The mobile market is finally heating up again
Further to my post earlier today, I got thinking about how much of a shift the mobile space is going through right now, then I read this post about how Todd of TechnoBuffalo doesn’t want the next iPhone. At first, I expected it to be another anti-Apple rage about how the next iPhone isn’t really revolutionary, but it’s not. And he’s right.
Despite what many think, Android and Windows Phone aren’t playing catch up anymore in the mobile space. They’re stable enough, and have gained enough mind-share that they are operating in their own spaces now, like Apple does.
Everyone’s playing their own game #
Android is innovating in it’s own way, bringing some pretty incredible cutting-edge technology to the world, even if it’s not quite done yet. It’s had NFC for well over a year, and for some reason some handsets feature barometers right now, a technology I’m not really sure we need, but I’m sure someone will figure out an awesome use for. Back when Android introduced the notification shade, everyone fell in love (and Apple adapted it for themselves). Now, with Jelly Bean they’ve taken that a whole lot further, to a point where Android still has the best notification system out there.
Windows Phone is in a whole separate ball court, trying to offer what Apple and Android aren’t good at. A phone that feels personal. With Windows Phone 8, from what I’m hearing, this is being stepped up a whole notch. What we’ve seen up until this point with Windows Phone 7 has barely scratched the surface of how deeply integrated Microsoft has managed to build their OS into social networks. Everyone complains about how bad the Facebook and Twitter applications are on other platforms. Microsoft is going to do away with this altogether, by just bypassing both companies and baking it in at the deepest level they can. And you know, they’re the only company that can actually pull it off, since Google, Facebook and Twitter are in various spats right now, and we’ve all seen how “deep” social is baked into iOS (it’s not). Apple doesn’t get social, and Google gets along with no one.
Apple’s iPhone 5 has been mostly outed by a handful of Chinese parts manufacturers that can’t keep their mouths shut, and whilst it’s a big shift forward for the iPhone, I don’t know if there’s anything there on the software side yet (especially if they still don’t adopt NFC) that is enough, just yet. iOS 6, while it’s a great step forward, it’s just evolutionary for the platform rather than being something that challenges the way the mobile industry is thinking.
Maybe Windows Phone will change the world #
My gut feeling is Windows Phone 8 could be the white knight here, and I’m anticipating their event on September 5 will blow most of their critics away. There is some incredible stuff in there that hasn’t been talked about in public yet, and I’ve got a good feeling it could give Microsoft back the ‘innovative’ upper hand. Microsoft could be cool again.
After Microsoft delivers incredible software, though, it’ll all be down to their handset manufacturers to create something that’s equally as innovative. I believe Nokia can do that, but now that they’ve spoilt the Lumia surprise they’re going to need something else up their sleeve (and I don’t mean PureView cameras that make phones top heavy).
After a few years of ‘passive’ back and forth between Apple and Google, I think this year (and next) could be the year we finally see some incredible shifts in the way we use mobile technology, thanks to some solid competition emerging.
Perhaps, finally we won’t be part of the smartphone beta test anymore. That would be nice.