7 Things About iPhones Samsung Users Couldn’t Care Less About But Should

Line at New York City Apple Store (Wikimedia Commons) The iPhone Was the Most Sought After Smartphone for 2016 Holiday Season The three latest iPhone models — 7, 7 Plus and 6s — became the most popular smartphones in America from September to November 2016. During that time, customers were buying early holiday presents for their loved ones. The three models made up 31.3 percent of smartphone transactions in the country, according to data obtained by Kantar Worldpanel. Meanwhile, Samsung made up 28.9 percent of smartphone sales in the same three-month period. (pixabay) Apple Seeing Less Demand Globally for iPhone Although Apple's iOS expanded in the U.S., Japan, and Australia in 2016, reports about the tech company's manufacturing partner Foxconn Technology Group have revealed there is a lowered demand for the product, as evidenced by the producer's decreased profit. It was the first time that had happened for Foxconn. Additionally, 2016 saw Apple allegedly export 207 million iPhones, which is a bit fewer than the 236 million sent out in 2015. But an increase in revenue is hopeful with the release of the newest iPhone, which is expected this fall. iPhone 8 concept (The Nerd Mag) The New iPhone of Steel For its upcoming iPhone, DigiTimes reported Apple plans to use forged stainless steel for the device's outer framework rather than creating it by cutting a piece of aluminum like usual. In doing so, the phone will be sturdier because the metal will be strengthened due to this new process. That doesn't mean the iPhone will be virtually indestructible, but rather, it will have a less-bulky frame while maintaining its core structure. (iphone.MY) Apple Has Big Plans for the iPhone Screen A new patent is leading Apple fans to suspect the company is going to use an edge-to-edge screen on its newest iPhone model. AppleInsider reported the development, which would keep hardware like the camera and speakers hidden behind the phone display. There are also rumors that the upcoming version of the device will have front and rear glass panels held together by the steel chassis mentioned on the previous page. (Wikipedia Commons) It’s Easy to Get A Locked iPhone Hacked — If You’re the FBI In 2016, the FBI commanded Apple to unlock a gunman's iPhone to help them search for more evidence on why he shot and killed 16 people and injured 24 others. However, BGR reported that Apple declined and noted unlocking the suspect's 5c model would compromise the privacy of all iPhone users. As a result of a Freedom of Information lawsuit filed by several news agencies, the FBI revealed in a 100-page report that they hired one company out of three that bid to unlock the shooter's phone. The government agency removed the company's names from the document and revealed it made the company sign a non-disclosure agreement that prohibited it from revealing how they were able to gain access to the phone. The whole ordeal proved unnecessary, as the shooter's phone did not contain any data related to the crime. (imgur.com) There are Reports of iPhones Exploding In October 2016, Apple began investigating reports of iPhones overheating, exploding and catching on fire because of its lithium-ion battery, according to UK's Express. Such incidents have been occurring worldwide, including in New Jersey, where a student's phone exploded in his pocket, and in Australia, where a phone explosion caused a person's car to burn up, International Business Times reported. Apple blamed the problem on the battery's exposure to ambient air during manufacturing and offered to replace the small number of defective phones, which were made in September and October of 2015. (The Verge) Apple May Have to Kill the iPhone Writer Lance Salyers believes the iPhone needs to go. He made the argument for the device's death in a January 2017 piece on Forbes' website relating it to the way Apple nixed the iPod in order to lead the smartphone revolution with the iPhone a decade ago. "When the iPhone debuted, the iPod accounted for nearly half of Apple's revenue portfolio and enjoyed near total dominance with an estimated three-fourths of the U.S. market for MP3 players," he wrote. "Today, at the ripe old tech age of 10 years old, the iPhone now sits where the iPod once did as the single most important product in Apple's financial universe." After citing the 10 percent decline in Apple's overall revenue generated by the iPhone between 2015 and 2016, Salyers argued that the once-innovative tool needs to be phased out. He believes the days of capitalizing on small changes to the iPhone will soon be over and the company would be better served by creating "the iPhone killer" and making something new.

The iPhone Was the Most Sought After Smartphone for 2016 Holiday Season

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