It’s arguably the worst kept secret in modern technology. In fact, it’s hard to really call it a secret anymore, because anyone with even a passing knowledge of smartphones will know that Apple tends to announce and release new iPhones around August/September/October time.
That’s why rumors start to really heat up around now, and photos of supposed screens, random cables attachments and claimed rear covers begin cropping up with increasing frequency. It’s as predictable as night turning to day, and we love it.
One of the perennial questions though is one that I’m being asked on a regular basis, and not just by techy types. The question is a simple one: what will Apple announce and will I want to buy it?
What that really boils down to is a simple idea, and that’s whether Apple will announce an iPhone 5S, or a shiny new iPhone 6. Regardless of which actually happens, what will it take for you to dump that iPhone 5?
Now we’re not really the best people to ask about that. Most of the iDB team will be upgrading regardless of new features, or indeed the result of a sanity check. This writer went through five different smartphones last year alone, so it’s safe to say that we’re not averse to chopping in our handsets, but we’re not exactly typical users. It’s you, dear reader, that has us intrigued. At what point do you decide that yes, that feature is what I’ve been waiting for and yes, Mr Cook, please take my money. It’s a highly emotive question, and one we wouldn’t dare answer for you – that’s what we have the comments section for, after all – but do allow us to post one or two possibilities, won’t you?
One rumor that just won’t go away, or at least we thought it had and then it reared its oversized head, is the belief that Apple’s next iPhone will grow once again. After years of iPhones sitting at the rather miniscule 3.5-inch form factor, the iPhone 5 saw a jump to a 4-inch display. Could Apple move along so soon? We’d argue not, but we must admit to it being a damn good reason to upgrade from an iPhone 5 and it’d be top of our list for sure. Not too big, obviously – we’re not talking Galaxy Note proportions. Oh heavens no, just something a little more beefy.
If screen size doesn’t float your boat, what about a fingerprint scanner? There’s almost no chance of this actually happening as far as we’re concerned, but seeing as the rumor won’t die, we assume someone somewhere actually wants it to happen. Are you that person? Does being able to unlock your iPhone with the power of the ridges in your thumb fill you with glee?
We didn’t think so.
For us, the biggest change that Apple could make to the iPhone is already upon us, and we’ve spoken about it at length for a while now. When the new iPhone reaches stores later this year, we suspect that iOS 7 will be the biggest change that users will notice, assuming Apple sticks to its iPhone – iPhone S cadence, that is.
And with iOS 7 chugging along happily on the iPhone 5, we’re not sure that the compelling reason to upgrade will be quite as compelling as we’d like.