What is the iPhone Evolving Into?

[Wiley John Wright]

In the early days before smartphones, using a cell phone was a relatively basic thing to do. You made calls and talked to people. If you really wanted to get the most out of your phone, you might have even programmed the address book. This used to be a tedious and lengthy process, and the idea of syncing this information with your PC was but a pipe dream.

Enter the smartphone: more than a phone, less than a computer, but something in between. Full of potential, these new phones gave us a glimpse of what the future might hold. It wasn’t really until the iPhone came out that the smartphone evolved into something more than the sum of its parts. Syncing your contacts and personal information became seamless and easy. No longer were we bound by finicky user interfaces, now we could just go to our computers and upload our contact info in one easy step. And that was just the beginning.

The word smartphone now describes Blackberrys, Android-based phones, iPhones, Windows Phones and more. Competition is a good thing that leads every manufacturer to push the boundaries of technology. So where does the iPhone go from here? How will it evolve and continue to change the way we get our information?

Will we see smartphones start to replace the traditional desktop computer? Why sit behind a desk if you can be just as productive down the street at the local coffee shop?

The technology in these phones is already an impressive feat of engineering, but there is still more technology waiting to be assimilated into them.

Apple patents show they are looking into all sorts of biometric interfaces to detect who is using an iPhone at any given time. Imagine a time when your iPhone recognizes you by touch, and when you hand it to a friend it recognizes him as well. Your iPhone will talk to other devices around it gathering information as you walk into a room. Want to watch TV? Just activate the Pico projector and point your phone at a wall to watch your favorite show.

Matt Ployhar of Intel writes:
“Given that the capabilities of Smart/iPhones are currently accelerating at a Moore’s law pace or faster; where do they go next? My prediction is that they likely won’t replace PCs (Laptops/Desktops) but will end up being a central “Hub-like” device that enhances one’s existing PCs and other Smart Devices.”

So what will my next iPhone be able to do? Tune in next Wednesday for a peek into the future. I hope I’ll always be able to Jailbreak my iPhone, by the way. Then again, I may not need to, only time will tell. For now I’m just thrilled I can watch Netflix on my iPhone.

Photo: Kyle Bean

Source: Computerworld

[Kaid]

Great article and quite thought provoking.

I must admit the central hub is an idea worth building on, I can see it replacing, cash and credit cards and also help you gain access to cars, buildings etc

Thanks

[jordan04]

i'm betting on the eyephone

[kadinh]

i'm betting on the eyephone

a phone embedded surgically into your eyeball and gives you a virtual HUD.

gives new meaning to "retina display"

[-_-]

i like your perspective of writing wiley. Very long term haha, and not just useless junk :P

[AAAARRRRRRGGGGG]

this is a great article. happy to have you aboard as a writer here. i'm glad to see other folks looking down the road at the possibilities ahead of us. like you said, ten years ago, the idea of the iphone would have seemed impossible. our advances in technology are exponentially accelerating and i have a feeling we're going to start seeing things that we never thought possible more and more frequently.

[f3nd3rmus1c]

What a great article! I rarely ever take time out to write out a response, but this is exceptional writing.

Also, I agree with that point of view. I don't think the standard computer will ever be replaced (although it'll go through its own cycle of updates and upgrades), but the smartphone category will continue to flourish to bring you MORE. Where "more" is drawing the line is, I guess, up to the engineers/developers and the users alike.

Could it be possible that our phones can do too much?

[Eagleye]

Great article Wiley, it's nice to read something thought provoking for a change. I cant wait to see what my phone will be able to do for me in the upcoming years. That and video games... its insane that some of them are so realistic now. Im betting on a Matrix type video game world where you can spawn into it and do things you cant (or shouldnt) do in real life. Heck, maybe the iPhone will be the way you transfer in and out of the Matrix. Screw landlines Neo, we got our iPhones! I just hope the Matrix won't be tethered. LOL.

[jokerg7]

nice first article...very though provoking...my bet is that eventually the 'smart phone' will be your central hub for all data and information although I doubt it can and ever will replace a pc/mac

[iNT3Rv3NTiONZz]

Awesome article the only bit I found "wrong" was saying that you may not need to jb in the future, pfft the day Steve jobs stops being an arrogant $#!@ is a day that will never come around lol

[Teban]

If any one thinks for a moment that the handheld device won't replace a computer, think again. It's what dosent seem possible, that usually ends up coming full circle. The wright brother took flight, 70 years later we were on the moon, and tech moves much faster now a days.

Anything is possible, just give it a decade or two.

[AAAARRRRRRGGGGG]

a decade or two ahead of us will see exponentially greater change than the decade or two behind us. if this pattern continues, technology will soon advance quicker than we can even comprehend... check out ray kurzweil if this concept interests you.

[confucious]

I was using Windows Mobile SmartPhones for years before the iPhone came out.
The original iPhone was 2G only - why on earth would anyone want that when I had had 3G Smartphones for years?
To say that the iPhone was the first 'smartphone' is an interesting concept.
It evolved the Smartphone and I have had my 3G for 2 years nearly - I never kept phones for more than a few months in the past. It Did nothing that my previous phones couldn't do - but it just worked.
I want an iPhone 4 but can't justify the cost - what can I do that is worth an extra £500?

[one1]

a cash register.

[confucious]

Yes - but where is the cash drawer on the iPhone 4?

[-=viper=-]

Cellular suppository...
The iRectum

[Bluemoldycheeze88]

Nice Article Wiley, that being said I love my iPhone. I normally would change cell phones every 6 months or less but not now that I have an iPhone simply love everything about.

[zozodouce]

Great article.

[xgm541]

This article makes it seem like the iPhone 2g was the pinnacle of all smartphones at the time. I am an iphone user but i dont like fanboism. Before the iphone 2g came out I had an HTC windows mobile phone which synced to my computer as well as my exchange server wirelessly.

The thing the iphone is today is, in my opinion, something all smartphones try to in some way emulate, but it was not the first smart phone.

Also my HTC smartphone had 3g before the iphone did.

Its also interesting because I think apple already knows what the iphone 5 maybe even 6 will have. Apple's business plan is the same as any other company. They release incremental upgrades to hardware and software which makes people buy "new" features which apple already had developed for years.

How do you explain the 2g -> 3g update. Same hardware, different design and upgraded antenna. So apple might already know the answer to what to expect next.

[AnthonyGiola]

The fact that you even found a qoute mentioning Moore's law shows that you are you my new favorite writer. Good job