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Waiting for iPhone 6

alent1234 said:
There was a demand for the iPhone features
There are very few people who care about NFC. Most people at Starbucks still pay with cards even though they have smartphones
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Yeah. Adoption is slow. Visa and Mastercard haven't yet worked out their NFC payment systems, they're still in testing. In the UK it's pretty much impossible to be able to pay by smartphone. If it was possible, I would, and I'm not the only one.

There is not a lot of awareness of NFC yet. What better way to raise awareness than by adding it to the iPhone?

Payments aren't the only feature of NFC though. They have other uses. Think interactive posters at the movies, stickers at tourist attractions that let you check in on Foursquare/Facebook, etc.

I could even see it being used on items in supermarkets. Imagine when you're shopping you just scan each item using your phone as you're walking around, and this builds a shopping cart, then you just tap your phone on a payment system as you're leaving the store. There would be no need to queue up at the checkouts. And before anybody says "what about the checkout staff with families to feed?" there are already self-service checkouts at most supermarkets.

NFC stickers are so easy and cheap to create that it would be very possible for supermarkets to stick them on every item they sell.

Other uses could be using them to unlock doors, using it to pair with other devices (like Android beam, but could be expanded to televisions, computers, tablets, etc.). Imagine if you could watch what was on your phone on your TV just by placing your phone in a square NFC area on the top of your TV, or even on the TV remote.

People need to stop thinking about the current uses and think about the possible uses. Nobody gets anywhere by saying "we don't need it because it's not popular yet." If we had that mentality we'd still be using horse and cart as a mode of transport, and using floppy disks.
 
matttye said:
Apple, being the same company that completely reinvented the phone (imo), do an awful lot of following these days. It seems like they've lost their bottle a bit if they're now waiting until features become popular before implementing them.

Where is the company that had the balls to try something completely different? Seems they're letting other companies do the innovating now and waiting to see what works before taking the plunge themselves.
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It isn't so much about waiting till something is popular
It is not implementing something that most people won't use at all
 
MacDawg said:
It isn't so much about waiting till something is popular
It is not implementing something that most people won't use at all
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You're thinking in the present too much. NFC is a relatively new technology and the uses for it at the moment you can generally count on one hand, but as it's adopted by more stores, more products, the awareness of it will increase. The iPhone could help speed that up.

I just can't help but wonder whether you would still be saying nobody would use it at all if Apple DID add it.
 
matttye said:
You're thinking in the present too much. NFC is a relatively new technology and the uses for it at the moment you can generally count on one hand, but as it's adopted by more stores, more products, the awareness of it will increase. The iPhone could help speed that up.

I just can't help but wonder whether you would still be saying nobody would use it at all if Apple DID add it.
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If Apple did add it, I would still have no use for it presently
Apple has no reason to speed up the acceptance and use of NFC and nothing to gain by it

Yes, it will likely move forward
And guess what, there will be another iPhone next year to see whether NFC has progressed enough to include it
 
Ping Guo said:
I'm still carrying my 3G which I bought unlocked in Hong Kong. It's a warhorse, and it's never failed me. Used it on T-Mobile, China Telecom, and Celcom here in Malaysia.

I guess I'm a cheap b*stard New Englander at heart. :D I don't like the idea of replacing something if I don't have to. That said, my 3G is getting long in the tooth and I'm interested in the GSIII and Lumia. But when I handled those phones I realized iOS really has been a rock solid experience. And, I'm invested in iTunes music libraries and podcasts and can't be bothered switching everything over.

All other things being equal, I'll just choose the phone with the most stable OS. I'm hoping Sir Ives and Co. really bring it next time around. With any luck the Chinese will begin leaking parts within a few months. I'm excited for iPhone 6!
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Wow. More power to you, man. Anything current will be a dramatic step up today, and even moreso for whatever comes next.

My personal experience was that I couldn't wait to get off of 3G to go to 4 after having skipped the 3GS. Now, going from 4 to 5, again having skipped a model, I have to say, it's less so. I could actually stay on the 4 and be reasonably happy for a while.
 
MacDawg said:
If Apple did add it, I would still have no use for it presently
Apple has no reason to speed up the acceptance and use of NFC and nothing to gain by it

Yes, it will likely move forward
And guess what, there will be another iPhone next year to see whether NFC has progressed enough to include it
Click to expand...

If Apple built an NFC payment system into the iPhone I'm sure they could wrangle a cut of transactions made using it somehow. :p
 
matttye said:
If Apple built an NFC payment system into the iPhone I'm sure they could wrangle a cut of transactions made using it somehow. :p
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Apparently some people think Apple hates money.

Anyway, it's a shame to see negativity towards NFC purely based on the fact that "Apple doesn't have it so therefore it is not cool"

To simplify what NFC can do for the average user then there's a quick little CNET list that NFC naysayers should look at.

Article: The most practical, creative ways to use NFC with your Android device

Car Mode, Bedside Mode, Guest Wifi settings etc. In no way am I saying this is mandatory hardware, but if someone can't find an awesome little personal usage scenario in that list then I'd have to call them a liar. :D
 
Thanks for the contributions everyone! This thread has taken some interesting and unexpected turns. Clearly people are already wondering what Apple might have in store for the next iteration.
 
MacDawg said:
There is no "exact" definition
And yes, it is ALL opinion, his, mine, and um, yours :)
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You argue like a 5year old. The rest of the world goes by definitions which we have all come to agree and use by dictionary specs.

Going by that incremental is exactly what he stated and the upgrade is incremental HENCE his definition.

Until you PROVE otherwise. He is right.
 
mcman77 said:
You argue like a 5year old. The rest of the world goes by definitions which we have all come to agree and use by dictionary specs.

Going by that incremental is exactly what he stated and the upgrade is incremental HENCE his definition.

Until you PROVE otherwise. He is right.
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Ha, Ha... Ok :)
 
matttye said:
You have a valid point. I wasn't expecting a revolutionary advancement though, just something a little more substantial. The way I see it is that the iPhone 4S can do everything the 5 can do, just more slowly.
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Fair enough, I'm looking at the 5 as some one upgrading from a 4, not a 4S. I'd argue that if your looking for substantial upgrades you really need to skip a generation. Trading up every new model, be it iPhone, iPad, MBA, etc, more or less locks you into incremental upgrades.
 
matttye said:
Apple, being the same company that completely reinvented the phone (imo), do an awful lot of following these days. It seems like they've lost their bottle a bit if they're now waiting until features become popular before implementing them.

Where is the company that had the balls to try something completely different? Seems they're letting other companies do the innovating now and waiting to see what works before taking the plunge themselves.
Click to expand...

I think that the distinction is that Apple inovates when they are in control of the technology. What made the original iPhone inovative? The touchscreen, iOS, battery life and build quality, all of which Apple more or less had complete control over. Where did the iPhone lag, or at best keep pace? Cellular technology, WiFi, anywhere they had to conform to a standard or technology they were not driving. Inovation only happems when Apple finds something they can take the ball and run with. If its an away game don't expect Apple to jump on board until the technology has matured to the point that it has become a must have and not a selling point.
 
Who knows. In the next few years, there may be speed improvements in LTE, like there was in 3G support through the years. My 4 didn't support the full speed of HSPA+. But I hope that the LTE support in my new 5 will be good enough to last at least 3 years.

The danger I see that might require an earlier upgrade is additional frequency bands becoming available. If ATT were to buy a new band that is not currently supported, then the current phone may be crippled in some markets due to overloaded nets.
 
Ping Guo said:
Is it me or does the hype for iPhone 5 seem muted compared to previous releases? While most would agree that this is an incremental upgrade, the new A6 processor is most welcome. Ives, on the other hand, really phoned it in this time. (Pun intended)

What we're waiting for is a fresh new design. Some have speculated Apple will be making use of their "liquid metal" technology to produce something curved like a 3G. Personally I find that model much more pleasant to hold.

I'm looking forward to being amazed all over again by the iPhone 6. :)
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Don't expect a fresh new design. Look at most of Apples other products, once they find a design they like, they stick with it, only making refinements until an entirely new form factor is necessary.
 
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Now that I have the 5 ordered, I think that I will now wait for the 6S. 5S, 6, then 6S :)

Of course, I have been known to change my mind.
 
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