IPhone 7 beefs up, meaning even more time spent consuming content
While the new iPhone 7 will come with significantly more storage for users and two high-powered cameras ? two features likely to ensure owners spend even more on their devices ? overall, yesterday?s debut of Apple?s newest smartphone failed to drum up the level of excitement of previous releases.
For marketers, the fact that iPhone 7 users will be able to download more applications and more seamlessly engage with a variety of content thanks to storage levels that now start at 32GB ? twice the previous starting point ? means the need for brands to have a presence on iOS is even greater. While brands will have more opportunities to engage with iPhone users there is also likely to be more competition.
?As more mobile phone users get access to high-resolution camera features, we?re going to see a flood of high quality images that are all user-generated,? said Doug Manson, senior creative director at Opera Mediaworks.
?Advertisers should take advantage of this by incorporating more of these into their campaigns,? he said. ?When a consumer uses their own photograph within an ad experience, it makes it not only more personalized, but they are more likely to share it with their social networks, which amplifies the overall effect of the ad.?
1B iPhones sold
At yesterday?s event, Apple reported that more than 1 billion iPhones have been sold, pointing to the significant reach of the devices.
However, the rate of growth in sales has slowed of late, pointing to the maturity of the market as adoption of smartphones reaches saturation levels.
Apple has also seen its reputation for innovation wane with a series of launches that have failed to drive the same level of excitement as the company experienced with the first few generations of the iPhone.
Initial reactions to the iPhone 7 suggest that the device is not likely to break this trend. Still, there are several new features of note.
Jet Black
The iPhone 7 comes in a jet black, high-gloss stainless steal finish in addition to the standard black, gold, rose gold and silver.
The new phone also features two cameras, stereo speakers, longer battery life a solid-state Home button that is force sensitive and features taptic feedback for actions.
The headphone jack has been eliminated, with users able to take advantage wireless ear buds called AirPods and wireless headphones from Beats.
Whereas the entry level in terms of storage capacity for previous iPhones was 16GB ? which lead to many user complaints about quickly running out of space to do the things they want to do on their phones ? this has been moved up to 32 GB. The higher tiers have doubled as well, to 128GB and 256GB.
The pricing for the iPhone 7 will start at $649, with pre-ordering starting on Sept. 9 and shipping kicking of on Sept. 16.
The ehancements to storage, the cameras, the screen and the speakers means users are likely to spend even more time streaming music, taking photos and watching videos on their phones.
Super Mario
The iPhone was not the only focus for Apple yesterday. The company also revealed a new Super Mario game is coming to iOS before the holidays and Pokemon Go is coming to the Apple Watch.
Apple also unveiled a new Apple Watch, which is swim proof for the first time and comes equipped with GPS. The Watch is being split into lower-priced basic series and a supped-up higher-price series.
?The introduction of the iPhone new camera took up a lot of stage time, and rightly so,? Mr. Manson said. ?The 6-element lens with f/1.8 aperture and Quad-LED True Tone flash is impressive, and what?s more impressive is the ?brain? behind the camera, which reads the scene, sets the exposure, among other tasks, essentially processing 100 billion operations in 25 milliseconds ? like a supercomputer for photos.
?And, the dual lens camera on the 7 Plus allows for wide angle, telephoto and the ?bokeh? (or portrait) effect which provides a 3D feel,? he said. ?Given this level of detail and power, the many amateur photographers can now achieve the kinds of effects previously only attainable from high-level and expensive equipment.
?What Apple spent less attention on was the front-facing ?selfie? camera. It?s now 7-megapixels, which puts it on par with other selfie-winners like the latest Sony Xperia and Samsung Galaxy models.?