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Comment by lvspiff | Hacker News Reader

For someone who waited nearly a month to get my iphone7 (as an upgrade from a galaxy s3) due to inventory being unavailable I'm going WTF - sluggish sales? then why did i have to wait so long? But then at the same time I compare my iphone 7 to friends iphone 6S models and realize...oh the only difference is the headphone jack if you dont do x,y,z...no wonder they aren't selling too many

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Better screen, better camera, better external speakers, added waterproofing, and faster. I'm not sure what people were expecting when they say nothing has changed.

Out of that list, the waterproofing is the only one that really stands out. The rest are minor, iterative improvements. We're used to Apple making larger leaps on even years (4,5,6) then iterative improvements in odd years (4S, 5S, 6S). But this year they broke that - the 7 feels more like an iPhone 6SS than a 7. Yes, it's better, but it's not "full price for a new phone" better.

Aside from better battery life (better as in 3+ days of use) I can't think of much I'd want in a phone that isn't already there. Camera, display, speed etc are all fine for my needs.

I agree - which is why I, and many others, don't see the need to upgrade. That's the problem Apple is facing.

Yeah, still rocking the iPhone 6 here. I'd quite like the 3D touch that's on newer models, but not enough to pay for a new phone. Will likely stay with this until the battery drops off or it otherwise stops working.

Previously had 3G,3GS,4,5 so this is the longest I've a particular model.

Is the same stagnation in Android land too? I wonder how manufacturers will handle it in the long run?

> We're used to Apple making larger leaps

I think what people mean when they say this is they are used to Apple redesigning the outside of the phone every 2 years. I just do not see that as necessary. Unfortunately, many people care more about the superficial it looks different instead of the real improvements which it had many.

Well in the past the "redesigning the outside of the phone every 2 years" also meant higher res/bigger screens which was a very clear improvement.

Incremental changes are less noticeable. Sure they show up on spec sheets but unless you've got both models side by side for direct comparison smartphones have generally reached a level of "good enough".

I don't really think my Pixel is amazingly faster compared to my old Nexus 5, most apps I use on a frequent basis were instant on both phones. I think the screen is arguably worse on the Pixel but unless I go find a Nexus to compare with, they're essentially identical.

But I don't watch/listen-to-externally music videos in the rain while switching back and forth between snap-chatting

The comparison of the 7 and 6S between email, browser, twitter and a couple other common apps however is negligible.

Difference between 6s and 6 were also small and so are the differences between a Samsung Galaxy S7 and a S6, for example. I'd venture that is very rare these days to have a phone that justifies buying the immediate next generation one. Phones are mature enough. Good ones are really well built and will last a couple generations just fine.

As long as this is an industry-wide problem, Apple has nothing to fear. It would be a problem IF people who have waited three years to change their iPhone decide to go for a different brand.

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