After making my bold predictions yesterday about the iPhone 5 today's post will be about why Apple didn't deliver upon these predictions. Did you think I was going to admit I was off ?
Apple has build such as huge wave of expectations around a new iPhone 5, that the announcement of the iPhone 4S landed with a quiet THUD... Any iPhone 4 user will tell you that it is still a fantastic product, crisp in its responsiveness and very much an elegant design. A faster CPU will always help and faster downloads will certainly increase the responsiveness of cloud applications.
I think the less visible and more significant aspects of the iPhone 4S are buried inside the case:
1. CDMA and GSM network technology in one phone: It appears that there is one product model that supports both. This helps CDMA users with travel outside of the CDMA network range, particularly for Verizon users who conduct business outside of the US. While not a large population, clearly one that racks up large monthly bills. New York City glitterati that hate the large gaps in ATT coverage in the city's concrete canyons can now have their cake and eat it too. Also, for many corporate accounts, having international roaming access is check-list item. This phone covers those use cases. Apple has likely used a Qualcomm chip set that allows for both radios to co-exist at minimal incremental cost.
2. Much Faster graphics: Apple is claiming 7x graphic performance: Sony and Nintendo, watch out on this one. Apple is taking clear advantage of its position as the uber mobile experience device to make further forays into the gaming space. Observing the usage of my iPhone 4 (by our five year old) and my 8 year old daughter's IPhone 3GS usage for gaming purposes, I can attest to the ease of use and convenience of having games on hand wherever we go. I wonder who is the winner of the graphics chipset award on this one.
3. Sprint as a channel: Sprint was the last large mobile network that Apple had not served. capturing another 20 million subscribers and their long-term loyalty is a considerable feat, likely enabled by the iPhone 4S, and its successors.
Now, lets get back to what I said, and why they did not deliver:
1. More COLOR choices: Too complicated to manage the logistics I suppose. It took Apple a year to deliver white. How about a cover anyone?
2. Larger screen, in the same frame size: This is likely reserved for iPhone 5.
3. Thin is in: iPhone 5.
4. Addition of Near Field Communications: iPhone 5.
6. Mini Me: Yes!! Apple is coming to grips with the need to capture the broader base of the mobile phone pyramid. In Apple's case, this is the middle girth, not the very bottom base- that's for the iPod shuffle... Pricing the IPhone 3GS at $0 was a good move. As long as applications work reasonably well and downloads are at acceptable speeds, there will be plenty of takers of IPhone 3GS's.
Happy iPhoning
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