The iPhone Revolution
Topic: apple, code, general| 3 Comments »
The iPhone looks incredible. No preset keypad. Instead, touch the screen. Each app dictates its own keys and User Interface. Software controls the UI instead of software conforming to a certain preset hardware. The iPhone is clearly a disruptive innovation. And that is what Apple does best. If it delivers on its promises, it is going to shake the mobile phone industry.
As a UI professional, I can really appreciate the need for an application to define its own user interface, its own shortcuts and menus.
Example - the new touch-screen ATM machines. If you are like me, 90% of your ATM transactions are thru the “Fast Cash” option. Here are the typical steps in the old non-touch-screen ATM machines:
1. Insert Card.
2. Type in the passcode.
3. Hit Enter.
4. In the next screen, there are a bunch of options. Withdrawal, Deposit, Fast Cash, Check Balance etc. About 6-7 of them.
5. Carefully select and press the button that is aligned closest to the Fast Cash option. Good luck with this - especially when its dark.
6. Enter Cash amount.
7. Now click Enter again.
8. Take cash and card.
Now, the same transaction with the new touch-screen ATM:
1. Insert Card.
2. Type in the passcode.
3. You see two options on the bright screen - “Enter” or “Fast Cash”. Simply touch “Fast Cash”.
4. Enter Cash amount.
5. Now click Enter.
6. Take cash and card.
With such a simple task as getting cash from an ATM, the number of steps has been cut by 25% just by letting software control the UI by showing a separate button for “Fast Cash”. More than cutting the steps, it reduces the chance of user frustrations of pressing the wrong buttons. Now imagine how much time and frustration you are going to save by letting the software in your phone control its UI. No longer do you have to remember that weird key combination (* + green Call button) to unlock your phone - instead simply touch the “Unlock” button on the screen.
The iPhone is going to sell like hotcakes. I really do not understand the skeptics.
Too expensive at $499? I bought a BlackBerry last year for about $299. It was the best BB at that time. The built-in browser was so-so. There was no true CSS or Javascript support. The page was not WYSIWYG - its What-BB-Sees-Is-What-You-Get. But again, it was the best at that time. Now checkout the browser in iPhone. It is running Safari. Not a trimmed down version, but the full real browser. Finally, you can see a page the way it was meant to be seen. Add an 4GB iPod nano at $199 - you are already at $499. And, with the plethora of innovative features + video, the iPhone’s whole quickly becomes greater than the sum of its parts. I would pay the price just for the browsing experience alone!
Other speculative nay-sayers: Touching makes the screen sticky (so does holding today’s phones to your ears), cannot run MS Office apps in the iPhone (Who freaking cares about Office), no GPS (yikes!) etc. People - the iPhone is not out yet (until June). So instead of bashing on things that are not advertised in an unreleased product, appreciate the innovations that it promises.
