Magic? Apple still has it, but needs a few one more things

420042130 b9708d8224 z 520x245 Magic? Apple still has it, but needs a few one more things

Apple has been a runaway train since its release of the iPod. People from 10-70 years old are carrying some sort of Apple device in their pockets these days.

Remember when you got your first iPhone? Taking the first generation iPhone of your pocket was magical for some, people would come up to you and ask to touch it. Its true. Apple has stood for something magical for a long time. Steve Jobs was a big part of that, but its simplistic design and ability to lead the customer with a deep pass has kept the company in the game.

The iPhone 4S is an unfortunate release for the company. Unfortunate not because the device isnt great, but unfortunate that the passing of its leader and headaches around patents have stalled out the excitement that comes along with its telephony-changing device. The phone has a great camera, a great new voice feature in Siri, yet people arent as excited as they used to be.

Why is that?

The reason why the excitement doesnt seem to be what it used to is that the device is now accessible to most Americans. With Sprint and Verizon now carrying the device, its no longer a parlor trick to slide and unlock your phone in public. Were waiting for the one more thing, as Apple has trained us to do.

How can Apple remain magical? These three markets will keep the company in the drivers seat for a long time to come.

Mobile is the hub

4802857600 ecb9587673 z 300x200 Magic? Apple still has it, but needs a few one more thingsMicrosoft focused on the home. Bill Gates and company told us that the home was the core of computing, data sharing, and entertainment. This is no longer true, and Apple is in a position to take hold of the idea that one device can control an entire household and lifestyle.

Steve Jobs realized very early on that a happy life isnt one chained to a computer. A happy life with technology doesnt rely on a large hard drive attached to a network of devices in your living room.

Mobile is the future, plain and simple. If you arent doing it already, all of the important data you collect doesnt happen in your home. The things you see, touch, and hear all happen while youre outside of your home. Your friends at work tell you about a new show or ask you if you saw that big pass in the football game the night before.

Your mobile device is your hub. You enter information in, and sit back and watch once you get home. Thats not to say that a TV shouldnt be the focus for Apple, but its not what controls your life.

The iPhone 5 will have to be the most powerful device youve ever held in your hand.

Gaming

Its time for Apple to get serious about gaming at home. The iPod Touch, iPhone, and iPad are great gaming devices. But the games you see on the app store are for small appetites and passing moments. Immersive gaming experiences dont exist on iOS as of yet. What is Apple waiting for?

Playing a game on the tr! ain, and then picking it up on my TV is an experience that is needed. Microsoft has done one thing well in the past five years, and it came from the Xbox team. The Xbox platform has grown by leaps and bounds, letting you do more and more in the home. But once I leave my house, I have to think about coming home and playing Xbox. Why should I have to wait?

How can Apple nail gaming? Perhaps its that TV we heard that Mr. Jobs cracked. Perhaps its upping the ante on the existing Apple TV and letting us use apps.

Television

3736802927 1d33bffcaf z 300x225 Magic? Apple still has it, but needs a few one more thingsMobile to home information transfer and gaming needs one more thing. A connected television with the horse power to run the best software in the world. Remember, Apple started out as a hardware company and has morphed into a company nearly perfecting both hardware and software. Microsoft started out as a software company and has embraced hardware with its phones and gaming device. The two companies have gotten to the same point in two very different paths.

What is usually the centerpiece of your living room other than pictures of your family? The television. Big ones, with features. Apple can and will get into the television game. But when? The company has beautiful monitors, so it knows how to create displays. It has a beautiful OS that can sit on any device. Going from mobile to home is the future.

The Apple TV will let you ! pick up where you left off. While youre at work, on your mobile device, and on the way home, your Apple TV will be sitting there connected to the internet. The television will watch what you do, read what you read, and think what you think. Its just a pretty monitor, after all.

You will no longer have to rely on Netflix to suggest movies for you. Your world around you, and the actions you take within that world will tell your entertainment device what you want to watch.

A mobile Apple device will be your remote to the world. Guaranteed.

Mobile is the difference, though. The TV has to compliment what you do when youre not watching it. Microsoft wanted the TV to run your life, while Apple should build the TV to make your life better.

Can Apple stay magical? Of course it can, because its one of the few companies that ever became magical in the first place.


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