The new iPhones may not be revolutionary, but they are refining the experience
With the launch of two new iPhones today DT’s Jason Deacon says Apple has done the job of redefining mobile experiences.
When you pick up a phone in a store the first thing that grabs your attention is the display. It’s the feather fascinator on a Melbourne Cup goer. The ‘new and improved’ sticker on your washing detergent. The hundreds and thousands on white bread.
We are dazzled. Drawn into the bright and colourful aura, momentarily distracted from the less refined attributes, which may lie beneath the surface. By virtue of this screen size arms race, the iPhone has increasingly (and undeservingly) come off second best in side-by-side in-store comparisons. Like comparing apples with bowling balls. One is certainly better for you, but gosh that bowling ball is big!
This all changes today. Though, given Apple’s famous philosophy of not bending to trends or outside pressures (Netbooks, anyone?), I imagine it is somewhat bittersweet for their exec team to stand up in Cupertino’s Flint Centre this morning and decree the benefits of a larger (much larger) screen.
But the market has turned. Just as megapixels once dominated digital camera purchase decisions (before we saw the sense in sensor quality), so too has the mobile phone industry created an arbitrary metric for measuring what is perceived as good. Despite previously condemning the industry’s obsession with screen size, Apple had no choice but to play the game.
Apple’s ad about screen sizes:
And this ain’t a bad thing.
The extra space (available in two sizes; 4.7 for the iPhone 6 and a hefty 5.5 inches for the iPhone 6 Plus) will be welcomed by Apple fans.
The iPhone will once again pass the superficial side-by-side test, and customers can put aside the girth of the glass to focus on what truly makes Apple a superior choice — the same reason why they turned the mobile industry on its head in the first place. Attention to detail, build quality, and a cohesive software experience designed wholly around the user, not carrier partners or advertisers. That’s what makes a phone.
But philosophies aside, what lies beneath the razzle dazzle? If we’re talking tech specs, the iPhone 6 builds upon an already solid base. The cellular modem is faster and includes even more bands for getting the most out of overseas networks, and the inclusion of the new 802.11ac protocol will see your WiFi speeds triple on next gen routers.
The battery and processor get a notable bump, and a swath of camera improvements (such as HDR video and image stabilisation in the Plus model) will see our hobby photos and videos work even harder for those coveted Instagram likes.
Lastly, the inclusion of NFC — near field communication, a technology already present in many competing handsets — should hopefully act as a tipping point for the modernisation of contactless payments, though Australia unfortunately won’t see this in market at launch.
Of all the improvements to the iPhone, NFC (near field communication) presents the most interesting opportunity for marketers. Finally, the QR code can die. While unconventional use of this technology for brands will rely on Apple opening up an API, we should start to consider now how to leverage this beyond mobile payments now. And let’s go beyond simply activating Call To Actions, too. The potential of two-way near field data exchanges as standard across all mobile devices is huge.
Wearables have been on the rise for a while now. And now that Apple bring this further into the mainstream, the shift of attention from pocket to wrist is well worth watching. Third party apps will be available for this platform next year. How might your brand best utilise this behaviour change? Contextual arm ads? Maybe. Wearables – the Apple Watch included – are packed with sensors that allow us to do so much more than just broadcast a message.
What should you do right now? Keep pushing that iBeacon strategy. These low-energy Bluetooth emitters are rolling out into retail outlets across the US, and there’s still a significant, untapped opportunity in the Australian market here.
As categories mature, the rate of innovation inevitably declines. We can add features and make things faster, but the form factor and usage principles are defined and understood. Now, it’s about refinement. With the iPhone 6, Apple does not disappoint, as they continue to advance an already exceptional platform.
The iPhone 6 concedes that bigger is better. What that means, however, is our focus can now shift away from the superficial. The discussion has been reframed, once again, around what truly makes an incredible mobile device: hardware and software working together seamlessly, and an unmatched hunger for perfection.
Jason Deacon is creative director for DT
There’s not much worth reading in this piece, is there?
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Especially as it was clearly written before the announcement
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Nevermind, I don’t know what I was saying. KUDOS JASON.
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They should have had more photos of the guy.
I only clicked the link to see his photo. What a cutie. Wonder if he is taken.
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Screen size isn’t an ‘artificially created metric’. It’s a market demand. People want larger screens on their phones. Jobs got it wrong. This is like claiming the TV industry has created an ‘arbitrary metric for measuring what is good’ by producing larger screens. But people just like bigger TV screens. My new 70” is much better than the old 45er, even if it’s the same HD model.
Jason, do you have any support you could share with us that shows the demand for larger screens is all marketing?
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An “opinion” piece written by an obvious Apple fan-boy.
For those who couldn’t bear reading through the bias, tldr; Apple catches up on what competitors have been doing for years and do it “better”.
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Apple did humanity the favour of introducing technology to people who don’t (need to) understand technology.
For that privilege they pay and pay and pay, getting ripped off at every corner.
It’s a service, I guess, but it’s an awful one and you can be way cooler and way better off in the hip pocket by avoiding Apple all together.
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This line confused me:
“the mobile phone industry created an arbitrary metric for measuring what is perceived as good”
You work in marketing. How could you ignore the fact that phablets (read: larger phones) are absolutely booming across Asia and North America? This is an extremely easy fact to find.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/tec.....-Asia.html
http://www.informationweek.com.....id/1252800
http://www.pocket-lint.com/new.....3-says-idc
To dismiss this is an ‘arbitrary’ metric is really odd, and I think does a disservice to logic in general. People clearly want bigger screens. Apple is late to the game. No big deal.
But let’s be honest. In more ways than one (NFC, screen size, side lock button) could it simply have been called the iPhone S5.
In this regard, Apple is asking us to choose what phone to buy based on specs alone – and this is a fight Apple can’t win. They should have kept fighting on the basis of design and iOS features (which only just now match S-Health and Google Play). They’re trying to beat Samsung and HTC at the game those guys invented.
Apple was clearly more spooked by Samsung than we thought.
http://mashable.com/2014/04/05.....th-google/
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Lot of juvenile support here. ‘We need more photos of the guy?’ ‘Wonder if he’s taken?’
It’s like the 15 year olds have jumped on, and they’re full of beans.
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Everyone else cringing?
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I’m not sure if it’s a credibility issue or a lack of experience one, but the journalist here writes, as an authority, an (overly positive) analysis of the product which could only come from using, testing and reviewing the product.
Here’s the thing, he hasn’t touched the thing. The journalist bases everything from Apple’s famed keynotes. Some might say his source isn’t objective.
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Um – have to disagree – I am not 15 and I too think the writer is a cutie and I too would like to know if he is taken and I am a leading industry professional, if I say so myself
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“When you pick up a phone in a store the first thing that grabs your attention is the display. It’s the feather fascinator on a Melbourne Cup goer. The ‘new and improved’ sticker on your washing detergent. The hundreds and thousands on white bread.”
No, it’s the first thing you look at because that’s the entire purpose of a smartphone.
It’s not the fascinator on a Melbourne Cup Goe’rs hat… it IS the hat.
Jesus.
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Apple a superior choice eh?
iPhone 6 – $879
Nexus 5 – $399
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800 words later I’m none the wiser as to what impact this could have on my customers my marketing spend or indeed the benefit for my brand investing in such technology
Maybe the writer doesn’t know either because the sentence about ‘NFC opportunities’ was a lost opportunity to establish a compelling reason. Not to mention identifying where potential returns are on such investments.
I come here to read insights relevant to media & marketing, if I wanted a product review, I’ll read The Verge.
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OK, I think all these comments are a bit hard. This isn’t The NY Times. It’s not Tom’s Hardware. It’s not where you come for hard-hitting tech journalism.
A further thought on Apple, though. I think the fact that Apple partnered with U2 in a move that is – in no uncertain way – a direct copy of Samsung’s partnership with Jay Z is representative of the whole thing.
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@AT
Mumbrella is where we come for hard-hitting media & marketing journalism. (See the fantastic coverage of the Cannes scam issue.) The bar is relatively high for an industry rag. We come here for insights, thought-provoking analysis and informed opinions.
It’s not personal, but this article is none of these things. And it seems a lot of the commentators here agree with me. And you’re correct, it’s not the NY Times, but it’s not a 6-month old goss magazine laying in the doctor’s waiting room either.
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“Creative Director by day, Humper of Apple Products by night.” – https://twitter.com/jasondeacon
hot 😉
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@Tom Wood L. O. L. Credibility rating?
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@Credit where it’s due – Agreed. I was speaking specifically about tech journalism. I’m a UK expat, and I rely on Mum to stay up to date with the happenings of the Sydney agency scene.
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According to OkCupid, it’s more fun to be an iPhone lover. The true benefit of being an Apple Fanboy?
http://www.news.com.au/technol.....7057452820
“In 2010, dating site OkCupid released data on its users’ sexual habits in comparison to the types of phones they used. Responses from 10,000 users indicated that “a 30-year-old iPhone user has had twice as many sexual partners than an Android user of the same age.”
@AT in that case, surely you’ll agree this piece offers little value, in the context of the standard of other mumbo pieces?
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Let’s be honest, Jason has taken the diplomatic approach with this one.
@strewth heh.
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Bingo!
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