Tue 9/18 Tomorrow's Next Big Thing
For the past week I have been struggling to find words to describe Apple’s September 12th event, and the introduction of the iPhone 5. Most of the things I want to say have already been said.
- It is amazing how much we knew about the iPhone 5 before its introduction.
- I hope iTunes 11 is as good as its demo made it out to be with far fewer features than previous versions.
- The iPod nano looks like something Samsung would think up.1
- This year’s iPod Touch is the first version I would buy.2
As a long time Apple fan I miss the days when the only accurate predictions being made about Apple events where the dates, and the only products being introduced were revolutionary. These days Apple is all about refining the products they have already made, be it moving features back to the Mac, or polishing the iPhone 5’s chamfers with diamonds. Don’t get me wrong, I am not disappointed. Apple has always been about the details, and the iPhone 5 is an amazing product. I am just concerned about Apple’s future now that Steve is gone, and there are big decisions still to be made.
- Why does the iPod Classic still exist?3
- How many more iterations of the iPod nano do we have to see.
- We all know the next iPad will be smaller and lighter, reusing the screen density of previous iPhones, but what about the next big thing?
2x performance and 18% thinner will only get you so far. With Tim Cook running the company, and Jony Ive designing its products I know Apple will be successful, but what about the long term? What about the ideas Steve never saw, and what does the road ahead look like for iOS and Mac OS X? Is there even a road plan? I have no doubt Apple will keep getting better, and just as long as the competition stays sloppy Apple will continue to ‘Think Different.’ As we arrive at the one year anniversary of Steve’s death I am still excited about the Apple of today, but fear for the lack of the next big thing tomorrow.
“I think if you do something and it turns out pretty good, then you should go do something else wonderful, not dwell on it for too long. Just figure out what’s next.” —Steve Jobs
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If Apple doesn’t know what to do with the iPod lineup they should just kill it instead of iterating for the sake of iteration. Remember the death of the iPod mini brought on something new. ↩
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With the exception of the loop which looks unreliable and embarrassing. ↩
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And don’t say DJs, Nobody DJs a wedding using only an iPod. ↩