By , Head of Digital Marketing
Speaking as someone whose iPhone 3 (yes 3) is finally showing its age, I was certainly disappointed yesterday evening to find the iPhone 5 is still locked away in some Apple logoed vault in America.
However, after reading reviews and reactions from the tech industry, I must admit excitement over a couple of very cool advancements:
1. The iPhone Assistant came true!
Keeping its old name of Siri, after the start-up purchased by Apple last year for its amazing voice technology, the idea of a cyber assistant that can understand both my casual voice prompts and Canadian accent fills me with a sense of excitement. Especially for the clever ability is has for interpreting meeting appointments in your calendar and offering you reminders based on your location (so when I leave the office for my meeting it helped me reschedule, it also stops me from forgetting my Oyster card on my desk – nice).
2. Finally, a camera worthy of being called a camera
Tired of hearing the excuse ‘Sorry, it’s an iPhone camera’, the improvements made to the lens, casing, software could finally make point and shoot digital cameras obsolete for iPhone 4S users.
However, the features that made me squeal with delight have got to be the very simple UX adjustments: The first being the addition of a camera mode button to the unlock screen (no more forcing subjects to hold their poses while you fumble to get the phone unlocked and camera mode activated). And second, the brilliantly simple addition of making the volume button double as a camera button so it actually feels like taking a photo and not scanning alien life with your tricorder (I’m a photographer, Jim! Not a Trekkie!).
There are other improvements too – like double antennas to boost signal and call quality, or the dual processor and enhanced graphics ability that will make the phone crazy fast and better for rich media and game play – but not having to carry two cameras AND getting a free assistant overtake all the other improvements in my busy, overscheduled mind.
Where can the iPhone 5 still deliver?
Two big advancements in mobile phone technology on my radar right now are phone with the ability to project images/video from a mini projector built into the phone (I do a lot of media presentations so a projector in my pocket for meetings would be as cool as my virtual assistant providing, like the former, they both work well).
And secondly, as a functional design mega fan, I love the new concept phones that include removable, wireless Bluetooth-style ear piece devices that also double as wireless mice (how VERY cool is that??).
To upgrade or not to upgrade
Apple was smart to delay the iPhone 5 because this mini release will satisfy the needs of those about to end their current 2-year contracts from when the last big release took place. Now I’m just faced with the tough choice of upgrade now and potentially be very, very jealous in a short period of time, or hold out for the ‘next big thing’ which might not be for a ‘nice long while’.