Apple shows off iPhone 12 Pro cinematography chops in new Dolby Vision ad

All brands of phones are at the same inflection point in my opinion. The photography keeps getting better and better but that’s about it. How much more can you improve on making phone calls, playing music, charging, etc. Design is pretty much established with cosmetic variations between brands. For the casual, average user the WOW factor is not what it used to be. My wife and I have iPhone 8’s that are functioning just fine. Would we like to upgrade to iPhone 12 models? Yes. Is it necessary or  compelling? Not so much. And again, I’m not singling out Apple, it’s everybody.

lkrupp said:

All brands of phones are at the same inflection point in my opinion. The photography keeps getting better and better but that’s about it. How much more can you improve on making phone calls, playing music, charging, etc. Design is pretty much established with cosmetic variations between brands. For the casual, average user the WOW factor is not what it used to be. My wife and I have iPhone 8’s that are functioning just fine. Would we like to upgrade to iPhone 12 models? Yes. Is it necessary or  compelling? Not so much. And again, I’m not singling out Apple, it’s everybody.

I don't care if the WOW factor is not what it used to be. If part of the customer base becomes jaded, that's just too bad—for them! I thoroughly enjoy the Apple products I choose to own, and I'm very much looking forward to getting the iPhone 12 Pro Max. I'm interested in seeing what 5G will mean to the overall experience, and I can't wait to use the camera and learn its features.

I recently bought the iPad Pro 12.9" with Apple Pencil, and I'm elated at finally being able to run real Adobe Photoshop AND now Illustrator on it to do REAL WORK!! I love using the iPad and Pencil to do layer masking, for example. I love being able to pinch/spread/rotate with my fingertips while drawing realistically with the Pencil along the image's edges. It's sooo much nicer than the mouse!

lkrupp said:

My wife and I have iPhone 8’s that are functioning just fine. Would we like to upgrade to iPhone 12 models? Yes. Is it necessary or  compelling? Not so much. And again, I’m not singling out Apple, it’s everybody.

I am a few days into my 12 Pro after having my 8 for years.  My experience differs from your expectation. I find the screen size and brightness to be a revelation (especially since the phone does not feel noticeably larger!).  

The camera on a hike yesterday and then taking pictures of our Jack-O-lanterns in the dark—well, I had read about what the camera could do, but I didn’t really believe it!  I couldn’t be happier! 

The extra confidence of the stronger glass is unexpected—I’m a klutz but I hate bulky cases, which is not a good combination. I find myself a little less anxious than I certainly would have been knowing that the new ceramic glass tests stronger. 

Finally, I’m excited by the MagSafe possibilities. The charging disk is easy and I imagine there will be many applications to come. 

On top of finally, I only had one day at work, but I appear to have better cell reception.  If this holds, it will be icing on the cake. I don’t like to have my personal business conducted through my work’s WiFi, but spotty service has been aggravating!  

Putting all this together, but my excitement is much higher now than the day before I got it—it doesn’t usually work that way. If I had an X or an 11 maybe I would pass—I don’t need a new phone every year, but the jump from the 8 is HUGE!

I am waiting for 4K at 120 FPS. 

I've stopped carrying around a dedicated camera for the last 2 years on any of my trips. I may not be a "serious" photographer, but the iPhone has helped me capture beautiful and long-lasting memories that look great when I get them printed, or when I see them on my 65" 4K TV.