No Standard iPhone 18 Launch This Year, Reports Suggest (macrumors.com) 49
MacRumors: Apple is not expected to release a standard iPhone 18 model this year, according to a growing number of reports that suggest the company is planning a significant change to its long-standing annual iPhone launch cycle.
Despite the immense success of the iPhone 17 in 2025, the iPhone 18 is not expected to arrive until the spring of 2027, leaving the iPhone 17 in the lineup as the latest standard model for over 18 months. This would mark the first time Apple skips an entire calendar year without releasing a new generation of its flagship non-Pro iPhone.
Despite the immense success of the iPhone 17 in 2025, the iPhone 18 is not expected to arrive until the spring of 2027, leaving the iPhone 17 in the lineup as the latest standard model for over 18 months. This would mark the first time Apple skips an entire calendar year without releasing a new generation of its flagship non-Pro iPhone.
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Keep eating those paint chips!
You know your snappy comeback is really fucking old when Government regulation actually worked to make it that irrelevant.
Good thing (Score:1)
Good to have a minor respite in the constant churn.
Re: Good thing (Score:2)
I see why you, of all people, feel relieved over this...Tim Cook can't beat you for not buying the phone that he didn't release.
But remember, that doesn't mean that he can't find another reason.
Bring back the Mini! (Score:5, Insightful)
There hasn't been a “must have” innovation in mobile phones for a long time. They're a solved problem, like laptops.
Start releasing different types that appeal to different segments on a multi-year cadence. Release a new Mini version every four years. Do the same for the Max on a different year, the dumb skinny fashion accessory one the year after that, and so on.
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There might be something to this. You'll still have a new product launch each year for the people who watch keynotes and just want a reason to give Apple money. And for the people who buy technology to solve a need, there would be actual generational improvements in the product lines.
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On the other hand if they only released one every 4 years you could be buying 3 year old tech when you need a new phone instead of something that is current.
If a car manufacturer offered their latest model of car every five years and you bought it in year four, you own their most current tech no matter what the calendar says.
Unless you live inside a smartphone testing lab, the consumer definition of "current" is good enough. Your definition was outdated by the end of this sentence.
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More importantly, I can't think of anything on my 2022 phone that wouldn't be "current" today. Even my 2019 phone would work, if they didn't withold software updates.
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There might be something to this. You'll still have a new product launch each year for the people who watch keynotes and just want a reason to give Apple money.
And when you decide to do that, you merely confirm that you are a technology company selling overpriced and pointless fashion accessories.
That model generally works. When the economy isn't racing towards a grossly denied Recession. Now Apple is forced to reveal their hand in choosing to skip making money this year. Keynotes aren't going to empty backrooms overflowing with unsold inventory.
You know why you can walk into damn near any cellular provider and get your choice of any iPhone17 or iPhone16, along
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There hasn't been a “must have” innovation in mobile phones for a long time. They're a solved problem, like laptops.
Start releasing different types that appeal to different segments on a multi-year cadence.
Yes, please. And give one version touch ID and a physical home button. I still hate the gesture-based interface even after using it for a long time. It is way too easy to accidentally do things that you did not intend, and way too clunky to do things that you do intend, like swiping to kill an app or turning on the flashlight. The need to touch the screen right at the edge is problematic with cases, which makes the design even worse.
And Face ID still isn't half as reliable for me as Touch ID was, and wo
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If it has to be thicker for battery life reasons, that's fine. It's going in a case with a holster anyway, and getting clipped to a holster on my belt. Thickness doesn't matter. Features matter. Width matters. Height matters. Usability matters.
I thought I was the only one that still used a holster! I found my people!
Also, fully agree about the TouchID being superior to FaceID. I wish Apple actually did proper market research, and talked to those of us that are willing to buy a 'pro' iphone, but don't want a bloody tablet. Give me a good camera, storage, battery life, and a 5S or 6S form factor.. Hell, I'd accept a 7! And to your point, it can be a few mm thicker, that's fine!
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Also, fully agree about the TouchID being superior to FaceID. I wish Apple actually did proper market research, and talked to those of us that are willing to buy a 'pro' iphone, but don't want a bloody tablet. Give me a good camera, storage, battery life, and a 5S or 6S form factor.. Hell, I'd accept a 7! And to your point, it can be a few mm thicker, that's fine!
I'd also be okay with a 5s-sized foldable with a screen on the outside and a home button. Unfold if you want a bigger screen.
Re: Bring back the Mini! (Score:1)
Yup. The lack of Touch ID is what keeps me from upgrading. Still using my trusty iPhone 8, and when the finally goes under Iâ(TM)ll have to find an SE to replace it with. They have Touch ID on the iPad and MacBook, so bring it back on the phone already. Face ID is a no-go for me, and always will be.
Re: Bring back the Mini! (Score:2)
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Why is Face ID a no-go? Were you born without a face?
Only unlocks 40% of the time, and that's without a mask. 10% with. Requires you to look towards the phone, which makes it impossible to unlock it while you're pulling it out of your pocket before paying attention to it. And the lack of a home button means a much clumsier overall experience. Home becomes swipe up from the bottom, which is hard to do with a case. Double-home becomes a very careful swipe up from the bottom, being careful not to go too far, and you will screw it up two times out of every t
Re:Bring back the Mini! (Score:5, Funny)
Might as well ask for a pony too while you're at it. :-)
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What I want is an iPhone 17 Micro that's about the size of an iPhone 5s, but with the same cameras and CPU and maximum storage as the iPhone 17 Pro model has, so that I'm not having to settle for a cut-rate feature set in exchange for a usable form factor. If it has to be thicker for battery life reasons, that's fine. It's going in a case with a holster anyway, and getting clipped to a holster on my belt. Thickness doesn't matter. Features matter. Width matters. Height matters. Usability matters.
You end by claming size doesn't matter. And yet start your statement with the physical demand of a "Micro" model.
It's consumers like you that should be shackled to an Engineering desk with the seasoned EE/ME who's going to be sitting there with that wholly justified look on their face when they say to you "Now YOU tell ME how you're shoving 20 pounds of shit in a 5-pound bag."
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You end by claming size doesn't matter. And yet start your statement with the physical demand of a "Micro" model.
At no point did I claim that size doesn't matter. I said thickness doesn't matter, at least within reason. Width and height both matter a LOT, because they dictate how hard it is for you to hold it in your hand and control the phone without having to use both hands. Thickness does not meaningfully affect usability unless you are carrying it in your pocket, and only to a limited extent even then.
It's consumers like you that should be shackled to an Engineering desk with the seasoned EE/ME who's going to be sitting there with that wholly justified look on their face when they say to you "Now YOU tell ME how you're shoving 20 pounds of shit in a 5-pound bag."
What I'm asking for isn't even difficult. You have three dimensions, and they are mostly interchangeable. If
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Believe me I feel the idiocy that seethed from Bendgate. But morons not being able to stop dropping their phones in beers, toilets, and swimming pools gave us the ubiquitous unitard form factor, removing the most useful feature for Generation Procrastination; a hot-swappable battery.
UI designers having a field day validates there’s another 5 pounds of shit still yet to shove in that bag. Perhaps the best answer is to start making cars again instead of every maker assuming everyone needs an SUV or t
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I'm still rocking an iPhone 5s. When 3G was phased out I had to get rid of my dumb phone. The 5s was a used phone a family member had thrown in a drawer. It makes phone calls and texts. What more do you need?
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I'm still rocking an iPhone 5s. When 3G was phased out I had to get rid of my dumb phone. The 5s was a used phone a family member had thrown in a drawer. It makes phone calls and texts. What more do you need?
Security updates.
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My phone still gets regular updates.
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The last security update for the iPhone 5s was in January of 2023 — three years ago.
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I just got an OS update less than 6 months ago. OS updates don't have security patches included? Well shuck my corn.
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I'm not sure how that's possible. Unless Wikipedia is wrong and Google search is equally failing to find a later version, the last version of iOS that the iPhone 5s supports is iOS 12 (2018). The last version of iOS 12 ever released was iOS 12.5.7, which was released in January of 2023.
Are you sure you're not talking about the iPhone 6s?
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Yes, my 12 mini is getting too slow! :( Or at least update SE to have newer hardware parts!!
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There hasn't been a “must have” innovation in mobile phones for a long time. They're a solved problem, like laptops.
Start releasing different types that appeal to different segments on a multi-year cadence. Release a new Mini version every four years. Do the same for the Max on a different year, the dumb skinny fashion accessory one the year after that, and so on.
Apple could do that. Sure.
Or, Apple could actually acknowledge and admit there's a Recession. Which is the real reason they're not going to make or sell jack shit in the New n' Shiny category that requires 90% of consumers to take out a fucking loan just to afford it.
At those prices, every model is a dumb fashion accessory.
Shucks (Score:4, Funny)
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I am hoping they release a 64bit 65C864 IIGS.
Nothing new (Score:2)
I like the camera of the 14 Pro. That's about the only thing that is better in my day to day experience compared to the SE2.
I compared it to the 15, then the 16. Heck, I bought my wife a 16 because it was supposed to have an improved SIRI. Nope, the AI crap has not panned out at all. My 14 Pro's camera is slightly better than my wife's 16. And when I compared it to the 16 Pro, and now 17 Pro, the cam
iPhone SE? (Score:2)
But will they release a new iPhone SE? I still want a phone that fits into my pocket.
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But will they release a new iPhone SE? I still want a phone that fits into my pocket.
I believe your pockets are holding it wrong, or you need the new iPocket.
Check with your local sales sommelier for more details.
Stockholders won't be happy... (Score:2)
Most Apple shareholders know that come WWDC and iPhone time, their shares will get a bump in price. If the iPhone not introduced, this may cause Apple's stock to take a huge hit, mainly because Samsung, Huawai, and others are still introducing phones, and Samsung's camera setup is almost an order of magnitude more megapixels than Apple's.
Apple may be forced to, just by precedent, introduce something even if it is just making an "S" version that has some basic improvements and little else. It won't be a hi
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Memory and AI (Score:2)
Wasn't Apple just suing someone for leaking future phone products like the foldable iphone? I'm guessing... 100% guessing... as I have no insider knowledge of anything, nor am I starting a job at Apple on Monday. Memory prices and Apple's failed attempts at AI integration are some of the reasons this report is floating around.
Progress! (Score:5, Funny)
After removing the charger, headphone socket, SIM card and other things, they have finally removed the phone itself. Presumably one can now simply send Apple a few hundred dollarpounds a month and not have to faff with any devices. Hurrah!
People don't change phone every year (Score:3)
Phones are becoming more and more expensive and each iteration brings less and less to the table, as hardware is no longer a limiting factor 99+% of the times. Also, and this is a good thing, support and warranties are getting longer.
All that mean people don't change phones as often as they used to, so why release a new model every year if people don't buy it because the one they already have is just fine... and they may not have finished paying it.
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"All that mean people don't change phones as often as they used to"
It has always been normal to not get a new phone every year. Nothing has changed.
"so why release a new model every year"
They don't release a new phone every year because *everyone* is buying a new phone every year, they release a new phone every year because a lot of people are buying a phone each year and having a new model is a selling point.
Unsourced rumors (Score:2)
It isn't even MacRumor's own unsourced rumor. They are merely repeating the unsourced rumors of others.
Engineering talent? (Score:2)
Tim Cook mentioned something of import here, of the sheer engineering talent in China compared to the US. There are other factors that make manufacture in the US more expensive -- a long list -- if the Trump admin wants to really make a difference here, that's where to start. Making education less cumbersome and EXPENSIVE (and the student loan scam). I don't see a clean road to this without some major rehaul.
The hype (Score:2)