Bigger, faster, better batteries, cheaper – these represent the new features that roll out with each new smartphone release these days.  Today the iPhone 5 announcement has gained all the press.  It remains to be seen however if the iPhone 5 will prove to be the game-changing device that some are expecting.  Prominent analysts project that the device will sell some 10-12 million of these phones in September.  With all the competition, the ongoing litigation, and the pressure placed on the new phone, never so much has the future rested on the company’s announcement of one device.

To quote Phil Schiller on the iPhone 5:

“It is an absolute jewel. It is the most beautiful product we have ever made, bar none.”

The iPhone changed the smartphone game forever since its introduction in 2007 and has essentially run the table since then.  With the iPhone being the one device that all manufacturers aspire to, it has enjoyed this position since the beginning.  However the last iPhone, the 4S was somewhat of a disappointment being a gently warmed over revision of their last model.  Other feature-rich dynamic smartphones have stepped up since that first phone, many based on Google’s Android, for a while there RIM and their Blackberry were somewhat formidable, and lately the Windows 8 devices have been intriguing.  Their competitor Samsung dominates the worldwide market at 30, while Apple holds the best position in the US market.  Nokia has rolled out their new Windows Phone 8 products to a somewhat tepid response, despite a very flashy array of features.  Google (Motorola) has new Android devices out, the Razr HD Maxx, Razr HD and Razr M – all with direct sights on being the go-to alternative to the iPhone.  LG has released a new phone, and HTC apparently still has one on the way.

Again, bigger, better, improved sums up the current wave of smartphones on the platform and applies to features such as cameras, screens, batteries and so on within each wave.   The iPhone 5 has answered this with a thinner, lighter, larger screen space, faster iPhone with LTE capability and some further refinements.   In looking at the many improved and revised features, it certainly fits that pattern of bigger, faster, improved and it seems that with adding 5-magnet speakers, more megapixels, and so on that the design itself is not revolutionary, but compacts more into an even smaller, more capable platform.  This is a technical engineering marvel without a doubt and praise for the advancements in design will be well-deserved.  So while some may be disillusioned that the new phone is not radically different, either we have all been spoiled by the history of Apple product releases, or we have been looking at an over-hyped track record all along.  I tend to believe the former, with a dash of the latter.

Questions will come up about whether it will be enough to truly leap ahead of and stay ahead of other phones on the market.  Time will tell, but obviously part of Apple’s plan is protecting its patents.  For a truly objective person to switch from other great products such as the Samsung Galaxy – I don’t see it as being enough.  I gather that a significant amount of iPhone purchasers will be people with older models who have come up on trade-in, have bought in to iTunes and want long-overdue 4G/LTE capability.  The iPhone 5 is most certainly an upgrade and most probably a very polished product.

When you turn to the future, Apple faces some giant machines in Google, the Android platform, continued evolution of products put out by Samsung, HTC and even Nokia.  It is hard to imagine that the sum output of all those product manufacturers won’t rival or pass this generation of iPhone quickly.  That being said, consumers have exhibited a culture of loyalty to Apple products, having been introduced to slick, reliable, and easy-to-use iterations of all their products.  This attention to user experience has been the hallmark differentiator for Apple; so for all the technical achievements that Apple has built into this particular product, Apple can bank on that user experience, familiarity, and loyalty.  As other products step up to challenge the iPhone, this will be the biggest challenge – pulling it all off technically, and delivering a smooth experience to the users that relates to their real lives.  The iPhone for these reasons is still the king of the jungle.