After Apple’s annual WWDC 2014 event left some people feeling disappointed we look at which exciting new projects we’d like the electronics company to work on.
You don’t get to Apple’s level of meteoric success by doing things willy nilly. There are probably more spreadsheets than you can shake a Microsoft Excel backlog at and more charts than the Billboard website spread across Apple executives’ offices and for good reason too: the things they work on are calculated and frankly, Apple’s strategy of simply releasing what they’ve already released except slightly better has yet to fail for them. But it’s not exciting for you is it? It’s not particularly enthralling for me either. We can’t really show off iOS 8 to our friends and no one but the nuttiest of fitness nuts are impressed by HealthKit and the other health-focused software offerings that the operating system brings. Instead what we do like are new projects and devices that really wow and captivate us so here is our top five list of what we’d like to see from Apple next.
1. A Real Budget iPhone
The iPhone 5C anyone? No, me either. It’s not worth the hundreds of dollars to shell out for the iPhone 5C when the full price iPhone 5S is a much flashier, trendier and frankly more worthy option. It seemed as though Apple initially released the iPhone 5C to compete with Android and the plethora of cheaper, really budget handsets that Google’s open source operating system has offered, but to say that their plan has monumentally backfired would be an understatement.
Plenty of people have called the iPhone 5C ‘a disaster’ pointing towards it poor sales (Apple were even quick to omit the iPhone 5C’s sales from recent keynotes) which is why I think that Apple’s next move – before they even think about their next big budget, flagship iPhone – should be to release an actual budget iPhone. Most people who want iPhones don’t really want them for the very best specs and a simple offering with half decent graphics and access to all of the latest apps would go down a treat. And for a low price? It would go down like treats at a savoury buffet; that is to say, people would eat it up.
2. iPhone 6 With NFC
NFC or near field communication; it doesn’t sound very attractive does it? Ok, I’ll give you that but think about its uses, its real, actual, practical uses. NFC capabilities have made themselves into quite a few Android handsets already (the Samsung Galaxy S5 is a good example of this) and so the next iPhone 6 would probably need to keep up in terms of its technological offerings.
For us consumers though, an iPhone 6 with NFC would make our lives just that much easier. Got no pockets in your trousers? Just carry your phone into the store and swipe that instead! Or maybe carrying a whole chunk of change isn’t something that you’d like to do to do your grocery shopping and really, that’s ok too. But NFC makes that so much easier as you’re able to pay for things using just your phone and its NFC capabilities, without a card, coin or cash bill in sight and I think that’s pretty revolutionary indeed.
3. The iWatch
It’s talked about so much that it’s hard to ignore. So unavoidable is the talk of an Apple iWatch that it’s a surprise that it hasn’t been announced already, especially when Samsung and LG have already worked quite a bit on their own smartwatch offerings. No one is suggesting that Apple and Samsung and LG turn this into a playground style affair (though if you don’t think the electronics game is like that already then you probably haven’t been paying attention) and that Apple just reveals the iWatch to show off, but in reality, an Apple branded smartwatch could actually be very good.
For one, that aforementioned iOS 8 release suggests that Apple are very much looking to go in the health device direction, which is something that the iWatch could do. Want to check your calories on the go? Or maybe use a hi-tech pedometer? The iWatch could offer both of those things and create some real market competition, which is important for good gadgets.
4. iCamera
Do you know how many times I saw the iPhone camera advert on TV last week? 752 times. An over exaggeration? (Probably not, I watch a lot of TV, sue me). But really, iPhones are in many ways known for their cameras. From the snap and delete it photos of Snapchat to the many filters of Instagram, iPhones’ photography uses are incredibly high profile.
So popular are they that there are plenty of Instagram accounts that pride themselves on uploading high quality photos that have been taken with iPhones. It makes perfect sense then for Apple to release a specific iPhone with boosted camera capabilities under the iPhone umbrella, akin to the Samsung Galaxy Zoom line which has photo snapping and connectivity features by the bucketload.
5. Multiplayer Gaming
The typical way to play a multiplayer mobile game is the following: I record a score, you attempt to beat it and the game crowns a winner. Or, I record a score, you attempt to beat it and we both laugh (in person) at how God awful my mobile gaming skills are. That’s a complete 180 degree spin away from the gaming days of old though and it’s something that I think Apple should address.
Instead what I’d like Apple to do is to use some sort of username (perhaps even their Apple IDs) to allow four or more people to play a game simultaneously. No waiting or loading times, just four or so people connected via the Internet and playing the game in the same arena. For example, a racing game in which you all race in real time on the same track, You could have Mario Kart style antics as you stick your opponent with a banana skin and three out of our of you will laugh at it or you can lament your own poor gaming skills as you get hit with a wayward green shell. Perhaps this last one isn’t particularly revolutionary but Apple absolutely needs to do something new for Apple in order to get ahead (despite their popularity they are actually second to Android in terms of market share) and most importantly for us consumers, we need something to tell us that our support of Apple’s gadgets isn’t misplaced like we’ve put the wrong piece of fruit in the fruit bowl.
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