The Era of Incremental iOS: Is Innovation Dead for Apple

Nov 13
14:39

2019

Rosina De Palma

Rosina De Palma

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When Apple first dreamed of a small computer for everyone back in the year 1976, the task seemed almost impossible. But Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak started shaping it to reality, and the rest is history. Today, Apple is the first company to touch the $1 trillion net worth across the globe.

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Apple was no less than a marvel when it started. The creator Steve Jobs had the vision to build a small computer that did not occupy a lot of space and could fit in anyone's home just perfectly. Along with his co-partners, The Era of Incremental iOS: Is Innovation Dead for Apple Articles he had the vision to change the way people look at computers.

 

In more than 40 years ever since the release of Apple 1, a lot has changed. We have a range of iPhones, iPads, and the traditional Apple is called Mac. The underlying operating system has also seen significant development and has radically transformed a user's computer experience. As time passes by, we see Apple launching new releases to enhance the user experience.

 

This year saw the launch of two new versions of the Apple operating system. While for, the iOS it was version 13 for macOS, it was Catalina. We are now in an age where the era of incremental releases is a constant for Apple. We see some changes that are claimed to transform a user's experience radically. Be it the dark mode, better battery performance, or addition of new gestures. All we see is a long list of enhancements for the user and iOS app developers India.

 

But the incremental push of the operating system on its platform has existed for decades. Users no longer see a completely new operating system that is running on a novel device. But, the company continues to grow and increase the value of its stakeholders. Does this mean that innovation has come to a halt for Apple? The question is, how long can it go on. Let's find out more in detail:

 

Representative Phones

 

Last year all that the world saw in the name of new mobile phones were some network enhancements, reduction of the bezels, additional cameras, and more painful emoticons. But, when we look back at the history of smartphones, it is imperative to realize that phones were not always like that. Look back to the release of 3GSM, then came Barcelona, 8810, Razor, or P800. All of these were packed with something new, that the user could be excited about.

 

However, when the new iPhones launched this year, there was nothing in them that the world hadn't seen before. Instead, it was a representation of a device that we already carry in our pockets. It makes us realize the importance of marketing more than new technology. As a result, the mobile phone industry is witnessing an impact of unfair competition, with Apple sucking all the revenue. Not only is the company completely ignoring technical standards but also pushing other network organizations to match them if they want to stay in the competition.

Rectangular Phones

We may not realize this in today's fast-paced world, but there was a time when we could find more than a few options around us. Be it sliders, clamps, flips, rotators, or bars. One could quickly identify a design coming from a particular manufacturer. But now, all the phones in the world are big rectangles. It's been widely said that when Apple sneezes, the rest of the companies catch a cold. Considering this factor, the company's responsibility for driving innovation is significant and underutilized.

According to a recent revelation by the Apple, its revenue expectations fell by nearly 8 percent from its predictions of festive season sale. Following this, there was a widespread fall in the stocks by 10 percent. Although Apple's CEO Tim Cook blames the US-China Trade war the truth is more profound than it seems.

Apple's lowest-priced model iPhone XR went on sales for $945 last year. At the same time, Huawei introduced the Mate 20 and priced it half of XR. Even people who are loyal to Apple when it comes to mobile phones find no need for upgrading the moment a new iPhone is launched. The reason being, new models work pretty much the same as the old ones. All of this points to one single direction- innovation is ceasing for Apple, and it is evident by the dropping sales.

Conclusion

It's not like the world has run out of new ideas. There are some exciting concept phone ideas such as the Arc phone, Runcible, among others. It gives us hope for the future. However, the concept behind incremental operating systems is what has established Apple as a leader in the technology industry. A large number of companies today are selling because their phones look like an iPhone but at much fewer costs. So, even if Apple continues to do what it has been doing, nothing is stopping it. It's minted after all.