One of the aspects of the express train which drives new media/communication device technological advances that I find simultaneously annoying yet awe-inspiring is the ever-decreasing length of time that anything remains new, anymore.
In a remarkably short period of time we have gone from buying laptops at high end prices as a several year investment to almost seeing them as disposable after a year, or two. Things change so quickly that your machine is out of touch and second class very quickly, sometimes in mere months. The tech geeks and the marketing machine have never been more in sync, with one moving so fast that the other barely has finished the campaign for the last model before they have to ramp up a new campaign for the next model!
Naturally, the perhaps most aggressively moving device area is the now ubiquitous smartphone segment. The smartphone wars are alive and well, thank you very much, and it has almost become a legal sport for two giants (Apple and Samsung) to lock horns in court. The jury is still out on who will be the ultimate victor in this war, but as of today in early 2013, it seems that Apple has held onto its edge, with Samsung snapping at its heels. For now.
But Tim Cook is under some pressure, and the rumors that Apple, again, will not be releasing a brand new model (iPhone6) but will instead release an interim model (iPhone5S) is far from encouraging. Apple was heavily reliant on the aggressive design ethos and demand for excellence of Steve Jobs, and he is being sorely missed it appears. The imminent showcase of Samsung's new Galaxy SIV (to be unveiled next week in NYC) might well be the moment that Samsung finally takes the lead in this war for world dominance. They have already taken a bite out of the apple, but now seem ready to swallow it whole.
Samsung Galaxy SIII was only released last year, and here we are again, ready for Galaxy SIV?! It's all very well, but the thing that irritates an old school guy like me is that when I buy something super cool, I buy it to last. The smarter among us realize that it all really comes down to brilliance in marketing, and no question, Samsung are doing a great job at making new devices seem irresistibly desirable. It's all about the newest model, and who has it first, and who gets all the envious stares in the coffee shop or across the bar.
But you know, my Samsung Galaxy SII is a tremendous device that already combines my two prerequisites - cool aesthetics and hot functionality. Yes, it no longer turns the apples green as it did when I first procured it, but the SIII and SIV take care of that for sure. It comes down to simple economics, really. Why spend more money on a slightly differently-shaped newly-tweaked model, when mine works beautifully and I am barely a year into a three year plan?
This raises another important issue - the ridiculous herding of smartphone users into three year plan commitments in order to get a decent price on the phone. This outdated trend has actually been rendered anathema to the consumer because the new models are coming at the rate of three in three years, yet we must commit to our phone for those three years? Technological advances and the rapid appearance of new models are not catered to by the service providers, who need to rethink their business model.
I do enjoy watching the Apple-Samsung wars though, and if rumors are to believed, the new SIV is gonna give you some serious bang for your buck, and kick some royal Apple ass at the same time. There's whispers of an almost five inch screen that is unbreakable, a new fancy camera that will allow 360 degree shots, eye-tracking technology that will turn the page automatically as your eyes reach the bottom, and although it might be more fantasy than reality, it may include the powerhouse Exynos 5250 quad-core processor. In any case, it's sure to at least come with the Snapdragon 1.9GHz Qualcom processor, and you know, 2GHz until fairly recently was considered red-hot for even a laptop! Bottom line - it's gonna be real fast!
The Samsung Galaxy SIV is the future and it's here already. Quite how Apple are going to tackle this new beast remains to be seen, but one thing that's great about this war is that it drives the delivery of uber-cool new smartphones into our hands at record pace. Much as I like it, I refuse to buy into it totally. So I buy one new model when it is issued, fall in love with it, and then ignore the next one or two models that follow it, and then maybe when the fourth one appears, I become all new and shiny once again.
Call me old-fashioned, but I don't like the smartphone, or computer, or smart TV, or even (or especially!) the new car which I buy suddenly feeling old/redundant a mere year later! I prefer to buy something cool and look after it, and this can in fact turn just as many heads years later. It's also a question of being happy with what you have, and not being obsessed by trends and the marketing machine.
What's the upside? Well, in design especially, what goes around comes around. In cars and phones, one model year it may be that sharp lines and boxier looks are in, then it's all about curves and colors. I am quite sure in a year or two (when it has been more or less forgotten) someone is gonna stare across the counter and ask "Oh my God, is that the new Samsung Galaxy model? I love it, it's so beautiful!".
It's only a matter of time, I think. And speaking of time, it surely is time for a mug of my new favorite brew - the Pharoah's Signature Dark Chocolate Roast, all the way from Egypt! ;) - Kevin Mc
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