The symbiosis between Apple and Android exists, whether we like it or not. On the one hand, in Apple they regularly 'invent' functions that have existed for years in Android devices (stereo speakers, say? Water resistance?), But we will twist our hearts if we talk about the absence of the opposite borrowing. Moreover, iPhone influences public opinion much more than phones with Android. In light of this, it is interesting to see how iPhone 7 will affect them now.
If in general, then not especially. But a number of things that are already on Android will be 'accepted' by the audience more willingly than before the announcement iPhone 7. Example: for the first time, for the better or not, from a 3.5 mm jack refused on Android phones, but now that Apple has done it, there is no turning back.
3.5 mm jack: last journey …
Apple has a long history of abandoning features that the rest of the computing world was committed to in their laptops. Think floppy drives, optical drives, ethernet ports, and the transition to flash drives. Slowly but surely, these components began to disappear from other laptops as well. Whether we like it or not, the overall evolutionary movement is in line with the Apple mindset, and the same goes for the headphone jack.
And while we are going through the awkward time of the domination of all kinds of dongles and adapters, an apple-shaped asteroid that threatens the extinction of 3.5 mm ports has already entered the atmosphere. In the world Android this means the transition to USB Type-C, in the world Apple Lightning remains. It's sad to part with the ubiquitous 3.5 mm, but, as they say, it's too late to drink Borjomi.
In the coming year, we can expect an increase in the number Android of flagships without 3.5mm, as buyers accept what Apple does. Not everyone will follow the trend quickly, some bastions will hold the defense, but sooner or later they will surrender too. After all, who wants to be a company that denies the inevitability of technological progress?
And this means great news for manufacturers Bluetooth of headphones and headphones with Lightning and USB Type-C and unpleasant changes for us, which will cost a pretty penny. However, changes always take place in this way, you have to live with it. The 3.5mm jack doesn't seem to have as many loyal protectors as it takes to keep it.
There are some positives to the change (for example, noise-canceling headphones without batteries), although they say that the improvement in sound quality is very small. But, one way or another, it will not be an easy transition, as well as changing the microUSB charging to USB Type-C.
If you think about it, the problem is primarily that Apple and Android will completely move to different standards. And don't ask about idiotic AirPods.
Water resistance to the masses!
We know that water resistance has not just appeared, but now it has become iPhone (with it 'you can swim', whatever that means), and therefore it is now the official mainstream. And this means that if manufacturers Android of devices want to lure iPhone owners into their camp, they must attend to the IP indicators in their offspring.
Samsung and Sony are ready for this, but if we see LG and Huawei water resistant phones in the near future, it won't be surprising. Fortunately for us, this means better speaker performance regardless of the IP value and terminators. And the more manufacturers compete to improve the sound quality of waterproof phones, the better.
Models with 16 GB memory
Maybe device makers on Android shouldn't follow Apple down this path (although many already do), since Apple actually gives twice as much for free memory. Many devices on Android support microSD cards, so less onboard storage might be worth it. However, we still hope that sooner or later such versions will become a thing of the past. The memory available in a 16 GB model even out of the box is pitiful gigabytes, and the memory requirements in mobile devices are constantly growing, so 8 GB models should be forgotten like a bad dream.
The acceptable minimum in a budget device should be 16 GB, but 32 GB is better, of course. And modern flagships should not come out with less than 64 GB of memory on board, regardless of support for microSD cards.
Will dual cameras take off?
Dual cameras aren't necessarily a bad thing. In contrast, switching between a regular lens and a wide angle lens can be quite convenient. And to be fair, Apple deserves all the credit not only for doubling the on-board memory, but also for adding a second camera without significantly increasing the price of the iPhone 7 Plus over iPhone 6s Plus (there is a $ 20 difference between the most budgetary and most expensive model, but the idea is clear).
However, there is no certainty that dual cameras are necessary, as neither provides the good quality of low-light shots that we need. To be honest, who cares about wide-angle shooting capabilities or all sorts of nice bokeh, if lousy shots are obtained with a lack of light? Think back to how many cool moments you captured in grainy, blurry photos. Correcting this situation is much more important than any cool software tricks or two lenses. We already expect flawless light shots from all manufacturers, and for the most part they meet expectations, and now we need to overcome all the problems of photography in low light. This is more important than the dual cameras, and let's hope that Android the devices don't get involved in the competition, and their manufacturers get down to the really important business.
Design
For the third time iPhone in a row, it looks about the same as its predecessors. You can compare it with Samsung, which did not try very hard with its Galaxy Note 7, including in terms of design, which in general repeats the previous Galaxy devices with only minor nuances. Samsung seems to be resting on its design laurels and does the same Apple.
Apple might represent enhancing a chic design like Samsung is doing, but what if we don't want to buy a device from either of these manufacturers? Not that we needed a radical redesign every year, but remember the backlash against HTC for not having many differences between HTC One M8 and M9, and against Sony for the same situation with Xperia Z devices. We do not expect design revolutions, but we deserve better than what we have.
Yes, Apple took the path of design laziness back when they redesigned the chassis iPhone 5 for the iPhone SE. But it is unlikely that Samsung and Apple should endlessly use used design solutions. If you are a market leader, show a little more courage.
And if Apple and Samsung allow you to use the same design with minimal changes, let alone other manufacturers, whose expectations are less. Maybe Apple and Samsung can afford to be lazy, but less successful companies cannot.
Как и в случае с двойными камерами, лучше бы производители потратили свой бюджет на R&D на то, чтобы увеличить время жизни батареи или заставить камеры делать классные кадры при плохом свете, чем создавали для каждого аппарата новенький дизайн. But it doesn't matter what you think about the speed of design change in new generations of the device. The key is to be consistent in accepting or denying the pace of this change.
New Hope
But you can swear about it in the comments, but there is a sincere hope that Apple with its touch button 'Home' will force Samsung (and others) to follow their example. The mechanical button in Samsung devices looks cheap and unreliable. There is no reason Samsung and other companies shouldn't switch to the capacitive button that OnePlus has from time to time and HTC.
Eventually
The global smartphone market has reached a saturation point, and analysts say shoppers are increasingly inclined to settle for an older phone that is 'good enough'. And the small changes that Apple brought to iPhone 7 are just not enough to get everyone's attention, as they did before.
The same thing happens with Samsung, and with LG, and with Huawei. Why else would Samsung experiment with a curved screen, and LG and Lenovo with modules? Big players find it harder and harder to face the ever-improving and cheaper Chinese. You have to go to various tricks to justify the high price tag.
And if none of the recently announced phones interested you, then you should know – not only you. If you are thinking about using your old device longer, you can understand. Since any machine can now be said to be good enough, we are entering a great time when companies have to go overboard to convince us to give up our money. Competition between manufacturers plays into the hands of buyers.
What do you think? Does iPhone 7 open up any new horizons? And what will be the new horizon for smartphones in general?