From redefining the mobile phone to its decline, has the iPhone taken ten years to go downhill?

Before we know it, the iPhone has been around for ten years. These ten years seem to have passed in a blink of an eye, but now people see the iPhone as gradually going downhill from its glorious era of "redefining the mobile phone".

In the past two years, the sales performance of iPhone, the largest source of revenue, can be said to have made Apple feel mixed and a little sad. The lack of innovation has made current users regard Apple as a "follower" rather than a "leader." But if we are not pessimistic, perhaps there is always hope for Apple and iPhone.

Lack of innovation leads to sluggish sales

As we all know, since the release of iPhone 7, Apple iPhone sales have been declining, and the hardest hit area is Greater China. Many analysts believe that the encirclement and suppression of Samsung and domestic mobile phone manufacturers is the main reason for the cold reception of iPhone in China. However, apart from this, the lack of innovation is the biggest problem facing Apple iPhone.

The lack of innovation in the iPhone is partly reflected in its functions. After the release of the iPhone 7 series last year, it was accused of following the Android models in many features, including dual lenses and the removal of the headphone jack. With the upcoming iPhone 8, its wireless charging and upgraded waterproof features are also considered to be too late.

Apple's frequent follow-up to Android phones has made everyone think that it has encountered a "midlife crisis". However, looking at this from another perspective, you may find that Apple may be spending more time developing better "popular functions". Although the iPhone was late to use these functions, its technology is far ahead of the industry. It is worth mentioning that with the help of Apple's popularity, these functions will quickly become the development trend of the industry.

The long-awaited new features in the iPhone

Last year, the iPhone 7 Plus was released. Its biggest highlight was the rear dual camera. Compared with Android phones, the iPhone 7 Plus' dual camera was adopted much later, but its function is at the forefront of the industry. Apple made the iPhone 7 Plus's lens truly improve the photo quality, rather than simply increasing the pixels. The iPhone 7 Plus uses a telephoto + wide-angle lens, which makes the dual camera have more value.

So what was the situation with dual cameras in Android phones at that time? Most Android phones still used wide-angle lenses as the main lens, with secondary lenses assisting the main lens, but the effect was mediocre. It was not until the release of iPhone 7 Plus that manufacturers gradually paid attention to the solution of zoom dual cameras.

Of course, some features were not delayed by Apple on purpose. For example, last year, when Apple was rumored to adopt the design of removing the headphone jack, LeTV took the lead and launched a new phone that also removed the headphone jack. In this case, it is not so easy to determine who is following whom.

Therefore, regarding the late features in the iPhone, they just came later, but in terms of the level of technical sophistication, it cannot completely represent that the iPhone has followed the Android phones.

What about the future?

Seeing this, some people may say, who can say for sure whether iPhone will become a follower in the future. To be honest, no one can predict the market situation of the new iPhone in the future. However, we can have expectations.

After all, the gimmicks of under-screen fingerprint recognition and Qi wireless charging sound great. Apple's iPhone is expected to be the first to launch the former, and what solutions will the iPhone use for wireless charging that are different from those of Android manufacturers? In addition, how will the OLED screen and 3D face recognition be presented? Everyone can continue to wait and see.

In conclusion: In fact, the slowdown in the development of the mobile phone industry over the past decade has inevitably affected Apple to some extent. In the post-Steve Jobs era, Apple launched the iPhone 6 series, which was popular all over the world, but also encountered doubts about the lack of innovation. Now, on the occasion of its tenth anniversary, the iPhone is standing at a turning point. What is the next step and how to make it more exciting is the most meaningful thing for Apple.

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.