Apple Disappoints. But Has Tech in General Become Boring and Predictable?

Apple has always set the bar high when it comes to momentous presentations. Many reading this will have fond memories of the late Steve Jobs being reminiscent of Peter Falk's Columbo as he teased the audience with the line “One more thing…” and then unveiled some special Apple stardust that has since rained down on fans for years. 

That, however, may be the magic of yesteryear. 

Users feel that Apple and their “Think different” ethos have slowly lost their enchantment: larger sized products and faster processors have superseded awe-inspiring innovations. It would appear that the well of ideas is running dry.

“Grandma, I’m worried about Apple…”

Yesterday's event in Cupertino provided disheartening credence to that notion. The big news this year was that they were going to make the iPhone small again. And hey! I enjoy Apple products, but even I wasn’t enthralled by this vintage update. On the same token, it’s hard to imagine even the most die-hard Apple fan growing excited over new, colorful cases or new bands for the Apple Watch. 

To add insult to injury, the large-sized iPad Pro was hailed as "the ultimate PC replacement”, which served to anger, frustrate, and amuse the tech community. It was a polarizing and downright awkward situation. It feels like the moment you realize grandpa is forgetting simple things a little too often. Comedic, yet worrisome.

What’s more, it appeared that all of the announcements had been leaked to the world's tech press, dramatically undercutting the surprise factor. 

Everyone was left underwhelmed, to say the least. Unfortunately, the overall consensus was that the event was dull as dishwater. Not to be somber, but if Apple are low on the ideas front, maybe it’s time to scale back their event calendar? 

Real-talk Apple. What’s Up?

2016 has been baptized the year of “Virtual Reality”. It’s almost everywhere you look! It dominated the CES show in Las Vegas earlier this year. 

The questions: Why are Apple noticeably absent from this scene? And why do they appear to be playing catch-up rather than leading the way?

The media events are starting to grow predictable, and because of that, are causing far more harm than good. Tech hungry fans wait in the wings hoping to witness the next wow innovation and they aren’t getting it. 

What’s worse, both Apple and Android smartphones all have markedly similar features, so manufacturers work double-time to convince people that not upgrading is a mistake. Consumers have realized that they aren’t getting enough bang for their buck after a few cycles of upgrades.

Just like a 21st-century version of the Emperor's New Clothes, many have learned after getting their hands on the latest upgraded model of a smartphone that it feels exactly like their previous phone within an hour of it being out of the box. 

I think these are issues worth confronting and addressing. Or maybe the problem is on us, as consumers?

Let’s Take a Step Back for One Moment

Maybe it's unfair to lay all the blame on Apple? Maybe it’s uncharitable to mockingly suggest that the former king of the innovators is boring? The culprits of their current state of affairs may be over-saturation and over-analysis.

Consider that we are bombarded with conjectural pieces, research pieces, and technological updates everyday, so that by the time an innovation is launched, the innovativeness has been sucked out of it. Due to the erosion of this sea of information, all technology may be losing its luster and failing to stand out. It all amalgamates into white noise, seemingly predictable and always unexciting.

Add to this the realization that consumers have succumbed to the guilty pleasure of buying into technology for technology’s sake. We are more focused on what’s new and less so on what’s useful or revolutionary; and since that’s what people want, that’s what companies pump into the market. 

What Is Innovation? As Consumers, We Should Decide.

The role of technology in our lives should be to make our lives easier and resolve frustrations. We make things faster for the sake of being faster and smaller for the sake of being smaller. Those are examples of “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it.” Perhaps we should stop doing that. 

Maybe the boredom and lack of excitement subsequent this years Cupertino event is indicative that we as users have matured. It might be that we now know what we want from tech. In other words, it will take much more than new cases, psychedelic colors, and new bands for the Apple Watch to leave us star struck.

Alternatively, Android fans have nothing to feel smug about either. It’s an industry-wide phenomenon.

Yes, the Apple event was boring yesterday, but hasn't the world of tech become a little predictable and boring in general? And maybe that’s our fault?

What would you want to see from Apple and the like that would really ‘Wow’ you?

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