The conditioning process is extremely powerful and no one has been better at it than Apple over the past several years. But yesterday’s “Big Announcement” from the king of tech companies was more like a big dud!
Ever since Apple introduced the original iPhone in 2004, staunch Apple fans (like myself) have salivated like Pavlov’s dog, in eager anticipation over Apple’s next great invention. And for years, they have not disappointed. First there was the original iPhone, then the iPhone 3G, then the iPhone 3Gs, then the iPhone 4, each providing (at least for us mega-fans) a legitimate reason to ditch the Apple device we bought only 11 months prior, for the latest and greatest model. But now… eh… not so much!
Traditionally, Apple has made it’s “Big Announcement” every year in June. But this year, it somehow ended up in October. And the “Big Announcement” yesterday was to introduce — wait for it — the iPhone 4s. HUH???
Apple’s new CEO Tim Cook was on hand (minus Steve Jobs) to introduce the new iPhone 4s. The iPhone 4s basically looks, feels and acts like the iPhone 4 from last year. Apple says it added a faster processor and a higher quality camera (among a few other extras), but is that really enough to entice someone to spend hundreds on the iPhone 4s when the iPhone 5 is probably due in about 8 months??
iCloud and a new iOS were already announced by Apple over the summer, and it was confirmed at yesterday’s event that those new services will be available October 12th. But perhaps the most interesting announcement from yesterday was Apple’s integration of Siri, a company Apple recently acquired. Siri Personal Assistant will replace the iPhone’s Voice Recognition service (currently accessed by pressing and holding the home button on an iPhone). You can tell Siri to find the nearest gas station, alert you on your mom’s birthday, or even send a text — all with just the sound of your voice and without typing. The good news is, Siri Personal Assistant will be available by next week. The bad news is, it will only work on the iPhone 4s. The even worse news is, Siri is already an app available in the iTunes store that will simply stop working next week for those of us who don’t buy the iPhone 4s. BOO!
It seems like yesterdays “Big Announcement” was held simply because fans have been expecting it for months, and not necessarily because Apple had something substantial to introduce. Hopefully, Apple will be back on track next June with the iPhone 5 (already rumored to come with LTE instead of 3G) and whatever other goodies they can come up with before then. Apple, your fans (me included) await you!
