Thursday, August 28, 2014

Throwback Thursday: Apple's New Release vs. Apple Five Years Ago

Photo Credit: thisdayintechhistory.com
Happy Throwback Thursday!

Did you know that exactly five years ago today, Apple released their Mac OS X 'Snow Leopard'? Most people don't remember that operating system, but it was an important time for Apple, Inc. Due to Snow Leopard, they dropped the support for PowerPC-based Macs and shifted their attention to the Intel processor-based Macs. They also discontinued AppleTalk in Snow Leopard, one of the first and most widely used networking protocol in the World (ThisDayInTechHistory.com).

Fast forward 5 years; Apple is expected to release the iPhone 6 in the coming weeks. The details on the phone are very hush-hush, but everyone is anticipating a very technologically sophisticated phone, with elements that make it easier for users. Some speculations on new features of the iPhone 6 include a much larger screen (edge-to-edge display), a whopping 128 GB of storage, and a Near Field Communication (NFC) chip inside the phone (PCAdvisor.com). With the presence of an NFC chip, wireless charging is made possible, and it also puts Apple in the game of mobile payment systems. It is rumored that they will either use Bluetooth/Wi-Fi to create their own e-wallet platform (accessible from any iPhone, not just the 6), or they are using the NFC technology to include mobile payments, strictly for iPhone 6 users. Either way it looks like Google Wallet is facing some competition now (AppleInsider.com)    

These are only a few of the predictions made for the up and coming iPhone, but what about updates for Siri? With almost all major brands creating a Personal Virtual Assistant for their smartphones (Microsoft=Cortana, Android=GoogleNow, etc.), Apple needs to make sure Siri is maintaining the latest, cutting-edge technology. 

What sort of updates do you think Siri should or is going to get? Sources suggest that the new iPhone will have a heart rate monitor; do you think this means that Siri will be able to manage your health through a single user interface? 

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