iPhone 7

[cmdrdredd]

Uh oh. Everyone hates the new home button. I'll have to check this out in-store. If it is really bad, I'll have to think twice about buying.

Really hates or just not used to it so they throw out the hate word? I don't think it could be that bad, it's just something completely new.

You mean it is "free", not that it is free.

Why didn't they just have 2 ports instead of 1, now I bet someone will make something so you can charge at the same time you have headphones plugged in.

I mean you don't have to buy it separately. It's a pack in and I'm sure there will be other variations. Something I've learned about Apple stuff is you either learn to deal with their stuff or you buy something else. You'll never be happy otherwise.

 

[poofyhairguy]

So all the "normal" people media- CNN, BBC, etc.- have the headline of "Apple releases phone without a headphone jack."

 

[Eug]

Really hates or just not used to it so they throw out the hate word? I don't think it could be that bad, it's just something completely new.

Check out The Verge, BGR, Engadget. They think it's quite bad. I don't think they used the word "hate" but "awful" was used.

OTOH, Joshua Ho from AnandTech seems to like it, but it seems he is coming from the perspective of comparing against Android non-buttons with haptic feedback. But that's a pretty low standard if you ask me. One of the big reasons I continue to prefer Samsung Galaxy over other Android phones is because it has a real (and real-feeling) home button. The fake haptic ones on Android generally suck IMO.

 

[cmdrdredd]

I've used phones with no physical home button and actually liked them.


From Engadget and I don't see the word "hate" or "awful" anywhere. The verge was different but I think really there are people who are fans of certain things and will not budge.

• Man, that new Home button is weird. iPhone newcomers won't have any trouble adapting to the change, but it feels almost jarring to someone who has used iPhones pretty regularly since the 4's launch in 2010. It works like force-pressing one of Apple's new Macbook trackpads, but it doesn't really feel like it -- you'll feel a blip from the phone's Taptic Engine instead of feeling the button depress like you're using a 3D Touch gesture on the screen.

 

[Eug]

I've used phones with no physical home button and actually liked them.

Lots of people do. But I'm not one of them, and iOS is built around the home button so it gets used a lot.

BTW, here is the quote from The Verge:

Another thing I tried: the new home button, which uses a "taptic engine" to give you physical feedback when you press it — it's pressure sensitive, too, so it can tell if you really mean to press it or just tap it. And it's awful. On a MacBook trackpad, you get this uncanny feeling that you're actually hitting a button. On the iPhone, the whole bottom of the phone just sort of "kicks." It's not bad haptics like you remember, with weird vibration, it's just a new kind of bad haptics. It doesn't feel like a button at all. It's a bummer.

 

[purbeast0]

I've been using Jaybird X2's for my headphones with my phone for a few months, so I'm not concerned about not having a headphone jack. There have been times I had to use my wired ones when my Jaybirds ran out of batteries (like on my 8.5 hour flight home from Spain 2 weeks ago), but that is literally the only time I've had to use wired on it. And the fact I can still do that with the adapter that is included is not a big deal at all. Still not sure if I'm going to get it or not yet though.

 

[sxr7171]

If they were going to make the home button haptic they might as well have made any empty space a haptic home button. I know people who use that movable home button found in accessibility. Moving your thumb to the bottom every time is not a natural movement. I guess they'll get rid of the button next year and this is training.

 

[adairusmc]

The lack of the headphone jack doesn't bother me, I cannot think of a single time since my iPhone 3G where I used headphones or listened to music. I might try one out when I am due for an upgrade.

 

[Tweak155]

If you're used to plugging in headphones, I think the most likely scenario is you continually use the same set. Just leave the adapter attached to the headphones, they have to have a cable lugged around either way anyway.

But yes, underwhelming. I'm going to upgrade this year due to space limits on my 16gb (how did I manage for 5 or so years??). Probably will jump to either my friend's 6s 64gb or get a 5se 64gb. I don't see the upgrades worth a whole lot here.

 

[Sushisamurai]

Wow, that is an ugly adapter to replace the 3.5mm port. I really hope they put in a decent DAC cause no BT solution is going to replace my $500 IEM's.

I think my only gripe with this new release is the second speaker is coming from the ear piece. My 5S is still my fav phone at 32GB due to the one handed usage, and with no SE upgrade I think I may have to make the jump (might as well go plus if I'm going up in size). Will wait for anand review of the big little and hopefully a resurgence in CAD.

 

[rumpleforeskin]

Uh oh. Everyone hates the new home button. I'll have to check this out in-store. If it is really bad, I'll have to think twice about buying.

When I replaced my kindle keyboard I went for the kindle voyage over the paperwhite because it was the nearest you could get to having physical buttons.
The voyage also uses haptic feedback pressure sensitive capacitive buttons which I can only describe as awful.
Maybe the apple version is an improvement but my experience of this technology is that it encompasses the worst of both features, taking the space of a physical button yet providing non of the tactile pleasure of use.

In this case an on screen button would be just as functional and have the advantage that you can also reuse the screen real estate for other functions.

 

[Fingolfin269]

The other problem with the "just leave the adapter attached to the headphones" suggestion is it does not take into account that many people use wired headphones on the go. That dongle doesn't look very flexible which means it may make it difficult to manage in more active situations like running. It also introduces yet another point of potential failure. Gonna suck when one is on a flight and their dongle stops working properly.

 

[Eug]

The other problem with the "just leave the adapter attached to the headphones" suggestion is it does not take into account that many people use wired headphones on the go. That dongle doesn't look very flexible which means it may make it difficult to manage in more active situations like running. It also introduces yet another point of potential failure. Gonna suck when one is on a flight and their dongle stops working properly.

The adapter is $9. Not a big deal.

When I replaced my kindle keyboard I went for the kindle voyage over the paperwhite because it was the nearest you could get to having physical buttons.
The voyage also uses haptic feedback pressure sensitive capacitive buttons which I can only describe as awful.
Maybe the apple version is an improvement but my experience of this technology is that it encompasses the worst of both features, taking the space of a physical button yet providing non of the tactile pleasure of use.

The Force Touch trackpad of the MacBook Pro is very good. However, it seems the implementation can vary, since the one on the MacBook is not as good IMO. We'll have to see with the new iPhone, but initial impressions by reviewers are not encouraging.

In this case an on screen button would be just as functional and have the advantage that you can also reuse the screen real estate for other functions.

That's a rumour for the 2017 iPhone (albeit with no actual sources).

 

[Tweak155]

They have to leave something to "innovate" for the next release as far as the home button. Poor design intentional?

I do like the click on the MacBook pro though.

 

[Eug]

They have to leave something to "innovate" for the next release as far as the home button. Poor design intentional?

I do like the click on the MacBook pro though.

Most people should know by now that Apple doesn't usually blow its entire load in one release. Once a product line is established, they tend to go through the releases in iterative increments. That keeps the lines reasonably fresh and also captures those who would consider upgrading every year.

Yes, it's a marketing and business decision and not a technical one, but it makes sense for them as a business.

 

[purbeast0]

The other problem with the "just leave the adapter attached to the headphones" suggestion is it does not take into account that many people use wired headphones on the go. That dongle doesn't look very flexible which means it may make it difficult to manage in more active situations like running. It also introduces yet another point of potential failure. Gonna suck when one is on a flight and their dongle stops working properly.

LOL ... now this is what I call grasping.

 

[Eug]

We are now one day after the iPhone 7 launch event, and I just found this Geekbench 4 result, presumably for the iPhone 7 Plus:

https://browser.primatelabs.com/v4/cpu/213223

Operating System iOS 10.0.1
Model iPhone9,4
Processor ARM @ 2.23 GHz
2 processors
Processor ID ARM
L1 Instruction Cache 64 KB
L1 Data Cache 64 KB
L2 Cache 3072 KB
L3 Cache 0 KB
Motherboard D111AP
Memory 2998 MB

Single-core: 3233
Multi-core: 5363

I don't know if this is real or not, but there ya go.

BTW, the other iPhone 7 result is this, and is similar:

https://browser.primatelabs.com/v4/cpu/146939

iPhone9,3
2000 MB
3379/5495

 

[swanysto]

I really want to check out the camera on this thing. If it is as good as they made it sound, it could persuade an upgrade for me. After watching rumor videos on the iPhone 7, the only one that I wish would have come true was the rumor that there was a blue iPhone. The fake one they had made up looked really cool.

 

[sxr7171]

We are now one day after the iPhone 7 launch event, and I just found this Geekbench 4 result, presumably for the iPhone 7 Plus:

https://browser.primatelabs.com/v4/cpu/213223

Operating System iOS 10.0.1
Model iPhone9,4
Processor ARM @ 2.23 GHz
2 processors
Processor ID ARM
L1 Instruction Cache 64 KB
L1 Data Cache 64 KB
L2 Cache 3072 KB
L3 Cache 0 KB
Motherboard D111AP
Memory 2998 MB

Single-core: 3233
Multi-core: 5363

I don't know if this is real or not, but there ya go.

BTW, the other iPhone 7 result is this, and is similar:

https://browser.primatelabs.com/v4/cpu/146939

iPhone9,3
2000 MB
3379/5495

I heard the results were posted even before the reveal. The single core result is impressive. Also 3GB RAM is helpful.


I wonder when their SoC improvements will go the way of Intel. Should be any year now.

 

[Eug]

I heard the results were posted even before the reveal. The single core result is impressive. Also 3GB RAM is helpful.

I wonder when their SoC improvements will go the way of Intel. Should be any year now.

No, the results that were posted earlier were a different set of results. The scores were similar, but it was a different model number and it had 2 GB RAM. That's why I posted this one. It got 3 GB RAM.

The fact that both sets of results have similar scores suggests the possibility that in fact both results are legit, but I have no way to confirm that at this time.

 

[sxr7171]

No, the results that were posted earlier were a different set of results. The scores were similar, but it was a different model number and it had 2 GB RAM. That's why I posted this one. It got 3 GB RAM.

The fact that both sets of results have similar scores suggests the possibility that in fact both results are legit, but I have no way to confirm that at this time.

It seems to me the 3GB RAM is for the plus and the 2GB for the regular 7. But I'm guessing just the same.

 

[Midwayman]

Pretty 'meh' update for me, but I'm on a 6s+. Interested in what the camera will do on the 7+ once they get the software working for it though. I've thought for a long time that plenoptic cameras would be coming to cell phones and it kinda seems like this is a first step.

 

[sxr7171]

Pretty 'meh' update for me, but I'm on a 6s+. Interested in what the camera will do on the 7+ once they get the software working for it though. I've thought for a long time that plenoptic cameras would be coming to cell phones and it kinda seems like this is a first step.

I'm curious too. But it would have to roughly be up to the lytro camera in software to be considered up to par. But I guess looking at it as a first step is a safe way to look at it.

Meanwhile the watch has no indication of what technology it uses for HR. Afaik only the performtek system is accurate.

 

[Aikouka]

If I had to guess, some third-party is going to create a case for the 7/7+ that extends the phone by a little and adds a 3.5mm jack by including its own DAC and a lightning pass-through.

I'm not too sure what I think about the phone. I don't know if it's worth an upgrade from the 6S+ as I've heard the same comments about the home button. The camera does look interesting and as much as I'm not a huge picture person, I do like having a good camera at my disposal. Honestly, I'm more interested in the Apple Watch series 2.

 

[sxr7171]

I could see a company doing headphone jack/case/charging port/extended battery. But wow it would be bulky. The length of the 3.5mm jack would require it to bulge out the back and at that point may as well add a battery.