Next Tuesday we're going to hear a lot of the usual talk

Sep 1, 2014 16:26 GMT  ·  By

Apple is getting ready to release their new products. Rumors about two new models of iPhone are all but confirmed and there are very high hopes of an iWatch. Apple is, as usual, not the first in a market, but it can be the best if they want to.

 
On Tuesday, September 9, we are going to hear again the same old "Apple did not invent that," "I have that on my Samsung Galaxy [insert the name of the phone of this week] since 2012," "NFC is not new so why is the iPhone getting that now?"
 
You may also hear how the Apple stock went down by 0.7 percent and how everyone thinks that Apple is doomed because they are not able to innovate. You will hear everyone saying that iOS 8 looks exactly like iOS 7 and how Apple doesn't do anything year over year.
 
And guess what?...
 
... Apple did not invent all of that. 
 
Using Bluetooth to communicate between devices is not a new thing. Near Field Communication (NFC) has been around for a while. When was the last time you saw someone pay with their Samsung Something S phone in the supermarket? When was the last time you noticed an Android User taping their phone to an NFC tag to get some info? Do you even remember / know what an NFC tag looks like?
 
Sapphire is not new as well. Vertu has included that into his smartphones, but they cost over $18,000 (€13,700) so does it really matter? Kyocera released a smartphone with a sapphire screen display, but it looks like an ugly phone from 2001.
 
The Apple way
 
The problem was that Bluetooth needed a lot of battery and the connection was slow. Bluetooth LE or Bluetooth 4.0 is different. Apple has been including it in their devices for a while now and they managed to find ways to make it work for you. AirPlay, Handoff, Continuity are some of the new features in iOS 8 and OS X Yosemite and they are pretty awesome if you ask an Apple user. Even better, ask any Windows or Chromebook/Android user and they will tell you the same if they choose to go over their pride. 
 
Going back to NFC, if Apple really includes it in the iPhone, will it matter that much? Yes, it will! NFC will finally gain its glory. Not because the iPhone has it, but because 70 million people around the world will have it in their pocket. Developers will be interested in using it in their apps and the users will know that their info is securely stored. 
 
You probably did not use the mobile payments feature on your Android device because there was always the fear of losing your money. Apple's A8 chipset will probably feature the Secure Enclave feature. Everything will be stored inside the processor and only your fingerprint will unlock it. Is that secure enough for you to trust a mobile payment system?
 
How about the sapphire glass display? Will the iPhone cost thousands of dollars? Will it look like it was designed in the year 2000? No! You are going to get an elegant looking phone that can be yours for 2-300 bucks (with a Carrier Subscription) and it will be resistant enough not to get scratched in your pocket. 
 
Apple innovates when it needs to and for the rest it just includes a feature when it is perfect. Apple did not invent any of the above, but it will give its users a better product and a much better experience. After all, it's not about your phone having an IR blaster in 2014, it's about using that for a good purpose.