Apple’s September event is just another example showing that the company no longer innovates the way it used to.
On Sept. 12th, Apple held its annual late-year event. The event focused on the announcement of the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro as well as some additions to the Apple Watch lineup. While Apple naturally described the new products as the greatest technology that money can buy, it was actually another step in the company’s increasingly unimpressive annual formula.
Apple spent a lot of time ensuring consumers were aware of the iPhone 15 Pro’s new titanium frame, replacing the stainless steel used in previous Pro models. They added that this alloy uses the same material found within the Mars rover, touting the impressive nature of this new design.
Apple really wants to make sure you know about this. Just look at the uninspired names of the iPhone 15 Pro’s colour choices: consumers have the choice between “Black Titanium,” “White Titanium,” “Natural Titanium” and “Blue Titanium.”
The base-level iPhone 15 will have its notch replaced by the Dynamic Island – a feature already implemented in last year’s iPhone 14 Pro. The A16 Bionic chip that was first used in the iPhone 14 Pro will now be making its way to the base iPhone 15.
That’s right: Apple’s next generation of iPhone is reusing a chip that they created for last year’s lineup.
The entire new iPhone lineup will now make use of USB-C technology. For years, iPhones have used Apple’s Lightning connector for charging and data transfer. Switching to USB-C will be a long-term benefit to consumers because it has become the technological standard, meaning consumers can expect more of their devices – regardless of type or brand – to use USB-C for universal charging.
Despite being one of the most significant changes to iPhone within the new lineup, this was a change that Apple was reluctant to make – they did so to comply with a new pro-consumer EU law that forces a range of electronic products to include USB-C charging ports. In other words, had Apple not switched to USB-C, they would not be able to continue selling new iPhone products in EU countries. If it were purely up to Apple, the new iPhones would have lost their greatest new feature.
Other additions include better cameras, compatibility with Apple’s upcoming and satellite roadside assistance. Despite the base model reusing a previous processor, iPhone 15 Pro users will have the privilege of enjoying a brand-new chip.
iPhone 15 Pro’s cameras will be able to shoot in higher resolution and perform better in low-light environments. The telephoto camera is getting an upgrade with its new 5x zoom capability, but this feature is exclusive to the larger iPhone 15 Pro Max, the only iPhone model having its starting price increased.
Speaking of price, those who hope to take home an iPhone 15 Pro can expect to pay at least $1,449, while iPhone 15 Pro Max starts at $1,749.
In terms of technology, these are all good additions to the iPhone lineup. Faster chips, better cameras and new safety features are always nice, and the inclusion of titanium is a nice touch that will improve the iPhone’s overall build quality. There’s no denying that the iPhone 15 Pro series are the most powerful iPhones ever created.
Despite these changes, however, it would be disingenuous to call these products “innovative.” Through its collection of independent minor improvements, the iPhone 15 series feels like another quarter-step towards a truly worthy “next-generation” iPhone lineup.
While improving processors and cameras is definitely a good thing, it’s incredibly uninteresting. If these are the changes that Apple is truly excited to share with the world, they reveal the startling reality of the company’s unimaginative idea of “innovation.” These iPhones aren’t the next big leap that Apple is making them out to be – they’re minor revisions of last year’s lineup with some all-too-predictable new features stuck on top.
This issue wouldn’t be as big if this were a singular occurrence. The truth is that Apple has been this way for years: each iPhone since 2017’s iPhone X has been guilty of this uninspired design philosophy. If the iPhone 15 Pro were the direct follow-up to the iPhone X with nothing in between, then it could probably be considered a worthy upgrade – but the four generations of incrementally-improving iPhones released in between stops this from happening.
Apple wasn’t always this way. The leap from 2010’s iPhone 4 to 2012’s iPhone 5 came with a fully redesigned body using a new screen size, the change from micro-SIM to nano-SIM, the upgrade to a dual-core CPU and a GPU capable of triple-core graphics, the implementation of panoramic photos and face detection, an improved display and a louder speaker. A consumer could glance at each phone and immediately recognize that they were different products. One was clearly a significant upgrade from the other, and a potential buyer wouldn’t need to look up detailed technical statistics to come to this realization.
Apple would still release a new iPhone every year, but they would acknowledge when the upgrade was less significant through “S” models such as the iPhone 4S and 5S. These models were branded as a half-step from their respective predecessors, rather than claiming to lead a new generation like the iPhone 15.
In a world where competitors continue to make visibly considerable changes to their annually-released products, Apple’s product lineup has grown more and more stagnant and less innovative by comparison.
The genius that Steve Jobs brought to the company – arguably best displayed through his iconic reveal of the original iPhone in 2007 – has seemingly been lost to time. The company occasionally shows off impressive technology such as the recently-revealed Apple Vision Pro headset, which is capable of tracking hand and eye movements so that the user doesn’t require a traditional controller, but these moments are not as consistent nor impactful as they were under Jobs’ lead.
Apple still releases high-quality products, and there’s a lot of great reasons to use them – but don’t be fooled into thinking they’re the master innovators they once were.