The new Apple iPhone 5s is a titan of technology, a wizard of wonder and a device of delight. Not only that, but it has become the best-selling smartphone among the four top mobile carriers. Up until the launch of the iPhone 5s, Samsung’s Galaxy 4 was the best-selling phone in the U.S., according to CNET. With data provided by Canaccord Genuity, Samsung’s lead was pushed back to second place, with iPhone 5s catapulting to the top.
Hype or Innovation?
Why is it taking off with consumers everywhere? Well, besides the hype, the gold and the bragging rights, it’s an all-around thing of beauty. The iPhone 5s is faster because of Apple’s 64-bit A7 chip, and users are seeing the improvement in their everyday activities when launching apps or checking web sites. Because of this speed, its camera app is enhanced as well, with slow-mo and burst photo features added. It also has the groundbreaking Touch ID, an amazing fingerprint sensor technology, with uses of up to five fingerprints to identify your phone.
But now, as the iPhone 5s sinks in, more observant types are seeing clues in the phone that might lead to the next mobile revolution— the Internet on your wrist. Some members of its executive team use Nike FuelBand, a wearable band that tracks your daily movement activity by quantifying steps, gauging calories burned and more. And now Apple has hired of the top FuelBand designers to work on its new wearable technology initiative.
Wearable Technology
Apple has shown an interest in wearable technology and signs point to Apple launching some sort of sensor-packed, fitness-oriented wearable computer next year. This new technology could also change the way we listen to music, if all the rumors about the iWatch come to pass. There is a high likelihood that Apple’s iWatch will have music capability, like the iPod. You can carry your entire mp3 collection on your wrist. You could store your entire music collection via Mozy online backup storage. You may make calls from your watch. You can do anything a phone might do.
Other Players
The iWatch could be the key defining technology moment in bridging technology between our music and our technology. But the iWatch is not the only player in the wearable field. Pebble has raised over $10 million via Kickstarter, and its own smartwatch went on sale in late September for $150 through online retailers Best Buy and Amazon. It does some fun things, like receiving text messages while on the go without ever lifting your phone out of your pocket or purse. The Pebble also helps you screen calls and play music from your phone. It can also pause the music as needed. Design aficionados will enjoy the collection of digital watch faces on display.
But the Pebble is still in its early days, and eventual users will have to believe in the Pebble eco-sphere to give it a good run at the rumored iWatch. For now, let Apple iPhone 5s users be the kings of mobile computing. The rest of us will have to wait for 2014’s wearable computing technology promises to unfold.