The age of Apple is far from over
“Here’s to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes…the ones who see things differently…You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can’t do is ignore them because they change things…while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the ones who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.” This quote from Rob Siltanen was made famous in Apple’s “Crazy Ones” TV commercial that aired in 1997 with Steve Jobs himself doing the narration, and since that advert first aired, a lot has changed with Apple.
This past year of 2016 was a rather boring one for many smartphone OEMs, as a lot of the main flagships were very incremental upgrades and updates to their predecessors. This is something that was seen with not only Apple, but Samsung, HTC, Sony, and many others. Incremental updates are fine, and while they may not be the most exciting or groundbreaking thing in the mobile landscape as opposed to what we’ve seen in the past, they help push technology forward to bigger and better things that are likely to come down the pipeline at some point in the future.
"We know what a smartphone looks like and does. It's not the fault of Tim Cook, but it's not an area where there will be any more innovation."
While the iPhone may have been one of Apple’s more conservative products in 2016, the company still showcased their prowess for tinkering around with new and exciting ideas with the release of their latest MacBook Pro. The current iteration of the MacBook Pro is certainly overpriced, but there are still plenty of futuristic and forward-thinking ideas baked inside of it. Take the Touch Bar for example. Apple’s decision to add a touch-screen display directly onto the keyboard to replace the traditional function row was controversial for sure, but it’s also something that we never seen before. It’s unique, it’s original, and while it certainly still has a lot of room to grow, it’s a sign that Apple still has a lot of ideas to breathe new life and vitality into their existing gadgets.That’s where Apple is at right now, but if the age of this technology conglomerate is already over, then why are all signs pointing towards an extremely bright future for 2017? We’re still months away from Apple’s announcement of this year’s iPhone, but the rumor mill is already abuzz with what to expect from the company’s successor to 2016’s iPhone 7. This year will mark the 10th anniversary of when Steve Jobs took the stage at Macworld in 2007 to introduce the iPhone to the world for the very first time – essentially laying the groundwork for what our smartphones look and feel like to this very day.
This year’s iPhone is rumored to be called the iPhone X, and with speculated features including the likes of a biometric fingerprint sensor built directly into the main display of the phone, a wireless charging component that will allow the phone to gain additional battery without having to be plugged into anything, a complete hardware redesign, and so much more, this one upcoming product release essentially diminishes Theil’s comment of the age of Apple being over. And that’s with just one upcoming product.
All things considered, it's very hard to believe that the age of Apple is gone
I very much respect Peter Theil’s statement and can understand completely where he’s coming from. I’m a heavy user of Apple products, so I fully expect that some of my natural bias towards the company is creating for these hopeful notions of mine. However, when you consider everything that Apple has already accomplished thus far, it’s incredibly hard to believe that the age of this company is dead and gone.
Take a look around you the next time you go outside or are at your local Starbucks. What do you see? People are talking on their iPhones and writing on MacBooks. This is generalizing things for sure, but it’s something that applies surprisingly accurately if you take a second to be aware of your surroundings. Apple isn’t just one of the most well-known tech companies in the world, it’s one of the best well known companies in general that exists in our planet today. Things might be a bit quiet within the company right now, but I respectfully disagree with you Mr. Theil – the age of Apple is far from over.
Things that are NOT allowed: