As we inch inexorably closer to June, and Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference, the conversation about Apple's next generation iPhone is starting to heat up. Just as it does every year. We know now that the Cupertino-based company won't be showing off any new hardware until later this year (despite all the protesting from folks who wanted it much sooner), so most of the focus is on the software. The next version of iOS. And as you probably already know by now, a lot of the talk is about what Apple has to do next, or what Apple has to change.
It has been about what Apple needs to change for quite some time, and I'll admit that is for good reason. We all know the story by now: iOS has looked the same for a long time. So long, in fact, that some people seem to be downright stupefied that each new version of the iPhone, with its iterative updates to the software's aesthetic, has sold so well.
But obviously Apple needs to change something about iOS. While many would argue that the feature set of Apple's mobile operating system is "good enough" for most, there is obviously some desire to see more. What that may be depends on the user, as one might expect, so I'm not going to go over every little thing that Apple needs to change to "make a difference."
Whether it's hardware or software, someone wants some part of Apple's iPhone to change. Whether it's a bigger display, or for iOS 7 to just look drastically different than it does now, there is a change that they want. As I've said in the past, if Apple were to just make an iPhone with a bigger display, I think I'd call it good. Sure, I'd still like a few more software additions here and there, but if Apple had to pick a larger display over new software, I'd prefer them to give me a bigger display.
And what if that is the trade-off? Hypothetically, I mean. What if Apple really did have to choose one over the other? Would you pick a change to iOS over some hardware alterations, like a bigger display? Or would you like to see a better camera, even if it meant an overall lack of software alterations/additions.
After you answer that question, I want you to look at the other side of the coin. I want you to think about all the things, generally speaking, that iOS offers the person using it. Whether that's apps, fluidity, a simple user interface, or whatever else. And then I want you to look at the hardware, and how it compares to just about every other phone on the market.
Finally, after you've done that, I want you to tell me what Apple doesn't need to change moving forward. What is one feature, or even several of them, in iOS 6 that does not need to be tweaked in the next version of Apple's mobile OS. The industry, and everyone even remotely interested in the mobile market, has been talking so heavily about what Apple needs to change, that I want us to take a look at the opposite end of the spectrum.
Right now, at this very moment, what is working for Apple? What part of Apple's business when it comes to the iPhone is working so well, right now, that they don't even need to kind of consider making any changes to it by the time the next iPhone is available?
Is there anything at all? Or is this the year that Apple needs to think about changing everything, essentially from the ground up, to revitalize their presence in the market? Let me know what you think.
