No, there is simply more competition today, and market balances things out. Also, Apple grew too comfortable and stopped pushing forward. It was only a matter of time for this to happen.
I have an iPhone 5S and my primary motivation to upgrade would be to get a 64GB model. I just don't see any revolutionary changes in newer iterations (neither in Android).
The same applies to the iPad. My wife has an iPad Air, but I have no clue telling how many generations it is behind, without checking Wikipedia. It works fine and there is no real reason to upgrade in newer iterations (except perhaps in specific niches).
I think one of the glaring areas for improvement is battery life. Won't someone give us the option of a 10+mm thick phone with a huge battery in it. Please.
- Dark theme. Customization = good. Sends a good message.
- More separate volume controls. For me one volume level for notifications and phone ringer is absurd in 2016.
- LCD displays, really? The iPhone 7/Plus and the iPad Pro 9.7" are first of Apple's devices with an almost 100% correct color reproduction on the professional scales. About time for [s]AMOLED displays.
- More privacy settings and abilities to break the sandbox if the user so desires. If I want 3 apps to have access to the same vault of files, then I should be able to!
Since I sold my 6S Plus back in July I forgot the rest of my complaints but I remember them being between 10-13 in total.
> I think one of the glaring areas for improvement is battery life.
> Won't someone give us the option of a 10+mm thick phone with a huge battery in it. Please.
I'm not sure if the customization option would come anytime soon, but a dark theme would very likely come out in 2017 when Apple releases an iPhone with an OLED display. It most likely wouldn't come if the lineup is all LCD (as it has been so far). This is all about battery life, which Apple obsesses about a lot. Assuming there's just text on the screen, with LCD, black text on white background would be better for battery life, whereas on an OLED screen, having white text on a black background would be better for battery life.
Edit: While Apple has shipped (LCD) iPhone models with new versions of iOS and sometimes darker wallpapers, my point above is more about many of the Apple apps, including Settings, Mail, Reminder, and so on.
That being said, I would buy the OLED iPhone in a heartbeat but only if it has bezels and has no curved screen. These fads are making normal human usage of the phones a huge annoyance and really need to die.
I'm very sad that I am seeing exactly the opposite: many people FINALLY got their brains warmed up and figured "Hey! Samsung did it, look how well their S7 Edge sold! Let's do the same!"... that's awful, sigh. They absolutely don't get it.
This option exists in the form of battery cases.
I'd prefer the bigger battery to be a part of the package.
In software. Apple's lock-in / NIH mentality combined with their slowness to innovate because they grew too comfortable bites them now (browsers is a clear example). And the trend will continue until Apple will wake up.
You're joking, right? If that were the case then why the rapid release cycle. Why do all these phones' screen break so easy. Why are all the batteries so terrible.
No, I disagree. Here in Australia, I know at least one carrier (Telstra) who will allow you to pay an additional amount (AU$149) 12 months in to a 24 month contract to allow you to upgrade the phone earlier.[1]
1. https://www.telstra.com.au/mobile-phones/plans-and-rates/new...
Competition. The fact that you don't need to upgrade doesn't mean you shouldn't be able to if you want to get something newer. Stronger competition forces them to move with good pace. Same as in for example regular PC hardware. Compare it to markets where competition is bad, like gaming consoles. There hardware release cycles are abysmally long.