Will iPhone 8 create another miracle? It is likely to disappoint Apple fans again

Since entering 2017, rumors about the iPhone 8 have been flying everywhere, but the specific details of this phone are still confusing, and even whether it will be called iPhone 8 or iPhone 7s is still unclear. However, since this is the tenth anniversary of the iPhone, the outside world is still full of expectations for it.

iPhone 8 latest spy photos

If nothing unexpected happens, Apple should strive to deliver an iPhone with a major breakthrough update, instead of the previous ones: faster processor, more storage space, more colors, louder sound... However, after the death of Steve Jobs, Apple has brought us more than one surprise, and it can no longer bring any surprises beyond people's expectations. Will the iPhone 8 change this time?

Many investment institutions are counting on iPhone 8 to boost Apple's stock price. For example, Citibank analysts raised Apple's target stock price to $140-160, and well-known "Apple analyst" Ming-Chi Kuo believes that the release of iPhone 8 will bring significant benefits to the supply chain, while Morgan Stanley believes that iPhone 8 will drive Apple's mobile phone sales up by 20% in fiscal 2018, which means that Apple's mobile phone sales will soar from the fourth quarter of 2017 to the third quarter of 2018.

Morgan Stanley analysts believe: "Wall Street has failed to fully appreciate the super cycle brought about by the iPhone 8. This September's iPhone is different from the usual iPhones. It will use OLED screens, 3D sensors, wireless charging and the latest artificial intelligence technology."

So, if Apple really uses OLED screens, 3D sensors, wireless charging and the latest artificial intelligence technology as Morgan Stanley analysts say, will consumers pay for it?

1. Hyperbolic surfaces will be a plus, provided there is interactive innovation

Apple fans don't care whether the iPhone 8 will continue to use the current TFT screen or OLED screen technology. What they care about is whether the iPhone can bring a new interactive experience. Since the iPhone has already achieved a Retina screen, a clearer screen is no longer what Apple fans pursue. The attempts of some explorers have shown that a 2k screen is meaningless.

iPhone 8 latest spy photos

In terms of screen, the only chance for iPhone 8 is a hyperbolic screen (folding screen is too far away). However, there have been too many players with hyperbolic screens before iPhone, and even gimmicks such as eight-curved screens have appeared. If iPhone really uses a hyperbolic screen, it must be combined with Apple's software capabilities to create a new hyperbolic interactive experience. "Putting other people's mature technologies to the extreme" is Apple's usual approach. Therefore, OLED screens are not important, but whether or not there is a hyperbolic screen is important; having a hyperbolic screen is not enough, and interactive innovation based on the hyperbolic screen can become a selling point.

2. The 3D sensor is useless unless the HOME button can be eliminated.

The iPhone 6s has introduced the 3D-Touch function, and the screen has a 3D sensing function. However, the fact is that this function is useless and has not become a standard function like Touch-ID. Many Apple fans don’t know how to use 3D-Touch when holding iPhone 6s and iPhone 7.

According to digitimes, if the iPhone 8 uses an OLED screen, the 3D Touch screen module will also need to be upgraded, and the cost will increase by 60%. Based on this, the iPhone 8 is likely to become the most expensive iPhone in history - the iPhone is no longer selling well, and other components are rising in price (just look at the price increase of domestic mobile phones). Will the iPhone 8 still insist on using the useless 3D-Touch?

It is reported that the fingerprint sensor and virtual Home button of iPhone 8 are integrated into the screen. If this can be achieved, it will be a major update and can bring a completely different user experience. How will this be achieved? Is it based on the 3D-Touch module or a redesigned sensor? In any case, if iPhone 8 only uses 3D-Touch and fails to eliminate the Home button, Apple fans will still not buy it.

3. Wireless charging is a big possibility, but it is still difficult to become a selling point

Due to the lack of revolutionary technology, it is difficult to make a breakthrough in battery life in a short period of time. The iPhone 7 is claimed to have an hour longer battery life than the iPhone 6s, and the iPhone 8 may have another hour longer, but Apple fans do not feel strongly about this, after all, it still needs to be charged once a day. Therefore, mobile phone manufacturers are making a fuss about charging.

Fast charging is the way most mobile phone manufacturers play. Everyone is pursuing a shorter time to fully charge the phone, but Apple is the only one who is not doing anything. Therefore, many people think that Apple is holding back a big move. When it comes to charging, it will not bet on fast charging, but will do wireless charging, and it is very likely to combine the two at the same time. However, the current technical bottlenecks facing wireless charging are also obvious: it requires users to purchase a special charging pad, or furniture with a charging pad, and it is not as convenient to use wired charging as to play with the phone while charging. In this case, why do we need wireless charging? Is it possible for Apple to bring revolutionary wireless charging technology? The answer is: NO, because Apple has always been just an applicator of mature technology, not a creator of new technology.

4. Artificial intelligence technology: may just be a gimmick

After AlphaGo defeated human Go players, artificial intelligence became a "folk science" and people often see news about artificial intelligence. Therefore, more and more mobile phone companies began to use artificial intelligence as a selling point, such as claiming that systems based on artificial intelligence can get faster and faster with use, or that systems based on artificial intelligence can give you a thousand different experiences. In fact, these are all gimmicks.

It's very simple. Now every smartphone uses artificial intelligence technology, including the iPhone. For example, Siri, search, and input methods are all artificial intelligence applications. So can the next generation of iPhone really use artificial intelligence technology to bring a breakthrough experience? The answer is no. Just as the Piexl phone has smart assistants Google Assistant and Allo but there is no breakthrough experience, Apple, which is not as advanced as Google in artificial intelligence technology, can't come up with any revolutionary features. Of course, it can still be used as a gimmick to appease novice users.

In this way, the only thing worth looking forward to about iPhone 8 is the screen. At least for Apple fans, others can know that they are using iPhone 8. At the same time, the new interactive experience is also attractive to users. As for wireless charging, front camera with 3D perception, longer battery life and two speakers, they are just icing on the cake. Xiao Lei is pessimistic about iPhone 8. He still hopes to lower everyone's expectations to avoid being disappointed with Apple again. After all, this is a high probability event.

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.