What Could Apple add to a new IPhone to make you want to purchase it?

[Ken Magel]

Some people complain that innovation in IPhones and other smart phones has largely stopped. They say that is why they are not buying new phones as often as they used to. What features would you like to see in a new iPhone that would make you want to upgrade?

 

[Ken Magel]

I would like to see better zoom in the camera. If I could get a zoom of 10 or better< I might upgrade.

 

[Quis89]

This is an interesting question. I don't really have an answer, honestly. When you think about it, as our mobile devices progressed, we never really asked for the things that we have. I didn't know I wanted a touch screen phone until the industry introduced them to me. I didn't know I wanted a camera on my phone until the industry gave me one. I didn't know I would have a need to have internet access on my phone until the industry gave it to me.

This is just me personally, but when I was surfing the internet and instant messaging at home, I didn't think I would want or need to have that same capability in my pocket.

So I don't really know the answer to this question. The excitement for me is being introduced to a new innovation that I didn't know I wanted or needed until I have it. So I guess that's what I want to see and what would make me purchase the next iPhone. For Apple to impress me with something I didn't know I wanted until they introduced it.

That may be a lazy consumer answer, and that's fine. But we as consumers don't always know what we want.

I'm truly happy with my X. There really isn't anything I can think of that will make me upgrade short of my X crapping out. I played with an XS and wasn't even tempted.

 

[Annie_M]

I would like to see better zoom in the camera. If I could get a zoom of 10 or better< I might upgrade.

A better zoom would be awesome! I also believe a more reliable, better Siri integration would be fantastic!

 

[Lee_Bo]

Better camera, customization options.....oh, and add a lower price.

 

[Ledsteplin]

Would Siri integration and customization not be in the OS?
It seems like new smartphone hardware just fizzled out. Are they out of great new ideas? Most new stuff comes in the OS. I, too, would like better zoom that doesn't degrade the photo quality. I can think of plenty software features, but not hardware. It's pretty darn good as is. There's talk of a foldable phone, but that doesn't excite me. It might if I saw one.

 

[kataran]

As a big YouTube user I see a lot of concept phones but nothing that looks innovative.

The square Touch screen smartphone is gonna be it for some years in my opinion and the Lust we use to have for the latest and greatest is nothing more than spec changes and tune ups

What will the turn like the flip phone to brick be I don’t know but it has to be mind blowing to pull the masses away from the current form factor

 

[Speedygi]

No Notch, and they could do that...

 

[Just_Me_D]

Some people complain that innovation in IPhones and other smart phones has largely stopped. They say that is why they are not buying new phones as often as they used to. What features would you like to see in a new iPhone that would make you want to upgrade?

The features that I seek are associated with iOS. As for the device itself, it currently has everything I want and need thus far.

 

[calebt]

Dual boot hardware, I know that will never happen. Other then that I will just have to wait and see what comes next.

 

[Mr Smitzy]

The UI. Most of the time it feels and works fine. But there are certain times when it is a little too much.
For e.g. If you have a cup of tea and you are fine with two cubes of sugar, but then you add a third and a fourth, and it becomes too sweet.
I am not talking about the animations, but the feel of the iPhone displays. It feels two cubes too sweet for my personal taste. Kind of like the beautification filter that people observed in iPhone XS.

And not sure if this is solely an iPhone issue, but I would like to see some strides in cross device/OS compatibility. Members of our team who travel a lot, end up forwarding keynotes from their iPhone, which is more trouble for us working on windows laptops.
I wish PowerPoint for phones became better/easier to use, but that is not something Apple has a lot of say in. So I'm gonna go with keynote's compatibility.

 

[Speedygi]

The UI. Most of the time it feels and works fine. But there are certain times when it is a little too much.
For e.g. If you have a cup of tea and you are fine with two cubes of sugar, but then you add a third and a fourth, and it becomes too sweet.
I am not talking about the animations, but the feel of the iPhone displays. It feels two cubes too sweet for my personal taste. Kind of like the beautification filter that people observed in iPhone XS.

And not sure if this is solely an iPhone issue, but I would like to see some strides in cross device/OS compatibility. Members of our team who travel a lot, end up forwarding keynotes from their iPhone, which is more trouble for us working on windows laptops.
I wish PowerPoint for phones became better/easier to use, but that is not something Apple has a lot of say in. So I'm gonna go with keynote's compatibility.

Good points there. I personally felt that they could tone down the animations on iPhones.

 

[eyecrispy]

I am an annual upgrader but honestly, if they don’t come up with some bigger innovations with the next few iterations or the phone, I may skip a year (or two) .... esp with the prices over $1000. Just a bit much to be upgrading every cycle. I like it when the form factor changes. Makes me feel like I have something new. I also agree with UI enhancements.

 

[Ledsteplin]

The UI. Most of the time it feels and works fine. But there are certain times when it is a little too much.
For e.g. If you have a cup of tea and you are fine with two cubes of sugar, but then you add a third and a fourth, and it becomes too sweet.
I am not talking about the animations, but the feel of the iPhone displays. It feels two cubes too sweet for my personal taste. Kind of like the beautification filter that people observed in iPhone XS.

And not sure if this is solely an iPhone issue, but I would like to see some strides in cross device/OS compatibility. Members of our team who travel a lot, end up forwarding keynotes from their iPhone, which is more trouble for us working on windows laptops.
I wish PowerPoint for phones became better/easier to use, but that is not something Apple has a lot of say in. So I'm gonna go with keynote's compatibility.

But that's software. I think the OP referred to hardware. The phone itself, not the operating system.

 

[vimagreg]

Well, being completely honest, with iPhones in it's current price point I'll only upgrade my current X if Apple introduces a really big bunch of innovations like cameras with better night mode, better zoom and more customisable setups; a new design (I like the current one, but to spent more than thousand bucks in a gadget identical to my actual one is a big NO option); a much, but much improved battery (having used a 6T for some weeks now I just realized how poor is the iPhones battery); a better mobile network speed connection (I was impressed when I used my 6T and my X in the same Vodafone 4G network in Berlin... The surfing speed was almost 2x faster on 6T than on iPhone, every single day, for the entire month I was there; back to Brazil the experience turned even worse, since the 6T surfing speed in Vivo 4G in São Paulo was almost 3x faster; I obtained similar results comparing with my wife's XS).

So, a lot of things, really. Don't get me wrong, I really like iPhones and use them since 2007, every single new model. But since the X I really don't think I'll be even tempted to upgrade it sooner than later. If we would talk about new releases in Android world, for another side, the conversation will change completely since 2018 marked, in my opinion, the first really innovative year in this market in a long time, which I believe will continue in 2019. In a much, much lower price point in vast majority of cases.

 

[flyinion]

Better battery life. Not just new more powerful hardware that gets the same battery life.

USB-C. They've moved to it on other Apple products, it's time

Truly full screen i.e. no notch, but I don't see how you can put a camera... FaceID or otherwise...under a screen and have it actually work so not sure what they'd have to come up with there.

Get rid of the camera bumps. Make the phone slightly thicker if you have to. Bonus, you can now fit a bigger battery in it.

 

[Mr Smitzy]

But that's software. I think the OP referred to hardware. The phone itself, not the operating system.

The thing about Apple is that they are a package deal. It's not like the OS is developed by a third party, and hence it becomes Apple's responsibility.
OP asked for features, and the ability to tone down the sweetness should be considered a good one.

But, since the hardware is more or less the same for the iPhone 8, X, Xs & Xr, I get your point.
And since, I am a casual iPhone user (i.e. my main phone being an Android), I don't use it enough to comment on the hardware.

 

[joemd60]

Better call quality.

 

[Wotchered]

Dark mode.
greatly improved battery.
And call quality needs addressing,XS hardly better than 4s,in fact the whole call quality,call volume thing seems to have been ignored in favour of new abilities that nobody really needs !

 

[bakron1]

As with other folks out there, I am quite happy with the hardware side of the device.

What I would like to see would be changes on the OS, software and interface side.