What I Really Want from iPhone 5

It’s that time of the year again.  Current iPhone stocks are low, iPhone prototypes are reported to be “accidentally” lost in pubs, and bits of news are trickling in on the new features of the upcoming iPhone.  the iPhone saga that has gripped the tech world continues and we all await the announcement of the next iPhone, sometime in October 2011.

There used to be a time when you looked forward to buying phones for their hardware or software enhancements.  I remember when the Nokia 6600 was launched with sporting a camera and colored screen and the ruckus it caused then.

Gone are those days of software feature hype for different phones, with iOS, we can be assured that the iPhone’s software features are mostly consistent and improved with almost every new update.  if you have an iPhone that’s 1-2 generations before the current one, it should work the same.

Personally, I am glad that I don’t need to learn a new OS whenever a new phone is out.  I am also spared the heartbreak of finding some of my much loved features missing in new phones (i.e. Nokia’s erratic OS)

So forgive me if I am not that thrilled with the new iPhone 5 as if the iPhone 4 was massively lacking in anything.  I am looking forward to see how our friends at Cupertino can surprise me further.

Here are some improvements I wish to see, and in my opinion, its these improvements that can determine if the iPhone can further their already massive market share.

The battery life of the iPhone has improved tremendously from version 1.  however – in an utopian iOS world – it should last more than the touted 5-8 hours of general usage.  I am not saying how much, but more would be nice.

They can do this by employing better technology or increasing the battery size.  both ways, it will compromise of cost and space.  Since a majority of the people already use some sort of alternate charger and won’t mind carrying a charger around, it may just be a good idea to allow a replaceable battery.

The iPhone is synonymous with dropped calls.  This could be due to the antennae technology or the way it’s built.  Much of this complaint is drowned out as the iPhone does so many other things well.  most people I know have 2 phones, 1 to make calls and an iPhone for everything else.

There is some Internet chatter that some new antennae technology is already being developed.  I hope that this will drastically improve the current way the iPhone makes and receives calls.

Design purist would vehemently disagree with changing the simplistic design of the well-crafted iPhone, but adding a tactile keyboard would probably make a bunch of Blackberry fans jump ship.  a lot of iPhone users I know talk about the typos they get using their on screen keyboard, having a tactile keyboard just make typing a whole lot easier.

Don’t get me wrong; the on-screen keyboard should stay.  We could have a flip out keyboard (Like the Nokia E7) so that we may have an option to use it.  This would only add a few millimeters to the form of the iPhone but make a world of a difference typing.

Already, there are already some Bluetooth Keyboard options out there, even an ingenious way to implement a Smartcover inspired keyboard onto the iPhone, maybe its time that Apple considers selling a keyboard version for enterprise users.

The iPhone has made things so much simpler, I am not just talking about 3rd party Apps.  Previously, you can’t do anything internet related on a Nokia without being asked for which access point to use while presenting you with a choice of access points you didn’t even know you had!

The iPhone’s iOS simplified all that by making the choices for all of us.  they put thought into designing their Operating System and its shows in their blazing rise to the top.  There are some detractors that want to make those choices and that’s led to a legion of Jailbroken phones.

I still believe that Apple has the tech and financial muscle to make all things possible by actively listening to their users and using innovation to lead the way.  Meanwhile, I am waiting in anticipation to see if the new iPhone will have any surprises installed.

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