Yesterday Apple announced, amongst other things, their new iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro. As ever, lots of snazzy videos and chat of technical specification and wonderous features were presented. There are some good things:
- I like the new side Camera Control button they’ve added, can see it being v.handy once learned.
- I like the AI Siri animation, all shiny and modern.
- I like the iPhone 16 colour options.
But…
As others have already said, and mostly I agree, it seems I may no longer be a ‘Pro’ iPhone user and, given that I may already have assumed that Siri was already AI of a sort (not alone in that thought either) what else am I really gonna gain from getting a new iPhone?
I have an iPhone 14 Pro at present. I use it largely the same way the vast majority of users do, emails, messages, internet connectivity, some specialist apps (exercise, social media), for listening to music, and for taking LOTS of photos.
I’ve been running iOS 18 BETA for a few weeks now and there are some nice improvements there – the new Photos App is worth sticking with, once you get used to it – but aside from the Camera Control button there is no compelling reason for me to part with several hundred pounds for a new iPhone, and even less for me to part with a thousand or more pounds to ‘go Pro’. The differences really aren’t worth it.
I am aware there is also a general shift in my expectations and usage of tech these days. I’ve been using iPhones since they were launched and for a lot of that time I stuck with a regular upgrade every year or two because it was always worth it for new features, better screens, etc etc. But the changes to the design are less and less dramatic, so the uptick isn’t the same (and no, Apple Intelligence isn’t the one). I’m quite happy with my current iPhone and so, for the first time in 14 versions, I’m NOT going to be upgrading any time soon and from what I’ve seen even if I do upgrade to the 16/17, it won’t be into the Pro line.
As for the Apple Watch, I currently have a Series 4 and the main concern is the battery. One workout plus a ‘quiet day’ notification/activity wise and by 9pm the battery is heading for 15% and whilst I know I can adjust my charging patterns (a 30 min charge during the day would be enough of a bump to get me through busier days) I am a life long watch wearer so prefer to always wear it which means, Series 10 might be my next purchase. Definitely NOT the Ultra though as I don’t really need it and it’s just a little too bulky for my liking.
And no, it won’t be in black, I like my silver Series 4 as it pairs better with different colour watch straps, I don’t get the same feel from the black cased watches, never have.
So, continuing a trend over the last couple of years, I watched the Apple Event (later that evening) and skipped large chunks of it because, honestly, who cares? A lot of people will upgrade because that’s the cycle they are in, the heavy users/tech crowd will upgrade to get the ‘new shiny’ thing and the rest of us … meh.
New iPhone. Big whoop.
And that’s ok, part of me is glad that it’s this easy to just ignore an iPhone release, and this is coming from someone who queued more than once to get the latest version on release day. If anything it’s showing the reality of incremental updates and design tweaks, with the basic form factor being as good as it needs to be (don’t start me on folding phones) and without wanting to add too many more (literal) bells and whistles to the hardware, the iPhone is pretty much what it is, sure the software will evolve and right now I will ‘miss out’ on Apple Intelligence features but, whilst they demo well, actual usage will be different so I’m more than happy to let that play out for a couple of years until I have more of an idea of what the hell I’d use AI for anyway…
So perhaps my next iPhone will be the iPhone 17 and maybe then it’ll be the Pro model too because of some whizzy new thing I can’t even imagine yet but that Apple are already working on… who knows. But right now I’m more than happy that it’s an easy decision to swerve the iPhone 16 and watch from a distance.
Anyway, I’m off to order a new Apple Watch (he says, without yet having consulted his wife…).
