Apple has unveiled its plans to release the iPhone 5S, iPhone 5C and announced the integration of fingerprint technology through iTouch. The Drum sought out reaction from the mobile and media industry as to their views on the new tech hitting the marketplace.
James Chandler, head of mobile, Mindshare
Lots of the pre-launch predictions for the 5S and 5C were disappointingly accurate. I for one am always excited to see how Apple will surprise us (remember seeing Siri for the first time - which was incredible), but it's clear that this is getting increasingly harder to do - not only in terms of keeping new features under wraps, but also continually delivering a starstudded list of innovations with each launch.I've had iOS7 on my iPhone 5 for the last three months and have to say that it's incredible - as Craig Frederighi said, it is literally like getting a whole new device. Airdrop, a redesigned Mail, quick access menu and the way photos are organised by location, event and time make for a brilliant new user experience. In terms of opportunities for brands, expect to see better Siri integration in ad products - particularly with the launch of iRadio later this year. Auto brands in particular should be getting excited about this given the handsfree connectivity it will allow.No mention of iWatch - which is surprising given Samsung's unveiling of their new Galaxy Gear smartwatch - or Apple TV. And the iPhone 5C mid-range price point doesn't really answer the 'China problem', creating a lower-end cheaper device for the Chinese market where Android have had huge gains. But Apple has rightly stuck with the proven formula of making beautiful, market-leading devices powered by increasingly intuitive (Siri, Touch ID) technology. Look out for a big splash around iRadio later in the year.
Ramzi Yakob, strategist, Th_nk
There's a dangerous battle on the horizon that has been addressed, centre stage, at today's Apple event. The battle for developer support. We've been reading stories for the last three years about developers preferring iOS because Apple customers spend more on apps. But Android has reached 79 per cent marketshare of the global smartphone business and it still has momentum. In China, the numbers are even bleaker. Today we saw a clear statement of intent from Apple, to its developer community, that it is committing to growing its install base. Apple's brand is tactile. It lives in the premium quality of the devices it produces and the spaces in peoples' minds that light up when they hold one in their hands and feel content that their purchase decision is beyond question. Nothing that Apple has announced today will have a negative impact on its brand. The iPhone 5C is (objectively) a beautiful object with the appropriate amount of desirability to attract entrenched Android users. The premium customer is going to be satisfied that the 5S is differentiated appropriately to make them feel good about choosing it. But the secret weapon, is the (now) humble iPhone 4S. At free, on contract, it has flown under the rumour radar and may prove to be Apple's most effective way to break into the huge Chinese and other emerging markets.
Frank Gillett, analyst, Forrester
Touch ID is jaw droppingly easy and is the first painless biometric I've seen...What's more, five free mobile apps is a move against Microsoft, who refuses to put Office on iOS, beyond a token iPhone app. And it is a move against Google. It's a big deal that you now get five free productivity and creative apps with your Apple mobile device, plus free access to iWork web apps on iCloud. The trick will be to get people using them - can it be painless to move most Office docs into iWork apps?
Matthew Knight, head of innovation, Carat
Apple announcements used to be a surprise but this year pretty much every single industry leak or prediction was announced. Colours of the devices, improved camera technology, and TouchID (the new fingerprint security technology) have all been spot on.We believe technology is at its most powerful when it simply disappears” is something I completely buy into and from an intuitive design perspective, Apple is still leading the charge. TouchID, for example, offers more than just a way of unlocking your phone. It acts as a passphrase, and can be used to pay for iTunes purchases. This is only the start of what we’ll see from biometric authentication over the coming years but, in light of recent controversy around government snooping, I don’t think this is a technology which will be too invisible.However, Apple launches over the years have lost their interest for me. From standout innovation leaps forward in smartphone technology, product design and interaction design, devices now feel like iterative steps, which don’t have clear and obvious consumer benefits.Yes, a 64bit architecture on the iPhone 5S is technically compelling, and will establish Apple as a solid gaming platform (and what does 64bit do for battery life, and don’t you want to play on larger screens?, ask Samsung), and the new dedicated chip to handle motion sensors is interesting and sensible, but I’d argue that the option of having colours is more compelling for many more mainstream consumers. Much of the new technology in the Apple devices are playing catch-up to other competitor phones too, especially around the camera technology (in terms of pixel size, shooting modes, HD and high-speed video, smart shooting).I’m still waiting to see what the radical leap forward that Apple have lined up. We were waiting for a watch, but many other players got there already. We are waiting for a radical step with Apple TV, but we still haven’t seen that and tech like Chromecast is getting into that space. Whilst Apple are still shipping reliable, premium and solid quality devices, they’ve become an iterative business.
