1 00:00:00,520 --> 00:00:03,199 Speaker 1: Brought to you by the two thousand twelve Toyota Camry. 2 00:00:03,480 --> 00:00:06,760 Speaker 1: Hey there, tech stuff listeners, This is Jonathan Strickland, and 3 00:00:07,000 --> 00:00:09,080 Speaker 1: I wanted to talk to you a little bit about 4 00:00:09,119 --> 00:00:11,600 Speaker 1: something cool going on at how stuff works right now. 5 00:00:11,840 --> 00:00:14,200 Speaker 1: I know all of you guys are really creative and 6 00:00:14,240 --> 00:00:16,720 Speaker 1: you love technology. Well, now you can show us what 7 00:00:16,800 --> 00:00:19,680 Speaker 1: you're made of because Toyota is sponsoring a new photo 8 00:00:19,760 --> 00:00:22,439 Speaker 1: upload widget over at how stuff works dot com. You 9 00:00:22,480 --> 00:00:27,440 Speaker 1: can share your gadget ideas, modifications, hacks, some great tech ideas. 10 00:00:27,680 --> 00:00:29,800 Speaker 1: Show us what you're made of. Let us know how 11 00:00:29,840 --> 00:00:33,400 Speaker 1: creative you are. You can go to www dot how 12 00:00:33,479 --> 00:00:37,640 Speaker 1: stuff works dot com, slash upgrade your tech and upload 13 00:00:37,640 --> 00:00:39,600 Speaker 1: those photos. Now we want to see what you got. 14 00:00:42,040 --> 00:00:45,040 Speaker 1: Get in touch with technology with tech stuff from how 15 00:00:45,120 --> 00:00:53,360 Speaker 1: stuff works dot com. Hello again, everyone, and welcome to 16 00:00:53,440 --> 00:00:55,520 Speaker 1: tex Stuff. My name is Chris Polette and I'm an 17 00:00:55,600 --> 00:00:58,280 Speaker 1: editor at how stuff works dot com. Sitting crush me 18 00:00:58,320 --> 00:01:00,720 Speaker 1: as usual mostly because I I prefer to keep an 19 00:01:00,760 --> 00:01:07,240 Speaker 1: eye on and is senior writer Jonathan Strickland. Hey there, So, yeah, 20 00:01:07,240 --> 00:01:12,880 Speaker 1: this week as of the week we're recording this. Uh, 21 00:01:12,959 --> 00:01:19,880 Speaker 1: there was a highly hyped event that UM was sort 22 00:01:19,920 --> 00:01:25,240 Speaker 1: of met with UM shrug, a big shrug by the 23 00:01:25,240 --> 00:01:28,240 Speaker 1: the community of people who pay attention to these things. 24 00:01:28,280 --> 00:01:31,840 Speaker 1: That was all in caps attention to these things. UM. 25 00:01:31,920 --> 00:01:37,720 Speaker 1: And that would be the the release of Apple's iPhone five. Um. 26 00:01:38,040 --> 00:01:41,440 Speaker 1: And of course Apple has done Regardless of whether you 27 00:01:41,520 --> 00:01:44,560 Speaker 1: like the company and what it does or not, I 28 00:01:44,600 --> 00:01:47,560 Speaker 1: think it's safe to admit that Apple has done a 29 00:01:47,560 --> 00:01:50,760 Speaker 1: a good job of marketing it's stuff to the point 30 00:01:50,800 --> 00:01:53,040 Speaker 1: where I know, but there are going to be people who, 31 00:01:53,400 --> 00:01:56,960 Speaker 1: you know, Apple is terrible and Steve Jobs was awful, 32 00:01:57,080 --> 00:01:59,640 Speaker 1: blah blah blah. Now I'm when I'm trying to get 33 00:01:59,680 --> 00:02:02,080 Speaker 1: at is They've been a good a good enough job 34 00:02:02,120 --> 00:02:05,240 Speaker 1: at marketing new products to the point where people tune 35 00:02:05,280 --> 00:02:09,320 Speaker 1: in in large numbers, including the tech media, to press 36 00:02:09,360 --> 00:02:13,600 Speaker 1: releases for brand new products. Yeah, the tech world stops 37 00:02:14,000 --> 00:02:19,359 Speaker 1: when Apple makes an announcement, and it's it's every every 38 00:02:19,360 --> 00:02:25,280 Speaker 1: tech uh news site that I follow. Everyone had either 39 00:02:25,360 --> 00:02:29,880 Speaker 1: a live blog or some sort of live commentary about 40 00:02:30,040 --> 00:02:32,640 Speaker 1: what was going on over at Apple, including our buddies 41 00:02:32,680 --> 00:02:36,160 Speaker 1: over at Revision three. You know they did it. They 42 00:02:36,160 --> 00:02:38,480 Speaker 1: were covering it up all that as well and giving 43 00:02:38,480 --> 00:02:42,480 Speaker 1: reaction and giving analysis to the point where you're really 44 00:02:42,600 --> 00:02:46,000 Speaker 1: you know, these are events, these press events, are are 45 00:02:46,160 --> 00:02:50,560 Speaker 1: events with a capital E, because I mean, there are 46 00:02:50,600 --> 00:02:53,480 Speaker 1: some people who kind of where does a badge of 47 00:02:53,600 --> 00:02:59,120 Speaker 1: honor that they are invited to go to these Apple events. 48 00:02:59,120 --> 00:03:02,640 Speaker 1: Some people have law lost that privilege. Uh, and it 49 00:03:02,680 --> 00:03:05,040 Speaker 1: almost feels like it's a kind of punishment in a way, 50 00:03:05,080 --> 00:03:08,799 Speaker 1: like you've been banished from the land of tech, turn away, 51 00:03:08,960 --> 00:03:12,880 Speaker 1: never to return. Um. It's it's a big deal. But 52 00:03:13,200 --> 00:03:16,320 Speaker 1: the reason why we're even talking about now is because 53 00:03:16,600 --> 00:03:18,880 Speaker 1: a lot of the reaction, not all of it, but 54 00:03:18,919 --> 00:03:21,760 Speaker 1: a lot of the reaction, particularly from the media to 55 00:03:21,880 --> 00:03:27,320 Speaker 1: the iPhone announcement was sort of this, well, okay, you know, 56 00:03:27,360 --> 00:03:30,239 Speaker 1: not that not that the iPhone five is a bad 57 00:03:30,320 --> 00:03:33,919 Speaker 1: product or is in any way deficient, but just that 58 00:03:34,280 --> 00:03:37,480 Speaker 1: it did not blow everyone's socks off, Which is kind 59 00:03:37,480 --> 00:03:41,520 Speaker 1: of an interesting thing to talk about, because before the 60 00:03:41,520 --> 00:03:46,440 Speaker 1: Apple announcement, there were other press events from other companies 61 00:03:46,840 --> 00:03:50,960 Speaker 1: about upcoming phones, like Nakia having some Windows eight phones 62 00:03:51,040 --> 00:03:54,760 Speaker 1: coming out, and again, the reaction from a lot of 63 00:03:54,760 --> 00:03:57,600 Speaker 1: the tech media was sort of like, all right, that's interesting. 64 00:03:57,760 --> 00:04:00,560 Speaker 1: You know, no one was falling over themselves, and and 65 00:04:00,600 --> 00:04:03,040 Speaker 1: that would not be a big deal at all, except 66 00:04:03,080 --> 00:04:07,160 Speaker 1: for the fact that Apple when it first launched the iPhone, 67 00:04:08,200 --> 00:04:12,400 Speaker 1: really brought the house down. Same thing with the iPad, 68 00:04:12,880 --> 00:04:16,799 Speaker 1: that that when when these new products came out, they 69 00:04:16,920 --> 00:04:22,200 Speaker 1: dramatically energized the tech industry, both from the journalist point 70 00:04:22,200 --> 00:04:25,279 Speaker 1: of view and from the consumer point of view. Because 71 00:04:25,320 --> 00:04:28,159 Speaker 1: like it or not, even if you hate Apple products, 72 00:04:28,480 --> 00:04:33,080 Speaker 1: you cannot deny that Apple is the company that created 73 00:04:33,120 --> 00:04:39,479 Speaker 1: the markets for consumer smartphones and for tablets. Because before 74 00:04:39,880 --> 00:04:43,880 Speaker 1: the iPhone came out, smartphones were pretty much just in 75 00:04:44,000 --> 00:04:49,800 Speaker 1: the world of enterprise. You had uh professionals mostly executives, 76 00:04:49,839 --> 00:04:53,560 Speaker 1: carrying around smartphones, and you had a few uh cutting edge, 77 00:04:53,600 --> 00:04:58,000 Speaker 1: like bleeding edge early adopters who loved them, but everyone 78 00:04:58,040 --> 00:05:01,599 Speaker 1: else just carried around, you know, feature phones what we 79 00:05:01,640 --> 00:05:04,600 Speaker 1: call feature phones now or just dumb phones if you want. 80 00:05:05,240 --> 00:05:09,680 Speaker 1: But then the iPhone call I often would call mine 81 00:05:09,680 --> 00:05:12,719 Speaker 1: a dumb phone. But then Apple comes out with the iPhone, 82 00:05:13,800 --> 00:05:19,360 Speaker 1: shows off this amazing design, beautiful touch screen interface. They 83 00:05:19,400 --> 00:05:22,680 Speaker 1: just they nailed everything they needed to to hit in 84 00:05:22,839 --> 00:05:27,520 Speaker 1: order to appeal to consumers, and that's what started this 85 00:05:27,680 --> 00:05:32,160 Speaker 1: tide of change where suddenly average people were going out 86 00:05:32,200 --> 00:05:37,440 Speaker 1: and buying smartphones, not just executives or super geeky tech lovers. 87 00:05:38,040 --> 00:05:40,760 Speaker 1: The same thing with the iPad. Before the iPad came out, 88 00:05:41,200 --> 00:05:43,960 Speaker 1: nobody bought a tablet unless they were in a very 89 00:05:44,000 --> 00:05:48,200 Speaker 1: specific field or again they were an early adopter, you know, 90 00:05:48,360 --> 00:05:50,520 Speaker 1: just tablets. Just that was one of those form factors 91 00:05:50,520 --> 00:05:53,400 Speaker 1: that no one had gotten right and and a lot 92 00:05:53,480 --> 00:05:57,880 Speaker 1: of people, including myself famously at least in the history 93 00:05:57,880 --> 00:06:01,760 Speaker 1: of tech stuff, wrote off to Apple. It's Apple comes 94 00:06:01,800 --> 00:06:06,920 Speaker 1: in again. Shows a very consumer friendly way of creating 95 00:06:06,920 --> 00:06:09,760 Speaker 1: a tablet with a beautiful design and a great interface. 96 00:06:10,800 --> 00:06:14,479 Speaker 1: So bringing the house down. You know, they had set 97 00:06:14,560 --> 00:06:18,200 Speaker 1: that that standard. The iPod Touch was also a big hit. 98 00:06:18,360 --> 00:06:21,160 Speaker 1: I mean, they had done so many things that were 99 00:06:22,240 --> 00:06:26,400 Speaker 1: really attractive that we kind of got used to Apple 100 00:06:26,960 --> 00:06:30,440 Speaker 1: bringing down the house with their announcements, and it's become 101 00:06:30,480 --> 00:06:34,760 Speaker 1: sort something of an expectation, and it's getting increasingly difficult 102 00:06:34,920 --> 00:06:39,160 Speaker 1: for Apple to live up to that expectation by adding 103 00:06:39,279 --> 00:06:44,599 Speaker 1: improvements to a previous generation of technology. Yeah, well, it's 104 00:06:44,600 --> 00:06:50,760 Speaker 1: funny because, um, those were the comments that greeted the 105 00:06:50,760 --> 00:06:54,960 Speaker 1: the iPhone three G three gs uh, the iPhone four 106 00:06:55,279 --> 00:06:58,080 Speaker 1: s UM, and the iPhone four was enough of a 107 00:06:58,200 --> 00:07:03,080 Speaker 1: dramatic change that I think kind of kind of excited people. 108 00:07:03,080 --> 00:07:06,479 Speaker 1: But the forest I remember distinctly when the forest came out, 109 00:07:06,560 --> 00:07:10,000 Speaker 1: and people were very dismissive of it. Yeah, they were 110 00:07:10,000 --> 00:07:13,640 Speaker 1: expecting the iPhone five, and it was more about the 111 00:07:13,720 --> 00:07:15,960 Speaker 1: changes were more about the insides of the phone than 112 00:07:16,000 --> 00:07:20,160 Speaker 1: the outside, which you know, are important but are not 113 00:07:20,200 --> 00:07:24,560 Speaker 1: as sexy as a new form factor that really captures 114 00:07:24,880 --> 00:07:28,880 Speaker 1: the the eye and imagination of the public. Well. And 115 00:07:29,000 --> 00:07:33,320 Speaker 1: I think I think it's it's pretty clear to me 116 00:07:33,480 --> 00:07:37,280 Speaker 1: that the people who argue that UM design is just 117 00:07:37,360 --> 00:07:43,760 Speaker 1: superficial UM, I think they're that that doesn't necessarily prove 118 00:07:43,800 --> 00:07:47,720 Speaker 1: them wrong, but it it it proves them mostly wrong 119 00:07:47,840 --> 00:07:51,800 Speaker 1: that you know, design does matter to people UM and UH. 120 00:07:52,200 --> 00:07:54,040 Speaker 1: But I don't think they're completely wrong either, because I 121 00:07:54,040 --> 00:07:57,840 Speaker 1: think if you had a very beautiful phone that didn't 122 00:07:57,880 --> 00:08:00,440 Speaker 1: do as much, it's not going to sell as well either. 123 00:08:00,880 --> 00:08:03,760 Speaker 1: So it was, you know, the iPhone, the original iPhone 124 00:08:03,840 --> 00:08:08,119 Speaker 1: was that combination of hey, this looks nice and uh, 125 00:08:08,160 --> 00:08:12,440 Speaker 1: it does you know, smartphone stuff UM for the public. 126 00:08:12,800 --> 00:08:16,400 Speaker 1: So Jonathan and I were talking about beforehand, and UH said, 127 00:08:16,440 --> 00:08:18,400 Speaker 1: you know, when when we were picking topics this week. 128 00:08:18,440 --> 00:08:21,400 Speaker 1: We didn't want to do an iPhone five recap, but 129 00:08:21,480 --> 00:08:24,120 Speaker 1: so many other people have have done this, including our 130 00:08:24,120 --> 00:08:27,400 Speaker 1: colleagues over at Revision three. UM. They did such a 131 00:08:27,440 --> 00:08:30,640 Speaker 1: great job of covering the release and that the features 132 00:08:30,680 --> 00:08:33,280 Speaker 1: and all the the the good stuff about the phone, 133 00:08:33,280 --> 00:08:35,199 Speaker 1: that we didn't really want to do an episode specifically 134 00:08:35,240 --> 00:08:40,400 Speaker 1: devoted to the iPhone five. UM, but we you know this, 135 00:08:40,400 --> 00:08:42,439 Speaker 1: this was sort of what what triggered it. And actually 136 00:08:42,679 --> 00:08:45,920 Speaker 1: what I noticed beforehand, before it was even launched, was 137 00:08:46,080 --> 00:08:49,160 Speaker 1: Stephen Chanklin's piece over at c net where he said, 138 00:08:49,200 --> 00:08:52,200 Speaker 1: you know, look, this is this is the time and 139 00:08:52,400 --> 00:08:57,520 Speaker 1: smartphones when you're kind of gonna expect that there there's 140 00:08:57,520 --> 00:08:59,680 Speaker 1: not gonna be a lot of groundbreaking new stuff, even 141 00:08:59,720 --> 00:09:03,559 Speaker 1: from Apple, And he was right, Shaklin. Shanklin's article is 142 00:09:03,600 --> 00:09:07,360 Speaker 1: titled the whole hum era of smartphones has begun and yeah, 143 00:09:07,360 --> 00:09:10,080 Speaker 1: and I think by and large he's he's got a 144 00:09:10,120 --> 00:09:13,200 Speaker 1: point that that we're sort of in the evolutionary era 145 00:09:13,360 --> 00:09:16,480 Speaker 1: rather than the revolutionary era, because the iPhone five is 146 00:09:16,720 --> 00:09:19,760 Speaker 1: is thinner. Um, it looks a lot like the iPhone 147 00:09:19,800 --> 00:09:23,079 Speaker 1: for its taller. It's taller. It does give you more 148 00:09:23,160 --> 00:09:25,959 Speaker 1: screen space, and that's one of those things that people 149 00:09:25,960 --> 00:09:29,679 Speaker 1: seem to like about I would say semi revolutionary phones 150 00:09:29,760 --> 00:09:36,120 Speaker 1: like the Samsung uh Galaxy Um, well, the Galaxy Note, 151 00:09:36,120 --> 00:09:41,800 Speaker 1: which is a huge one fabulet yeah, one of those yeah, 152 00:09:41,840 --> 00:09:46,960 Speaker 1: and the the three, the Galaxy three, which is one 153 00:09:46,960 --> 00:09:50,200 Speaker 1: of those two a pretty darn large size screen. The 154 00:09:50,240 --> 00:09:53,800 Speaker 1: iPhone five has a smaller screen than it does um 155 00:09:53,960 --> 00:09:57,960 Speaker 1: more pixels, nine aspect ratio, yeah, and so great for 156 00:09:57,960 --> 00:10:01,280 Speaker 1: watching movies, but not necessarily for surfing the web. So 157 00:10:01,440 --> 00:10:04,800 Speaker 1: the stuff that you're seeing is you know, larger or 158 00:10:04,800 --> 00:10:09,640 Speaker 1: smaller screen size, as you're seeing more pixels in that screen, 159 00:10:09,679 --> 00:10:13,599 Speaker 1: more screen elements, if you will, um, more network capability, 160 00:10:13,640 --> 00:10:17,240 Speaker 1: because now the iPhone five has LTE, but then, as 161 00:10:17,360 --> 00:10:19,560 Speaker 1: many people have pointed out, other phones have had an 162 00:10:19,640 --> 00:10:22,920 Speaker 1: LTE for a while. Apple has famously been slow to 163 00:10:23,000 --> 00:10:28,840 Speaker 1: adopt new wireless technologies, uh in order to make sure 164 00:10:28,880 --> 00:10:32,959 Speaker 1: they don't sacrifice the customer experience. That's the story. That's 165 00:10:33,000 --> 00:10:36,120 Speaker 1: their story, and I pretty much buy it. Pretty much 166 00:10:36,160 --> 00:10:38,320 Speaker 1: buy that the idea that, well, we could, but if 167 00:10:38,360 --> 00:10:41,160 Speaker 1: we incorporate that without first making sure we have the 168 00:10:41,160 --> 00:10:44,720 Speaker 1: best battery available, then your experience is going to be. 169 00:10:45,080 --> 00:10:47,240 Speaker 1: This phone was really fast for about an hour and 170 00:10:47,240 --> 00:10:48,920 Speaker 1: then I had to plug it in. Well. Yeah, and 171 00:10:48,960 --> 00:10:52,280 Speaker 1: battery life is another thing that they that that provides 172 00:10:52,320 --> 00:10:55,720 Speaker 1: an incremental change, but it you know, it could look 173 00:10:55,720 --> 00:10:58,560 Speaker 1: exactly like last year's phone and have two more hours 174 00:10:58,600 --> 00:11:02,480 Speaker 1: of battery life. And that's the big news for this year, 175 00:11:02,559 --> 00:11:07,160 Speaker 1: really battery And again, this is something that applies to 176 00:11:07,520 --> 00:11:11,199 Speaker 1: all smartphones. We're using the iPhone five as the example 177 00:11:11,240 --> 00:11:14,240 Speaker 1: because this was it was the hot news the week 178 00:11:14,280 --> 00:11:15,920 Speaker 1: when we're recording this. Of course, by the time you 179 00:11:15,920 --> 00:11:17,840 Speaker 1: guys listen to this, you'll probably sick of iPhone five 180 00:11:17,840 --> 00:11:22,080 Speaker 1: news anyway. But the idea being that that all phones 181 00:11:22,120 --> 00:11:28,480 Speaker 1: are having this problem where the the incremental improvements aren't 182 00:11:28,559 --> 00:11:32,520 Speaker 1: quite enough to capture the imagination the way the introduction 183 00:11:32,559 --> 00:11:34,880 Speaker 1: of the iPhone or the introduction of the first Android 184 00:11:34,880 --> 00:11:38,000 Speaker 1: phone uh could, or or even the introduction of the 185 00:11:38,000 --> 00:11:41,520 Speaker 1: first Windows eight phone. Um, these were our events that 186 00:11:41,640 --> 00:11:45,599 Speaker 1: sort of, uh make a big splash, and then afterward, 187 00:11:45,720 --> 00:11:50,040 Speaker 1: you know, you can't you can't just keep on radically 188 00:11:50,080 --> 00:11:54,760 Speaker 1: redesigning your products and expect to build a level of 189 00:11:54,800 --> 00:11:57,440 Speaker 1: brand recognition and brand loyalty. I mean, every time you 190 00:11:57,480 --> 00:12:01,000 Speaker 1: redesign something radically, you're losing people. Now you might be 191 00:12:01,040 --> 00:12:04,239 Speaker 1: able to gain more people than you lose with that redesign, 192 00:12:04,320 --> 00:12:08,640 Speaker 1: but it's a it's a risk. Um, it's an interesting problem. 193 00:12:08,679 --> 00:12:12,760 Speaker 1: I mean, when you think about it, I respect Shanklin's point, 194 00:12:12,880 --> 00:12:14,760 Speaker 1: and and he's not the only one who wrote about. 195 00:12:15,840 --> 00:12:18,600 Speaker 1: Roger Ching also have seen it. Wrote an article called 196 00:12:18,640 --> 00:12:21,360 Speaker 1: ho hum, the iPhone five isn't going to wow anyone, 197 00:12:21,520 --> 00:12:24,520 Speaker 1: so it became who hum week over at seen that. Uh, 198 00:12:24,760 --> 00:12:27,400 Speaker 1: I love you guys over there and seen it anyway, 199 00:12:27,600 --> 00:12:33,920 Speaker 1: the very nice people who work there and very smart 200 00:12:33,920 --> 00:12:38,120 Speaker 1: as well. Anyway, he was writing about the general reaction 201 00:12:38,160 --> 00:12:43,040 Speaker 1: to the iPhone five. But I would caution people against 202 00:12:43,880 --> 00:12:49,160 Speaker 1: writing off the smartphone form factor and and feature set 203 00:12:49,600 --> 00:12:53,040 Speaker 1: as being pretty much all we're going to get from 204 00:12:53,080 --> 00:12:56,640 Speaker 1: here on out right, Like I mean, with incremental improvements 205 00:12:56,640 --> 00:13:01,200 Speaker 1: at end stuff that you know, screen resolution, processor speed, 206 00:13:01,280 --> 00:13:05,200 Speaker 1: battery life, networking capability, that kind of stuff. You know, 207 00:13:05,280 --> 00:13:10,960 Speaker 1: maybe NFC capability. Apple's Apple has not jumped on that train, 208 00:13:11,080 --> 00:13:13,160 Speaker 1: and and it may very well be the NFC doesn't 209 00:13:13,160 --> 00:13:17,359 Speaker 1: go anywhere. Near field communication or NFC is uh basically 210 00:13:17,400 --> 00:13:22,240 Speaker 1: like it has a little uh communication device inside the 211 00:13:22,360 --> 00:13:25,120 Speaker 1: phone or or tablet. Actually the next to seven s 212 00:13:25,240 --> 00:13:28,360 Speaker 1: NFC and um, yeah, and it can be used for 213 00:13:29,320 --> 00:13:32,520 Speaker 1: most famously, it's used for financial transactions. So if you're 214 00:13:32,559 --> 00:13:36,120 Speaker 1: close enough to a reader at the cash register, you 215 00:13:36,160 --> 00:13:39,120 Speaker 1: pay with your phone by your your credit card. Information 216 00:13:39,200 --> 00:13:41,200 Speaker 1: is in your phone or I guess it could be 217 00:13:41,200 --> 00:13:44,480 Speaker 1: a bank. Information is in the phone. You wiggle it 218 00:13:44,920 --> 00:13:48,520 Speaker 1: within ten inches of a reader and even closer. I 219 00:13:48,559 --> 00:13:50,600 Speaker 1: think it's a couple of centimeters. But yes, but I'm 220 00:13:50,640 --> 00:13:52,600 Speaker 1: I'm yeah, I was sorry, You're right, it is. It 221 00:13:52,679 --> 00:13:55,800 Speaker 1: is shorter than that, so it's really near field communication. 222 00:13:55,840 --> 00:13:58,679 Speaker 1: But that that's people were speculating before the iPhone five 223 00:13:58,760 --> 00:14:01,719 Speaker 1: launched will be to speak the time that Apple does this, 224 00:14:02,040 --> 00:14:04,840 Speaker 1: and actually they did on on iOS six. They have 225 00:14:05,040 --> 00:14:11,319 Speaker 1: a a manager for things like tickets and other information 226 00:14:11,559 --> 00:14:14,920 Speaker 1: for events, you know, plane tickets or or event tickets 227 00:14:15,320 --> 00:14:18,440 Speaker 1: and things like that. And it's and it doesn't loyalty 228 00:14:18,559 --> 00:14:20,520 Speaker 1: cards for certain things. But yeah, it does not have 229 00:14:20,680 --> 00:14:23,040 Speaker 1: NFC build into it. And and NFC can also be 230 00:14:23,120 --> 00:14:26,200 Speaker 1: used to send communication between devices for things like you're 231 00:14:26,240 --> 00:14:28,400 Speaker 1: running an app, your friends running the same app. You 232 00:14:28,440 --> 00:14:31,760 Speaker 1: want to share some experience across that, whether it's a 233 00:14:31,840 --> 00:14:36,240 Speaker 1: game or music app or whatever. Tapping the two diss 234 00:14:37,000 --> 00:14:40,560 Speaker 1: business card information a great example. Um. But yeah, the 235 00:14:40,600 --> 00:14:42,760 Speaker 1: iPhone five does not include that, but other phones do 236 00:14:42,840 --> 00:14:46,160 Speaker 1: include it. And again these are things that partially I 237 00:14:46,160 --> 00:14:48,440 Speaker 1: would say the NFC is not as big a deal 238 00:14:48,480 --> 00:14:53,480 Speaker 1: because you don't see widespread adoption in retail establishments yet, 239 00:14:53,840 --> 00:14:57,880 Speaker 1: so and we may never see it. But in other words, 240 00:14:57,920 --> 00:15:01,600 Speaker 1: the utility of NFC is limited because it does not 241 00:15:01,760 --> 00:15:04,880 Speaker 1: have wide adoption. Yeah, and I think the biggest thing 242 00:15:04,920 --> 00:15:08,400 Speaker 1: I've seen as far as news this week, and again 243 00:15:08,440 --> 00:15:10,960 Speaker 1: this is less than a week after the announcement, is uh, 244 00:15:11,120 --> 00:15:15,840 Speaker 1: the brewjaha over Apple's new connector because they abandoned the 245 00:15:15,840 --> 00:15:18,360 Speaker 1: thirty pin connector. But the connector they have now, you 246 00:15:18,360 --> 00:15:20,840 Speaker 1: know one thing that is nice about it. You can 247 00:15:20,840 --> 00:15:23,200 Speaker 1: plug it in any way you want. Yeah, Like, there's 248 00:15:23,240 --> 00:15:24,960 Speaker 1: not a there's not a right way and a wrong 249 00:15:24,960 --> 00:15:27,200 Speaker 1: way to plug it in other than you know, make 250 00:15:27,200 --> 00:15:30,920 Speaker 1: sure the plug goes into the board. Yeah. Yeah, it 251 00:15:31,000 --> 00:15:33,440 Speaker 1: can be plugged in either right side up or upside down, 252 00:15:33,440 --> 00:15:35,240 Speaker 1: because there is no right side up or upside down. 253 00:15:35,280 --> 00:15:38,640 Speaker 1: But the thing is, um, people are saying that it's 254 00:15:38,640 --> 00:15:42,080 Speaker 1: not a it's a proprietary connector. It's not um, you know, 255 00:15:42,120 --> 00:15:43,920 Speaker 1: a form of USB and it's not like many or 256 00:15:43,960 --> 00:15:46,760 Speaker 1: micro USB. Right, So people are saying that Apple is 257 00:15:46,880 --> 00:15:49,720 Speaker 1: arrogant because they're using their own proprietary connector. Of course 258 00:15:49,800 --> 00:15:52,120 Speaker 1: micro and many USB has to be plugged in a 259 00:15:52,160 --> 00:15:59,120 Speaker 1: certain way. And also Apple is nowhere near alone in that. Yeah, 260 00:15:59,240 --> 00:16:03,680 Speaker 1: well the thing is um this argument and the recent 261 00:16:03,840 --> 00:16:09,440 Speaker 1: patent arguments, the Samsung Apple stuff where they were talking 262 00:16:09,480 --> 00:16:13,720 Speaker 1: about whether or not a Samsung device was easily confused 263 00:16:13,720 --> 00:16:15,680 Speaker 1: with an Apple device because it did or did not 264 00:16:15,800 --> 00:16:20,760 Speaker 1: have rounded corners or sharp corners or you know, these 265 00:16:20,920 --> 00:16:23,880 Speaker 1: are that I think these are the kinds of emblematic 266 00:16:24,000 --> 00:16:29,040 Speaker 1: things that really have to do with this. They're really 267 00:16:29,240 --> 00:16:31,600 Speaker 1: the kinds of things that we're talking about. We're talking 268 00:16:31,600 --> 00:16:35,200 Speaker 1: about whether or not there's innovation going on in the smartphones, 269 00:16:35,560 --> 00:16:38,920 Speaker 1: because in a way, Apple's new connector is innovative because 270 00:16:38,920 --> 00:16:41,840 Speaker 1: it can be plugged in UM. You know, you don't 271 00:16:41,840 --> 00:16:43,720 Speaker 1: have to look at it. You basically look at it 272 00:16:43,720 --> 00:16:47,080 Speaker 1: and see if it goes in the slaught or not. UM, 273 00:16:47,360 --> 00:16:50,440 Speaker 1: it's kind of innovative. It also makes a lot of 274 00:16:50,520 --> 00:16:55,720 Speaker 1: older peripherals obsolete, although there's an adapter for that, but 275 00:16:55,880 --> 00:16:59,120 Speaker 1: it still doesn't help with like docs. Yeah, like if 276 00:16:59,160 --> 00:17:02,560 Speaker 1: you have a an alarm clock dock that's designed for 277 00:17:02,680 --> 00:17:05,959 Speaker 1: the uh, you can't use the new iPhone with it, 278 00:17:06,080 --> 00:17:08,320 Speaker 1: right because because by the time you plug the adapter in, 279 00:17:08,400 --> 00:17:12,040 Speaker 1: it won't fit in the dock anymore. So so this 280 00:17:12,240 --> 00:17:14,480 Speaker 1: and I'm saying I have one of those or that 281 00:17:14,560 --> 00:17:17,720 Speaker 1: I h that's the reason why I was late today. Okay, 282 00:17:18,200 --> 00:17:19,920 Speaker 1: all right, you know you just had to get here 283 00:17:19,960 --> 00:17:22,880 Speaker 1: on time. It's on that um. But yeah, I mean 284 00:17:23,040 --> 00:17:25,960 Speaker 1: you're talking about rounded corner versus square corner, or is 285 00:17:26,119 --> 00:17:28,560 Speaker 1: does it have a bigger or smaller screen size? Or 286 00:17:29,960 --> 00:17:32,720 Speaker 1: you know what, what kinds of things would it take 287 00:17:32,880 --> 00:17:37,439 Speaker 1: at this point to make a smartphone really revolutionary? And 288 00:17:37,440 --> 00:17:39,880 Speaker 1: go wow, that is unlike anything else. And I don't 289 00:17:39,880 --> 00:17:42,439 Speaker 1: care what carrier it is or who makes it or 290 00:17:42,440 --> 00:17:45,080 Speaker 1: what operating system is, I've got to have this. See 291 00:17:45,119 --> 00:17:47,320 Speaker 1: that that's and that was Shanklin's point was that we 292 00:17:47,359 --> 00:17:49,959 Speaker 1: have reached this era where there isn't anything like that now. 293 00:17:50,000 --> 00:17:52,840 Speaker 1: I would caution people to that line of thinking because 294 00:17:53,480 --> 00:17:55,720 Speaker 1: every time we think that we've got to handle on 295 00:17:55,800 --> 00:17:58,200 Speaker 1: how stuff is going to be from here on out, 296 00:17:58,359 --> 00:18:03,040 Speaker 1: Someone some brilliant, brilliant personnel there comes up with a 297 00:18:03,040 --> 00:18:06,679 Speaker 1: new way of doing something, and next thing we know, 298 00:18:06,840 --> 00:18:09,600 Speaker 1: we're all like, wow, I never would have imagined it, 299 00:18:09,640 --> 00:18:13,000 Speaker 1: and now I can't imagine myself without that, you know. 300 00:18:13,080 --> 00:18:16,000 Speaker 1: So there there's still the chance that someone is going 301 00:18:16,000 --> 00:18:18,800 Speaker 1: to innovate in the smartphone space in such a way 302 00:18:18,880 --> 00:18:23,200 Speaker 1: that it really is truly innovative. It's not just an 303 00:18:23,200 --> 00:18:28,800 Speaker 1: iterative iterative approach to improvement. UM. It just I don't 304 00:18:28,800 --> 00:18:31,240 Speaker 1: know what that is. I'm not I'm not in that 305 00:18:31,240 --> 00:18:34,280 Speaker 1: that mind space, right, I can't really think like that. So, 306 00:18:34,680 --> 00:18:37,439 Speaker 1: but I'm not willing to completely write it off. However, 307 00:18:38,040 --> 00:18:42,240 Speaker 1: I do agree that those opportunities are gonna come fewer 308 00:18:42,280 --> 00:18:47,840 Speaker 1: and far far further between, um than the iterative approach. 309 00:18:47,920 --> 00:18:50,480 Speaker 1: And and it makes sense. I mean. Another point that 310 00:18:50,520 --> 00:18:53,679 Speaker 1: Shanklin made was like, look at the computer industry and 311 00:18:53,720 --> 00:18:57,080 Speaker 1: how once the computer form factor was settled. I would 312 00:18:57,160 --> 00:19:00,080 Speaker 1: argue that was settled in when we got to the 313 00:19:00,119 --> 00:19:03,159 Speaker 1: point of the graphics user interface in the mouse. That 314 00:19:03,240 --> 00:19:06,439 Speaker 1: was essentially where we agreed on the basic form factor 315 00:19:06,480 --> 00:19:09,600 Speaker 1: of the computer. Um, there wasn't a lot of change 316 00:19:09,640 --> 00:19:11,920 Speaker 1: until you got to like an all in one device 317 00:19:12,000 --> 00:19:14,720 Speaker 1: where you had the computer and the monitor was all 318 00:19:14,800 --> 00:19:17,240 Speaker 1: one piece. That's kind of similar to some of the 319 00:19:17,280 --> 00:19:19,840 Speaker 1: old old old computers too, but in a much in 320 00:19:19,840 --> 00:19:23,520 Speaker 1: a much nicer form factor, like the iMac version of 321 00:19:23,520 --> 00:19:27,960 Speaker 1: of that, where it's beautiful and sleek and everything apart 322 00:19:28,000 --> 00:19:31,720 Speaker 1: from aesthetics, the basic design hasn't changed that much until 323 00:19:31,760 --> 00:19:36,879 Speaker 1: you get to things like the new focus on touchscreen interfaces, 324 00:19:36,880 --> 00:19:38,600 Speaker 1: and that remains to be seen whether or not that 325 00:19:38,680 --> 00:19:42,160 Speaker 1: actually makes any impact in the computer industry apart from 326 00:19:42,160 --> 00:19:44,360 Speaker 1: the mobile I mean, and mobile of course it's it's 327 00:19:44,480 --> 00:19:48,639 Speaker 1: all the difference, but in desktop computing it remains to 328 00:19:48,680 --> 00:19:54,840 Speaker 1: be seen if that actually becomes uh an effective feature. Um. 329 00:19:54,960 --> 00:19:57,439 Speaker 1: But that's that's part of the issue, I think with 330 00:19:57,560 --> 00:20:01,800 Speaker 1: any kind of technology once you have kind of settled 331 00:20:02,000 --> 00:20:06,560 Speaker 1: on the form factor once, once the early battles have 332 00:20:06,560 --> 00:20:09,520 Speaker 1: have died down, and people are like, Okay, when you 333 00:20:09,600 --> 00:20:14,000 Speaker 1: say the words smartphone, this is the picture I think of, 334 00:20:14,119 --> 00:20:17,600 Speaker 1: because this is how we've all agreed to define what 335 00:20:17,640 --> 00:20:21,960 Speaker 1: a smartphone is. I think by definition, most of your 336 00:20:22,000 --> 00:20:25,360 Speaker 1: improvements from that point forward are just refining that design 337 00:20:25,440 --> 00:20:30,679 Speaker 1: as opposed to really really creating something spectacularly different. I 338 00:20:30,680 --> 00:20:33,080 Speaker 1: mean not that that can't happen, it's just really rare. 339 00:20:33,480 --> 00:20:35,600 Speaker 1: And I think that's why the patent battles have been 340 00:20:36,280 --> 00:20:40,520 Speaker 1: such a big deal anyway, is because people are saying, hey, 341 00:20:40,520 --> 00:20:43,960 Speaker 1: this is uh, you know, this particular feature is something 342 00:20:43,960 --> 00:20:47,159 Speaker 1: that we did in the smartphone market, and people like 343 00:20:47,320 --> 00:20:50,600 Speaker 1: our phones because of it, and we are going to 344 00:20:50,760 --> 00:20:54,439 Speaker 1: fight to protect it because that's that's what we have. 345 00:20:54,600 --> 00:20:57,120 Speaker 1: That this thing is our thing that sets us apart 346 00:20:57,160 --> 00:20:59,800 Speaker 1: from everyone else, and we're gonna defend it until we 347 00:20:59,800 --> 00:21:04,280 Speaker 1: can defended any longer. And you know it's um yeah, 348 00:21:04,320 --> 00:21:05,360 Speaker 1: I mean there are there are a lot of things 349 00:21:05,440 --> 00:21:09,080 Speaker 1: like that in tech. You have a desktop computer, it changes, 350 00:21:09,240 --> 00:21:11,480 Speaker 1: you know, it used to be beige, well now it's black. 351 00:21:11,840 --> 00:21:16,199 Speaker 1: It used to be uh, you know, ten inches wide, 352 00:21:16,640 --> 00:21:20,000 Speaker 1: now it's six inches wide, or you know so and 353 00:21:20,040 --> 00:21:24,960 Speaker 1: so tall, and then you start getting into weighs ten pounds. Yeah. 354 00:21:24,960 --> 00:21:28,679 Speaker 1: I picked up my Amiga three thousand one day a 355 00:21:28,720 --> 00:21:31,240 Speaker 1: long time ago, and the case on that thing, I'm 356 00:21:31,280 --> 00:21:34,960 Speaker 1: pretty sure is well, put it this way. It's metal anyway, 357 00:21:35,200 --> 00:21:38,480 Speaker 1: and I think it's steel, and it's much much heavier 358 00:21:38,520 --> 00:21:41,639 Speaker 1: than a lot of other desktops. Um, but yeah, I 359 00:21:41,680 --> 00:21:43,959 Speaker 1: mean that that was a computer that was the fiscal 360 00:21:44,000 --> 00:21:45,960 Speaker 1: case on. It was beige. The monitor that we bought 361 00:21:45,960 --> 00:21:48,240 Speaker 1: to use with it was beige. Black is a more 362 00:21:48,280 --> 00:21:52,840 Speaker 1: popular color now, but you know, basically it's a yeah 363 00:21:53,000 --> 00:21:58,160 Speaker 1: or or yeah um aluminium brushed aluminum and uh, you know, 364 00:21:58,480 --> 00:22:00,960 Speaker 1: I I have a desktop can Peter now that is 365 00:22:01,000 --> 00:22:03,480 Speaker 1: my primary computer. I bought it because I wanted a 366 00:22:03,560 --> 00:22:06,720 Speaker 1: larger screen. There are days when I think, you know what, 367 00:22:06,760 --> 00:22:09,000 Speaker 1: I'd rather have a laptop just because I could carry 368 00:22:09,000 --> 00:22:11,440 Speaker 1: it around with me. And then I go use a 369 00:22:11,520 --> 00:22:13,320 Speaker 1: laptop like, for example, the one the ones we use 370 00:22:13,359 --> 00:22:15,199 Speaker 1: here for work at how Stuff Works dot Com, and 371 00:22:15,200 --> 00:22:18,119 Speaker 1: I go, you know what, I hate this tiny screen. 372 00:22:18,200 --> 00:22:21,720 Speaker 1: I want a bigger screen, and I think it's gonna 373 00:22:21,720 --> 00:22:23,920 Speaker 1: be You know, there are there are things like the 374 00:22:24,000 --> 00:22:27,000 Speaker 1: chips too. You get into the U the Intel chips 375 00:22:27,000 --> 00:22:29,119 Speaker 1: and you know the Core I seven and like I 376 00:22:29,200 --> 00:22:32,680 Speaker 1: want that the faster processor. Well, you know, maybe I'm 377 00:22:32,720 --> 00:22:34,880 Speaker 1: playing games and then I get to a point where 378 00:22:34,880 --> 00:22:36,640 Speaker 1: I'm doing other stuff and I just don't have time 379 00:22:36,680 --> 00:22:38,760 Speaker 1: for games anymore. And you know, I don't really need 380 00:22:38,800 --> 00:22:41,159 Speaker 1: to upgrade my computer, And I think that that really 381 00:22:41,280 --> 00:22:44,679 Speaker 1: is It gets down to whether the computer or or 382 00:22:44,880 --> 00:22:48,200 Speaker 1: or electronics manufacturers can get us to buy their new 383 00:22:48,280 --> 00:22:52,160 Speaker 1: thing because it's got that feature, that innovative new feature 384 00:22:52,840 --> 00:22:56,800 Speaker 1: that no one else has. Um you know, there there 385 00:22:56,800 --> 00:22:58,959 Speaker 1: there was that time when people really wanted to upgrade 386 00:22:59,000 --> 00:23:00,960 Speaker 1: to the Xbox three, Stick to You or the PlayStation 387 00:23:01,000 --> 00:23:05,040 Speaker 1: three because hey, it's supported high deaf screens and oh 388 00:23:05,080 --> 00:23:07,840 Speaker 1: my gosh, you know, it's got a faster processor, more power. 389 00:23:08,280 --> 00:23:10,760 Speaker 1: I can. I can look at the games they're putting 390 00:23:10,760 --> 00:23:13,480 Speaker 1: out for this thing, and they really haven't refreshed those 391 00:23:13,840 --> 00:23:17,119 Speaker 1: in quite some time, because well, there's not a new TV. 392 00:23:18,359 --> 00:23:20,880 Speaker 1: Um you know that that it has to support. There's 393 00:23:20,920 --> 00:23:24,840 Speaker 1: not a new they're just not that many new improvements 394 00:23:24,840 --> 00:23:26,919 Speaker 1: to the chips and to the things. And you go, 395 00:23:27,040 --> 00:23:29,440 Speaker 1: you know, and I don't need to spend six dollars 396 00:23:29,440 --> 00:23:32,719 Speaker 1: on a new console, or I don't need to spend 397 00:23:33,040 --> 00:23:37,400 Speaker 1: on a new um Dusktop machine because the one I'm 398 00:23:37,480 --> 00:23:40,840 Speaker 1: using now, you know, I've taken care of it. I've 399 00:23:40,840 --> 00:23:43,639 Speaker 1: backed up the hard drive, I've upgraded their memory, I've 400 00:23:43,720 --> 00:23:48,919 Speaker 1: upgraded the the graphics card or the sound card. You know, 401 00:23:48,960 --> 00:23:52,359 Speaker 1: I just don't need to have that next big thing. 402 00:23:53,200 --> 00:23:55,879 Speaker 1: If this one works, fine, That's that's kind of the argument. 403 00:23:55,880 --> 00:23:59,359 Speaker 1: I think that supports the reasoning behind companies like Sony 404 00:23:59,400 --> 00:24:01,840 Speaker 1: and Microsoft when they say, you know, there's no need 405 00:24:01,960 --> 00:24:05,240 Speaker 1: for us necessarily to come out with a new console, 406 00:24:06,000 --> 00:24:09,160 Speaker 1: you know, earlier than ten years down the line from 407 00:24:09,200 --> 00:24:15,119 Speaker 1: introducing the last one, because, uh, the space for innovation 408 00:24:15,800 --> 00:24:19,840 Speaker 1: is somewhat limited. I mean, there's there's you can create 409 00:24:20,119 --> 00:24:22,520 Speaker 1: better graphics, you can have a faster process, or you 410 00:24:22,520 --> 00:24:24,600 Speaker 1: can have more memory, you know, all the all the 411 00:24:24,640 --> 00:24:28,720 Speaker 1: physical specs. You could definitely up those from the previous generation. 412 00:24:29,359 --> 00:24:34,359 Speaker 1: But uh, you know, beyond that, like, what what's the 413 00:24:34,359 --> 00:24:38,200 Speaker 1: wow factor? Because we've all become so used to uh 414 00:24:38,240 --> 00:24:41,200 Speaker 1: that just being a natural thing, right, just the oh well, 415 00:24:41,280 --> 00:24:43,199 Speaker 1: yeah it's got better specs, But what else does it have? 416 00:24:43,280 --> 00:24:46,760 Speaker 1: I need something else beyond it being faster and having 417 00:24:46,760 --> 00:24:50,120 Speaker 1: more memory. Um. You know, that's the same problem that 418 00:24:50,119 --> 00:24:53,320 Speaker 1: that that Apple and all the other smartphone manufacturers are 419 00:24:53,400 --> 00:24:56,480 Speaker 1: running up against, is that we've made improvements. This is 420 00:24:56,560 --> 00:25:00,040 Speaker 1: demonstrably better than the earlier models, at least from a 421 00:25:00,040 --> 00:25:03,480 Speaker 1: specification point of view, and yet people aren't getting excited 422 00:25:03,480 --> 00:25:06,760 Speaker 1: about it um mostly for for consoles. I would argue 423 00:25:06,800 --> 00:25:09,880 Speaker 1: the thing that gets people excited aren't isn't necessarily the hardware, 424 00:25:09,920 --> 00:25:12,880 Speaker 1: but the games. So if the games can be more compelling, 425 00:25:12,920 --> 00:25:15,480 Speaker 1: if people can actually take advantage of whatever that hardware 426 00:25:15,600 --> 00:25:19,320 Speaker 1: is and create content for it, then people get excited 427 00:25:19,359 --> 00:25:22,600 Speaker 1: about the consoles. Uh So, in a way, you could 428 00:25:22,720 --> 00:25:26,439 Speaker 1: argue that perhaps the next generation of smartphones will be 429 00:25:26,480 --> 00:25:29,200 Speaker 1: able to handle apps in a way that's different from 430 00:25:29,200 --> 00:25:33,280 Speaker 1: what they do now, and maybe that becomes the big driver. 431 00:25:33,480 --> 00:25:36,159 Speaker 1: It's not necessarily the hardware, but the fact that the 432 00:25:36,359 --> 00:25:39,919 Speaker 1: software design for that hardware can do stuff that the 433 00:25:39,960 --> 00:25:44,080 Speaker 1: previous generations couldn't, Which brings me to the next piece 434 00:25:44,080 --> 00:25:47,200 Speaker 1: of hardware. That one of the things that that people 435 00:25:47,240 --> 00:25:49,600 Speaker 1: have been mentioning is that, well maybe maybe the smartphone 436 00:25:49,640 --> 00:25:54,040 Speaker 1: like getting excited about smartphones, maybe that era really is over. 437 00:25:54,359 --> 00:25:56,680 Speaker 1: Maybe now we're like, oh, well that's interesting. Maybe now 438 00:25:56,760 --> 00:25:59,960 Speaker 1: Apple events won't stop the entire tech world. I don't 439 00:26:00,240 --> 00:26:03,520 Speaker 1: think that's gonna happen, but at least not I think 440 00:26:03,560 --> 00:26:05,399 Speaker 1: it will at least be one more year before that 441 00:26:05,520 --> 00:26:10,320 Speaker 1: does happen. But I think really it turns it turns 442 00:26:10,320 --> 00:26:15,040 Speaker 1: into well, what technology will be the next thing that 443 00:26:15,119 --> 00:26:18,600 Speaker 1: gets us all to stop and say wow. And right 444 00:26:18,600 --> 00:26:23,159 Speaker 1: now the I hesitate to use the word consensus, but 445 00:26:23,880 --> 00:26:26,840 Speaker 1: the tone that I'm hearing out in the world right 446 00:26:26,840 --> 00:26:30,719 Speaker 1: now is that Project Glass is like the next the 447 00:26:30,760 --> 00:26:34,720 Speaker 1: next thing people know about that could be a big splash, 448 00:26:34,800 --> 00:26:37,320 Speaker 1: which is of course Google's project to have the glasses 449 00:26:37,359 --> 00:26:40,600 Speaker 1: with the augmented reality functionality built in. Yeah. As a 450 00:26:40,600 --> 00:26:43,800 Speaker 1: matter of fact, Um, you know, I was gonna say that. 451 00:26:44,480 --> 00:26:47,400 Speaker 1: It sort of goes along with with the tech um 452 00:26:47,560 --> 00:26:53,440 Speaker 1: analyst Gartner. Um, you know, they have this this uh 453 00:26:53,680 --> 00:26:57,199 Speaker 1: forgotten what they call it, but it's basically a table 454 00:26:57,240 --> 00:27:00,000 Speaker 1: where it shows you know what, what it takes before, 455 00:27:00,040 --> 00:27:02,800 Speaker 1: you know, when it's still very cutting edge, when people 456 00:27:02,800 --> 00:27:05,760 Speaker 1: are starting to really get into it. It's sort of 457 00:27:05,840 --> 00:27:08,080 Speaker 1: a hype index. I think that's actually what they call it. 458 00:27:08,760 --> 00:27:12,159 Speaker 1: But and then it gets into this period where people go, yeah, whatever, 459 00:27:12,200 --> 00:27:14,280 Speaker 1: but I'm not ready to go out and buy one yet. 460 00:27:14,640 --> 00:27:16,880 Speaker 1: And then it gets to the point where it's a 461 00:27:16,920 --> 00:27:20,720 Speaker 1: mature product and people buy it as a matter of course. Um, 462 00:27:20,760 --> 00:27:23,720 Speaker 1: you know, And it takes some time, and every tech 463 00:27:24,040 --> 00:27:27,840 Speaker 1: thing is on its own, um, its own path to 464 00:27:27,920 --> 00:27:29,920 Speaker 1: that and some some never actually get to the point 465 00:27:29,920 --> 00:27:32,520 Speaker 1: of maturity. I would say that the smartphones are are 466 00:27:32,600 --> 00:27:35,439 Speaker 1: really kind of the point where they're, you know, a 467 00:27:35,520 --> 00:27:39,160 Speaker 1: mature product, and there's you know, tablets are are sort 468 00:27:39,200 --> 00:27:42,600 Speaker 1: of behind that, somewhat in the point where not everyone 469 00:27:42,640 --> 00:27:45,560 Speaker 1: has one yet. There's so there's still some excitement because 470 00:27:45,560 --> 00:27:48,000 Speaker 1: they're saying, Okay, well, who's gonna win the ten inch 471 00:27:48,560 --> 00:27:51,359 Speaker 1: The people with the ten inch screens like the iPads 472 00:27:51,400 --> 00:27:53,480 Speaker 1: to this point, you know, people expect that there will 473 00:27:53,520 --> 00:27:57,240 Speaker 1: be a smaller iPad, which which will find out next 474 00:27:57,240 --> 00:28:01,000 Speaker 1: spring up. I guess it didn't happen at the September event, 475 00:28:01,560 --> 00:28:05,359 Speaker 1: which surprised a few people. Didn't surprise me, especially once 476 00:28:05,400 --> 00:28:08,760 Speaker 1: I saw the pricing for the iPod Touch and the 477 00:28:09,080 --> 00:28:11,080 Speaker 1: you know, you figure out the pricing for the iPod 478 00:28:11,080 --> 00:28:13,919 Speaker 1: Touch versus the pricing for the iPad, and you wonder, 479 00:28:14,000 --> 00:28:17,399 Speaker 1: where would they price a seven inch version of the 480 00:28:17,400 --> 00:28:21,280 Speaker 1: iPad Because the iPod Touch is that has three models, right, 481 00:28:21,760 --> 00:28:25,160 Speaker 1: it's got the the was it sixteen gigabyte, thirty two gigabyte, 482 00:28:25,160 --> 00:28:30,560 Speaker 1: and sixty four gigabyte, and those are the base model 483 00:28:30,600 --> 00:28:35,040 Speaker 1: the iPad is for. So you've got the entire price 484 00:28:35,119 --> 00:28:39,160 Speaker 1: range from one to four nine nine covered from iPod 485 00:28:39,200 --> 00:28:41,840 Speaker 1: Touch to iPad. If you were to introduce a seven 486 00:28:41,840 --> 00:28:45,200 Speaker 1: inch iPad, presumably it would be less expensive than the 487 00:28:45,360 --> 00:28:49,680 Speaker 1: ten inch version, But would it be more or less 488 00:28:49,680 --> 00:28:53,160 Speaker 1: expensive than an iPod Touch. And if it were less 489 00:28:53,200 --> 00:28:55,600 Speaker 1: expensive than an iPod Touch, let's say it's at the 490 00:28:55,600 --> 00:28:57,680 Speaker 1: two ninety nine range, which would put it a hundred 491 00:28:57,720 --> 00:29:02,520 Speaker 1: dollars more than Amazon and Google's tablets, then, uh, would 492 00:29:02,520 --> 00:29:05,200 Speaker 1: that cannibalize sales of that level of iPod Touch with 493 00:29:05,320 --> 00:29:07,480 Speaker 1: people going for Well, it could get an iPod Touch 494 00:29:07,560 --> 00:29:10,440 Speaker 1: sixty four gigabyte for three nine, or I can get 495 00:29:10,480 --> 00:29:14,160 Speaker 1: this new seven inch iPad for to So it just 496 00:29:14,160 --> 00:29:17,040 Speaker 1: doesn't make sense from a market perspective to me. From 497 00:29:17,040 --> 00:29:20,480 Speaker 1: a pricing perspective, like, I don't That doesn't mean that 498 00:29:20,520 --> 00:29:23,840 Speaker 1: they won't do it. I just find it very confusing. Well, 499 00:29:23,880 --> 00:29:26,080 Speaker 1: I think there's still there's still that sort of excitement 500 00:29:26,080 --> 00:29:29,719 Speaker 1: around tablets too. I mean with Google's next to seven um, 501 00:29:29,760 --> 00:29:33,800 Speaker 1: with the new series of Amazon tablets that were just released, 502 00:29:34,280 --> 00:29:38,920 Speaker 1: the Reader tablet, to the Kindle Fire whatever it is, 503 00:29:40,400 --> 00:29:45,960 Speaker 1: which it is that's the right, the the devices that 504 00:29:46,080 --> 00:29:48,720 Speaker 1: are the Kindle Fire and uh, and Barnes and Nobles 505 00:29:49,560 --> 00:29:52,440 Speaker 1: tablet which became which started out as a reader, and 506 00:29:52,440 --> 00:29:56,760 Speaker 1: then there was a Nook tablet and interesting, um and 507 00:29:56,800 --> 00:29:59,080 Speaker 1: those are you know, in that seven inch range and 508 00:29:59,120 --> 00:30:03,000 Speaker 1: there's innovation there and that size range, and then you 509 00:30:03,000 --> 00:30:05,280 Speaker 1: know there's still some well what, what's what's going to happen? 510 00:30:05,320 --> 00:30:08,160 Speaker 1: Are they gonna have a um, a port so that 511 00:30:08,200 --> 00:30:11,000 Speaker 1: you can plug in a USB stick and all those things. 512 00:30:11,040 --> 00:30:12,400 Speaker 1: That's sort of in the middle of that. And then 513 00:30:12,400 --> 00:30:16,240 Speaker 1: I would take Project Glass back to that point where, um, 514 00:30:16,800 --> 00:30:19,479 Speaker 1: where the iPad was at its release, because at that 515 00:30:19,520 --> 00:30:23,400 Speaker 1: point netbooks were still very popular and people are saying, well, 516 00:30:23,480 --> 00:30:26,560 Speaker 1: can it really stop netbooks in their tracks? Well, people 517 00:30:26,600 --> 00:30:29,880 Speaker 1: stop buying netbooks or notebook computers in favor of a tablet. 518 00:30:30,520 --> 00:30:34,920 Speaker 1: You know, Microsoft has done tablets, so you know, maybe not. 519 00:30:35,320 --> 00:30:37,320 Speaker 1: I think Project Glass was that same kind of thing 520 00:30:37,360 --> 00:30:41,520 Speaker 1: for Google. Um, well, I'm not sure people are gonna 521 00:30:41,600 --> 00:30:46,000 Speaker 1: buy a pair of technology enabled glasses to really look 522 00:30:46,000 --> 00:30:49,440 Speaker 1: at stuff and get ideas of maps and uh, find 523 00:30:49,480 --> 00:30:51,320 Speaker 1: out where a coffee shop is. But I don't know. 524 00:30:52,360 --> 00:30:55,560 Speaker 1: Now other people are starting to consider it. They say, 525 00:30:55,920 --> 00:30:57,480 Speaker 1: my wife is so thankful I didn't go to the 526 00:30:57,480 --> 00:31:00,000 Speaker 1: Io event because it meant that I was not eligible 527 00:31:00,000 --> 00:31:01,520 Speaker 1: ball to put in a pre order for a fIF 528 00:31:02,320 --> 00:31:06,959 Speaker 1: pair of Developers glasses. Yeah, that price is a bit 529 00:31:07,000 --> 00:31:09,320 Speaker 1: steep for me, but in in five years it will 530 00:31:09,360 --> 00:31:12,760 Speaker 1: probably assuming that people buy them, that the price will 531 00:31:12,840 --> 00:31:16,200 Speaker 1: drop and it will book home more common. Yeah. When 532 00:31:16,240 --> 00:31:18,240 Speaker 1: you said that, you know, think about smartphones being a 533 00:31:18,240 --> 00:31:20,680 Speaker 1: mature technology technically, I mean if we think of it 534 00:31:20,760 --> 00:31:23,840 Speaker 1: from the iPhone era, so the consumer smartphone, not smartphones 535 00:31:23,880 --> 00:31:27,400 Speaker 1: and general those have been around for a while, but 536 00:31:27,480 --> 00:31:30,080 Speaker 1: you're talking about five years. It's been five years since 537 00:31:30,120 --> 00:31:33,320 Speaker 1: since the iPhone one came out, which is amazing to 538 00:31:33,400 --> 00:31:37,040 Speaker 1: think about. Yeah, so it's not mature, it's geriatric. Yeah, 539 00:31:37,080 --> 00:31:39,880 Speaker 1: because we're in the world tech after two and a 540 00:31:39,920 --> 00:31:42,160 Speaker 1: half years, you're like, come on, you're starting to show 541 00:31:42,200 --> 00:31:46,360 Speaker 1: your age, buddy. You think Hollywood is harsh, Silicon Valley, buddy, 542 00:31:46,640 --> 00:31:52,360 Speaker 1: that's where the harsh comes in. But yeah, so, I 543 00:31:52,360 --> 00:31:56,200 Speaker 1: I think I think generally I agree with Shanklin. I 544 00:31:56,240 --> 00:32:00,960 Speaker 1: generally believe that that the smartphone era is now at 545 00:32:00,960 --> 00:32:03,160 Speaker 1: a point where I think I think one of the 546 00:32:03,200 --> 00:32:06,000 Speaker 1: big disappointments people have with Apple right now is that 547 00:32:06,120 --> 00:32:08,040 Speaker 1: in the early days when the iPhone came out, in 548 00:32:08,120 --> 00:32:11,160 Speaker 1: the iPhone two and in the iPhone three, uh, it 549 00:32:11,280 --> 00:32:16,560 Speaker 1: was exciting enough for people to upgrade immediately, and for 550 00:32:16,640 --> 00:32:20,680 Speaker 1: some people that meant paying big bucks to get the 551 00:32:20,760 --> 00:32:23,360 Speaker 1: new version of the phone, because they would have entered 552 00:32:23,360 --> 00:32:26,160 Speaker 1: into a two year contract and Apple wasn't introducing a 553 00:32:26,200 --> 00:32:29,880 Speaker 1: new model every year, So people would go from their 554 00:32:29,920 --> 00:32:32,760 Speaker 1: iPhone to an iPhone too and pay either to get 555 00:32:32,800 --> 00:32:35,200 Speaker 1: out of a contract, or they'd pay the full retail 556 00:32:35,280 --> 00:32:38,120 Speaker 1: value of the phone, or or at least more than 557 00:32:38,200 --> 00:32:39,720 Speaker 1: what it would be if they were signing a new 558 00:32:39,760 --> 00:32:43,280 Speaker 1: contract just to get the new device. And I think 559 00:32:43,320 --> 00:32:48,360 Speaker 1: now people are feeling like there's less there's not enough 560 00:32:48,520 --> 00:32:52,800 Speaker 1: new stuff in the phone to justify that behavior anymore, 561 00:32:53,280 --> 00:32:57,280 Speaker 1: which to me just says that the rampant out of 562 00:32:57,320 --> 00:33:03,320 Speaker 1: control consumerism is no younger being uh pushed and supported 563 00:33:03,600 --> 00:33:06,400 Speaker 1: from a corporate level, and maybe that's not something we 564 00:33:06,400 --> 00:33:10,200 Speaker 1: should be mad about. Yeah, yeah, I kind of I 565 00:33:10,240 --> 00:33:12,200 Speaker 1: kind of agree with you, I have to say, UM, 566 00:33:12,200 --> 00:33:13,840 Speaker 1: but that's that's my point of view, and I know 567 00:33:13,880 --> 00:33:17,120 Speaker 1: I'm sure that all of our listeners UM will not 568 00:33:17,160 --> 00:33:19,880 Speaker 1: necessarily agree with us. But the thing is, though, I 569 00:33:19,920 --> 00:33:23,680 Speaker 1: mean Um, it's not necessarily a bad thing to to 570 00:33:23,760 --> 00:33:28,760 Speaker 1: be at this point. Um, you know, because they can concentrate. 571 00:33:28,840 --> 00:33:32,040 Speaker 1: Now I'm personally I've had an Android phone now for 572 00:33:32,400 --> 00:33:36,440 Speaker 1: about a year and a half, um, and it's been upgraded. 573 00:33:36,440 --> 00:33:39,560 Speaker 1: The operating system has been upgraded once. I've actually appreciated 574 00:33:39,600 --> 00:33:42,240 Speaker 1: some of those things, and I think, uh, the improvements, 575 00:33:42,240 --> 00:33:46,280 Speaker 1: and I think that seeing the new technologies they add, 576 00:33:46,320 --> 00:33:51,240 Speaker 1: even when they're incremental technologies, I I think I can 577 00:33:51,280 --> 00:33:54,440 Speaker 1: get excited about those little things and you know, not 578 00:33:54,560 --> 00:33:57,920 Speaker 1: get so overwhelmed by the whole Wow, look at this 579 00:33:58,000 --> 00:34:00,760 Speaker 1: thing that they added, you know, looking at both Google 580 00:34:00,760 --> 00:34:04,400 Speaker 1: and Apple have been upgrading their maps apps. Okay they're 581 00:34:04,400 --> 00:34:07,800 Speaker 1: not new, but they're better than they were. Apples got 582 00:34:07,800 --> 00:34:11,080 Speaker 1: turned by turn Now. Yeah, I mean these these little 583 00:34:11,120 --> 00:34:13,960 Speaker 1: things though, I mean they're not uh there there are 584 00:34:13,960 --> 00:34:17,560 Speaker 1: things that improve their devices overall. And there may not 585 00:34:17,680 --> 00:34:21,960 Speaker 1: be something to h to jump up and down about necessarily, 586 00:34:21,960 --> 00:34:24,279 Speaker 1: but if they improve our our everyday lives, and when 587 00:34:24,280 --> 00:34:26,960 Speaker 1: you look forward to the next operating system release, because 588 00:34:26,960 --> 00:34:29,200 Speaker 1: it brings a bunch of these changes at one time, 589 00:34:29,960 --> 00:34:32,360 Speaker 1: I don't think that's that bad to be excited about. 590 00:34:32,680 --> 00:34:36,480 Speaker 1: Even if it's less excitement than the overall u UM 591 00:34:36,560 --> 00:34:39,879 Speaker 1: jumping up and down of the original device. And there 592 00:34:39,880 --> 00:34:42,160 Speaker 1: are very few devices, even when they first come out, 593 00:34:42,200 --> 00:34:44,480 Speaker 1: that I have to wait in line for because I'm 594 00:34:44,520 --> 00:34:47,319 Speaker 1: just not that kind of guy. Well, I like I 595 00:34:47,360 --> 00:34:49,200 Speaker 1: like the fact that I can buy a phone and 596 00:34:49,280 --> 00:34:53,719 Speaker 1: not feel in a year that I need to get 597 00:34:53,800 --> 00:34:55,400 Speaker 1: rid of the one I have while I still have 598 00:34:55,440 --> 00:34:58,840 Speaker 1: another year on my contract. Yes, And of course, for 599 00:34:58,840 --> 00:35:01,279 Speaker 1: for everyone who's out side of the United States who 600 00:35:01,320 --> 00:35:04,360 Speaker 1: doesn't have this whole contract supported phone model, this is 601 00:35:04,400 --> 00:35:07,880 Speaker 1: a discussion that doesn't really apply to you, because you know, 602 00:35:07,920 --> 00:35:09,640 Speaker 1: you you might be used to buying a phone at 603 00:35:09,680 --> 00:35:14,560 Speaker 1: full price and then just using it with whatever service 604 00:35:14,640 --> 00:35:17,160 Speaker 1: happens to support it. For those of us in the 605 00:35:17,239 --> 00:35:21,840 Speaker 1: United States, were more, we're more UM used to either 606 00:35:22,640 --> 00:35:25,799 Speaker 1: going no contract pre paid. More and more people are 607 00:35:25,840 --> 00:35:30,000 Speaker 1: doing that or doing a two year contract and as 608 00:35:30,080 --> 00:35:34,720 Speaker 1: subsidized phone. Yeah. And I don't think anybody who waits 609 00:35:34,760 --> 00:35:38,200 Speaker 1: in line for, you know, an an overnight release of 610 00:35:38,239 --> 00:35:41,520 Speaker 1: a brand new product, or somebody who buys something new 611 00:35:41,840 --> 00:35:43,440 Speaker 1: in a year because they want to. I don't think 612 00:35:43,440 --> 00:35:48,480 Speaker 1: that's silly necessarily, but different things UM appeal to different people, 613 00:35:48,560 --> 00:35:51,880 Speaker 1: and that different strokes for different folks. So yeah, I'm 614 00:35:51,880 --> 00:35:54,239 Speaker 1: certainly not making fun of anyone in in that case. 615 00:35:54,280 --> 00:35:56,880 Speaker 1: It's just a situation. Though. I think we're going to 616 00:35:56,960 --> 00:36:00,920 Speaker 1: see it less in the smartphone world now because they've 617 00:36:00,920 --> 00:36:05,400 Speaker 1: reached a point where there's a certain expectation of size, 618 00:36:05,600 --> 00:36:10,520 Speaker 1: there's a certain expectation of function, and you know, there 619 00:36:10,560 --> 00:36:14,160 Speaker 1: are their improvements in in communications technologies and the software 620 00:36:14,200 --> 00:36:16,800 Speaker 1: that powers them. But I think, yeah, you might see 621 00:36:17,200 --> 00:36:20,680 Speaker 1: trends developed. You know, well every year we've decided that 622 00:36:20,960 --> 00:36:23,160 Speaker 1: well this year glass is the thing, and well this 623 00:36:23,239 --> 00:36:26,200 Speaker 1: year brushed aluminum is the thing. Kind of reminds me 624 00:36:26,239 --> 00:36:27,960 Speaker 1: of when we went to c e S that say, 625 00:36:28,080 --> 00:36:29,640 Speaker 1: the year that both of us went at the same time, 626 00:36:29,640 --> 00:36:32,319 Speaker 1: and um, color was one of the big things in 627 00:36:32,520 --> 00:36:36,560 Speaker 1: UH and television that year, HDT vs no more black 628 00:36:36,560 --> 00:36:41,880 Speaker 1: and white. No, like the colors of the sets and 629 00:36:41,960 --> 00:36:45,200 Speaker 1: the thicknesses of the devices, and I was thinking, well, 630 00:36:45,400 --> 00:36:47,680 Speaker 1: as the resolution any different, Like no, no, it's ten 631 00:36:47,760 --> 00:36:51,160 Speaker 1: a DP. Yeah, yeah, but you know, how how is 632 00:36:51,200 --> 00:36:54,800 Speaker 1: the as functionality went that year, it was also about 633 00:36:55,000 --> 00:36:59,200 Speaker 1: power conservation, you know, or the big the big thing 634 00:36:59,239 --> 00:37:01,960 Speaker 1: was plasma versus A is L C D, and it 635 00:37:02,080 --> 00:37:04,759 Speaker 1: was you know, it's okay, all right, but it's not. 636 00:37:05,080 --> 00:37:08,239 Speaker 1: Neither of those was the big There was no big 637 00:37:08,280 --> 00:37:11,600 Speaker 1: breakthrough in technology. It was it was a fashion thing. 638 00:37:11,680 --> 00:37:13,880 Speaker 1: And I think I think smartphones are really at that point. 639 00:37:13,960 --> 00:37:15,879 Speaker 1: So if I can sum up what Chris just said, 640 00:37:15,920 --> 00:37:19,239 Speaker 1: I think, um, the world don't move to the beat 641 00:37:19,239 --> 00:37:22,000 Speaker 1: of just one drum. What might be right for you 642 00:37:22,040 --> 00:37:25,160 Speaker 1: may not be right for some. And so, guys, that 643 00:37:25,200 --> 00:37:29,040 Speaker 1: wraps up this discussion about the the general on we 644 00:37:29,760 --> 00:37:32,480 Speaker 1: that has seeped into the tech world as as it 645 00:37:32,520 --> 00:37:37,600 Speaker 1: goes to a smartphones, we'll I'll just have a dramatic 646 00:37:37,719 --> 00:37:42,760 Speaker 1: sigh and sip our expensive fancy fruit foud coffee drinks 647 00:37:42,800 --> 00:37:46,960 Speaker 1: and and and make make comments about the industry in general. 648 00:37:47,320 --> 00:37:50,080 Speaker 1: If you guys have any suggestions for topics we should 649 00:37:50,080 --> 00:37:52,799 Speaker 1: tackle in future episodes of tech Stuff, let us know 650 00:37:52,960 --> 00:37:55,160 Speaker 1: by sending us an email our address as tech stuff 651 00:37:55,200 --> 00:37:57,520 Speaker 1: at Discovery dot com, or drop us a line on 652 00:37:57,520 --> 00:37:59,840 Speaker 1: Facebook or Twitter or handle at both of those is 653 00:38:00,080 --> 00:38:02,120 Speaker 1: X stuff, hs W and christ I'll taught to you 654 00:38:02,120 --> 00:38:06,759 Speaker 1: again really soon. For more on this and thousands of 655 00:38:06,800 --> 00:38:14,040 Speaker 1: other topics hot works dot com see guys, I told 656 00:38:14,040 --> 00:38:16,680 Speaker 1: you we talked to you again really soon. That really 657 00:38:16,719 --> 00:38:19,799 Speaker 1: soon is right now. I'm just reminding you that we 658 00:38:19,880 --> 00:38:22,719 Speaker 1: have our photo upload widget live on the site at 659 00:38:22,880 --> 00:38:26,439 Speaker 1: www dot how stuff works dot com. Slash upgrade your tech. 660 00:38:26,680 --> 00:38:29,200 Speaker 1: Toyota is giving us the chance to let you share 661 00:38:29,239 --> 00:38:33,200 Speaker 1: your creativity. So send us those pictures of your modifications, 662 00:38:33,239 --> 00:38:36,640 Speaker 1: your tech ideas, those gadgets that you've created, all those hacks, 663 00:38:36,840 --> 00:38:40,360 Speaker 1: if you're steampunking everything in sight, put on your goggles 664 00:38:40,360 --> 00:38:43,600 Speaker 1: and show that to us. We can't wait to see them. 665 00:38:43,760 --> 00:38:46,400 Speaker 1: Brought to you by the two thousand twelve Toyota Camera