Here’s What People Want From Apple’s Next iPhone

Daniel Howley
·Technology Editor

If rumors are to be believed, Apple will announce a pair of iPhones on Sept. 9. Speculation about what they’ll include ranges from vastly improved cameras to special “Force Touch” screens that respond to pressure as well as tapping and swiping.

Related: Apple Rumors: The Likely, the Unlikely, and the Just Plain Absurd

But forget all of that. What we wanted to know was what you, our beloved reader, want next-generation iDevices to offer. To that end, we took to the streets of Manhattan and asked everyday people (and a couple of costumed weirdos) what would persuade them to buy yet another Apple iPhone.

As you might expect, the most popular answer among those we accosted with our microphones and camera was for Apple to make the next iPhone more durable. Three different people told us they want an iPhone that won’t break when they inevitably drop it.

In a national survey conducted by Yahoo last March, however, the No. 1 feature most users wanted from their next iPhone was an improved battery. In fact, more than 80 percent said they wanted their next iPhone to keep going and going.

But durability still ranked high among the survey’s more than 1,000 respondents. Some 63 percent said an ultra-scratch-resistant screen was their top must-have feature, followed closely by more storage and a higher-resolution camera. (Again, if rumors are to be believed, those Apple fans are likely to get their wish.) Combine an everlasting battery with massive storage, and 95 percent of fanboys will be ecstatic.

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Source: Yahoo Smartphone Innovation Study, March 2015

One man we spoke with told us he wanted improved near-field communication (NFC) features with the next iPhone. Currently, the NFC chips in the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus only let you pay for items at the store using Apple’s Apple Pay mobile payment service. If unlocked, NFC could make it easier to pair your phone with other devices, so you could, say, share images between iPhones by tapping them together.

Another individual we spoke to said he wanted a phone that’s larger than his existing 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus (which, if we’re being completely honest, sounds absolutely ridiculous).

Apple’s next-generation mobile makes its big debut next week. We’ll be covering the entire show live, both in person and remotely.

Here’s hoping the latest iPhones come with everything you want and more. Just don’t expect them to include a back massager. For that, you may have to wait for the iPhone 7.

What do you want to see in the next iPhone? Let us know: Vote in our poll or sound off in the comments section below.

Email Daniel at dhowley@yahoo-inc.com; follow him on Twitter at @DanielHowley or on Google+.