Reuters, which has long sacrificed its news credibility when it comes to Apple, has started claiming that the iPhone 8 will be pretty much the iPhone 7 in drag.

It gives Apple a way out of course, it claims that it will offer an unwitting lesson in how much the smartphone industry it pioneered has matured. Of course we know Apple did not pioneer the smartphone and that other companies have managed to come up with new ideas connected to it, but we will let that point slide for now.

Reuters said that the new iPhone is expected to include a few features such as high-resolution displays, wireless charging and 3-D sensors. But it admits that these innovations have been available in competing phones for several years.

In fact, it admits that Apple has been slow to adopt new features which is something we don’t normally see from the Tame Apple Press.

It quotes an analyst at Cowen & Co Timothy Arcuri blaming Apple’s users for the fruity, tax-dodging cargo cult’s lack of innovation.
He said that if Apple fanboys rushed to buy whatever Apple put out, then Apple would be motivated to provide them with new technology. Instead they are hanging on to their gear. More than 40 percent of iPhones on the market are more than two years old.

Apparently though he seems to have ignored the fact that the reason Apple user are hanging onto their phone is because they are loyal to brand, but at the same time don’t see the point of upgrading to the iPhone 7. The iPhone 7 had no compelling features for anyone to buy, and even had the miserable bonus of wireless headphones.

Reuters mentioned that the iPhone 7 was criticised for a lack of differentiation from its predecessor, a comment which it would never have made in the past.

Instead the story goes on to speak Tame Apple Press heresy that Apple’s product strategy is driven less by technological innovation than by consumer upgrade cycles and Apple’s own business and marketing needs.

Another point that Reuters makes is that Apple’s business plan has been affected by carriers in the United States stopping subsidising phones. This subsidy, often created entirely in favour of Apple, built the iPhone’s base in the US and meant that users could forget how expensive the things were. Without the subsidy, many phone buyers are thinking harder about their next purchase and are looking at the rivals and working out that they clean Apple’s clock for a lot less.

The iPhone 7 Plus tops out at $969. Some analyts think that Apple might even introduce a $1,000-plus “ultra-premium device”. This makes sense as Apple has always targeted those with more money than sense. The idea would be that Apple could make a pile of dosh from these people while propping up the “middle of the range” phones it sells to the rest of the great unwashed.

But Reuters' article does mean something more. It points out that Apple has fallen far from being an innovator, even on the marketing game. It is on the defensive and running out of ideas to keep its iPhone cash cow alive. Even the Tame Apple Press is starting to wake up to the fact.