No truer words than these can be spoken when talking about smartphone progress. I mean honestly, where would we be without the iPhone?
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How much could the iPhone 5 really revolutionize things at all?
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No truer words than these can be spoken when talking about smartphone progress. I mean honestly, where would we be without the iPhone?
Yeah I think that the hardware will continue to advance, for sure, but ultimately it's going to be improvements to the interface which really change things.
The stuff that we have in phones now, we never thought we would have like 10 years ago, Internet that competes with a computer, games that are just as good as a psvita or ds, high quality cameras, hd video recording. There are so many more things that we can't even think of that will be in phones in the next couple of years
The Mozilla Labs Seabird concept is already a couple years old. This technology would be revolutionary, IMHO.
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I hope you're right, but let's face it, the last couple years got us what? Siri and notifications? And next up appears to be a rehash of an existing app (google maps). I think innovation is plateauing very quickly.
More on-board sensors
More on-board sensors would support further leaps in app innovation, which together would feel,... well,... if not "revolutionary" then "super evolutionary".
For example, more than a decade ago some watchmakers started using a piezoresistive silicon sensor to provide accurate altimeter, barometer, and thermometer functionality.
If Apple were to build-in such a component, imagine the leap forward in weather apps. The phone becomes a personal weather station (obviously no wind speed or precipitation sensors on-board, but hey, portable bluetooth gadgets could augment that).
As a bonus, the data could be uploaded to a central database where NOAA, app makers, universities and others could use it to improve monitoring, forecasting, warning, etc. And the results could be pushed back to users.
If you need an analogy, think about how Navigon's "Traffic Live" uses aggregate app data to improve real-time traffic routes computed by the app on individual phones. (Which I acknowledge is not perfect, but like many things gets better over time.)
I imagine the Nest thermostat could find a way to make use of both the local and the aggregate data. For instance responding proactively to approaching swings in weather to more efficiently maintain HVAC targets.
Weather is just one example. There are other miniaturized sensors available and in the works. I think that leaves plenty of room for significant new capabilities to be brought by Apple and the developers who get creative with the platform.
More on-board sensors would support further leaps in app innovation, which together would feel,... well,... if not "revolutionary" then "super evolutionary".
For example, more than a decade ago some watchmakers started using a piezoresistive silicon sensor to provide accurate altimeter, barometer, and thermometer functionality.
If Apple were to build-in such a component, imagine the leap forward in weather apps. The phone becomes a personal weather station (obviously no wind speed or precipitation sensors on-board, but hey, portable bluetooth gadgets could augment that).
As a bonus, the data could be uploaded to a central database where NOAA, app makers, universities and others could use it to improve monitoring, forecasting, warning, etc. And the results could be pushed back to users.
If you need an analogy, think about how Navigon's "Traffic Live" uses aggregate app data to improve real-time traffic routes computed by the app on individual phones. (Which I acknowledge is not perfect, but like many things gets better over time.)
I imagine the Nest thermostat could find a way to make use of both the local and the aggregate data. For instance responding proactively to approaching swings in weather to more efficiently maintain HVAC targets.
Weather is just one example. There are other miniaturized sensors available and in the works. I think that leaves plenty of room for significant new capabilities to be brought by Apple and the developers who get creative with the platform.
I'm not looking for anything super big ever from apple. Android always has the latest and greatest these days. I'm not a android fan boy or anything. I have had every iPhone to date except first one. Have a nexus now but I never keep phones long. That being said. I think we will just see a "revolutionary " bigger 4 inch screen at best. And a little faster processor. I mean they think turn by turn is fantastic for them now.
Apple didn't invent the touch screen by the way. Others would have gotten to where we are today, one way or the other. The demand was there.
I just want LTE. I don't need them to revolutionize anything with the new iPhone, because I still think my iPhone 4 is pretty amazing. But I'm on AT&T 3G in the Chicago area, and I'm pretty unhappy with it most of the time. Just give me the LTE. I can take or leave the bigger screen.
How true. I don't think ANY of the new phones coming our are "revolutionary". They're evolutionary, that's a given. Some are evolving more than others, and offering some new features they were lacking.
It's all good for the consumer.
the guy who listed 19 well organized leaps forward that could be made, bravo.
those are the things that we are looking for. obviously we aren't getting all 19 in 1 year... but that's something on a 3 year or 5 year plan to expect.
people who think the only improvements that can really be made are in processing power are kidding themselves.
i also like the more sensors thing. a mobile weather station if you will. there are some technical challenges there (how does your phone know if you are inside, outside, standing over a grill, just got into a hot car, walking into a gas station's beer fridge, etc.) i suppose more accurate gps could aid that, but wouldn't completely solve it.
but the weather idea does seem like a natural evolution. it seems like traffic and weather have been tied together for decades... they even give you both in 1 report on the radio. now that we can use our phones to upload to a database for an accurate depiction of traffic, wouldn't an accurate depiction of weather be a reasonable next course of action? and with the right sensors, i don't think it would be outside the realm of possibility to potentially get wind speeds and directions.
those are the things that we are looking for. obviously we aren't getting all 19 in 1 year... but that's something on a 3 year or 5 year plan to expect.
people who think the only improvements that can really be made are in processing power are kidding themselves.
i also like the more sensors thing. a mobile weather station if you will. there are some technical challenges there (how does your phone know if you are inside, outside, standing over a grill, just got into a hot car, walking into a gas station's beer fridge, etc.) i suppose more accurate gps could aid that, but wouldn't completely solve it.
but the weather idea does seem like a natural evolution. it seems like traffic and weather have been tied together for decades... they even give you both in 1 report on the radio. now that we can use our phones to upload to a database for an accurate depiction of traffic, wouldn't an accurate depiction of weather be a reasonable next course of action? and with the right sensors, i don't think it would be outside the realm of possibility to potentially get wind speeds and directions.
Revolution isn't fed by impatient consumers.
The forces that create revolution are like atoms floating around that eventually clump and form something larger.
Thinking revolution is something to be "manufactured" is to fail to grasp that revolutions are caused be external elements maturing to a point where they can be employed.
SSD is a revolution
Touch screen displays are a revolution
A pervasive network (internet) is a revolution
In all cases work was being done far before they reached critical mass.
"The Revolution will not be televised"
The forces that create revolution are like atoms floating around that eventually clump and form something larger.
Thinking revolution is something to be "manufactured" is to fail to grasp that revolutions are caused be external elements maturing to a point where they can be employed.
SSD is a revolution
Touch screen displays are a revolution
A pervasive network (internet) is a revolution
In all cases work was being done far before they reached critical mass.
"The Revolution will not be televised"
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Revolutions isn't fed by impatient consumers.
The forces that create revolution are like atoms floating around that eventually clump and form something larger.
Thinking revolution is something to be "manufactured" is to fail to grasp that revolutions are caused be external elements maturing to a point where they can be employed.
SSD is a revolution
Touch screen displays are a revolution
A pervasive network (internet) is a revolution
In all cases work was being done far before they reached critical mass.
"The Revolution will not be televised"
How true. Tech geeks have seriously short attention spans when it comes to their gadgets. New things are really cool for 5 minutes and then they're yawning. There are literally people already bored with the new iPhone and it's not even out yet!!!
The stuff we're getting today has been in development for years. It's not like someone just dreamed up the iPhone one day. It started out as a tablet and was refined into an iPhone over the course of YEARS!!!!
I am almost 35 years old. That's not that old, but definitely old enough to remember a time when there was no internet, no smartphones (or even cell phones), NOBODY had a computer in their house, and you were lucky if you even got to use one at work or at school. I also come from a family that, like many young families, didn't have a lot of money to blow. My brother and I had to mow lawns for 2 summers to save up enough to buy our NES. So growing up, we didn't have a computer or internet in our house even after everyone else finally did.
My point is, I pick up my iPad every day and am amazed and appreciative of what it can do. It still blows me away that I can make a playlist on my iPhone at work or on the train and it instantly shows up on the Apple TV at home. Or that with a flick of my pinky finger, I can fix a photo of my son that was otherwise a really good photo, but unfortunately he had a huge piece of food stuck in his front teeth. I can do all that stuff on gadgets and "computers" that I can hold in my hand.
So keeping that in mind, I feel like things coming out at the moment are just adding to the revolution we're already part of and is happening all around us. Unfortunately, we're too spoiled by what we have to notice. We always want the next big thing all the time. It's such a first world problem and sometimes it makes me sick to my stomach.
I thought that too with my VZW speeds of 1 MB. But this changed everything.
In fact, i think i ran five of these and used 200 MB of data in one sitting.
Nothing wrong with wanting something better.
I do feel that the next generation iPhone is disappointing because, in my opinion, last year's iPhone was also disappointing. We're getting at the point that there's nothing really big for Apple to add.
First let's look at iOS. iOS 2, iOS 3 and iOS 4 were, in my opinion, all big iOS updates. They brought big things like multitasking. Put now we're at a point that all the really important, basic features are already build right into iOS. What do we get now? One of Apple's key iOS 6 features is using FaceTime over 3G. Or adding VIPs in your mail list. I mean, those are nice enhancements, but it definitely doesn't feel as big as iOS 2, 3 and 4 felt. iOS 5 already felt quite small for a lot of people.
Of course iOS 6 also brings a new Maps app, for example, but at this point I don't feel like that Apple is ready. Google, right now, is just master at Maps-functionality. It's fine that Apple wants their own Maps-technology, but at least until iOS 7 they should have offered us an option: Google Maps or Apple's Maps?
That's why I think there's more need for innovative new software functionality.
When we look on the hardware side, I believe both the 3GS and the iPhone 4 were great upgrades. But when we looked at the iPhone 4S, for me it felt a bit... disappointing. When we simply look at the 4S, there were three big changes compared to the iPhone 4: the camera, the A5 chip and Siri.
Why don't these changes feel big to me? First of all, the iPhone 4 already had a great camera so it doesn't really feel like something that was necessary to upgrade (unlike the transition from iPhone 3G to iPhone 3GS). Second of all, the A5 chip... it's great they are working on speed, but again it didn't really feel necessary (unlike the transition from the 3G to the 3GS (because the 3G was really getting slow, the iPhone 4 wasn't)). Siri... well, that's not available in my area - and so it is for a big percentage of the iPhone users.
Now I see this rumoured 'iPhone 5' and as it appears this is changed: a slightly bigger display (approx. 5 milimeters longer), a stretched iPhone 4 design, LTE and possibly NFC.
I like the idea of the bigger display, but we're talking here about a few millimetres and as it appear right now, there are no big upgrades in display technology. The design... well... similar to the design we saw in 2010. LTE? Probably US en Canada-only (like the iPad) so again not of use for me. NFC? That's the one big thing, but I have no idea how they want to present it (since NFC isn't a big thing right now).
Really, NFC is in my opinion the biggest advantage of the upcoming 'iPhone 5' (if the rumours turn out to be correct). And the design? Very similar. Is that what they have been working at for at least 2,5 years?
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EDIT: I feel like I was much better in expressing myself when posting this:
iPhone 4/4S display: ~75mm tall
iPhone 5 display: ~89mm tall
So about 14mm taller.
Ask your parents about your level of growth whether it be physically or intellectually from the age of 3 to 6.
Now compare the same from 21-24. Could you say that you continued the same linear growth during the 21-24 period and if not what slowed you down?
Same laws of nature apply to technology. Initial growth is fast until maturation and then changes slow down drastically.
does anyone really know if the iPhone 5 is going to be this extra 14mm? What confirmation do we have?
Everyone is assuming it to definitely be LTE capable. Again, what evidence do we have of this? And the same with NFC capable... is there any source confirming any of this? Resolution changes? has any of this been confirmed? To my knowledge no?
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eh, sorta kinda.
but really, i completely disagree.
do you think technology changed more from 0 AD to 1500 AD or will change more from 1500 AD to 3000 AD?
technological advances are actually increasing exponentially. It could be argued that we've seen more technological advances in the last 100 years than in the previous thousand.
Everyone is assuming it to definitely be LTE capable. Again, what evidence do we have of this? And the same with NFC capable... is there any source confirming any of this? Resolution changes? has any of this been confirmed? To my knowledge no?
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eh, sorta kinda.
but really, i completely disagree.
do you think technology changed more from 0 AD to 1500 AD or will change more from 1500 AD to 3000 AD?
technological advances are actually increasing exponentially. It could be argued that we've seen more technological advances in the last 100 years than in the previous thousand.
Well it's all rumors until Apple's CEO walks on stage and announces the new iPhone.
Technology is increasing at a faster rate IMO. What's becoming more complex is the ability to understand the ramifications of the rapid advances in individual components.
I'm seeing many on these boards struggle somewhat. It used to be you'd learn something and that knowledge had a decent shelf life. Now things change so quickly that if you hope to be up on things you have to be more diligent that ever.
But this is what makes my jaw drop. Everyone wanted a retina iPad. When they got one, they thought it was boring. Everyone railed on the poor camera quality of the iPad. When Apple improved it, it was boring. I don't get that logic. Not every new model has to be a huge revolution. Sometimes it's going to be geared more for people who didn't get the LAST upgrade. I don't think Apple is dumb enough to think that the 4S was an attractive upgrade for every 4 owner.
I'm also not sure how people are already disappointed with an iPhone that isn't even announced yet. We have no idea what this phone is all about. The reason we get disappointed is because we come up with crazy ideas while we wait for the announcement, and we hold technology companies to standards they can never meet. If you want a prime example, see Blizzard. 10 years of speculating on Diablo III (a really fun game) made peoples' imaginations run wild and now everyone is disappointed with the game.
revolutionize? I think those days are gone. Company who relies on one release a year(even for a small change?), you can consider revolutionize gone from this company. Only thing apple can do is hang their hats on stuff that other company cannot get first due to them being a massive logistic empire..
Leave latest and greatest tech(I am not saying that is good for anyone) stuff coming out of droid.. since they are so hard up on releasing new things on weekly basis.(and never let thing mature before making it available to public)
Apple is there to make stuff just work for people nice and easy and stable. But even that is getting old.. man.. iphone 5 better not look like taller iphone 4s..
Leave latest and greatest tech(I am not saying that is good for anyone) stuff coming out of droid.. since they are so hard up on releasing new things on weekly basis.(and never let thing mature before making it available to public)
Apple is there to make stuff just work for people nice and easy and stable. But even that is getting old.. man.. iphone 5 better not look like taller iphone 4s..
Yup we covered some of the less publicized features of the 4S in another thread here.
People tend to forget so lets do a quick rundown from the top of my head.
1. Camera - not only did it jump to 8 MP but we got an improved lens assembly and .5 second shots.
2. Image stabilization and Image Processor in the A5 plus 1080p video
3. Improved GPS with the addition of GLONASS
4. Bluetooth 4.0
5. Incredible leap in GPU power
6. Noise Cancellation built into the A5
7. Mirroring support
8. HSDPA+ 14.4
9 World Chip (GSM/CDMA)
It was far more substantial than it was given credit for IMO
People tend to forget so lets do a quick rundown from the top of my head.
1. Camera - not only did it jump to 8 MP but we got an improved lens assembly and .5 second shots.
2. Image stabilization and Image Processor in the A5 plus 1080p video
3. Improved GPS with the addition of GLONASS
4. Bluetooth 4.0
5. Incredible leap in GPU power
6. Noise Cancellation built into the A5
7. Mirroring support
8. HSDPA+ 14.4
9 World Chip (GSM/CDMA)
It was far more substantial than it was given credit for IMO