Apple's Big Day: What It Did and Didn't Reveal
For a change, Apple's September event didn't have too many surprises — just details around some well-circulated rumors. The star was the new iPhone — make that iPhones, plural. Splitting the baby is a significant departure from the refresh drill for what remains the single most popular handset in the world.
Here are the highlights:
A Tale of Two iPhones: The cheaper 5C will be available for $100, which is half the typical subsidized price point for a new smartphone, and it comes in a variety of pastelish colors — another departure for Apple, which has seen the world in black and white. The pricier 5S is the true heir of the 5, and comes in a somewhat less dizzying array of colors: gray, silver and gold. The 5S will sell for as much as $400 for a 64 MB GB model (entry level is $200). Variety could mean that Apple's market share will increase, but perhaps at the cost of the — make than "an" — iPhone no longer holding the top sales spot.
Wither iPhone 5: In another unprecedented move, Apple is pulling the 5. In recent years Apple always cut the price of the previous model, not kill it. The model will surely be available on the secondary market, and in emerging markets, even though the 5C is aimed at the latter.
Fingerprint ID: Apple calls it Touch ID, and this feature once again demonstrates the power of owning both hardware and software. By incorporating the biometrics into the home key, Apple creates a fluid means of both unlocking the device and authenticating apps. And by avoiding the screen, it drastically reduces smudges …
4G LTE: Support for 14 bands in the variety of 4G that is considered the most "4G."
iOS 7: This completely re-engineered operating system is optimized for the beefed up iPhone 5S — a new 64-bit A7 processor, and a CPU about 5 times faster than the iPhone 5. But it's also available for iPhone 4 and up, iPad 2 and up, iPad mini and 5th gen iPad touch. Where Apple has maintained top-dog status with the iPhone (versus Samsung's Google-powered Galaxy SIII and now 4), Android has long surpassed iOS as the world's most used mobile operating system. Not so fast, CEO Tim Cook seemed to say today: "Next month, we will ship [iOS] to 700 million iOS devices. And since we make updates easy… iOS 7 will quickly become the world’s most popular operating system.” This might already be true if you count each Android version separately, given the fragmentation of that OS among a wide range of handsets.
iWork for Free: Apple's version of a productivity suite — including iPhoto and iMovie — are now included gratis.
The camera: Much improved. Burst mode, image stabilization, slo-mo (120 FPS) video, True Tone flash (dual LEDs) so good that the founders of a Kickstarter project that is trying to fund an external dual LED (NOVA) rushed out an update that asserted their device still had needed functionality.
One noticeable no-show: Still no support for Near Field Communication (NFC), one of the popular standards in mobile payments.
Photo: Getty Images
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waghoskar sonar raigarh Group of Institutions
11 年vivek waghoskar.9970617586.....8237149608
Socio Propietario Fundador
11 年Excellent, I like and the new colors for those who like is fabulous
Key Account Director @ Trustack Ltd
11 年The rumors are well circulated and now with the I phones people know what is going to be released. I phone 4 and the 4s has been the best choice of the phones by its consumers and they still love it. I phone 5 has a lot of issues, battery life and over heating is one of the main. But when you speak to the genius bar advisors they just asks you to switch 3g off. There is no issues like these on the I phone 4 and the 4s. People are looking for the best smartphone by paying the price. If Apple over whelms their i phone and think that the buyers would always like it regardless of what they release. Its now the time for them to change their strategy and consumers know what they want these days also they have a very good knowledge of the technology. Samsung has created a good brand name with the smartphones and now Apple just needs to bring something new before they lose more of their market shares.
Optimization & Innovation | Strategic Technology Adoption
11 年The main questions to ask: Is this going to allow them to keep up with Samsung and Microsoft over the next few years? Where is their commitment to innovation? It seems to me Apple are placing plasters on a major leak and hoping it will hold.