With the upcoming release of the new iPhone (we sure hope Apple has a new iPhone at this point, right?), I’ve been looking at different aspects of the new handset and how it may impact the end user. We’ve already talked about what Apple should budge on in the new design of the hardware and software, and even tried to figure out what’s better, the open or walled garden. The natural end to this mini-series of sorts seems to be the one area we haven’t touched yet: what if Apple doesn’t do anything all that great?
If Apple keeps up with their yearly cycle, then we know that there’s a new iPhone coming. When we saw the iPhone 4 launch, it had plenty of different and new features when compared to the iPhone 3GS. The iPhone 4 was a huge change, while the iPhone 4S wasn’t. There were new features, but for the most part we were looking at the same phone we had seen already launched the year before. In truth, this sort of cycle pretty much tells the consumer what to expect, and there’s nothing really wrong with that.
In fact, because of that routine, we know that the new iPhone will indeed be a major change.
So while we hope that Apple budges on a few things, or even several features, all we can really assume at this point is that Apple will go with a new set of hardware to show off the new software.
But what happens if Apple pulls the curtain off the new iPhone and it isn’t even half of what people are expecting? What if Apple doesn’t pull out a new device with a larger display? What if Apple doesn’t unveil a new iPhone with an actual quad-core processor? What if the phone isn’t thin enough?
What if.
There are many people out there who believe that Apple follows, rather than leads. While there are plenty of different points that we could look at that both refute and support that argument, I think this year is the point where Apple will prove one of those things true. The trouble is, if Apple does indeed “budge” on something, people will call out that Apple is just following the crowd, and that’s that.
Apple has their own plans, and they know what they’re doing. That’s pretty obvious, considering the Cupertino-based company is still raking in the money. But is the new iPhone where it could all start to see a shift? Since about 2008, people have started to expect things from their devices, and now in 2012 that’s just so much worse. People think they actually need certain aspects to their smartphone, and if they don’t get it with one phone, they are quick to find it in another.
So what if Apple doesn’t give you everything you want, or even most of it? What if you don’t get a bigger display? A thin device. 4G LTE connectivity? Even more RAM? What if Apple finds themselves in the same rut of hardware design that other manufacturers seem to be in? Even if designers out there have great ideas, it may not be possible to see them in the real world.
If Apple doesn’t show off a new iPhone with everything that you want or need, will you jump ship to find it somewhere else? Will 2012 be the year that Apple doesn’t provide you with what you want, and you ultimately find it somewhere else? Let me know in the comments below what Apple has to do to make sure you stick around and buy the new iPhone.