The only interesting things about the new iPhones/ iOS
Not interesting:
- colours
- cheap vs expensive
- ‘flat’ design/ transparency/ parallax effects
- 64 bit processor
Interesting:
TouchID + Bluetooth Low Energy (iBeacons)
Apple just put a method in your pocket to verify your identity instantly with any device it can connect to through this new bluetooth standard. Want more security? Use voice recognition in tandem to verify a phrase.
Put it in a watch and it’s more convenient than ever. It’s no co-incidence that iCloud Keychain is also on the way to keep all your passwords in one place. And don’t forget Passbook securely holds things like your plane tickets right through to your Starbucks card. Your thumb is now the easiest way to access all of this, in an instant.
Controller support… but no controller announcements
iPhone gaming is an unexpected success (Apple has never cared about the area before) — but is hamstrung by not being able to do ‘traditional’ games justice. Seeing the glitzy graphics of Infinity Blade (a game that really only works on a touchscreen), you have to ask how far out of reach Vita or even current gen console games are on the device.
Perhaps an explanation for the lack of updates on this major area will come in the pre-Xmas Apple event this year. Considering the lineup, it’s iPods and iPads for sure — where they’ve really played up the gaming message recently. If they come on stage and account proper controllers in conjunction with a new Apple TV that gets games onto the screen in an elegant fashion, this would make sense.
A dedicated motion CPU
The fact that the quantified self movement relies on devices outside your phone, even for simplistic things like step count, is stupid. I don’t care if it’s on your wrist or a little widget in your pocket, these devices are a mess today and unlikely to go mainstream in contrast to the integration announced today. By making the phone itself handle the laborious ongoing tracking, it means you can add sensors for specific tasks (heart rate) or sync with nearby devices (e.g. a running machine via iBeacon.)
I still don’t totally buy into the idea that these things present meaningful value and accuracy yet, to the degree the mainstream would need and expect. But by becoming an effortless add-on that doesn’t kill your battery, the selection becomes more about software than hardware. And this area is ripe for a “there’s an app for that” approach.
Did I miss something? Let me know.
September 12th, 2013
Any marketer knows how painful it can be getting a tagline/ strapline that you’re happy with — and the choice of ‘forward thinking’ for the new iPhone seemed curious to me. So I took a look at the previous history of iPhone taglines.
I presume the stark change is to do with having two models, forcing them to abandon the ‘superlative’ approach (“Best iPhone yet.”)
See what you think.
iPhone: Touching is believing
iPhone 3G: The iPhone you’ve been waiting for
iPhone 3GS: The fastest, most powerful iPhone yet
iPhone 4: This changes everything again
iPhone 4S: It’s the most amazing iPhone yet
iPhone 5: The biggest thing to happen to iPhone since iPhone
iPhone 5S: Forward Thinking
Check out the full ads for each after the break.
September 10th, 2013
Even with a good regime of folders, the front page of my iPhone homescreen is almost like a rundown of responsibilities and considerations.
Mailbox, Fantastical and Reminders. Feedly, Instapaper and Reddit. Vine, Instagram and Facebook. Tweetbot. There’s something about all the potential, all these calls to action streaming into my brain every time I pick the thing up.
So a holiday provided the perfect opportunity to simplify my life.
May 21st, 2013
Have Apple Miced an Opportunity?
In today’s Apple update, there’s one element for me that’s far more exciting than the others and yet at the same time, really disappointing. The new Magic Mouse.
Sure, iMac users can now woosh around and no longer have to live in jealousy of their MacBook brothers and let’s not understate how nice that will be for them. But if you’re going to play around with the core interface elements, why stop there?
October 20th, 2009
Based on Ofcom’s December 2008 3G coverage maps, expect to see Orange adverts in the near future featuring solely this…
O2
Orange
Have a look at the full OfCom report on 3G coverage on their site. Official announcement from Orange here.
UPDATE NOV ’09: Table comparison of O2 vs Orange pricing here from Pocket-Lint.
For related stories on this topic, click here.
September 28th, 2009
Does Android Dream of Electric Waves?
Since its announcement two years ago, Google’s Android platform has had a bit of an underwhelming start, at least until the last few months when the new HTC Hero handsets seem to have provided a proper backdrop to do it justice.
The platform itself has been bouncing along its Cupcake development branch and the 1.5 update offered a bevy of new improvements in much the same way that companies traditionally do. However, when it comes to features that place it noticeably head and shoulders above the competition, Android has been rather lacking.
Perhaps Flash is a killer feature for some but it’s not the revolution one might hope for.
Google Wave, on the other hand, could be. (more…)
September 18th, 2009
Sometimes business just ain’t pretty
Today saw a million angry iPhone worshippers all cry out at once as Apple revealed the ‘shocking’ news that they won’t be giving each customer hundreds of pounds worth of hardware for free. Or at least, not this time…
A number of thoughts strike me on this.
One, the free upgrade of last summer served its purpose; it sent the userbase through the roof and opened the door to a long term cash generator in the App Store. At the time, many laughed and claimed Apple were reacting to disappointing uptake at the £275 launch price.
However, in reality this early adopter tax filled the coffers while they waited for the real money-making dynamic to arrive. With these observations, how should we consider this year’s launch?
June 9th, 2009