The followup to the iPhone 12 might not be called the iPhone 13. Instead, a reliable source says it will such a minor update it’ll be dubbed iPhone 12s.
And triskaidekaphobia could cause Apple to skip straight to the iPhone 14.
Minor iPhone upgrades get an ‘S’
Jon Prosser said in Wednesday’s episode of his Front Page Tech YouTube show, “A couple of weeks ago I was told that it was probably going to be called the iPhone 12s.”
If true, this will be a return to an old naming habit for Apple. Years ago, the iPhone 4 was followed by the 4s, the iPhone 5 by the 5s, and the iPhone 6 by the 6s. Even the iPhone X had the XS.
Still, the company never made an “S” model for the iPhone 7, iPhone 8 or iPhone 11. But it seems the company might be bringing it back for the 2021 handset.
Previous “S” models were minor tweaks of their predecessors. Usually, a faster processor was the most sunstantial change, and the design remained the same. As Prosser pointed out Wednesday, that fits the 2021 iPhone. All the leaks so far point to a new series of iOS models in the same sizes and designs as the iPhone 12. But there supposedly will be a few improvements. A possible in-screen Touch ID fingerprint sensor is one of them. The screen might bump up to 120Hz, and the notch might shrink.
Unlucky iPhone 13
The tipster says Apple isn’t only considering pushing back naming a handset the iPhone 13; it might never use the name at all. “I was also told that we probably won’t ever get an iPhone 13,” said Prosser during Wednesday’s Front Page Tech.
The alleged reason is superstition surrounding the number 13. To the point where buildings in Western countries won’t have a 13th floor, for example.
However, Apple hasn’t shied away from using the number before. There was an iOS 13 and an iPadOS 13. Plus, many people East Asian countries have their own superstition around the number 4, but Apple didn’t hesitate to make an iPhone 4.
Still, AppleTrack gives Jon Prosser a 79.2% accuracy rating on previous predictions. That puts him in the top 6 of noted Apple prognosticators. Watch the latest episode of Front Page Tech to see the other topics he discusses.
