Apple Paves the Way for the Future

At last May BlackBerry World 2012 convention, I really thought that Research In Motion finally got itself back up on its feet, dusted itself off, and re-entered the smartphone game. They were banking on the BlackBerry 10 to be their saving grace, which according to RIM CEO, Thorsten Heins demanded bucket loads of blood, sweat, and tears just so it could reach full development as intended. The BB 10 definitely showed it, at that, impressing the attendees with its myriad functions that signaled RIM was ready to play ball again. The BB 10’s main selling point was the virtual keyboard, which really isn’t all that surprising coming from RIM, being that keyboards (albeit previously physical) have always been a Berry trademark. If anything, its evolution into being virtual told us that maybe RIM has finally learned from its mistakes, making consumers do a double take on trading BlackBerrys for iPhones.

Now, however, RIM is back at square one, with reports indicating that the company is looking at changing their business structure as a last resort. Specifically, the company is heavily pondering whether it should split itself, selling one half to other companies like Facebook, or even to rivals Apple and Google if it comes to that. Looks like consumers will be selling used BlackBerrys after all, and it’s all to get cash from their old electronics, thanks to Apple’s show at their recently concluded World Wide Developers Convention (WWDC) 2012.

Despite the palpable absence of the iPhone 5 at the WWDC, the iOS 6 presentation more than made up for that by showing the exciting direction Apple is taking portable gadget functionality. The iOS 6 showcased a lot of nifty features, and two of these features really stood out: The new Maps app and the vastly improved Siri.

Maps is basically Apple’s answer to Google Maps, upping the ante for navigation programs by implementing two key features to really make it as convenient as possible. The first one is the “turn-by-turn” function which makes the onscreen map turn according to the direction a user is facing. The second feature is the Flyover Mode, which is a rendering of a city in 3D in which a user can freely move the camera about, allowing him a better vantage point and a more detailed view of his desired destination.

As amazing as Maps sounds, things just don’t get any better than Siri. Already an impressive program even in her first incarnation with the iPhone 4S, Siri further expands her virtual assistant role by assimilating herself even more with the iGadgets’ myriad apps. Moreover, there are plans to integrate iDevice functionality with automobiles via Siri. Simply stated, Siri will be doing everything that a driver may need help with – like navigation assistance, email composition, or even just updating Facebook statuses – all without the driver ever having to take his eyes off the road. And of course, the driver can always just talk to Siri if he gets bored. Imagine a real-live K.I.T.T. (of Knight Rider fame); that’s how cool this tech will be if it comes to fruition.

Therein lies the difference between RIM and Apple: Whereas the former seems to be stuck with the concepts of yesteryear, the latter is continuously pushing the envelope and looking for more ways to make gadget functionality go beyond the gadgets’ physical boundaries. It is this attribute that makes me all the more determined to sell my BlackBerry back at Cash4Laptops.com and get the iPhone 5 once it comes out.

image credits: http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2012/06/gadget-lab-wwdc-2012/