The iPhone 5 Doesn’t Need to be Revolutionary

This video is an entertaining look at the hype and reality leading up to today’s iPhone 5 release. I think they get a lot right, but they missed the most important point: the iPhone 5 doesn’t need to be revolutionary.

Why is that? Because, as I predicted before the first iPhone ever launched, features aren’t what matter.

The iPhone 4S is still a better phone than the Galaxy SIII in my opinion, and in the opinion of many others. It’s not as flashy with as many features, but features are not what have made Apple the richest company in the world. Elegance is. Design. Feel. Simplicity.

These are the attributes that keep Apple on top, and those qualities make it so that if Apple does add a feature that matches or exceeds a competitors offerings it becomes “amazing”. This bothers Android folks because they scream that they’ve had “X” for months.

In short, elegance and simplicity are magnifiers of experience. The iPhone 4S could go on being the most sought after phone for months to come, even if they didn’t announce an iPhone 5 today. If you want data, look at how much an iPhone today sells for in used markets relative to the absolute latest Android phones. The iPhone still dominates, despite being multiple “feature” generations behind Android.

Essentially, Apple has little pressure to release revolutionary features today. An evolution of the iPhone 4S would be a considerable win for them because the 4S is still seen by many as the best phone out there. If they did add some sort of new magic through “one more thing” that would simply make it decisive.

Elegance magnifies experience, and that’s why Apple continues to win despite a slower feature cycle than their competitors.