In case you guys didn’t realize, today is the birthday of the original iPhone. Four years ago, Apple shipped the very first iPhone. It’s been a long four years, and we’ve gone through many changes (remember when we didn’t have multi-tasking).
Heck, do you even remember life before the iPhone? It seems like a distant past. Our iOS devices have become beyond intertwined in our lives that it’s difficult to function without them. Over the past years, we’ve seen innovation faster than what the PC went through decades ago.
What do these past four years tell us about the future? Well, one major idea is that software can really change a device. The iPhone 3GS went from being a barren wasteland (no multitasking or even homescreen wallpapers), to being a device capable of competing even with today’s modern smart-phones.
Another thing Apple has taught us these past few years that when it comes to the best cell phone, it doesn’t matter about specifications, but more about user experience. Which means this: don’t expect to see 5GB of RAM in an iPhone anytime soon.
Sure, competitors might have it, but the iPhone is definitely not synonymous with specs. In fact, the iPad 2 has a measly 512MB of RAM, yet the user experience is beyond what any Android tablet can have (and trust me, I’ve played with some of them).
What’s more, Apple has proved something that they wanted to prove back in the 80′s with the Macintosh. Their main ideal was that in order for a computer to function perfectly, both the hardware and software have to be designed in house. Android tablets are beyond fragmented, don’t offer that many apps, and they’re not as powerful and feature-rich as they could be.
Another thing that Apple proved is that simplicity is key when it comes to mobile phones. People want devices to access data quickly and easily. A few short days ago, I was at my local Office Max and tried playing with a Blackberry Playbook.
The Playbook doesn’t have any buttons on the surface, and the salesman couldn’t even figure out how to get to the home screen. Apple has just enough buttons on the front of all iOS devices: 1.
So what does this tell us about the future? Well, don’t expect Apple to start licensing iOS to third party manufacturers anytime soon. Also, don’t expect the home button to go anywhere.
Expect software updates with more features every year for at least four years (the iPhone 2G and 3G were an exception, they weren’t powerful enough for the App Store to begin with), but don’t expect any major hardware upgrades.
Do you think I left anything out? Is there anything you’ve learned from iOS? Leave a comment below
