I've been loyal to Apple for years, but this time around, their teasing isn't cutting it. Two weeks out from the 'Surprise and Shine' event, I'm underwhelmed by what we think we know about the iPhone 18 Pro - and that's saying something coming from a guy who once camped outside an Apple Store for a launch.
Let's start with the colors.
The sky blue logo has us expecting Light Blue, Dark Cherry, Dark Gray, and Silver. Sure, I like options - my current iPhone 12 is in this year's new purple - but Apple's always been about bold choices, not subtle tweaks. Since when did they start worrying if their colors were too 'in your face'?
Remember the (Product)RED? The midnight green? Even last year's alpine green had some attitude. Now we're getting light blue and dark gray? I mean, come on Apple, where's the surprise in that?
But it's not just about color. The logo's light suggests a new variable aperture camera system - something iPhones have been missing out on for years. Mark Gurman thinks this might be exclusive to the 18 Pro Max too.
And yes, I'd love manual control over depth of field and light. But you know what? My Google Pixel has a brilliant dual-exposure mode that gives me exactly that - without the iPhone's price tag or fanboy cachet.
I remember when an iPhone camera meant something special. It meant no low-light photos, sure, but it also meant simple, stunning images every time. Now we're chasing Android features and worrying about colors? I'm not buying it.
But hey, maybe I'm wrong. Maybe the 18 Pro will surprise us all on launch day. And sure, if Apple can convince me they've got something truly innovative under that light blue hood - like a killer Portrait mode upgrade or some other unexpected feature - then yeah, I'll be first in line to trade up.
But until then? I'm sticking with my 12 Pro Max and its beautiful purple hue.
