode.
Year two of the big 5G push is a fair marketing reason to jump to 13 — despite the number being considered unlucky in some regions. The smaller notch also could give Apple reason to move to 13. Or Apple can avoid this whole discussion by finally ditching numbers like it did long ago on the iPad.
MacDailyNews Take: ProMotion finally arriving on iPhones is a big deal (especially if the company makes Apple Pencil work with the flagship iPhone 13 Pro Max.
As for the naming, we’ve been outspoken on the self-defeating “S” model designation for many years. Some examples:
“S” year iPhones were not “slight upgrades,” but that horrid mischaracterization is exactly why we advised Apple to drop the the stupid “S of Death” naming scheme many years ago. – MacDailyNews, September 13, 2017
Apple, enough with the stupid iPhone ‘S’ naming already.
iPhone “S” years usher in hugely significant features, such as oleophobic displays, significant GPU improvements, world phone capability, Siri personal assistant, video stabilization, panorama photos, 64-bit processors, TD-LTE support, Touch ID, and 3D Touch, among other improvements and additions. Each year’s iPhone deserves its own number. By not doing so, Apple is shooting itself in the foot; handicapping iPhones with an “S” every other year. Why Tim Cook or Phil Schiller haven’t put an end to this stupid – yes, stupid – “S” naming is inexplicable. Why don’t you just name it “iPhone No Big Deal This Year,” Tim and Phil?
Here’s what you say onstage and in the press release when there’s no “iPhone 7s” and you jump directly from iPhone 7 to iPhone 8: “The improvements are such that the new iPhone deserves its own number.” Period. Done. Mission accomplished. It’s your naming convention, Apple, and you can correct your stupid mistake at any time. — MacDailyNews, September 16, 2015
It’s as if Apple is naming iPhone models solely for their own internal inventory purposes, just so they can keep track of which model is which, with no regard for how the iPhones are perceived by the rest of the world – the media, the customers, etc. – outside One Infinite Loop.
The “S” doesn’t stand for “Speed,” it stands for “Stupid.” Yes, we know it’s the same case design; we know the “S” version is the one you make the big margins on; we get it. Call it the “S” internally if you must, but don’t be so engineer-ish that you insist on calling it that on the box, too!
It’s not about sales figures or the model’s success (as long as “iPhone” is in the name, it will be a success), it’s about setting a tone. In this case, with the “S,” Apple sets a tone that they are just making an incremental update… Why gift the naysayers with the opportunity, Apple? — MacDailyNews Take, April 5, 2013
Again, here’s how we’d name them:
• iPhone mini (2020)
• iPhone (2020)
• iPhone Pro (2020)
• iPhone Pro Max (2020)
or, better yet:
• 5.4-inch iPhone (2020)
• 6.1-inch iPhone (2020)
• 6.1-inch iPhone Pro (2020)
• 6.7-inch iPhone Pro (2020)
I’ve been waiting a long time for Portrait Mode video. Perhaps LiDAR makes it possible? I’m also hoping for a Liquidmetal mid-frame. It’s definitely the next generation Apple material.
MDN has repeatedly suggested a superlative common sense naming convention for Apple iPhones for years and agree 100%.
To point out to the clueless millionaire Apple executives working for Apple with a serious math problem, it is NOT iPhone 13!!!
2021 is the year of iPhone 15. Which further illustrates how broken and stupid iPhone naming conventions have been ill conceived and wrong all along…
A higher number makes people want it. Most don’t buy a computer every year, so numbers aren’t important there. Even iPads are more like appliances. But for better or worse phones are different. People look at them hundreds of times a day. They want the best. So you don’t want to give the impression that it’s just an iPhone, always an iPhone, doesn’t matter what version. You want to encourage people to get the newest and best. That’s most easily accomplished with numbers. Seriously, how do numbers dissuade people from getting a phone? It’s not that big of a deal. If you don’t like the numbers, ignore them or pretend they aren’t there. But someone with an iPhone 8, or X, or 11 who hears about an iPhone 13 will be extra interested.
Sorry, the name does matter if you are buying or selling iPhones. Unfortunately, it is so messed up and requires homework to get it done.
Example, 2015 Jeep Renegade. Look up resale value and done. Not with an iPhone, too confusing and a major pain in the…
The camera system is getting SO big… Soon the “bump” will be half-inch thick and take up a quarter of the back! 😉 On the first three iPhones, the camera was almost an afterthought and it was just ONE camera, not even a front “selfie” camera. I’ll bet many (or most) typical iPhone users don’t know how to use the latest fancy camera features on their prized high-number iPhone.
Here’s an idea. Make super-camera module that attaches to back of iPhone using MagSafe connector. A cylinder that does not restrict lens size, focal length, and sensor capacity. Maybe a touch ring about cylinder for control (focus, zoom, etc.). It has its own battery and storage to take load off iPhone. iPhone’s brain handles image processing through a fast data connection. And iPhone can go go back to having a single back camera, like the solid (and small) one on iPhone SE, for customers who just “point and shoot.”
How about the painfully obvious, drop the “pro” differentiators. FCOL I spent a small fortune on my Mini, I deserve the full blown camera system at these prices
The iPhone will never be “Pro” for video so long as we have to rely on internal storage. What if you have a terabyte of video? (That’s a typical one day shoot with ProRes.) You can take an SD card to the Post Office and it will get to the destination faster and more reliably then most internet connections.
With current iPhones, if you run out of storage in mid shoot, it could tie up your phone for an hour dubbing files off. And the process involves clumsy dongles and various risks of losing data.