Thursday, October 6, 2011

Thoughts

What a wild week it has been. The introduction of the iPhone 4S, the death of Steve Jobs. I want to address a couple of things here concerning the iPhone 4S and all those that are disappointed that it wasn't the iPhone 5. The original iPhone 4 was introduced 16 months ago. It was a leap above and beyond anything that came before it or you could find in any smart phone. It still was selling hand over fist up to the announcement of the next phone. In those intervening 16 months how many Android based phones have been released? Where are those devices in comparison to the iPhone 4? I honestly believe they have just recently caught up to and are slightly ahead of the iPhone 4. (4G speeds, cloud type features, 8MP cameras, etc.) I haven't heard of anything amazing or ground breaking on any of them, they have just caught up. Now the iPhone 4S is not breaking any new ground, if you don't include the Siri assistant in this mix. They have a better camera, a faster dual core processor a couple of new cool features in iOS5. Add in Siri and yes I know it's still 'beta', but there is pretty much the only leap Apple had to make. It's not just voice commands, it's moving into AI (Artificial Intelligence) territory.

A system that understands regular words, and can follow along the context of your queries. That was the killer "just one thing more" for this presentation. If you have an iPhone 4 already it's probably not worth you upgrading, wait for the iPhone 5. If you are in my situation, still using my original Motorola Droid for these past 18 months than it's one giant step into the future.

I feel we get bombarded with technology and the latest and greatest come out every two months. Some people have to live on that bleeding edge, I am not one of them. Because Apple has been gaining ground in the PC world, people now expect every new device to be revolutionary and ground breaking. That's easy to do when you've got 10% of the market. It's harder and harder as that percentage grows. The hype and rumors on the new iPhone started way back in February or March of this year. We've had months of leaks and people posting their wants and desires. I believe with this release Apple has kept to their philosophy of bring out technology that amazes and just works. Keep it simple and intuitive to use. No need to read a 500 page book to figure out how to turn it on.

How easily we forget the early iMacs and the small steps they took to transform into what they are today. What about the early iBooks and how quickly underpowered they were. Those same devices turned into the MacBook, and the MacBook Pro lines of laptops that will stand toe to toe with anything on the PC side from now to four years from now. (When I'll be trading my MacBook Pro in for a new one.) Apple has grown into an amazing company, and I for one, am excited and relieved that they are not sacrificing quality and amazing design just to 'keep up with the PC's". It's never been that way at Apple (Minus a few years there when they strayed) and I hope it never will be.

I know the arguments "Closed system", can't upgrade components, can't do this, can't to that. At the end of the day I've got a computer that I can turn on and use. I don't have to wait for a 3 hour virus scan to complete, I don't have to worry about some stupid virus attacking my computer. I can surf the web, chat with friends, get work done and not worry. Yes I know as market share rises more attacks will come, but there are far fewer holes to patch in the Apple world. Also Apple has a track record of just cutting off older technology when it becomes too much to try and support it. Having only used Apple for just over five years now I haven't had to face the situation where a program I use daily is now going to be cut and I've got to find a work around. Or 'gasp' switch to something new that actually works better. We do get stuck in our 'comfort zones' and yes people do not like change. (Just look to the latest Facebook updates to see how well that is received.) Just remember the world is ever changing. 5 years ago a phone with a touch interface was something that couldn't be done and would suck horribly. Today millions use their iPhone, or Android phone and if it's not touch screen it sucks horribly.

If you've actually read this far thank you. {*************************} HUGZ to you all. Smile a little more, hold the door for someone entering, or exiting a store, complement a coworkers outfit, inject just a little positive into the world everyday. See what amazing things can build out of the smallest efforts.

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