Dear Apple,
Go ahead and skip the premium iPhone launch this year. The iPhone 11 is still in great shape.
More importantly, you already launched the iPhone SE to great success. We really like ours. It’s fast! It takes perfectly good photos. You’ve made sure it’s secure and runs the latest apps (except Fortnite, but we’ve got a Switch for that!). A more budget-friendly yet still powerful phone was a great look for those of us strapped for cash this year. Pushing a minor upgrade at premium prices has considerably worse optics.
What could you possibly give us that would be a thousand dollars cooler than the iPhone 11 series? Those phones were great. The iPhone 8 is still great (if you do say so yourself). You’ve been scoring a solid 6/10 repairability rating on iPhones for a few years now; not many Android phones come close. Worried about looking left-behind on 5G? Don’t be. 5G is undercooked and not worth the effort. PC Magazine’s real-world tests found that AT&T’s 5G is slower than 4G. We’re all at home with our fast Wi-Fi anyway. And do you really want to pay the steep Qualcomm tax any more than you have to?
You’ve let Samsung do the beta testing on new features before—this is the perfect opportunity to sit out “the race” and let someone else take the flak for miserable first-gen battery performance. Relax for a year, let us play with our cool new home screens, and swoop in with great tech next year. We promise we’ll be way more excited then.
You’ve got a great product lineup right now. You just launched new Watches and iPads, and you’re working feverishly on wireless tracking dongles. Sure, you missed with AirPower, but that’s fine by us—wireless charging isn’t the best for the environment anyway. Just around the corner are some exciting Mac updates with the custom silicon in which you’ve invested so much. Let’s meet up with iPhone next year, refreshed and with renewed enthusiasm.
Remember your bold proclamation as to why you dropped the headphone jack? I mean it became a meme. Now would be a great time to flex some actual Courage. Your 2020 environmental report is a thing of beauty, and waxes poetic about the importance of making long-lasting products. Why not put your money where your mouth is and do the best thing for the environment: Fewer phones that last longer is the fastest way to reduce the carbon footprint of the technology in our lives. If every new iPhone SE owner uses their 2020 SE as long as my husband used his 2016 SE, we can lock down a big environmental win through 2024. (It’ll probably need a new battery or two before then, but iFixit’s got him covered.)
I’ll remind you about that one time Phil said that old tech is sad. It’s not—it’s a triumph. We all want these phones to last. A vintage phone is a mark of pride! Your 2016 SE is still in high demand—the headphone jack may have something to do with it. Backmarket has been selling them like hotcakes at $150. You built these things the best you could, and you did a darn good job.
Don’t get us wrong, we love covering an iPhone launch. It’s great traffic, and always fun to see what you guys have packed into familiar slabs or totally new forms. But this year, I think we’d all agree it’s not needed. Take a break, you deserve it.
The planet could use a break, too.
Love,
iFixit
crwdns2944067:030crwdne2944067:0
Nice opinion, I do agree on all points.
Maybe you forget to mention, Apple made iOS 14 to be supported on the 2015 iPhone lineup (say iPhone 6s and original iPhone SE), this is incredible! THIS is a real achievement to reduce the environmental impact and enhance value (and then the will to keep the phone and repair it)!
If there was an official iOS for my iPhone 4… after 10 years (10!) it’s still working, my beloved…
Please Apple, focus on the environmental values: an investment for you, which will turn out in a big revenue for us all!
Lucertola Maculata - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0
What exactly are you talking about? I’m not sure if I get the argument here. This would make sense if you assume that everyone buys new phones every year, and this ain’t the case.
I’m still rocking my iPhone SE 2016, but it is time for it to go, and I would prefer to buy a phone that was released this year than one released 1 year ago. Not because I need the latest and greatest, but because phones inevitably get obsolete and need to be replaced. Say both iPhones (11 and 12) have 5 years of support from their release date, if I buy an iPhone 11 next week instead of an iPhone 12, I will have 4 years of usage before my phone goes end of life, and I would still be much more likely to be limited by my phone’s performance in the future, possibly even having to replace it before it reached end of life.
Incremental changes are also way better as they make obsolescence a gradual process preventing you from ever buying a phone today and have to replace it next year because it is suddenly obsolete.
Daniel Novaes - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0
I’m with you on this. I buy a new iPhone every 4-5 years & my current 2016 iPhone SE original series is in need of replacement. Also the comparison of 5G to 4G is only on one specific network & not the world over.
Paul Lukabyo -
This is exactly the right way to look at this, and it’s why Apple releases a new phone every year. Don’t tell Apple not to release a new phone, tell its customers not to buy a new phone every year—which most don’t anyway. And those that do sell their old phones, so that those who otherwise couldn’t have afforded a recent phone can now get one. I really think your logic needs revisited here, iFixit.
Besides, I’m using a 2016 SE as well, and I’m very much looking forward to the iPhone 12 mini, which may just be the phone I’ve been waiting for for most of a decade.
Calion -
Hmmm, I wonder why you guys didn’t mentioned Samsung or LG or other android manufacturers to not make phones this year
D Harris - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0
the author is an owner of the Apple iPhone 11. not an Android user. You can write your own opinion if you want
Andri Basuseto -
Boo…? I disagree completely. I’m still rocking an 8 plus, but its not for lack of wanting an exciting new iphone, I just haven’t been impressed with apple’s latest offerings and removing features I love like 3d plus. Apple please keep innovating and releasing new iPhones. Such a dumb argument for them to stop. The earth isn’t going to die just because apple releases a new iPhone.
jondavid - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0
Sitting on the fence between Apple (1st Ed. SE) and Android (Moto series) - the only real disagreement is that we do need a new apple that is in the small phone size profile - the (as yet rumored) 12 mini. The supersizing of phones has made them cumbersome to carry and use for a significant number of users. If I buy another apple, it’ll be the 12 mini.
cvdwl - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0
I fully agree…only in case your old one doesn´t work properly I understand why you want a new one. By the way I feel the same for other brands too….every little bit helps to save our world in my opinion and it starts with your selves, me included!
perambrosiussen - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0
Umm, pass on this pass. The phones are not supposed to be a spec bump, they are supposed to be all new designs…AND we absolutely do need a smaller full screen iPhone. A small full screen iPhone has been missing for years.
Ben Nelson - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0
I think your opinion seems confusing.
kant - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0
Since anything that is out is speculation or so called leaks for iPhone 12 you are basing your opinion on unproven information.
Andy Dishong - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0
Folks, I’m writing you here from my iPhone 6. 128GB version. Been with me since 2014 and still works great. Went through many economical repairs i.e. front screen, wifi/Bluetooth flex cable, battery, and front facing camera.
This phone is so “old” that its design has been resurrected into the SE which I find it humorous. More humorous is when I hear people complaining how their iPhone 8’s are slow.
“Old” phones are testament to one’s appreciation and mindfulness of their material positions.
Why do you need a new phone? Because it is strong, faster and trivially flashier? So you can spend more time on it? It is all a matter of perspective I guess. My phone, may take several more seconds to load an app but at least I can look up and see that sky or sip a coffee with those seconds.
Now in Pandemic times, this iPhone 6 is still kicking it at 100
eepmon - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0
Is it just me? My wife is OK with her iPhone 6 and I’m satisfied with my 8. If our phones stop working, we’re getting “thelightphone” (I wish it had a user-replaceable battery) As for G5, I dialled back both of our accounts to “voice only” (because we were being charged for data that we never used) I also dialled back from 4G to 3G because we don’t need text messages to download at hyper speeds and Wi-Fi (email and browsing) still works at full speed. Besides, I will be long dead before we see 5G out here in the Canadian countryside. After years of abuse by tech companies and service providers, we and many of our friends are not-so-slowly turning into anti-techies. This must be OK with the corporations involved or they’d do something about it. Mind you, I’m not complaining because I spent half of my life repairing technology and it’s been so poor and unreliable that it paid for my house. So bring it on… just don’t expect me to buy into it
ThosD - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0
This is dumb post. Not everyone is upgrading every year. Also you think they will sit out on 5G? Lol
patnas - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0
This article hits so many good points. Excellent read. Especially about the release of another iPhone.
Kieran O'Hagan - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0
Still love my 6s. Still humming along. I won’t replace it until I have to.
Eve - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0
Mentions “my husband”, signs off with “Love, iFixit”
Got it.
butler1000 - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0
But you guys will get one, right? You know what? Me too!
Tartarus - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0
XS Max coming off contract this month and there’s nothing I ‘ve seen in the rumour mill to make me consider a switch. Going to take the $55/mo “savings” and put it on the replacement for my slowly dying 2014 MacBook Pro. For some development/engineering reasons really need one of the last Intel ones - I run Windows using Parallels and there’s no indication from anyone how/whether it’ll work on Apple Silicon.
Tom Jackson - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0
i disagree. i HAD to buy an SE 2020 because my 2016 was terminal (pesky lightning jack is part of the mainboard.) and the SE is too big for me to one-hand while walking an impulsive and strong golden. i’ve been desperately waiting for the 5.4” 12 simply because of the size, and will repurpose or give away the SE to minimize the environmental impact of adding another device to the world. (and with sharper corners maybe it won’t do the watermelon seed thing that the SE does even in a case.)
gotta say i’ll miss touch ID, but i’ll deal.
Kent VandenBerg - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0
I’m still using my 7+ I bought when it was released. I’ve replaced the battery once and still haven’t ever cracked the screen. I’d love to get the 11 Pro (I’ve taken nearly 10k photos/videos with my 7+) and upgrade the camera. That’s my most used feature.
Michael - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0
Hope you don’t mind if I will upgrade my iP7 with freshly dead audio IC.:-P
Ren - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0
As pretty much everyone else has pointed out, this year’s release is not supposed to just be a spec bump but an entirely new design. That said, if it were ONLY a new design and not a functionality increase I might tend to agree. But with THAT said, and again as others have pointed out, the majority of people won’t be upgrading from an 11 to a 12. They’ll be moving on from an X or a 7 or a 6 and THAT functionality and performance increase is definitely worth it.
Michael Long - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0
What is this fixation with Apple's refresh cycles on the iPhone? Android phones are changed far more often, an (until Android 11) were obsoleted far more quickly than iPhones, with many Android OEMs intentionally NOT sending out security patches and OS updates for phones more than 18 months old.
The other point is that if you have iPhone 7, or newer, and your phone is in good shape, there may not be a compelling reason to update. SO DON'T. Just because Apple launches a new generation of phones doesn't mean you need to buy them. There are people whose phones are older, or are damaged, that would want the new iPhone. It is up to the individual user to decide when to upgrade, and usually it is NOT driven by Apple's announcements.
Apple is a business, they are not any more responsible for the environment than any other business is. Argument can be made that they are far more environmentally responsible than most.
Kostas Kritsilas - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0
what is the point of this article? Not everybody has last year model, I’ll be upgrading from a 4 year old phone, technology should keep advancing every year not become stagnant, recycling and reusing and repairing is good but there is no need to settle for last year’s tech when you do need or want the upgrade
Omar Ramirez - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0
My 4-year old 6s Plus had been dead for a couple of months now and am using the 2016 SE from my mother. She doesn’t use the phone as much, but she’s without a cell phone. I wasted $30 for the 6s plus battery. It needed to be replaced anyway, but still won’t turn on. I don’t have the tools necessary to replace the next thing, but a phone tech can replace the chip for $100. If that doesn’t work, then I’ll be out $130+ altogether. I rather put the $100 or more into a new phone. Waiting to see the iPhone 12 to check it out or the Androids may be a better choice.
watsonsmarthome - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0
Paula - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0
I loved the jab on environmentally friendly and the headphone jack stupidity. Take that Apple! :)
I’ve also missed the home button more than I thought I would. Not just for fingerprints, but for simplistic use too. Covid mask issues didn’t help it any either. Apple would do much better if they’d add a home button with finger sensor back onto the phone. The side of the phone would not be a bad place for this to be. I’ve seen rumor of that, but rumors don’t make products all the time.
Scott Wilkins - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0
One would think that all those investors that made good money on APPL would always buy the next Apple item or two helping to prop up the stock price. Could amount to half the sales volume?
John dezigns - crwdns2934203:0crwdne2934203:0