iPhone 15: Why Apple isn’t “experimenting” with its phones, and neither should you (probably)

Apple‘s next iPhone 15 series is coming out later this year, and it’s safe to assume nobody is shocked to learn that the phones’ designs will remain about identical as their predecessors.

Just like it was last time around, and the time before that. We all know the phrase “tried and tested.”

But why isn’t Apple doing anything brave, and dare I say – original? Is it just playing it safe? Why isn’t Apple more like Samsung – releasing cool and unusual phones like the upcoming Galaxy Z Flip 5 and Fold 5?

Why isn’t Apple like LG, who… is out of the smartphone market now, but one of the last things it did was a uniquely-shaped dual-screen phone – the LG Wing.

Or perhaps like Microsoft, who released the dual-screen Surface Duo… which is not selling, and its price has tanked significantly?

I’m personally someone who loves smartphones that promise to do more than the average one – with either bigger, folding screens, dual screens, or with just plain weird and flashy designs, like, say, the Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate. With its lit-up logo and pointless, but fun extra display on the back.

Phones like that are exciting. They help you break from the mold and be different; show everyone that you are different, and you prefer a device that can do more than just the barebone smartphone things.

And as someone who enjoys such phones, I buy them. A lot. And test drive them, so you don’t have to.

Through the process of constantly trying out unusual smartphones, I ended up figuring out the obvious – why Apple will probably never make a foldable, or dual-screen iPhone…

Majority rule

The world’s most profitable smartphone company doesn’t stay worth over two trillion dollars by not playing it safe.

Apple’s biggest cash cow is the iPhone, so trying anything too different with it, whatsoever, that could potentially disappoint its users, and even worse, tarnish the iPhone’s good name of being reliable and user-friendly, is a huge no-no.

While Samsung was able to afford to launch a Galaxy Fold in such an unfinished and untested state, that it broke in the hands of reviewers, sometimes immediately, Apple is a bit “too trusted” in the west, to attempt something crazy like that, and the backlash against it would be significantly bigger. We’re talking lawsuits and a PR hit that will linger around for decades to come.

Fact is, the majority of smartphone users are accustomed to the generic slab phone design, and for good reason – it’s perfect. This is the form factor we’ll probably always stick with, generally, since it’s not complex, but extremely simple, perfectly pocketable, and easy to use.

And Apple knows that. In fact, Samsung knows that too, which is why the mainstream Samsung phones play it safe too, even if the Korean giant can afford a bit more leniency, by surprising its core fanbase with a built-in stylus on its flagship phone.

As someone who’s used every dual-screen and folding phone out there, I have some realizations to share

Folding phones, and particularly the current Galaxy Z Fold 4 are incredible. This one’s actually still my favorite phone right now, and for a variety of reasons, including its huge list of software features, big, beautiful foldable screen, and powerful stereo speakers.

But I didn’t end up using it for long, because after a while it just morphs into a bulky brick in your mind, that you constantly fold and unfold all the time.

Just that extra step before you can use your phone adds up over time, and discourages me from sticking with it. Plus it’s thick, and heavy, and as time goes on and the honeymoon period is over, the cons simply start outweighing the pros.

Same goes for dual-screen phones, like the Surface Duo which I’m currently using – constantly having to fold and unfold it, not to mention dealing with lots, and lots, and lots of software bugs. This too is discouraging, and not after too long has me pining for my boring iPhone.

Like you, I want to be able to take a photo immediately if I have to – like anyone can, on a “normal” slab phone. You point and shoot.

But not on the Surface Duo – there’s only one camera facing you, so by the time you unfold it and flip it around, then pray to all the Gods the device understands which screen I’m trying to use right now and actually activates it, whatever shot I was hoping to take is gone.

Again, there’s a good reason everyone buys slab phones, and every company makes them, as opposed to anything else. Traditional form factor phones are extremely convenient, even if occasionally not as exciting as a dual-screen phone or a foldable. Or rollables, whenever they finally arrive, and if.

At the end of the day, you want the ol’ reliable

Imagine you just bought a sports car, and it’s cool and exciting, but your bank account is now empty, the car can only be driven on very, very good roads, and is pretty easy to scratch or break, not to mention that it has unusual butterfly doors that require manual opening, instead of being automated.

How long before you go back to your Volvo? The second you just need to go to the store and buy some toilet paper, or you’re moving and need to move some things with your car, you’ll start wishing you were driving a “normal” one.

And yeah, this metaphor is about smartphones.

I used to be a bit unhappy with Apple for not really doing any crazy, cool things with its iPhones, but eventually I grew to understand the perfectly good reason for it. Apple’s playing it safe by keeping the iPhone familiar, and in the form factor that’s proven to be most desirable for the majority of us pesky humans on Earth.

We don’t really like change, even if we pretend we do. I know that now.

In any case, over the last few years, it’s become evident that just because Apple won’t be doing anything new with the iPhone anytime soon, that doesn’t mean its CEO Tim Cook is afraid of trying new things. It just means that even when it tries new things, the Cupertino company plays it safe…

Apple has something else cool and rather experimental coming soon, and it’s not an iPhone

For years now, Apple’s CEO Tim Cook has shared his excitement for augmented reality (AR). We’ve already seen what AR can do from headsets like the Oculus Quest 2, or AR glasses like the Nreal Air, and it is indeed a very exciting and promising technology.

By many accounts Apple will soon unveil its own Apple AR/VR headset, which will eventually morph into Apple AR glasses down the line, as the technology matures and shrinks in size.

Leakers claim that the aforementioned headset will be getting announced by Apple during WWDC 2023 on June 5th. Based on all the patents, reports and previous leaks we’ve seen, this AR device has been quietly in the works for many years now, and in Tim Cook’s mind, it will secure his legacy.

But what about the iPhone, then? Over the recent years it kept getting safe annual updates, and Apple even dropped the one model that was too “different” – the iPhone mini – in favor of a variant that’s more appropriate for the masses – a bigger iPhone 14 Plus.

So Apple was playing it ultra-safe on that front, as any business realistically should while it’s secretly pouring money into researching and developing the new technology that is AR.

The iPhone 15 may not offer anything crazy or now in it by itself, but paired with an AR headset, it could really help change the world.

So the iPhone 14 still has its role to play, despite not getting any radical redesigns or features.

It will continue funding Apple’s research into future technology, plus it might just be the first iPhone with support for pairing with an AR headset.

Of course, there’s always the chance that Apple’s AR/VR headset could have a rocky launch. We’ll find out soon enough.

But in the meantime – most people should probably stick with traditional slab phones, because let’s face it – when it comes to convenience and reliability, this is the form factor that humanity has perfected, and become accustomed to, more so than any other.

For anything beyond that – just stay tuned for AR. It’s coming in strong, soon, and not just from Apple but likely all of its bigger competitors. And get hyped, because despite what it may look like, things are about to get very exciting!

And in the meantime, feel free check out our dedicated page for AR/VR news and reviews!