5 Tech Standards Apple Murdered & 5 More on the Chopping Block
From the floppy disk to the smartphone, Apple is a serial killer of tech
standards.
Apple has long been seen as a forward-thinking tech company that values
minimalism over superfluous functionality, unafraid of taking risks to clear
a path for technology to speed ahead. Historically, theyve often opted to
do away with existing tech standards to allow that momentum to build.
Sometimes these standards were showing their ripe old age and were obvious
candidates for tech assassination. Other times, their demise felt more like
premature deaths: casualties of Apples penchant for slaughtering dated
technology. In either case, its hard to deny that this murderous trait is
part of what defines the monstrous tech company and sets the stage for their
meteoric rise as the most valuable company on the planet
<http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-becomes-the-most-valuable-publicly-tra
ded-company-of-all-time-2017-5> .
Last week as they introduced the hotly anticipated iPhone X, they erased the
phones home button, an iconic feature that has defined the face of the
iPhone for the past 10 years. To pay homage to the little plastic circle
thats become so well acquainted with our thumbs, well review a handful of
other tech standards that have gone before it and gaze solemnly into the
future of a few tech standards on the brink of annihilation.
5 Tech Standards Apple Murdered
1. 3.5 Floppy Disk
Remember those little plastic disks full of Word documents that once
littered your desk? Remember that time the metal piece on one of them got
mangled in your backpack, exposing the sensitive data film to a nearby pen
and destroying your term paper? That was awesome. Well, you have Steve Jobs
<http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-becomes-the-most-valuable-publicly-tra
ded-company-of-all-time-2017-5> comeback machine, the original iMac, to
thank for the fact that youll never use one of those again. When the iMac
in its magical glowing translucent shell was introduced in 1998, it lacked
this basic, de facto standard data-storage medium in favor of a high-storage
optical CD-ROM drive. As heretical as if felt at the time
<http://www.nytimes.com/1998/07/23/technology/who-said-computers-have-to-be-
square.html?mcubz=3> , within the next few years the rest of the industry
followed suit, removing the floppy drive from their PCs and our lives.
Fun fact: every time you stream a Netflix movie to your TV in your living
room, youre sucking down approximately 3,500 times the amount of data that
could have been contained on one of those bad boys.
2. Serial Port
Along with the demise of the floppy disk, the iMac ushered in a new era for
connection ports, bringing about mass adoption of the up-and-coming
high-speed USB port, replacing the sluggish, pin-packed serial port that
reigned through the 80s and 90s. For the unacquainted (read: under-30
crowd), the serial port was the primary method of connecting your computer
to other devices (at the time, mainly just those obnoxious squeaky slow
external modems). The serial port actually has its origins in 1960s
computing <https://www.camiresearch.com/Data_Com_Basics/RS232_standard.html>
, making it a strong candidate for elimination due to age. However, because
it had been around so long, its removal from Apples new flagship consumer
computer felt like a bold move at the time.
3. CD/DVD Optical Discs
So
that advanced new high-storage medium that replaced the floppy drive in
iMacs and subsequent PCs in the late 90s? Fast-forward 10 years to the era
of smartphones and digital downloads. In January 2008 Steve Jobs stood
onstage <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvfrVrh76Mk> at the companys
annual Macworld conference and introduced the worlds thinnest notebook,
the MacBook Air. The laptop boasted a sexy, thin aluminum body, made
possible by Apples latest massacre: the optical disc. Though this seductive
new laptop would eventually go on to become Apples best-selling computer
and its disc-free design would eventually become the inspiration for what
laptops in the 2010s are supposed to look like, its first iteration was
overpriced. Many consumers balked (cue disgusted mom shopping for Johnnys
first college laptop at Best Buy: Two thousand bucks and it doesnt even
have a CD player?).
4. USB
The tech gods giveth; the tech gods taketh away. Remember that
up-and-coming, high-speed port called USB that was introduced with the iMac?
In 2015 the now-ubiquitous port heard its first significant death knell with
a revised, thinner and sexier new MacBook, which shrank the port to a
smaller and faster standard called USB-C. Feeling the déjà vu yet? In
now-predictable fashion, people freaked out, cluttered the internet with
articles bemoaning the extra dongle to plug in their external hard drive
(#firstworldproblems) and ended up buying the laptop anyway. To be fair, we
are still only partway through this transition, but if the influx of new
USB-less laptops
<http://bgr.com/2016/01/07/apple-copycats-ces-2016-edition/> is any
indication, the original USB standard should probably spend some time
getting its affairs in order.
5. Headphone Jack
Of all the massacres of tech standards in recent history, this one still
feels the freshest and bloodiest. Youve likely been sticking little metal,
one-eighth-diameter plugs into similar-shaped holes every time you wanted to
listen to music alone since you were a child. Over the last 40 years,
one-eighth-inch headphone jacks have become as much a part of our daily
lives as three-pronged outlets, light switches and toilet paper. Thats why,
when Apple unveiled their 2017 flagship smartphone, the iPhone 7, and it
lacked this basic little hole, society almost collapsed
<https://au.be.yahoo.com/lifestyle/a/32562159/the-new-iphone-7-is-losing-its
-headphone-jack-and-people-are-freaking-out/> (get a freaking grip,
people). Apples rationale: Wireless is better. Cables suck. Heres another
dongle to plug in your precious 1985 headphones. Public reaction: How the
hell am I going to charge my phone and listen to music at the same time?
Predictions: 5 Tech Standards on Apples Chopping Block
1. Lightning Port
Apples continued passion for eliminating anything that moves, depresses,
protrudes or creates an opening in a device will eventually make way for the
end of its beloved lightning port (which itself is the successor to the 2013
victim, the 30-pin connector). Currently, the port serves as the iPhone and
iPads means to connect to power as well as other accessories, such as
headphones, via overpriced converter dongles. As wireless technology
continues to evolve and enable us to step into complete cord-free living,
expect Apple to gently shove us even deeper into this wireless world by
axing the lightning port.
When will it happen? 2019
2. Charging Cables
Along with the lightning ports demise will most certainly come the end of
any kind of traditional cord-based charging system. Its successor? True
wireless charging. Not just the inductive-style charging found on the 2017
iPhone and a handful of Android phones but the kind of wireless charging
found in sci-fi movies. Need to charge your phone? Oh, its already charging
because your house is equipped with wall-to-wall wireless charging. So is
your car. So is your office. The technology for this kind of charging is
close to being ready
<https://www.engadget.com/2017/01/04/energous-wattup-rf-charging-first-produ
cts/> , and you can be certain that as soon as engineers figure out how to
implement it without accidentally charging the metal fillings in your back
molars while you sleep, youll see it hit the streets. Once it does, dig a
deep grave in your backyard to bury all your tangle-prone power cables.
When will it happen? 2019
3. Physical Keyboards
Last year Apple introduced a less-than-revolutionary new feature to its
MacBook Pro line that replaced that weird row of function keys at the top
of the keyboard with a tiny touch screen that allows developers to display
custom touch-screen buttons according to whatever context is necessary.
They call it the Touch Bar <https://www.imore.com/touch-bar> . Combine this
feature with the thinning of modern keyboards
<http://www.techradar.com/news/computing-components/peripherals/could-it-be-
magic-now-the-recent-evolution-of-the-mac-keyboard-1306898> , the haptic
feedback engines
<http://appleinsider.com/articles/16/09/27/inside-the-iphone-7-apples-taptic
-engine-explained> found inside iPhones and MacBook trackpads and sprinkle
in a bit of classic Apple disdain for buttons
<https://www.spectator.co.uk/2014/11/steve-jobss-button-phobia-has-shaped-th
e-modern-world/> , and what do you get? Thats right: the death of the
physical keyboard. Imagine a future where your laptops keyboard is actually
a touch screen, and when you press the keys you get what feels like a
physical response. Apples marketing team will likely call it MagicTouch or
Unicorn Buttons. Some will love it and some will loathe it, but one thing is
certain: physical keyboards will have met their doom.
When will it happen? 2022
4. Screens
Okay, so screens themselves may be here to stay for a very long time, but
our reliance on visual screens to communicate with technology will decrease
as the power and sophistication of AI and voice recognition increase. Today
Siri and other voice assistants like Amazons Alexa and Microsofts Cortana
sometimes feel like novelty tricks or reasons to curss in front of your
children, but theres no denying that each year they get a little better.
One instance where screens are all but useless: listening to music. Apple
killed the remaining holdouts of its iPod lineup in July
<https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2017/07/apple-discontinues-ipod-nano-and-sh
uffle-updates-ipod-touch-models/> , but this year its releasing its first
music-focused product in years: the HomePod. Guess what the HomePod lacks.
Yup, a screen. The HomePod, as well as Apples AirPods, and arguably even
the Apple Watch utilize a voice-first approach as their primary methods of
interacting. Expect this trend to continue as AI gets smarter and technology
gets smaller, paving the way for the death of all types of screens,
including the smartphone.
When will it happen? 2025
5. The Smartphone
Apples most defining moments have been when the company has boldly walked
away from a successful product in favor of a better, more evolved future. Of
the most successful tech products to have graced the planet, the iPhone
represents the apex of success. Therefore, killing the iPhone will be
Apples greatest display of strength. If they have the silicon guts to act.
What tech could possibly replace the smartphone? Two words: augmented
reality. As of this falls release of iOS 11 and AR Kit
<https://www.wired.com/story/arkit-augmented-reality/> , the train is now
moving forward to a world where the digital world is merged with the
physical world. While the iPhone is quite capable of handling this merger
today, it is clear that a new hardware paradigm will be needed at some point
in the future to usher in the next phase of this new reality. Will it be
glasses? Contact lenses? Mind-altering brain implants? Whatever the iPhones
killer looks like, itll most certainly stem from the seeds of AR and AI. At
that time well find out if Apple has retained the spirit of its ax-wielding
cofounder, and if theyll continue to play a lead role in the evolution of
our technology.
When will it happen? 2025
By Ben Thomas
Five Apple Innovations that Impacted Accessibility
If youre like me, theres no way you can resist reading an article with a
title like 5 TECH STANDARDS APPLE MURDERED AND 5 MORE ON THE CHOPPING BLOCK
<https://www.crixeo.com/tech-standards-apple/> .
I found the five murder victims quite noteworthy. Some seem obvious, like
the demise of the floppy disk and CD-ROM. Back in the 90s, PC manufacturers
were a lot like lemmings that wouldve followed each other over the floppy
disk cliff were it not for Apples bold leadership in this area. As for the
five features on the chopping block, replacing the keyboard with some type
of haptic hologram seems a bit far-fetched. But after Face ID Im a lot less
reluctant to dismiss crazy predictions about future Apple tech.
I was glad Apple <https://www.apple.com/accessibility/> s commitment to
accessibility wasnt one of the predicted future murder victims. In general,
Apple has a great track record for accessible innovations, though sometimes
they can disappoint us. How has Apple impacted accessibility the most? With
a nod to the Crixio article, here are my Five Apple Innovations that
Impacted Accessibility.
Bigger is Better
Apple intentionally makes a lot of accessibility improvements. And sometimes
they make them by accident.
The iPhone 6/6+ screen size was a response to the Samsung Galaxy
<https://www.recode.net/2017/3/29/15108352/samsung-galaxy-s8-apple-iphone-8-
design> . Fortunately, this purely marketing-driven screen size war produced
accessibility fruit for the AppleVis community. The larger screen
<https://newatlas.com/every-iphone-specs-comparison/51378/> seems like a
feature for the fully sighted, but low vision users benefit greatly from the
reduced need for magnification. While my eyesight is too far gone to get
much use out of the larger screen visually, even I can still discern larger
icons and text. Many of my low vision friends rave about the iPhone 6/6+
screen size.
For those of us who depend on VoiceOver, theres a big win in terms of
gesture real estate. If youve ever tried to do a 4-finger tap on an iPhone
5, you probably had to contort your four fingers into a cramped diamond
configuration to get them to all fit on the screen. And the problem is worse
for those of us with really fat fingers. Try the same tap on an iPhone 6,
and its like having a king size bed all to yourself. Spread out. Enjoy the
room
Finally, the marketing-driven larger screen also has an indirect benefit. It
allows Apple to stay competitive and make money, which should lead to more
intentional accessibility innovation sometime in the future.
Talk To Me
I might be stating the obvious when I say that VoiceOver was a great Apple
innovation that improved accessibility. But I think its important to not
take VoiceOver for granted.
There was a time before iOS 3. It was a very dark time for a lot of us. If
we had flip phones with voice dialing, we were thankful. I was one of the
fortunate low vision users that was able to use my first generation iPhone
visually. Others were not so lucky. Then, in 2009 VoiceOver changed our
world dramatically.
Weve all heard it said that accessible design is good design. I have to
disagree, because Ive seen a lot of apps and web pages that meet minimal
accessibility standards, but are not well-designed by any stretch of the
definition. VoiceOver, on the other hand, is extremely well-designed. It
doesnt feel like an afterthought, retrofitted into the OS like a barnacle
on a ship. Rather, it feels like a first-class interface. It is both
accessible design and good design.
Not all tech innovations are created equal. Like the screen size war, some
are purely marketing driven evolutions of existing tech, rather than
dramatic innovations. VoiceOver, on the other hand, is the best of technical
innovation---something both novel and utilitarian, completely new and
enabling something that wasnt possible before.
Talk to SIRI
I could write an entire article (or ten) about SIRI as an accessibility
feature, but Ill keep this short. Arent the best accessibility features
the ones that fully sighted people use on a daily basis without ever knowing
theyre using an accessibility feature?
The Facelift
According to Apple, the headline feature of iOS 7 was the completely
redesigned user interface
<https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2013/09/10iOS-7-With-Completely-Redesigned-U
ser-Interface-Great-New-Features-Available-September-18/> . The interface
would still be instantly familiar to our users, promised Craig Federighi,
who apparently had not received feedback from low vision beta testers.
When the iOS 7 facelift hit the streets, the howls from low vision users was
deafening. iOS 7 completely rearranged the furniture.
The fonts were harder to read and the redesigned icons were unrecognizable.
Making matters worse, it became apparent that many apps, such as Calculator,
had no change in functionality whatsoever. iOS 7 seemed like just a paint
job that made it harder for low vision users to use their phones.
The change disrupted the workflow of many low vision users by forcing them
to abandon visual use and learn VoiceOver. In my case, my eyesight is
progressively deteriorating, and I was going to have to learn VoiceOver
eventually. But I resented being forced to learn it on Apples schedule
rather than at my own pace.
Many in the AppleVis community sensed that iOS 7 was a failure on Apples
part to recognize the needs of low vision users, somewhat surprising given
that only one percent of the blind population is born totally blind
<https://nfb.org/fact-sheet-blindness-and-low-vision> and the vast majority
of Apples vision impaired users are actually low vision.
Zoom and Invert Colors
If youre a Windows user, perhaps youre familiar with ZoomText. Among other
features, this add-on software performs color inversion and magnification.
Unfortunately, it does this on the CPU, which often compromises performance
as your computer tries to balance running your applications with ZoomTexts
video processing.
Not only does Apple include this functionality free with iOS and OS X, but
thanks to their great engineering and design, the tasks of zooming and
inverting colors are offloaded to the GPU or graphics chip, freeing the CPU
to continue running your apps. The result is free, fast, and easy
accessibility for many low vision users.
I Know I Missed Something
Was it all the great accessibility apps from the App Store? Large or bold
text? The cool built-in flashlight? Im just one blind blogger.
Submitted by PaulMartz Member of the AppleVis Blog team at:
www.applevis.com
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