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iammike1

macrumors 6502a
Oct 25, 2007
790
35
O'fallon IL
I don't see them getting much thinner, remember after the razr when phones really started to get really thin that they just weren't practical and had crappy battery life? I just don't see them getting too much thinner than the current iPhone, which is just as thin as the nokia e71x, blackjack, and moto q. As for other features, I really cant imagine what else they be capable of other than the usual faster processor, more storage, better graphics, better cameras, and better battery. Maybe like a holographic projector, where you set the phone down and it projects a holographic Image above it with a minority report like gesture system.

Getting thinner is not the problem. I promise you, if you built a dumb phone you could build it a fraction of the thickness of the iPhone and still probably get more battery life out of it then the iPhone.

On the flip, the more features and power you want to cram in a device, the larger it has to be to house them all and to contain a battery large enough to matter.

It's all a balance and I think the current "thin" is about the point where thinner with less features doesn't appeal to anyone..."thin" now is thin enough so users want more features packed in instead.

This would only be for the relative future though...eventually all boundaries are broken.

Technology advances faster then most people realize and it has a snowball effect. The more advanced our technology gets, the faster we can advance our technology.

I, for one, look forward to the day we start blurring the line between computer and human...the day we start using our technology to directly augment our abilities as humans and basically take evolution into our own hands. It's my belief that this is the shape the Technological Singularity will take on.

Ok, I'm done babbling...you guys went and brought up a topic I'm far to interested in. lol
 

SmackP

macrumors member
Jul 8, 2010
84
0
-Online OS (every music, app, podcast.. ect is saved on the cloud with this Online OS with your apple account)

No thanks!

This would be enable a rape of privacy if I ever saw it [and facilitate persecution of so called 'undesirables'].
 

mlts22

macrumors 6502a
Oct 28, 2008
540
35
Here are a couple things I'd like to see:

1: A way of using the phone as a remote control, or perhaps as an electronic car key, allowing one to disarm/arm a car or house alarm, perhaps having a duress function in case of carjacking or invasion.

2: A way to be used via the latest Bluetooth spec (which has provisions to use very low power burst transmissions) so the phone can be used as replacement for a HID badge.

3: A standard for secondary access, like a SecurID card, or a Blizzard Authenticator app, but standardized so any website can use it as an option. This will help mitigate keyloggers present on a lot of Windows machines, and limit damage to what a compromised machine can do.

4: ZTIC-like functionality. This way, a Web browser that is completely compromised would not mean that one would have their bank accounts cleaned out by a thief.

5: Credit card confirmation of transactions. Couple a well made fingerprint scanner (one that can tell a real finger from a gummy bear impression), and this would slow down credit fraud by a good amount.
 
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b166er

macrumors 68020
Apr 17, 2010
2,062
18
Philly
I really like the idea of transparent displays. I know Samsung has had some success developing these lately. Pretty cool idea- I'm not sure exactly how practical it would be on a phone but I'm sure once the technology is a little more refined Apple could think of something.

It's hard to speculate on these things- 5 years ago I never would have thought I would have a toy like the iPhone 4 which has now become a part of my daily life.
 

Hydrocity

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
May 14, 2010
527
0
Wow, this thread grew since the last time I was here.

As for the whole 3DS thing, it's not possible to create those 3D images on a touchscreen because fingerprints ruin the whole effect. Of course that will probably change in the future, and I believe phones will have this.

Oh, and please, I want a fingerprint proof phone!
 

Branskins

macrumors 65816
Dec 8, 2008
1,235
180
I just want a completely scratch resistant phone so I don't have to worry about it! Putting on screen protectors stresses me out so much!
 

JulianL

macrumors 68000
Feb 2, 2010
1,656
653
London, UK
Branskins said:
I just want a completely scratch resistant phone so I don't have to worry about it! Putting on screen protectors stresses me out so much!
Yeah, and 100% effective oleophobic coating so no fingerprints or smudges at all; no need to ever wipe the screen clean.

- Julian
 

Hydrocity

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
May 14, 2010
527
0
Branskins said:
I just want a completely scratch resistant phone so I don't have to worry about it! Putting on screen protectors stresses me out so much!

Yes. This along with an indestructible and fingerprint resistance phone
 

IBradMac

macrumors 68000
Jun 27, 2008
1,799
2
Ohio
Cool thread.

If you look at society we are heading towards social networking. Aka facebook and twitter being the top two. Greater implementation of sn on our phones is inevitable.
 

xenuprime

macrumors 6502
Aug 1, 2008
284
0
I would like to see a change in the accessories that come with the phone. Maybe start including bluetooth headphones? Some type of intigrated wall/usb charger?

I also think there will be a much more seamless integration of social and commercial information/interaction. Companies love for the customer to have an easier time spending money.

The key will be being able to transition from one fad (foursquare, etc..) to the next as smoothly as possible for the attention challenged and information junkies.
 

ugahairydawgs

macrumors 68030
Jun 10, 2010
2,956
2,454
Easy....

zoolander_phone.jpg
 

nateharr

macrumors 6502
Jun 17, 2009
331
2
I want to be apart of this just so when it gets revived by a troll in 2015 I can be like, "Hey! I remember this thread!"

Who knows what it'll be like. Probably more of the same.
 
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wjlafrance

macrumors 6502
Dec 23, 2009
359
1
Madison, WI
- Holographic FaceTime. Of course, this includes sensors necessary to record holograms in real time to transmit.

- Phone service will be through Low Earth Orbit satellites. More bars in more places. AT&T will be crying.

- Alternatively, your phone will act as a cellular repeater. If a phone nearby is getting poor or no signal and you're getting sufficient signal, you'll repeat cellular data.

- As a continuation of that, battery life. That's right folks. Battery life. Apple's obviously got some serious battery tech going on. I imagine that you can soak 5G data for a week without recharging. Normal usage, charge once a month.

- There will be a unified port of sorts for integrating phones into cars. Your phone will dock into your center console, driver's armrest, or dashboard. It's GPS will give you turn by turn directions to your destination through car speakers, while streaming your music or playing from your library. This will be a standard feature on automobiles.

- Additionally with automobiles, your iPhone will be able to function as an "authentication device", normally your car key. It can be used to lock, unlock, panic, and pop the trunk, as well as start your car.

- Similar to Visa Paywave, you can program your phone with your credit card information for easy transmission to standardized receivers at points of sale. This can be protected with biometric authentication - a retinal scan on the front camera can authenticate for 15 seconds. Credit card theft is much more difficult when they need to steal your eye too, and I'd really like to see someone authenticate with a stolen eye in public.



Fine, some of this is for iPhone 2020, but it's the direction I think we're headed.
 

JulianL

macrumors 68000
Feb 2, 2010
1,656
653
London, UK
2015 is only 5 years away but if we're hoping for slightly unexpected huge leaps forward then what I'd hope for is:

Near Field Communication for credit card transactions, cashless small payments and access to various metropolitan public transport systems (e.g. the London Oyster Card system). Building the NFC hardware into the iPhone could have been done this year but it is really down to the service providers (credit card companies, bars and clubs installing cashless payment mechanisms, etc) so I'm cautiously optimistic that this will happen, almost certainly in the advanced far-eastern countries and hopefully in the UK and many other advanced European countries. I'm pretty sure that Apple will add the necessary phone capability once they think that there is a sufficient infrastructure out there for it to interface with. I just hope that they don't base their decision on the US infrastructure because the US tends not to be at the forefront in these areas.

Biometric phone identification so that your phone knows that it's you who's holding it and won't do certain stuff (or optionally anything) unless it's you. If you want to lend your phone to someone in an emergency then you could have a mechanism whereby you type in a pin number to temporarily enable guest access to some of the phone's capabilities only for a set period of time.

A step change in battery life. I'd like to not have to worry about forgetting an overnight charge. In fact I'd like battery life so good that I could go on a 2 week vacation without needing to pack a charger and be confident that the phone will still have at least 30% charge left when I get back home, even with 8 hours of eBook, gaming and iPod usage per day.

- Julian
 
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StewieEatWorld

macrumors member
Jun 4, 2010
46
2
Scotland
All of which we speak of won't be available for a good few years after 2015. Remember, Apple likes to do things the correct way by leaving a few years to implement the technology after its rivals :p
 
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