The New iPhones and the iOS 7

As a loyal user of Apple devices (MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, iPAD, iPhone, iPod) and as an Apple shareholder, I watched the latest announcement by Apple CEO Tim Cook and company with great interest.

In terms of the hardware, Apple launched the iPhone 5c and the iPhone 5s.  The iPhone 5c is supposed to be priced lower to be competitive in the emerging markets that include China and other countries.  The iPhone 5s is the high-end device, which targets existing users who because of the new features might want to upgrade.

While the iPhone 5c initially got my attention, I quickly lost it when I found out that buying it at a lower price ($99 to $299) depending on the memory size would also require a 2-yr. contract with an approved carrier.  This actually means that built-in to the contract over the period partly pays for the device.  It also ties you up for two years even if you are dissatisfied with the carrier’s service.  Many consumers like me experienced that too well.

The iPhone 5s has some attractive features.  Apple dubs it as the most forward thinking smartphone ever.  It uses the new Apple-designed A7 chip, which makes it the first 64-bit smartphone in the world.  It supposedly provides advantages both in technical efficiency as well as tremendous performance.

 Apple also claims to have improved the already superior and very popular iPhone camera.  The Apple team built in “automatic image stabilization and True Tone flash with a dual-LED flash that can make flash pictures look much more natural. They’ve also a Burst Mode where you can take a continuous sequence of shots for as long as you hold down your finger.  And the Slo-Mo video is added so you can also shoot video 120 frames per second and play it back in slow motion.”  What was so complicated is now simplified at the touch of a finger.

What iPhone 5s attracted me most is its great new security feature called Touch ID, built right into the home button.  It is a technology that could facilitate accessing your device without having to input your password every time.   It would make shopping and payments secure and convenient.

Apple also announced the launching of its new iOS 7.   This new mobile operating system is actually the one that enables the Touch ID or fingerprint identity sensor/reader described above. 

Richard Gray, a columnist/blogger of The Telegraph has aptly described some of the hidden functions of the iPhone that will be unlocked by iOS 7.  He discussed some of them in his column/blog:

“Control Centre  - An all new control centre – just swipe upwards on any screen and a new pane will appear allowing you to control Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, switch on Airplane mode, adjust the brightness of the screen and play or skip music. The Control Centre can even be accessed from the locked screen.

Do not disturb - For those who like to switch off once in a while, but potentially also a welcome change for anyone irritated by those who refuse to turn their phone off while at the cinema or theatre. While the Do Not Disturb function is present in iOS 6, it was not obvious. Buried in the settings menu, it was probably greatly underused or overlooked by many.

In iOS 7, Apple has moved the Do Not Disturb switch to the Control Centre, meaning it can be accessed and switched on far more easily.

Just touch the little half moon icon and it will leave you free from being pestered by emails, messages and phone calls.  Schedules can also be set up through the Notifications setting menu, along with exceptions that will allow some calls from important contacts get through.

A new way to access search - The ability to search on the iPhone and iPad has been around for a while, however, iOS 7 will introduce a new way of accessing it.

Simply swiping down on the homescreen will open a search box and the keyboard, allowing you to search without having to swipe to a dedicated screen as in previous versions of the software.

Swipe up to close Apps - Like in previous versions of iOS, double clicking the home button at the bottom of the phone will show all of the Apps that are currently open.

Simply swipe up on the screen to close the app.

Let Apple remember your passwords for you - Remembering the multitude of account logins and passwords for the internet can be difficult.

iOS 7 will allow users to store passwords, account names and even credit card numbers in the iCloud and will then automatically fill them in when signing in to a website or online shop.

It will also sync across other devices running iOS 7 and the new desktop operating system OS X Mavericks.  Apple insists the passwords will be encrypted to ensure their security.

Share with friends - Sharing photographs, videos, contacts and documents on the iPhone has been a frustrating experience that usually required sending a text or email.

For people in the same room, however, this can feel unnecessary. Even devices before the advent of the smartphone were able to share pictures and contacts via Bluetooth.

So Apple has finally caught up with the modern world by offering a new feature called AirDrop, which will use Wi-Fi and Bluetooth to share media with people nearby.

Inexplicably it will only be available on devices newer than the iPhone 5 or fourth generation iPads, leaving owners of older devices with no option but to rely on third party Apps or email.

iTunes Radio - iTunes Radio will allow users to stream radio stations on their iPhone and iPad, along with other Apple devices. Users can curate the music based on preferred artists, songs and genres.

Apple claims iTunes Radio will learn users preferences, tweaking the music and stations it offers according to what they have listened to in the past.

This feature will only be available to users in the US to begin with and there is no timescale of when it will be rolled out to other countries.”

At this point, I have decided to wait for a hands-on test at the stores when they become available.  Right now I am relying on the analysis of other bloggers like Richard Gray who most likely had already accessed and tested both the new iPhones and the software.

The Microsoft-Nokia Deal

Last Monday, it was announced that Microsoft is acquiring Nokia’s phone-making unit for about &7.2 billion.  The acquisition included patents and the licensing of Nokia’s world famous mapping technology called HERE.

The reaction of investors in the stock market was mixed.  Microsoft stocks went down while Nokia’s went up.

Specifically, $5 billion will be paid for the phone-making unit of Nokia and $2.17 billion on the licensing of its patents.  Microsoft will also absorb 32,000 Nokia employees worldwide including 4,700 people in Finland.  Nokia chief executive Stephen Elop, who previously served as an executive at Microsoft, will once again join the software giant, heading up the newly acquired phone-making division.  It is also rumored that he would be the leading candidate to succeed Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer when he retires next year.

For years, Microsoft has always been mainly a software company with its Windows Operating System and several applications and programs incorporated into the IBM, HP, Dell, OEM hardware manufacturers and the like. 

The success of the APPLE, Google, and Samsung business models of combining control of software and hardware has prompted Microsoft to slowly change gear.

Making its own tablet Surface and incorporating its Windows Operating System in its X-Box devices were good starts.  Now with the acquisition of Nokia’s phone-making unit which include patents, it is definitely going full blast to acquire greater share of the tablet and smartphone markets currently dominated by APPLE and ANDROID (Google/Samsung).

The integration of Microsoft’s and Nokia’s mobile device production and global marketing would generating substantial savings, which could be used as possible incentives to application software developers and content providers.

As I write this column/blog, I received a press statement from

Seth Schachner who is the Managing Director of Strat Americas, which is a global digital media consultancy and business development enterprise.

He says, “The Microsoft / Nokia combination could mean a more unified, stronger approach to building the Windows Phone application environment. Before it owned Nokia, Microsoft previously may have had to "propose" apps to Nokia or other manufacturers who released Windows Phones, essentially only putting a toe in the water of app development, and likely emphasizing Microsoft's own apps--ie, an XBox mobile app. That's certainly not a strong mobile content strategy to differentiate its handsets. With a unified approach, it may be there there is more internal support and commitment to apps and content amongst the two companies, and there might be more marketing funds available to encourage and give developers an incentive to build apps for the new Nokia-Microsoft environment.  That's a potentially significant development.”

He further opines that  “if we see Windows Phones rolling out at the lower end of the pricing spectrum--picking up the volumes where feature phones usually dominated, particularly in emerging markets, that could have potential implications for growing their market share substantially. (For example, in Latin America, the Windows Phone has stronger market positions, #2 in some markets already. With lower priced handsets reaching the markets, it's possible they will build share.)”

Seth was the founder of Sony Music's Latin American Mobile group, based in Miami, where he developed innovative handset and mobile content partnerships for artists including Ricky Martin and Shakira. He was most recently with Microsoft Advertising, and was an early licensor of content for major carriers, during his days with Zomba/Jive Music. Seth has brokered some innovative embedded media deals with handset manufacturers and has a keen perspective on how the consummation of Microsoft and Nokia's businesses will shape media and entertainment deals for global handset firms and mobile carriers alike.

It looks like the battle is no longer just for hardware that includes design and features and software applications to go with the operating systems but also for content.

My barber says, “We want consumers to be CONTENTED not CONTENTIOUS.”