My Thoughts on Technology and Jamaica: Apple iPhone 5 and its Design - Of Gods, Critics, Lemmings, Sheep and Men

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Apple iPhone 5 and its Design - Of Gods, Critics, Lemmings, Sheep and Men


I have drunken deep of joy,
And I will taste no other wine to-night.

Shelley, The Cenci, I, 3

With the Apple iPad now around the corner at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts as per the invite now in the sweaty palms of everyone who is anybody of note in the Tech Blogger and Journalism community in San Francisco as stated in the article “Exclusive: Apple iPad 2 Event set for March 2”, published February 22, 2011 at 10:00 AM PT by Kara Swisher, All Things Digital.

Reporter Kara Swisher saved us all, with her inspired reporting that hit the nail on the head and got straight to the point: Apple iPad landing on Wednesday March 2nd 2011AD Event. For Apple aficionados, this is our….I mean their…superbowl. Americans, what say ye to a National Holiday?

There is even talk that the Apple iPad 2 and its father (?) the Apple iPhone may be packing NFC (Near Field Communication) as suggested by the article “iPhone 5 and iPad 2 could make Credit Cards Obsolete”, published Friday February 25 2011, NewsFactor, Yahoo! News. Truly, the Apple iPad 2 may be the ultimate herald for the Apple iPhone 5, the presentation for which is slated to be sometime in June 2011 as stated in the article “Next Up: iPhone 5”, published Saturday February 26 2011 by PC World, Yahoo! News.

This is just too much for me. Last week on Thursday February 24th 2011AD, which happens to be Apple CEO Steve Jobs Birthday, a Thunderbolt landed that cast a flash of lighting on the future of Apple MacBook Pro Line and the PC industry as a whole.

Apple Inc has shows its endorsement of Intel by incorporating their CPU/GPU flavoured Sandy Bridge Processors into their new line of Notebooks along with HD (High Definition) FaceTime, with the 15” and 17” incher packing AMD’s Radeon Graphics Card. But as usual, the best for last: ThunderBolt, the 10GBps theoretical Bi-Directional Data Transfer standard, formerly going by the name LightPeak.

Coupled with the Intel-McAfee link-up begging the blessing of the EU (European Union) Cardinals, the future of the PC industry in the next five (5) years looks increasingly tailored towards Video Calling and Fiber Optic Motherboards optimized for Ultra High Speed Performance at lower power levels as boldly predicted in my blog article entitled “MacBook Pro and Intel LightPeak - Thunderbolt and the Fantastic Mr. Fox”.

Thus with the Apple iPad S launch today, Wednesday March 2nd 2011AD, when all will be revealed at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, I now turn my focus to the Apple iPhone, the other hotly anticipated thing from Apple.

I must admit, I have not paid the smartphone designs much regard, as they merely seem to me to be iterations of Apple’s designs. Even I am beginning to wonder if it has any relevance, aside to the homage paid to the Apple iPhone by its legion of rabid Lemming or Sheep-like fans. But “Antenna-Gate” as the media calls it, brought back the issue of Antenna Design to the fore, being an Antenna design enthusiasts myself, I come running to Cupertino-based Apple’s Aid.

Not to mention being the person who originally suggested the idea of the External Loop Antenna design for the Apple iPhone 4 while debating with a bunch of brain-dead Shurpower Generator Engineers back in May of 2009 – albeit it is up to you to believe me or not.

So it peaked my interest when I noticed yet another Antenna related story, this time about the Apple iPhone recently launched on Telecom Provider Verizon’s Network as stated in my blog article entitled “Verizon and the Apple iPhone 4 - The Golden Fleece”, albeit this is really a blog article about Apple worship than anything else.

This article relaying this news, entitled “Apple iPhone 4 for Verizon has same Antenna problem as AT&T version”, published February 25, 2011 1:46 pm, Los Angeles Times Blog to be honest, must be slapped with the nice little label Caveat Lector, as albeit it is Consumer Reports, it still has not dampened the sales of the Apple iPhone on Telecom Provider Verizon.

Brings back memories of 2010 does it not as stated in my blog article entitled “Apple iPhone and Loop Antenna - Strange Encounters of the Third Kind” and  Apple an the Antenna - Black Sabbath and Much Ado about Nothing”?

Anecdotal evidence suggests a lower than normal love for the Apple iPhone despite the claims of record pre-order sales as stated in the article “Verizon: iPhone sets first-day sales record”, published February 4, 2011 7:26 AM PST by Jim Dalrymple, Apple - CNET News and confirmed in the article “Verizon halts iPhone 4 pre-orders after most successful sales day in history”, published February 4, 2011, 8:05am PST by Matthew Miller, ZDNet quoting declarations from Telecom Provider Verizon.

The alleged lackluster Telecom Provider Verizon Sales are due to several factors as neatly opined by CNET Blogger David Carnoy in his article “Why aren’t people buying the Verizon iPhone?”, published February 23, 2011 3:56 PM PST by David Carnoy, Fully Equipped - CNET News. But Juan Public suspects it is mainly due to one thing, really: money.

People just do not have the money to afford switching from one contract to another. At least not until the Apple iPhone 5 arrives, when the Lemmings and Sheep have decided to gather yet again.

Hence the apparent lower than normal buying spree. Telecom Provider Verizon CEO Daniel S. Mead, in no time flat, came out swinging, claiming that 60% of Telecom Provider Verizon sales were via online pre-orders. Hence the lack of traffic at the stores, the obvious visual clue as stated in the article “Verizon CEO refutes claims of low iPhone sales”, published February 25, 2011 4:01 PM PST by Josh Lowensohn, Wireless - CNET News.

So the reports of yet another “Antenna Gate” brewing by yet another Consumer Reports scare are news that is water under the bridge Caveat Lector Style. Plus, Antenna Redesigns are coming as it relates to the Apple iPhone 5.

Throw a bit of cold weather and it might be enough to dampen the enthusiasm of even the most rabidly crazed Apple fan seeking to get a bit of the Apple. But even that will not suffice. The other smartphones have bigger screens, meatier Dual and even Quad-Core Processors and Android. Apple may be slowly losing relevance, but not their sense of innovation!

Thus albeit possibly “false” news with regards to smaller versions of the Apple iPhone as stated by the Wall Street Journal in the article entitled “WSJ: New smaller iPhone real, MobileMe may become free, iTunes music streaming coming soon”, published February 13, 2011 by Andrew Couts, DigitalTrends and corroborated by the article entitled “Apple is said to work on Cheaper, smaller iPhones”, published February 11, 2011 10:04 AM ET by Peter Burrows and Gregory Bensinger, BloomBerg, major redesigns are coming for the Apple iPhone 5.

Keyboards are out of the question. Don’t even think about it! Not even virtual ones like the Acer Iconia Laptop has as stated in the article “Acer's dazzling, Dual-screen Iconia Laptop”, published Tuesday November 23, 2010 3:49 pm ET by Ben Patterson, Yahoo! News.

The ThinkGeek TK-421 iPhone Case with Flip-Out Keyboard and its copycats already do a good enough job – not to mention earn licensing revenue for Apple as stated in the article “ThinkGeek announces iPhone keyboard case”, published September 23, 2010 10:45 AM PDT by Rick Broida, CNET News - iPhone Atlas - CNET News. Laying the cards straight, a keyboard is not happing, at least not while I am alive!

Dual-Mode GSM/CDMA Communication chipsets to make the Apple iPhone 5 world-ready and save on manufacturing costs of making two of the same phone? Put a tick in that column for CNET Reporter Erica Ogg, who has been doggedly following this story like a bloodhound, despite her “Ogg”-centric name as stated in her article “Report: Future iPad, iPhone to have Qualcomm chips”, published January 14, 2011 5:20 PM PST by Erica Ogg, CNET News - Circuit Breaker, CNET News.

Ditto for her follow up in the article “Report: Future iPad, iPhone to have Qualcomm chips”, published January 14, 2011 5:20 PM PST by Erica Ogg, CNET News - Circuit Breaker, CNET News. CNET Reporter Erica Ogg, you deserve a box of Ferrero Rocher Chocolates!

Music in the cloud with ad-sponsored free version of MobileMe for the otherwise lackluster service as speculated in the article “What Apple's Lala Acquisition may Mean for iTunes”, published December 5, 2009 1:26 PM By Paul Suarez, PC World?

Put a tick in that column too, as Cloud Computing is in Apple’s Orchard after having acquired music streaming service Lala as stated in the article Apple buys Lala, entering the streaming music business”, published August 12 2009 12:06 AM, USA Today.

Gorilla Glass and LiquidMetal accents on the Apple iPhone as suggested by the articles 1962 glass could be Corning's next bonanza seller”, published Sunday August 1, 2:14 pm ET by BEN DOBBIN, AP Business Writer, Yahoo! News and  Apple takes gulp of strong, glossy Liquidmetal”, published Sunday August 8 2010, By PETER SVENSSON, AP Technology Writer, Yahoo! News respectively? Another tick please!!!!

Solar panels integrated into the Apple iPhone 5 as the patent filings by Apple suggest as stated in the article  Apple eyes gadgets with built in Solar panels”, published January 22, 2010 7:46 AM PST by Martin LaMonica, CNET News - Green Tech and the article “Apple patent bid combines solar with touch screen”, published June 7, 2010 6:31 AM PDT by Martin LaMonica, CNET News - Green Tech. You are getting warm, CNET Writer Martin LaMonica!!!

But to answer the Apple iPhone critics of the External Loop Antenna, Apple will be using a design from University Researchers Ardalan Amiri Sani, Lin Zhong and Ashutosh Sabharwal, detailed in a 2010 published paper as stated in the article “Maybe all the iPhone needs is more Antennas”, published August 13, 2010 06:31 PM ET by John P. Mello Jr., PC World. A simple solution, it would add greatly to the External Loop Design by lowering power usage of the Apple iPhone.

Big black tick for this final innovation, as anything thing else in the way of service is just cosmetic add-ons. The Apple iPhone 5 is not only still relevant: it will be a Revolution, in much the same way that SSD’s in the Apple MacBook Air and the recently minted MacBook Pros with Intel’s Sandy Bridge are making PC Makers go back to the drawing board.

Thus Apple iPhone, coupled with the Integrated Solar Panels, would achieve the unachievable Holy Grail of smartphones: battery life reaching at least twenty four (24) on full usage and allowing users to chuck the cord. Apple fans and critics, what more than that do you want?

In due time, as today Wednesday March 2nd 2011AD, Apple iPad Day, the Critics, Lemmings and the Sheep will be ALL answered and all doubts laid to rest. Then, in that day, the Critics, Lemmings and the Sheep, will have to decide whether to stay or to leave for other smart phones that entice but offer no innovation, Of Gods and Men (2010) style.

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