Why Apple is on the verge of a BIG step
[image source: gizmodo]
You might consider this just tech-n00b, apple fanboi jibberish, but I think that Apple is way ahead of what everybody is expecting.
If, and only if, the next generation iPhone is the one as displayed earlier by Gizmodo, I think there is reasonable ground to believe that Apple is bound to even further shake the grounds of the mobile industry.
Let me explain.
Let us first take a look at what is new and what has changed with this version:
[quote Gizmodo]
What’s new
- Front-facing video chat camera
- Improved regular back-camera
- Camera flash
- Micro-SIM instead of standard SIM (like the iPad)
- Improved display.
- What looks to be a secondary mic for noise cancellation, at the top, next to the headphone jack
- Split buttons for volume
- Power, mute, and volume buttons are all metallic
What’s changed
- The back is entirely flat, made of either glass (more likely) or ceramic or shiny plastic in order for the cell signal to poke through.
- An aluminum border going completely around the outside
- Slightly smaller screen than the 3GS (but seemingly higher resolution)
- Everything is more squared off
- 3 grams heavier
- 16% Larger battery
- Internals components are shrunken, miniaturized and reduced to make room for the larger battery
[unquote Gizmodo]
This phone being a fully developed prototype (probably a very advanced version for a public showing sometime in June, say the 7th?) I think it is fair to assemble some corresponding thoughts on what Apple has in mind for the future.
My take on Apple’s strategy for the future: Contract-free and SIM-lock-free iPhones FTW!
Just think about it: Although Apple is bringing sleek high-quality and extremely user-friendly (Yes, fanboi speaking, Yes, I know, no Flash, but HTML5 FTW! ;) ) mobile products on the market, the performance of these mobile devices is heavily depending on the linked operator. While I have no direct experience with AT&T in the US, I can speak for the shaky 3G connectivity of T-Mobile here in the Netherlands. Related question to ask is whether Apple wins more on the special contracts with the happy few operators that offer the iPhone… OR with their app-, iTunes- and iBook-store? I think the latter and I think that in the past years, Apple has proven its point in being a capable mobile phone producer.
So what is the last step they have to take to rock Nokia’s, Motorola’s, Samsung’s and RIM’s foundations? Simply step into the device-only market and sell the iPhone as device-only.
Money
“The iPhone is too expensive for that” you say? Well, at that time we might have 3 different iPhones in circulation, meaning that there are different entry-levels and it might even be interesting to combine the iPhone with pre-paid offers. In the big picture it comes down to how much the majority of iPhone owners uses the device.
And this is where another important new Apple service gets its role: iAd
iAd is a breakthrough mobile advertising platform from Apple. With it, apps can feature rich media ads that combine the emotion of TV with the interactivity of the web. For developers, it means a new, easy-to-implement source of revenue. For advertisers, it creates a new media outlet that offers consumers highly targeted information.
[source: iPhone OS4 Preview]
iPhone OS4: Even more possibilities, Even more Apps, Even more streams of income through iAd, Even more revenue for Apple. So the question actually is how Apple can extend its iPhone user-base… Therefore my thought of selling the device only (just like optional for the iPad) is not that strange.
Back to the next iPhone
Back to that first picture… Why did the above thought sprout from that picture? This version of the iPhone actually starts to look like a regular smart-phone… for which you can buy spare batteries, one that can handle a bit more in terms of falling and bumping into things, one that is at the same level as - for instance - the MacBook. For me personally, I see the stages that the MacBook has gone through with its audience. An audience that first consisted in a select and specific group of users. Nowadays, I am pleasantly surprised that some of my friends (raised with Windows only thirty-somethingers) decide to switch to Mac when buying a new laptop. It is not just the target-group, but the development of the device that actually changes that target group.
Same story for the iPhone, we have seen some generations now and we are - I think - on the verge of a new step that Apple will take. This iPhone will be the rock that enables Apple to leverage this movement towards becoming - really - the biggest mobile phone producer in the world.
