In recent weeks I have been putting a lot of focus on
Microsoft thanks to all of the uproar surrounding a slew of changes that’s occurring
with them. However, I think it’s just about time I put just a little emphasis
on Apple. After all, they are set to launch a bunch of stuff soon.
Sorry for not getting around to talking about this launch
sooner; I have held out on writing about it for as long as I can, because my
honest opinion is that I don’t expect us to see anything exceptionally unique
come out of it. Admittedly though, the world is a mysterious place and we could
experience the unexpected. I’m going to break down the facts and see if I can
come up with some conclusions on what we can expect from this announcement, and
in the wake afterwards.
By now, most people who keep up with technological news are
aware that Apple is being watched for signs that they can’t hold their own
without Steve Jobs at the helm. Since his passing, the world has kept a keen
eye on the company, as they have historically been unable to hold it together
without him. Even though the iPhone 5 was released after Steve Jobs’ passing,
many investors wrote it off as pre-planned, and because of this the world is
watching this upcoming release intensely to see if Apple really still has all
of its ducks in line.
So this means their next release better be pretty
spectacular, wouldn’t you agree?
On September 10th the world is officially
expecting the announcement of two new iPhones – the iPhone 5s and the iPhone 5c
– the iPhone 5s being the latest and greatest iPhone, while the iPhone 5c is
said to be a more cost-friendly and probably-plastic version of the iPhone that
will possibly sacrifice some key features to keep the cost down. I also
believe that Apple will be releasing a new iPad; the prices of both the iPhone
5 and the iPad have been getting slashed in major retailers and I can’t imagine
Apple cutting prices on the iPad if they weren’t on the verge of a new product
release for the iPad line.
So, we have our preliminary lineup: two new iPhones and an
iPad. Not so bad, right? Wrong.
As of right now I have three questions about the
expectations of September 10th and its impact on the technological
world: what is it that the public is really expecting out of these new devices,
what could Apple possibly offer us in the iPhone 5s that isn’t in the iPhone 5,
and why is Apple producing the iPhone 5c in the first place? I ask these
questions because the answers to them will lead us to the answer of the
question that is on everyone’s mind: is Apple falling apart?
As always, Apple has remained secretive about almost
everything (and will right up until the announcement), but it has been
speculated that there will be very little changing in iPhone 5s compared to its
older brother save a small camera and processor upgrade. However, one thing has been leaked: it seems that the iPhone 5s
will contain a fingerprint scanner. The news that the iPhone 5s has a
fingerprint scanner on it at all genuinely disappoints me and throws up an
early red-flag that the iPhone 5s is going to be a flop. Here’s where I draw my
concern with this leak from: short of a few hardware updates, the only
difference between older the iPhone 4 and the iPhone 4s was Siri – a novelty. When the new “4s” came out, it’s
only change was a novelty and we
really didn’t see any innovation between the two devices. I feel as though
Apple is setting everyone up for another “4s situation” in the sense that they
are going to market the 5s as a new phone when in reality the only major change
is the fingerprint reader, which is really no more useful than Siri and is
all-in-all just a novelty and nothing more. Fingerprint readers really don’t
provide a tremendous increase in security to a phone, and the only thing this
fingerprint reader is going to do is be fun to play with and drive the price up
on the iPhone 5s. Meanwhile, the actual hardware itself will probably be imperfect
at first anyway, making it less of a seamless integration and more of a “we
need a wow-factor” afterthought.
With Apple under the microscope by investors right now, they
really can’t afford to have the iPhone 5s come off as “The iPhone 5 with a
fingerprint reader”. It will scare investors into thinking their innovation has
been stifled and I’m sure that if this is the case, we’ll see Apple’s stock
decline by close on the 10th.
To quell the words that I’m sure will surface from that
statement, I understand that a sub-brand such as the iPhone 4s or the iPhone 5s
is designed to be non-innovative and merely an evolution of its original, but
is that really what Apple needs right now, with the condition of the criticism
they face? If anything, they really should have skipped out on the iPhone 5s
and moved right to the iPhone 6, but we’ll get to that later.
So, the verdict on the iPhone 5s: prepare to be
disappointed. It’s most likely going to be an iPhone 5 with a fingerprint
reader.
Onto the iPhone 5c: launching this device at all is really
one move I don’t understand. Apple’s explanation for this device is that they
wanted to ensure Apple products were affordable for everyone and thus wanted to
create a device that could be purchased at a low price point – but there is a
problem with this. Historically, Apple has been able to offer budget iPhones
all along without adding another product to their line. How do they do this?
Simple: they just slash the price of the previous iteration and boom – instant budget-phone.
There is no doubt that this is already happening in retailers now as companies like
WalMart gear up to stock the new phone. So, why did Apple pay a bunch of people
to create an intentionally sub-par device to fill a so-called “gap in their
business model” when they were already inadvertently doing just that with older
iterations of the phone? There is no doubt that we will see features missing on
the iPhone 5c and with its plastic shell I’m sure we can expect hardware specs similar
to the iPhone 4…. But wouldn’t it just make more sense to remarket the iPhone 4
then, and avoid the plastic look and avoid brand fragmentation? I would think
so. In the end, I don’t see the iPhone 5c selling in the United States. The
iPhone is a status symbol – just as equally, the iPhone 5c could become a
symbol of “I couldn’t afford an iPhone 5s so I bought this” (you know how mean
kids can be). If you market a product as “the iPhone for everyone else”, are
you really expecting it to do well, when it essentially turns it back on virtually
the entire history of your previous business model?
I think the answer here is that Apple is looking to grab the profit form a low-cost, high-margin phone and not considering the repercussions of such an approach. This is just my humble opinion.
I think the answer here is that Apple is looking to grab the profit form a low-cost, high-margin phone and not considering the repercussions of such an approach. This is just my humble opinion.
Verdict on the iPhone 5c? In my opinion, Apple shouldn’t
even launch this in the US. I can see it doing well in other markets where
phones are much more expensive, but here in the US I couldn’t imagine it
selling to expectation at all.
As for the iPad, well, speaking of brand fragmentation the
iPad was a mess from the time the iPad three was released. I don’t want to see
how they decide to brand this iPad – in fact, I hope one doesn’t even launch. Before
another iPad launches, Apple needs to bring the fragmentation on the iPads under control. Therefore, my verdict on this product is simple: if you’re going
to launch a new iPad, kill all sales and support for the previous versions. You
need to wipe the slate clean on the iPad and start fresh – and whatever you do,
Apple, don’t name this one just “iPad” again. Please.
So, I know this all seems pretty pessimistic, and it is. However,
we have still seen some pretty good things come out of Apple. iOS 7 seems
gorgeous, and after playing around with it I’m very impressed. However, Apple
needs to do more than just come out with a new Operating system if they don’t
want to end up like Microsoft. If the new iPhones and iPad are all that Apple
has to offer on the 10th, then god speed to them - I can envision the stock
plummet already.
Okay, so what would Apple have to do to save itself from
that fall?
Release a Google Glass competitor, tomorrow and beat Google
to the punch on wearable computing, then surprise us all with a massive screen on the iPhone 5s.
If Apple wants to keep investors from panic-selling, they
need to innovate in the absence of Steve Jobs. This release is Apple’s chance
to prove to the world that they can produce quality products without Jobs at
the helm, and if they miss it, then they will have a hard time doing it next
year after a year of interim for Apple investors to watch the iPhone 5s be
nothing new, the iPhone 5c fail and other tablets really begin to catch up to
them. Furthermore, while we’re waiting another year to see innovation from
Apple, Microsoft will be plugging away at their changes, meaning that the lack
of innovation soon will mean giving Microsoft the chance to spring into action.
Apple needs to do something remarkable, and I think the only
way to do that is to move into wearable computing, and to ensure that they don't get left behind in the smartphone market. One of the major changes happening in the smartphone world right now is a movement towards bigger screens. This surge of large-screen popularity can be seen In the wildly popular Samsung Galaxy S4 and the HTC One, not to mention the over-the-top devices like the Galaxy mega. If Apple continues to ignore these two portions of the market, I don't believe that it will do the company any justice.
So my verdict on what needs to be done? Apple should increase the screen size of the iPhone in the 5s iteration, nix the iPad release, only release the iPhone 5c overseas and release a Google Glass competitor. Sounds like a lot, but this right here would be my dream release from Apple, and in my opinion would snatch them from the jaws of death.
Also, while I'm on the topic of wearable computing, Apple had better not produce a SmartWatch. If they jump on the SmartWatch bandwagon, they will only further be proving that they aren’t interested in innovation, because the SmartWatch market is likely to die very quickly.
So my verdict on what needs to be done? Apple should increase the screen size of the iPhone in the 5s iteration, nix the iPad release, only release the iPhone 5c overseas and release a Google Glass competitor. Sounds like a lot, but this right here would be my dream release from Apple, and in my opinion would snatch them from the jaws of death.
Also, while I'm on the topic of wearable computing, Apple had better not produce a SmartWatch. If they jump on the SmartWatch bandwagon, they will only further be proving that they aren’t interested in innovation, because the SmartWatch market is likely to die very quickly.
In the end, we’re either going to be dumbfounded by an
amazing innovation in the next 48 hours, or we’re going to be severely
disappointed. I’m bracing for the worst, and hoping for the best. If we don’t
see something spectacular come out of them, I believe we could potentially see
a large shift in the mobile market over the year after. Who knows? Maybe we’ll
see the first WinKiaBerry.
Image Source Found Here
Image Source Found Here
No comments
Post a Comment