Apple is no longer Apple

iPhone6: Great Technology, Crappy Design

I bought the original iPhone when it came out in 2006.  The original iPhone had a wonderful simple design.  Its user interface was intuitive and it packed tons of useful functionality.  It just felt right.  It was a breakthrough in an otherwise boring smart phone market.  While the original iPhone had a great physical design, it was technologically crappy.  It had a slow 2G wireless connectivity, it dropped almost every other call, the battery was drained half way through the day and its camera was just ok.

I recently went to an Apple store to check out the iPhone6 and trade in my iPhone5S for the bigger faster iPhone6.  I typically order beforehand and trust that the APPLE brand will deliver to my expectations, however, this time my instinct told me to wait and check it out first.

To my disappointment, the iPhone6 just did not feel right in my hand.  It was too skinny and too light.  Where did Apple get the idea that making the iPhone as skinny and as light as possible is a good thing?

In spite of the great technological advancement of the iPhone6, its crappy design surprised me. I noticed how the back camera was not flush with the back metal case of the phone.  It was sticking out well above the metal surface – so UN-APPLE and ugly.  The On/Off switch has been moved from the top of the phone to the right side making it hard to push without also pushing the up and down volume button across from it on the left side.   I can just visualize trying to turn up the volume on my conversation and accidentally turning off my phone.  Not good.

The original iPhone had a great design wrapping crappy technology.

The iPhone6 has great technology wrapped in a crappy design.

The iPhone6 is packed with great technology.  It includes super fast processor and co-processor, speedy LTE wireless connectivity, improved battery life, a great camera and a crisp display.

Many argue that the bigger screen is a “catch up” to many other phones with bigger screens.  The reality is that every major technological advance in the iPhone evolution during the past 8 years was a catch up.  The iPhone from a technology point of view was always about a year behind; its design was always the best until the iPhone6.  The iPhone6 design is now a Me TOO product, no longer a break through.  As a matter of fact, other smart phones now have a much better design than the iPhone6.

I decided to keep my iPhone5S and walked out, disappointed.

Since 2006, Apple went from Great Design and Crappy Technology with the original iPhone to a Crappy Design and Great technology with the iPhone6.

Get forward to Great Design AND Great Technology to recapture the innovative space Apple.

Read my Letter to Tim Cook.

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