Forget other features: if the next iPhone really wants to make a splash, just be more like the latest MacBook Air. August 5, 2013 2:28 PM PDT (Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET) We're on a countdown until the inevitable Next iPhone, a moment that feels far less anticipated than last year. In 2012 we had the iPhone 5 casting a shadow of mystery: a rumored design revamp, the curiosity surrounding the first post-Steve Jobs iPhone, plus overdue features: namely, LTE and a larger screen. This year, we have rumors of slightly better cameras, colored cases, and maybe a fingerprint reader. So what can the next iPhone do to be a huge hit? Simple. Give it a killer battery life. Phones are suffering a bit of ennui mid-2013. "Peak smartphone" has become a repeated phrase, and I've heard my fair share of "phones are boring." It reminds me of laptops: those also-useful, also-commodified products that nearly everyone has but nobody feels all that compelled to immediately replace. iPhone 6: Most-wanted features (pictures) 1-2 of 11 Scroll Left Scroll Right You can't make magic forever. Laptops don't produce stupendous feats of technology anymore: maybe phones are just finally going that path, too. But that doesn't mean there aren't certain critical improvements. The MacBook Air had a pretty minor set of changes this year, so few that it's hard to consider it a "new" laptop. But improving battery life so dramatically is a huge selling point. It makes the Air an excellent recommendation. Android phones with great battery life are out there, particularly Motorola's recent phones: the Droid Maxx, Razr Maxx before it, and the new Moto X. The Moto X is a classic example of how a phone with non-cutting-edge specs can win with improved design, battery life, and an extra feature or two. (Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET) My wife does one thing with her iPhone more than anything else: she charges it. I've been using an iPhone 5 for nearly a year, and its overall performance has been excellent -- except for the battery life, which can range from okay to downright challenging. I keep cloud services on and Bluetooth active, and I do my fair share of streaming, but I need to top off the charge at least once a day. Is that fair to judge my iPhone based on my heavy usage? Well, it's a part of the new phone landscape. There are more gadgets to Bluetooth and AirPlay pair with, more high-bandwidth streaming services, more location-aware apps. Having a battery great enough to handle the load is a tough task, but Apple has been battery-minded about its laptops and tablets. It's time for the iPhone to make a great leap forward in battery life. On my "what I want on the next iPhone" wishlist, it's the only piece in the puzzle that I really need. It may not be the sexiest move, but it would be a big move in an otherwise slow year.

Back to Home »
Forget other features: if the next iPhone really wants to make a splash, just be more like the latest MacBook Air. August 5, 2013 2:28 PM PDT (Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET) We're on a countdown until the inevitable Next iPhone, a moment that feels far less anticipated than last year. In 2012 we had the iPhone 5 casting a shadow of mystery: a rumored design revamp, the curiosity surrounding the first post-Steve Jobs iPhone, plus overdue features: namely, LTE and a larger screen. This year, we have rumors of slightly better cameras, colored cases, and maybe a fingerprint reader. So what can the next iPhone do to be a huge hit? Simple. Give it a killer battery life. Phones are suffering a bit of ennui mid-2013. "Peak smartphone" has become a repeated phrase, and I've heard my fair share of "phones are boring." It reminds me of laptops: those also-useful, also-commodified products that nearly everyone has but nobody feels all that compelled to immediately replace. iPhone 6: Most-wanted features (pictures) 1-2 of 11 Scroll Left Scroll Right You can't make magic forever. Laptops don't produce stupendous feats of technology anymore: maybe phones are just finally going that path, too. But that doesn't mean there aren't certain critical improvements. The MacBook Air had a pretty minor set of changes this year, so few that it's hard to consider it a "new" laptop. But improving battery life so dramatically is a huge selling point. It makes the Air an excellent recommendation. Android phones with great battery life are out there, particularly Motorola's recent phones: the Droid Maxx, Razr Maxx before it, and the new Moto X. The Moto X is a classic example of how a phone with non-cutting-edge specs can win with improved design, battery life, and an extra feature or two. (Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET) My wife does one thing with her iPhone more than anything else: she charges it. I've been using an iPhone 5 for nearly a year, and its overall performance has been excellent -- except for the battery life, which can range from okay to downright challenging. I keep cloud services on and Bluetooth active, and I do my fair share of streaming, but I need to top off the charge at least once a day. Is that fair to judge my iPhone based on my heavy usage? Well, it's a part of the new phone landscape. There are more gadgets to Bluetooth and AirPlay pair with, more high-bandwidth streaming services, more location-aware apps. Having a battery great enough to handle the load is a tough task, but Apple has been battery-minded about its laptops and tablets. It's time for the iPhone to make a great leap forward in battery life. On my "what I want on the next iPhone" wishlist, it's the only piece in the puzzle that I really need. It may not be the sexiest move, but it would be a big move in an otherwise slow year.

Forget other features: if the next iPhone really wants to make a splash, just be more like the latest MacBook Air. August 5, 2013 2:28 PM PDT (Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET) We're on a countdown until the inevitable Next iPhone, a moment that feels far less anticipated than last year. In 2012 we had the iPhone 5 casting a shadow of mystery: a rumored design revamp, the curiosity surrounding the first post-Steve Jobs iPhone, plus overdue features: namely, LTE and a larger screen. This year, we have rumors of slightly better cameras, colored cases, and maybe a fingerprint reader. So what can the next iPhone do to be a huge hit? Simple. Give it a killer battery life. Phones are suffering a bit of ennui mid-2013. "Peak smartphone" has become a repeated phrase, and I've heard my fair share of "phones are boring." It reminds me of laptops: those also-useful, also-commodified products that nearly everyone has but nobody feels all that compelled to immediately replace. iPhone 6: Most-wanted features (pictures) 1-2 of 11 Scroll Left Scroll Right You can't make magic forever. Laptops don't produce stupendous feats of technology anymore: maybe phones are just finally going that path, too. But that doesn't mean there aren't certain critical improvements. The MacBook Air had a pretty minor set of changes this year, so few that it's hard to consider it a "new" laptop. But improving battery life so dramatically is a huge selling point. It makes the Air an excellent recommendation. Android phones with great battery life are out there, particularly Motorola's recent phones: the Droid Maxx, Razr Maxx before it, and the new Moto X. The Moto X is a classic example of how a phone with non-cutting-edge specs can win with improved design, battery life, and an extra feature or two. (Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET) My wife does one thing with her iPhone more than anything else: she charges it. I've been using an iPhone 5 for nearly a year, and its overall performance has been excellent -- except for the battery life, which can range from okay to downright challenging. I keep cloud services on and Bluetooth active, and I do my fair share of streaming, but I need to top off the charge at least once a day. Is that fair to judge my iPhone based on my heavy usage? Well, it's a part of the new phone landscape. There are more gadgets to Bluetooth and AirPlay pair with, more high-bandwidth streaming services, more location-aware apps. Having a battery great enough to handle the load is a tough task, but Apple has been battery-minded about its laptops and tablets. It's time for the iPhone to make a great leap forward in battery life. On my "what I want on the next iPhone" wishlist, it's the only piece in the puzzle that I really need. It may not be the sexiest move, but it would be a big move in an otherwise slow year.

Posted by : Unknown Monday, August 5, 2013

Forget other features: if the next iPhone really wants to make a splash, just be more like the latest MacBook Air.

August 5, 2013 2:28 PM PDT

(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)

We're on a countdown until the inevitable Next iPhone, a moment that feels far less anticipated than last year. In 2012 we had the iPhone 5 casting a shadow of mystery: a rumored design revamp, the curiosity surrounding the first post-Steve Jobs iPhone, plus overdue features: namely, LTE and a larger screen. This year, we have rumors of slightly better cameras, colored cases, and maybe a fingerprint reader.

So what can the next iPhone do to be a huge hit?

Simple. Give it a killer battery life.

Phones are suffering a bit of ennui mid-2013. "Peak smartphone" has become a repeated phrase, and I've heard my fair share of "phones are boring." It reminds me of laptops: those also-useful, also-commodified products that nearly everyone has but nobody feels all that compelled to immediately replace.

iPhone 6: Most-wanted features (pictures)

1-2 of 11

Scroll Left Scroll Right

You can't make magic forever. Laptops don't produce stupendous feats of technology anymore: maybe phones are just finally going that path, too. But that doesn't mean there aren't certain critical improvements.

The MacBook Air had a pretty minor set of changes this year, so few that it's hard to consider it a "new" laptop. But improving battery life so dramatically is a huge selling point. It makes the Air an excellent recommendation.

Android phones with great battery life are out there, particularly Motorola's recent phones: the Droid Maxx, Razr Maxx before it, and the new Moto X. The Moto X is a classic example of how a phone with non-cutting-edge specs can win with improved design, battery life, and an extra feature or two.

(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)

My wife does one thing with her iPhone more than anything else: she charges it. I've been using an iPhone 5 for nearly a year, and its overall performance has been excellent -- except for the battery life, which can range from okay to downright challenging. I keep cloud services on and Bluetooth active, and I do my fair share of streaming, but I need to top off the charge at least once a day.

Is that fair to judge my iPhone based on my heavy usage? Well, it's a part of the new phone landscape. There are more gadgets to Bluetooth and AirPlay pair with, more high-bandwidth streaming services, more location-aware apps. Having a battery great enough to handle the load is a tough task, but Apple has been battery-minded about its laptops and tablets. It's time for the iPhone to make a great leap forward in battery life. On my "what I want on the next iPhone" wishlist, it's the only piece in the puzzle that I really need.

It may not be the sexiest move, but it would be a big move in an otherwise slow year.