The new iPhone coming out

Apple's iPhone 15 Pro had been the subject of numerous rumors, with many claiming that the company had decided to scrap one of its most controversial upgrades. Recently, a key supplier of Apple has issued a statement to its shareholders that seems to confirm this decision. The announcement is expected to generate mixed reactions among iPhone enthusiasts.

blog Om Noval - The new iPhone coming out

 

Cirrus Logic is a supplier responsible for providing iPhone parts that enable haptic (vibration) feedback. In November, the company announced an extended partnership that involved introducing a new High-Performance Mixed-Signal (HPMS) chip to an important strategic partner. Following this announcement, various rumors emerged, and leaked information over the next few months suggested that the iPhone 15 Pro models would feature solid-state buttons replacing the physical volume rocker, with the HMPS chip being responsible for enabling these buttons.

The speculation surrounding the potential inclusion of solid-state volume buttons on the iPhone 15 Pro is finally drawing to a close. Several sources have indicated that Apple may have canceled the project and opted for conventional clickable buttons on its upcoming devices.

Today, a new piece of information seems to provide almost certain confirmation of this. Apple's supplier, Cirrus Logic, cannot disclose that it provided this technology to Apple, as it is bound by confidentiality agreements that prevent such disclosures.

Well, not anymore. The shareholder say in this year

Cirrus Logic has provided strong hints that its strategic partner with a "new product" set to be released in the fall is none other than Apple. The company alludes to Apple's well-known secrecy surrounding the iPhone when it admits to having limited visibility into its customer's future plans for this product.

It is probable that Cirrus made such a transparent statement due to the numerous leaks in recent weeks regarding the alleged scrapping of the solid-state buttons on the iPhone 15 Pro. Shareholders would have been anxious, and the statement provides clarification on the situation.

The news is likely to polarize iPhone fans. On the one hand, solid-state volume buttons would have likely been more durable and water resistant. There is also the possibility that they could have supported customizable functions in software, including shortcuts and swipe gestures.

On the flip side, leaked CADs showed the solid-state buttons to be almost flush with the phone, making them harder to operate through muscle memory, and their need for a dedicated chip to function felt like overengineering to fix a problem no one had.

The new iPhone coming out

What is likely to remain, however, is the new Action button — a customizable button that will replace the mute switch on iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max models. The Action button was first introduced on the Apple Watch Ultra and well received.

Beyond this, iPhone 15 buyers can expect a new Pro-matching design with a pill-shaped cutout and Dynamic Island as well as USB-C, while the Pro models will get super slim bezels and a next-gen A17 chip, as well as an optical zoom camera that will be exclusive to the iPhone 15 Pro Max.

Will this be enough to tempt upgraders? I suspect the usual pattern will continue: a lot of online grumbling about incremental improvements followed by massive sales driven by the switch to USB-C.


In his latest Power On newsletter, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman said the delay in bringing the new buttons to the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max models had come down to the company “wavering” due to costs and complexity, and they will now debut in the 2024 iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max.

This account differs from other leaks, which claimed Apple was not happy with the implementation due to usability issues. Whether this was down to how they function or the fact many CADs showed them as almost flush with the chassis, making muscle memory difficult, is unknown.

Either way, Gurman’s information paints a simpler picture at a time when iPhone price increase rumors are rife, and there is little pressure or expectation from Apple fans to change the existing physical volume buttons.

Moreover, history suggests that Apple rarely abandons a project completely (even AirPower is deemed not dead by several industry sources), so I would not be surprised to see it return eventually.

In a previous shareholder letter, Cirrus Logic strongly suggested that it was the supplier of solid-state buttons for the iPhone 15 Pro, although it did not confirm this explicitly. Apple is Cirrus Logic's primary customer, contributing 78% of its revenue during the 2022 fiscal year.

Renowned Apple leak source, Ming-chi Kuo, has stated that the iPhone 15 Pro will not feature solid-state buttons due to "unresolved technical issues before mass production". The exact nature of these issues is unclear.

Cirrus Logic had strongly implied that it was the provider of solid-state buttons for the iPhone 15 Pro in a previous shareholder letter, though without making an explicit confirmation. Apple is Cirrus Logic's biggest client, responsible for 78% of its revenue during the 2022 fiscal year.

Ming-chi Kuo, a well-known source of Apple-related rumors and leaks, has reported that the iPhone 15 Pro will not feature solid-state buttons, attributing the decision to "unresolved technical issues before mass production". The exact meaning of this phrase remains unclear. Apple may not have given up on the idea of solid-state volume buttons altogether, according to analyst Jeff Pu, who thinks the company will simply push the introduction of the tech to next year and aim to have it debut in the iPhone 16 Pro.

Bagikan Artikel ini