iPhone sales have been slowing down as shown in Apple’s latest earning report. Bigger screens used to be at the forefront of the battle line. But now that screens have reached a point of being too big for our pocket, consumers are looking to other features. In fact, only 40% of iPhone users have upgraded to a larger screen iPhone 6 or 6S.
With the iPhone 7, there had been rumors and talks of bold changes, whether removing headphone jack, including dual lens camera, or slimmer chassis to make the thinnest iPhone ever.
But are these really what consumers want? What makes iPhones believers consider switching to Androids? We see an array of innovations in the Samsung S7 which are useful and frankly, more exciting. Yes, they are risky, but that’s the type of bet Samsung is willing to take. The Wide Type panel, expansion from the S6 Edge and S6 Edge Plus would allow for phone status, news widget, and a compass. The S7 is becoming thicker to pack in more features, room (with microSD), integration to Gear VR, and integration to its new line of classic wearable watches.
I would argue that in order to regain momentum in the marketplace, Apple should really pay attention to its software, not hardware. Apple is competing against a whole line of operating system – Android – backed by huge giants such as Google, Samsung, HTC… Every day these companies are making leaps in software innovations on the already more open Android platform. This is putting pressure on Apple to open up of its iOS platform, whether by riding the VR development wave, expanding NFC beyond Apple Pay, and giving more room for wearable, gaming development among others.
The availability of these technologies on the iOS platform will open up many opportunities for marketers to interact on a personal level with customers. Just think about NFC-powered campaigns, IoT, or the millions VR hardware in the market.
Apple, now is not the time to play safe. Now is the time to open up and fight for your survival. If you don't, others will continue to eat up your apples.
Image source: apple.com