iPhone 6 Design Wish List: 10 Improvements People Would Like to See

by Don Reisinger

Jefferies analyst Peter Misek, who has been following Apple for several years, recently predicted that the iPhone 6 would come with a 4.8-inch screen. What’s more, the display could stretch fully from edge to edge. When compared with some of its competitors, such as Samsung’s Galaxy S 4 and the HTC’s One Max, the display on the iPhone 5S looks rather small. Hopefully, that will be addressed with the iPhone 6.

Every new iPhone launch delivers a new processor with faster performance and improves overall device usability. Doesn’t it make sense then that the iPhone 6 should come with the A8 processor (as opposed to the rumored A7X chip) to deliver much better performance than the chip currently powering the iPhone 5S.

One of the big complaints users have seen with iOS 7 and the iPhone 5 is a reduction in battery life. That issue was addressed in a recent software update, but as an iPhone 5 owner myself, I can say the problem hasn’t been totally fixed. It would be nice to see Apple spend more time enhancing the iPhone 6’s battery life. Apple claims the iPhone 5S delivers a full 10 hours of talk time on 3G. But reviewers have found that the battery runs out much sooner than that. Apple needs true “all-day” battery life in the next iPhone.

Apple’s biggest competitor, Samsung, brought full infrared control to the Galaxy S 4. That feature lets users turn their smartphones into remote controls in the home to operate just about any IR-ready device. Granted, it’s a small feature now. But considering Logitech was forced out of the universal remote business and more TV makers are supporting smartphone controls for their televisions, it seems like a good move now for Apple to bring IR control to the iPhone 6. If nothing else, it might work well if the Apple TV ever sees the light of day.

There was some speculation in the marketplace prior to its release that Apple might include wireless charging with the iPhone 5S. It didn’t happen. The iPhone 6 is now the next best hope for those who want wireless charging. Considering companies like Nokia and small third-party accessory makers have been doing it for years, what’s stopping Apple?

Apple each year improves its iPhone camera, so it shouldn’t surprise anyone if the company does it again this time around. However, with the iPhone 6, it’d be nice to see the company spend considerable time boosting its camera’s capabilities by improving the lens, the aperture and the flash. The iPhone 5S camera is nice, with its five-element lens and true tone flash. But surely there’s much more that can be done.

So, what’s next on Apple’s design plan? According to several analysts, it’s a new material to build products. Years ago, Apple built devices with plastic. Then, it went to glass and aluminum. Now there’s talk of Apple going with liquid metal and possibly even sapphire. Since Apple likes to mix design materials up quite often, wouldn’t it be nice to see if a new material, like sapphire, could make sense in mobile?

For years, analysts have been saying Apple would add near-field communication (NFC) support to its iPhone. Yet so far, Apple hasn’t obliged. Still, Web searches show that when the question comes up about what features people want in the next iPhone, inevitably there will be many comments requesting near-field communication. Will 2014 finally be the year when Apple changes its mind on NFC?

It was somewhat disappointing that Apple only included 802.11N connectivity in the iPhone 5S. The wireless industry has changed dramatically as of late, and now, folks can connect to 802.11ac networks, which offer more throughput and greater range. It’d be nice if Apple delivers this advanced wireless technology in the next iPhone.

It makes no sense that Apple didn’t boost the iPhone 5S storage capacity. Customers looking to buy that device can choose between 16GB and 64GB of storage. Since the iPad comes with 128GB of storage, it would have made sense for Apple to offer the same in its flagship handset. Instead, it kept customers to an artificial limit without any reasoning behind it. Apple should deliver 128GB of storage in the iPhone 6; it’s what the world wants.