Why Didn't Apple…?

While as a whole I was left satisfied (and ecstatic!) by Apple’s big announcements last week, I couldn’t help but feel as if some things were missing. Steve’s iconic “one more thing” came and went with him, as it should be — but it’s hard not to expect it since I had heard it for so long.

Sometimes, the rumor sites can get us a little too worked up so that instead of appreciating every product and development covered in the keynote, we feel as if we’re waiting for the other shoe to drop and disappointed if something we were SO SURE was going to happen well… doesn’t.

It’s a double-edged sword, this life of an Apple nerd enthusiast.

No NFC
I haven’t found much to complain about to be honest (though there is the fact that I’m going to have to wait a while for my iPhone 5 to get here as we fill preorders — high demand is always a good thing!), but one thing I have read a lot about was the omission of near field communications (NFC) in the iPhone 5.

In my research to cover this topic a little more in-depth, I discovered that an article was posted by other than Ben B., one of my favorite coworkers here at Small Dog. Sadly, I don’t see as much of him these days, but I’m happy to pass along his editorial of why he believes Apple didn’t include NFC in their most recent launch. I couldn’t have said it better myself.

So without further ado, check out his article here at the Mac Observer.

Another Connector? And No USB 3.0?
Apple finally did it — they replaced the ubiquitous (but still proprietary) dock connector in favor of the new Lightning connector. Phil Schiller, Senior Vice President of Apple, said that Apple transitioned to the Lightning connector in part because they wanted the devices to be thinner.

It’s smaller, lighter, and more versatile (it can be plugged in both sides — no matter what direction the pins are facing — so I can’t tell you how much time that’ll save me when I’m fumbling to plug it in in the dark). However, this new connector still only supports USB 2.0, not 3.0. Does that matter? We have yet to see what the speeds will measure, but the rest of the features seem to outweigh that one factor anyway.

I Want My (Apple) TV
That’s not a joke. I still have a 32” boulder CRT TV sitting in my apartment that is just screaming to get replaced. It’s not that I haven’t found decent options in the past five+ years I’ve entertained the idea of getting a flatscreen, but I just haven’t found The One. I’m not a cable subscriber, so a new TV would primarily be used to stream content and watch DVDs (yes, I still own those).

There have been many rumors about an actual Apple-branded television — not just the current product known as the Apple TV. (I’ve held off on buying that as well, but only because my actual TV needs an upgrade first. If I were motivated enough to have gotten a flatscreen by this point, an Apple TV would be sitting on top of it now, streaming Arrested Development.)

So, will Apple actually produce a television? Their retina display technology is amazing (giving 3D TVs a run for their money), their track record with LCD displays is solid (I’m still using my beloved 30” at work), and well, it seems like an industry (much like the cell phone industry) that could use a little Apple competition. There’s nothing yet, but perhaps I should start saving now…

Your feedback
Is there anything specific that you expected that Apple didn’t address? Something that was different than you thought? Post your thoughts in the comments below or tweet us with #AppleShoulda!

If you haven’t already watched it, here’s the link to the keynote.