Which I feel is unfortunate and a superficial way of thinking. It would be like those women who post on Facebook all the sexy photos for some reassurance about themselves or the millions who follow Kim Kardashian on Twitter even if she has no talent.
I do understand the Apple way of thinking and the type of folks they cater to. There is a vanity in it. But that's NOT progress. It would be like a car manufacturer simply updating the looks of a car and never giving it a speed bump.
How long before another better-looking phone comes out in another year? And what does that really fulfill? An ego and insecurity? How does a better designed phone really help you from a practical standpoint and make your life EASIER? I understand a bigger screen and all that. But c'mon? Is tech now becoming strictly a fashion show?
Back in 2007, iPhone was unique because there weren't many all-capacitive touchscreen phones back then. Now competition caught up and perhaps even surpassed Apple both internally and externally that even the next iPhone will just fall under being another face in the crowd. Everybody has a slate design phone and you can only do much with it before it starts looking the same from all the rest.
People want aluminum backing without even thinking it "dents" when dropped and adds more weight to it. Of course, still better than glass shattering.
Don't get me wrong, I want the next iPhone to always look better than the last one and admire great design. Nothing wrong with that. But is that the main basis of upgrading? Yes, I do want more rounded edges and a bigger screen. But I see the hype can be both pointless and shallow if every single year when waiting for the latest iPhone, all I look forward to is a modification of the casing. That is not forward-thinking enough. That is just trying to one-up the competition in looks. And when 32M iPhones are expected to be sold in the 4th quarter, that doesn't make anybody feel that special. Like having the same-looking girlfriend. We are getting to a point with all slate designed phones where you can't change it too much anymore because you can only do so much.
Where is projector? Where is the more advanced augmented reality apps like what I saw with the Sekai Camera back in 2008? Instead of Assistant, why not create a translator app that works like Shazam and SoundHound? Where is the design where you can fold you phone multiple times because it has flexible OLED? I want features that make MY LIFE easier and not just a better design that only fills up my vanity.
Slate after slate after slate with incremental updating in screen size and picking between aluminum that dents, glass that shatters, or plastic that feels cheap and cracks. And basing everything mainly in design, that's progress in tech?
In all honesty, if the iPhone 4's design wasn't so bad in the first place. Then not many people would be talking about a redesign, instead it would only be a bigger screen.
I want to also
use a device, because it greatly affects my productivity. Hence, I'd like it to be easier for me to hold the device, the iPhone 4 has poor ergonomics. I'd like the smartphone to withstand a fall, which my iPhone 3G has done numerous times, whereas the glass shattering of an iPhone 4 is unacceptable. I'd like a phone which doesn't have an antennegate problem, i'd like a phone which doesn't have proximity sensor issues so i can make proper calls, etc.
As you can see, the exterior design
is affecting productivity. These complaints for a redesign aren't just random talk, it has meaning behind it, and it makes sense.
Heck, WSJ said that the iPhone 4 "fell out of favor' by the Apple execs. There's a credible reason for that.
I believe the iPhone 4 is the most beautiful iPhone yet, but i'd prefer to be using a smartphone, not a piece of glass. I'd take performance over looks.
Unfortunately, even if it's an iPhone 4S, i'll be upgrading as my iPhone 3G is nearly dead. I'll still be disappointed, but i plan on selling it for the redesigned iPhone, whether it be iPhone 6 or not.
