Why Apple Has Fallen Behind
Over this past week, millions of Apple enthusiasts have swarmed the Apple website and many Apple retail stores to get their hands on the new iPhone 5. We’ve seen unboxings, reviews, praises, and complaints. However, one question that bloggers don’t seem to be asking is why does it take Apple such a large amount of time to update their products to today’s standards? Every iOS and iPhone update has added a new feature that has long been under the category of standard. So, why is this? Why won’t Apple “step up to the plate” and make a bold move for once?
Before I get threatened by people who swear the iPhone 5 is the best thing to happen to the Earth, allow me to provide some examples. 4G LTE is one feature that has been long overdue. LTE compatible devices have been around since early 2011. Shortly before the release of the iPhone 4S (launched in October of 2011), many bloggers and enthusiasts anticipated the 4S to have LTE. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. Apple’s CEO, Tim Cook, stated that “he wasn’t willing to compromise the design of the product.” – LaptopMag If it would have caused design flaws, how did Apple manage to include LTE the following year yet make the device even thinner? I think it would be incredibly interesting to hear an answer.
Yet another example of Apple being late to the feature party is when Apple finally enabled iOS to copy and paste. What is ordinarily considered to be a standard feature on most operating systems, Apple waited two years before finally listening to their customers. Of course, there are other instances of Apple ignoring their community. For example, the ability to record videos or even change the wallpaper on the homescreen was not available for several updates to the device.
It’s clear that this is becoming a trend with Apple. Now, why does Apple continue to do this? It’s not particularly clear why. However, I believe Apple is playing it safe and letting other companies fail or succeed with these new technologies and then updating their devices accordingly. Financially, this is a smart decision and will ensure that each release uses useful and popular technologies. However, due to the fact that Apple only updates their devices once per year, I imagine iPhone users have to feel somewhat alone when a new technology is being implemented into dozens of new devices while they have to wait for Apple’s next update. I would respect Apple a lot more if they were willing to surprise their customers and implement a new technology that is legitimately revolutionary before other companies got their hands on it. If you have another theory you would like to share, please feel free to post a comment below or send me an email to [email protected].
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What technology should the iPhone 5 have shipped with to surprise people? Solar collectors? Water-proof casing? A 20MP camera?
A lot of phone manufacturers tend to rush devices out the door incorporating technologies (or gimmicks) the competition has recently rolled out. I believe Apple takes their sweet time for two reasons:
1) they don’t want to be seen as a “me too” company like Fujitsu, Sharp, HTC, and Motorola
2) they are not targeting tech enthusiasts, but people who want things to “just work”
By consistently adopting technologies that are not ready for prime time, Apple could stand to alienate themselves from the general public who would say “yeah, the phone can do this, but my carrier cannot”.
Apple tends to take very calculated risks offering just enough of last year’s tech in a svelte package that people can get (admittedly) too excited about. That said, most of their products have a 2 year development cycle. They’re already testing the 5S, and designing the 6. Samsung and others typically have a 4~6 month development cycle.
Then there’s the after-sale support for ageing tech …
Apple likes to say they’re the first to do X, but it’s always with tech we’ve long had available. For people who want surprises, there will always be the Samsung’s of the world. For people who want brand recognition and consistency, there will always be apple.
To each their own.
Don’t get me wrong, the iPhone 5 is an excellent device and I completely understand why Apple wants to play it safe when implementing new technologies. However, I think technologies such as NFC should have been included. While it may have been a risky move and I understand why Apple passed it up, I think customers will grow tired of waiting for year-old technologies. Just my opinion. We’ll have to wait and see what happens in future updates to the device.
Thanks for the comment.
look the iphone is to the top android phones such galaxy 4 or note 2 what a subcompact toyota is to a full size Lexus; both excellent cars but not in same league.
I just switched from iphone 4s to samsung note 2, i know what I am talking about.
as for the iphone5 Apple has blown in one feature where it excelled; the length-width ratio of the device are odd, akin to making your car 20% longer while maintaining the same width; ridiculous.