Technology disruption - How to kill the Iphone?

The stagnant pool of smart phone development

Let's face it the whole smart phone development in both software and hardware has reached a plateau where not much is happening. I bought my phone 2 years ago and it still runs the latest version of android and does everything I need it to. There is at least for me no need to upgrade.

If I were to upgrade I would be looking at a faster processor, more memory, more storage, better camera and not a lot else. Will it radically change my life beyond all recognition? Almost certainly not.

The smart phone industry is ripe for the next technology disruption. Which is where Apple usually comes in, but unfortunately all they did this time round was remove the headphone jack.

From Apple's point of view it is a solid business move, the phone becomes more desirable and if you want headphones you can buy yourself further into the Apple eco- sphere. First headphones, tomorrow the world.

So to be the next big bang you have to kill the iphone, you will need to blow it out the water, you need to be the Ipod equivalent sounding the death knell for the Walkman.

The killer blow

Apple were onto something when they binned the headphone jack but they didn't go far enough. So find yourself a large development team, a virtually unlimited budget, a nuclear bunker and plan to take over the world by working out how to get rid of one or all of these parts of a phone.


1. The battery

As space hoggers go the battery is a big item, generally taking up a 1/4 to 1/2 the space and even then the battery only lasts a day before screaming for sweet nectar of energy.

a) Reduce it to a tenth its current size - Ok you now have a battery one tenth the size but it only lasts for two hours.

Problem solving time -
- Find the biggest energy drain item and redesign it
- Kinetic charging - can you harvest energy from the human body?
- solar panel case - every watt counts
- energy from wifi signals?
- redesign the battery - new technology like micro fuel cells.

Are we back at one day, if not how do we get there? back to the drawing board.

b) Set a target - the battery (full size) has to last a week. Think of that a phone that went a week between charges.

This would be an Apollo 13 design meeting, every single component would have be looked at. Find the most energy efficient chip and screen. Strip the phone down to bare essentials, keep pushing that energy consumption down.  Find the most energy dense battery and push it to its limits. Redesign the software. Be relentless in your pursuit of the micro-watt and your goal.

2. Cables 

Get rid of them all - every last one. Wireless charging is already here, everything else can be done with blue tooth or Wifi. Think of the sleek phone without any external connectors, great for waterproofing too.

3.  The Screen

Get rid of it - what about a mini projector that is strapped onto your wrist which can project  onto any surface including your other screen. The phone the size of a watch, a simple shiny black circle with just one LED light.

Every command every needed can be voice or gesture controlled, anything you need to see can be projected. Re-imagine the phone and be the envy of all your friends.

4. Go dumb

Lets create a phone, it can phone people and text but that's it, all from a key ring on your keys. OK you cant do anything else but on the upside it costs £1. Leave the smart phone at home and get on with living your life.

So there are a few ideas and if you threw enough money at it maybe you could be the Iphone slayer.

My money, for the next disruption, is on the battery, make a world class battery and every phone manufacture on the plant would have to buy your battery. If they didn't they would go out of business in a matter of weeks. If you had a choice between a phone that went a week between charges and one that didn't which one would you buy?