Apple Inc. co-founder Steve “Woz” Wozniak was never a big fan of iPhone X. Earlier, he questioned the ability of Face ID to work the way it’s supposed to, and now he says he’s not going to be getting an iPhone X on day one.
This is the first time he’s not getting a new iPhone on the day of release, but it’s not surprising, considering his reluctance about the facial recognition technology that iPhone X uses as a replacement for Touch ID.
iPhone X received a mixed reaction from the public as well. While many decided not to buy one because of the steep over-$1,000 price, others lauded Apple’s efforts at getting back on the innovation bandwagon.
But one of the points Wozniak makes on the CNBC interview where he talked about not getting an iPhone X on day one is the fact that innovation in smartphones is pretty much about doing more with what’s already been done. Comparing it to the evolution of automobiles, he said that cars are pretty much the same today as they were years ago.
In a sense, that’s true. You can’t really do much with a smartphone now, except maybe make it bendable or damage-proof or introduce one of the many quasi-innovative features that companies like Apple and Samsung are exploring.
But one thing that everyone seems to be forgetting is that premium phones make premium features more affordable over time. Remember when a touch phone was out of reach for most people? Today they come as cheap as $50 in many parts of the world. The same thing will happen to facial recognition, foldable screens and any other feature you’d care to bring up.
The truth is, “innovation” itself is a very vague term. You can’t say Apple has lost its innovative touch just because no “revolutionary” (another vague term) product has come out of their stables since the original iPhone. Apple has innovated in several areas, such as 3D Touch, Touch ID, facial recognition that’s more reliable than Samsung’s (arguable?), no bezel at the lower chin of iPhone X and so on. And iOS 10 and 11 have made major jumps as well, in terms of security as well as by taking a stand against the older 32-bit technology.
Apple is not in the most comfortable of positions at the moment. iPhone sales growth is showing signs of distress, and the entire devices industry is going through a slowdown. Being primarily a device maker, Apple has a lot on its plate right now, and I think we should give the world’s most valuable company just a little bit of slack.
Disagree, by all means, but tell me exactly why.
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