Techcrunch is reporting from the usual "reliable sources" that one reason why there was no discussion of iOS 5 at the iPad 2 unveiling was that iOS 5 is going to be delayed until the fall, even though previous iOS updates have been done in the spring, making it a tradition of sorts. Furthermore, the upcoming WWDC will be "software only" and will not include the unveiling of any new hardware, in particular the iPhone 5, which will presumably be released concurrently with the iOS update.
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Member since:2005-08-12
Member since:2005-07-07
The 'woefully behind' is needlessly melodramatic, and actually I think it's usually only 'us geeks' that care about the numbers.
If the user-experience or games development were being hampered by the critical need for a CPU upgrade I would agree with you, but I see no evidence of that. It's only 3 months we're talking here! Only someone who hovers on tech web-sites really cares about that time-span.
I imagine any delay would be partly to do OS X Lion. Perhaps Apple would rather not release an iPhone 5 with iOS 4 and have their next-generation get criticism about still having poor notifications, lack of widgets, etc. As I said, a hardware update is not critical and Android phones, though more powerful, are hardly demonstrably slicker in any aspect of real-life usage.
I just don't know why you're on your soap-box about this. Apple have managed 4 iterations of the iPhone and 2 iterations of the iPad on time, so it's a bit premature to call the system flawed.
Chris
Edited 2011-03-30 16:55 UTC
Member since:2005-11-13
I agree as well. In fact, I thought one of the main reasons for the iPhone/iPad's success was the fact that the average person DOESN'T care about specs much at all. Geeks will tout a dual core CPU, 1gb of RAM, USB, SD card, etc, while Joe Sixpack just gives them a blank stare.
It's more about the user experience (iOS being simple enough that a 2yo can use it) and the ecosystem (hardware+app/music/book stores+iTunes to tie it all together).
Member since:2010-05-14
I agree partly. Doing everything internally would make it hard to keep up. But, I don't think Apple does everything internally.
It seems when they do decide to use make components themselves it has to do with cutting costs or having more control over integration or some such thing.
In any case they don't seem to be having problems keeping up. The way I hear it the reason they're last to adopt some of the latest specs is because of their design choices.
By the way none of this in the slightest bit seems to be a issue with consumers. Only geeks know or care about specs.
Member since:2005-08-12
I have to agree... I have *never* heard a regular consumer ask about the speed of a phone before purchase. You might hear someone complain about if a phone is slow or lags but it doesn't translate into worries about processor speed the way it used to with computers, ages ago.
Only geeks care.
Member since:2006-07-30
But it's because they are doing everything internally that their processor for the iPad is so much better than the competition, (CPU is as fast as the competition & the GPU is so much faster).
It is because of their partnerships that the iPhone screen has a much higher res than the competition.
It is because of the OS that they got a head-start in this generation of phones & tablets.
Apple likes to differentiate itself. In the past, a decade ago, that was considered a weakness. But I can't see how, considering their success in the last 5 years, that you can say that any more.
Edited 2011-03-30 18:15 UTC
Member since:2006-07-14
Apple will have to sell the iPhone on software alone. Considering most people around me seem to buy a phone based on teh shiny-factor, that might be a harder sell than they think
Yeah, they do have to sell it on software. There will and have been time in which the iphone was really behind other smart phones hardware wise, other times they're way ahead.
But shiny-factor? Yes, yes indeed. But what is shiny factor? Well I'm glad you asked.
Shiny factor:
%10 battery life
%30 hardware specs (numbers alone, not actual benchmarks of anything particular)
%30 unicorn horn, ground
%20 graphic design of UI.
%30 unicorn horn, ground
%17 name recognition of phone name.
%13.7 Number of smiley faces in SMS app
The proof that this formula proves that I am right is left as an exercise to the reader.
*Note: percentages may not add up to 100% due to gravitational, accelerational, or any other distortional fields you may be in.
Member since:2007-08-07
I bet these intelligent people were among the bunch that believed the iPad would flunk as would the iPod.
They seem to be keeping up with competition just fine when it comes to the iPad.
While I have to agree to some extent that they have too much on their plate right now, I believe the delay to September is also a strategic move.
As for MobileMe, the update is long overdue.
Time for Wireless syncing, iTunes music backups and streaming etc.
Member since:2006-01-01
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Member since:
2005-06-29
I'd say that not releasing a new iPhone at the usual interval is a sign of what I - and many, more intelligent people with me - have been predicting for about 18 months now: a single company such as Apple cannot possibly keep up with the hardware development cycle of all other phone makers. Apple insists on doing most of the things on their own, which has its advantages - but as history has shown, it will eventually come back to bite you in your ass. That's why Apple was the last with a 1Ghz phone, and now will be woefully behind with stepping into the multicore race.
Of course, the usual suspects will chime in with how processor speed and such doesn't matter - and they are just as wrong now as they were back when Apple was trying to sell outdated and underspecced PowerPC processors. The numbers do matter. We geeks may not like it, but that doesn't make it any less true.
Apple will have to sell the iPhone on software alone. Considering most people around me seem to buy a phone based on teh shiny-factor, that might be a harder sell than they think.
Edited 2011-03-30 16:08 UTC