Apple Reportedly Ditches the ‘Biggest’ iPhone 15 Feature

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Every week, I leave one slot in my blog plan for a news article.

I won’t lie – it’s becoming harder to fill that slot.

Nothing is happening. Particularly in the world of Apple.

Even the rumour mill appears to have given up. Talk of VR headsets is interesting, but it’s clear that no one has a grasp on what Apple’s first move will be (and it is one of the least trending topics in the land of Apple content).

But if you really want a stark reminder of just how little we Apple commentators have to talk about at the moment, I’d like to point you towards the most prominent news story I found during my search this morning.

It’s about the iPhone 15’s volume and mute buttons.

No, really.

Please try and stay awake at the back.

The iPhone 15 volume button rumour

Trusted Reviews leads with the headline ‘Apple may be ditching the most unique iPhone 15 Pro feature’.

Immediately, we’re in trouble.

You see, one would be forgiven for assuming that this ‘most unique feature’ is something genuinely exciting. Something to do with the camera’s rumoured periscope lens, perhaps? Or maybe the proposed move to USB-C has been scrapped! What if it’s a feature we hadn’t heard about yet? What if Apple had secretly been planning on doing away with the Monkey Island and using an under-display Touch ID sensor instead?

No.

Please hold onto your trousers.

Apple is, apparently, ditching its plans to replace the “time-tested volume-up and volume-down buttons on this year’s flagship [iPhone] models with a haptic option” due to “technical challenges”.

The news comes from none other than “noted analyst” Ming Chi-Kuo, who cites a component supplier, Cirrus Logic, as being at the heart of the issue.

The news article continues for far more paragraphs than is necessary, before ending with a reminder that it is “still entirely possible this report isn’t accurate and Apple will indeed press ahead with the feature”.

Give me strength.

Is Apple doomed?

No.

Although, I understand why Android fans might be chortling at this news. It’s embarrassing.

Is this all we have to say about Apple at the moment? The volume and mute buttons on what is still their most important product?

Really?

I’m struggling to think of anything I care about less.

The lack of any meaningful news about the next iPhone could easily be misinterpreted. If Apple backtracking on new haptic controls is all that can be mustered, surely Tim and co. are fighting for their lives to remain relevant?

The reality is far from the truth. They don’t care. The next iPhone will continue to sell by the bucketload and add to that already bulging bank balance. Any hiccups along the way with the design and production process are nothing more than that – tiny bumps along the road.

The only people who seem to care are those who are desperately searching for something to talk and write about.

What needs to change?

I think the finger of blame should be pointed squarely at people like myself; those of us who write and talk about Apple for a living.

We’re constantly adding to a narrative that suggests we should be seeing unrelenting innovation from Apple. What will the next iPhone do that the current one can’t? When will we see <insert name of long-rumoured product here>? Why hasn’t Apple done this to that product?

What is going on with the Apple Car?

It’s exhausting, isn’t it?

It’s also understandable. There’s a thirst for eyes and ears. Apple news trends, fast, and it can draw in huge audiences. But when the news is as bum-clenchingly dull as something relating to volume and mute buttons, we all need to take a good, long, hard look at ourselves.

Who cares?

Any news relating to this aspect of the iPhone’s development should remain resolutely within the four walls of Apple’s operations – it is utterly useless information for the rest of us.

Equally, what does it matter if the iPhone 15 comes armed with solid-state volume and mute buttons versus what we have now? What measurable difference does that make to the product? How will the change impact user satisfaction? How does it move the needle on smartphone innovation?

The answer is simple. This kind of rumour does nothing more than reveal that we have reached the bottom of the barrel when it comes to the iPhone’s newsworthiness. It’s happened with the Mac already; people are bored waiting for the Mac Pro, and few people care about the fate of the Mac Studio.

The same goes for the Apple Watch. Rumours about that device have all but evaporated. The Apple TV and the iPad? Ditto.

Let’s focus on what we have in front of us now, shall we? That’s what I’ll be doing from here on.

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