New reports have revealed the specs for Apple’s upcoming iPhone 6, and while some will be excited about the new AI features it can access, others have sounded the alarm.
The past week or so has seen a number of leaks that mean, ahead of next week’s Glow event, we can already assess some of the features and specs Apple customers can look forward to or be wary of.
Apple Glow Event
The iPhone 16 is set to be officially revealed at Apple’s upcoming ‘It’s Glowtime’ event at their headquarters in Cupertino, California.
The event, scheduled for Monday, September 9, will focus on the upcoming phone release, but will likely also show off some more AI features and Apple peripherals.
AI Features
One of Apple’s more notable recent announcements has been that of Apple Intelligence, a term used to describe several AI features that will be available on Apple products in the future.
The iPhone 16, which should go on sale in the next couple of weeks, will be able to access these features at some point down the line, with the full software rollout expected by March 2025.
Value For Money
However, despite the imminent release, some commentators are already questioning the value-for-money proposition of Apple’s next flagship piece of hardware.
It may not have staying power for several reasons related to the AI rollout, and its price could drop drastically after launch, more so even than recent phone editions.
Hardware Limitations
The new iPhone will predictably come packaged with more powerful hardware, but the step up from the iPhone 15 may not be large enough.
Although RAM, a type of memory of which much is needed to perform advanced computing functions, will go up 25% from 6GB to 8GB, this may not be enough for the intense processes required of AI features.
From Server to Hand
The first raft of AI features will be based primarily on Apple servers, so hardware limitations in the phones are less relevant.
However, as Apple Intelligence develops, it is likely that more and more of the processes will occur on the handheld devices, so the hardware limitations could become quickly apparent.
Timing of AI Rollout
The iPhone 16 is expected to be released very soon, possible on September 20th according to some reports, but will not come with many vaunted AI features at launch.
Plans are for the basic tool set release in a month, ChatGPT functionality December, before the full rollout next March.
Value Fall Off
Those who have tried to resell base iPhones will also know that the price of the handset often drops rapidly in the months following its release, and this is backed up by numbers from Compare and Recycle.
They found that, in only a year, the iPhone 13’s value dropped by 40.1%, the iPhone 14 dropped 47.8%, and the iPhone 15 fell an unprecedented 55.6%.
Trend May Continue
If the increasing decline in base iPhone prices represents a trend, this means that the upcoming iPhone 16’s value could fall by over 60% in only its first year.
With March’s likely SE edition release and the further development of AI features, consumers may be anxious about the potential for a steep drop-off in resell value.
Apple Intelligence
Much of this assumes that you place value on AI features, as there are other hardware and software updates likely to come with the iPhone 16 that may also attract.
However, some Apple fans may wish to adopt a ‘wait and see’ approach in regard to Apple Intelligence, and will be looking to next week’s Glow event with some trepidation.
