Innovation… What Happened To It? (Updated)

September 2, 2010 | By WenWP

Now as usual with all my thought I like to keep it in the read more section, so if you want to hear what I have to say about innovation in this day and age… Click the read more link and don’t forget to comment.

Remember those days when companies did not all try doing the same thing, but rather innovated and brought something new to the market… What happened to those days? When I think back to how exciting CES and MWC was, I remember it was all about what cool new device would come out. Now when I think about CES and MWC and what they bring these days, I think of pretty much everyone are just copying each other and very little one-upmanship like we see in the gaming industries (PS3 Wand and 360 Kinect). My case and point; The HD2, it was the most innovative, new and original device out of last year (best selling one at that) and now look at what has come from that… The Evo4G (which is reasonable), and the Motorola Droid X (which is not). Now think about it, why does the HD2 have such a huge screen… Remember the Toshiba TG01 that just happens to be .2 inch smaller than the HD2?

To be honest the only truly innovative device I have seen out in the market is the iPhone 4G. I mean with a small design that I have used for a bit, and actually liked it. I still did not like the OS, but just talking about the phone design… Apple knows what people want, and thin, light, fast, and sexy is exactly that. Now I know I will take heat for that but hey, it is the truth and these days we have to recognize our competitor’s strength and acknowledge their dominance for us to improve and be more successful. Another thing to keep in mind is… Apple did not really bring anything new to the game, but rather used what was already present and innovate it all into their device.

Definition: Innovation is a change in the thought process for doing something, or the useful application of new inventions or discoveries

The amount of excitement in me is not as much as it used to be because devices are all doing the same thing and nothing really good can come from that. HTC used to make some sexy devices like my old Touch Pro1 and in some ways even the HD2, now these leaks (that I hope are fake) make me a bit sad. I am excited to see what the HD7 will look like because all HD’s have brought much change to the game. HD1 brought a bigger screen, and the HD2 brought an even bigger screen with the addition of a much faster processor, capacitive display and dual LED flash. With all that history going behind the HD line of products, the HD7 just has to be great just to keep that premium line of devices going.

Now Windows Phone 7 is what I call a great new innovation to the mobile line. It took what people wanted (fast, smooth, not buggy, easy to use, applications, games, and safe) and put that all in one mobile OS. I am sure Microsoft had to acknowledge their competitor’s strength to be able to create what they have and that is the definition of Innovation. Changing the thought process of doing something and boy did they do that with email, browsing web, just generally using your device.

At the end of the day only devices that are innovative take the cake home. The iPhone 4 might be flawed and hold some issues, but it used everything good devices have and innovated it and so… Apple took home the chocolate covered bacon (sorry I tried that at the state fair in MN, Delicious).

Now before you comment… Think about what I said. Are you as excited for mobile shows as you used to be? Do you see as many innovative devices out there as you used to? Do you agree with what I say or do you see things differently?

Update:

If you have different thoughts of innovation than what I wrote, you can email me your thoughts (at least 200 words, and a little details of what you think of innovation) and I will post it (if it seems like your being honest) so everyone can see what and how your thinking. My email is [email protected] and my twitter is @WMPerson (if you want to hear me go on about phones I get and or own), I can’t wait to see what you think of innovation, and I am sure the readers will tweet it and comment on it.

About Wen M

Working for WMPU is awesome. Love to write personal articles, and I do it very often. I am the reviewing editor (self appointed), so you will see alot of reviews and giveaways from me. I own quite a few devices not just Windows Phone but Android and others. I live in Minnesota, USA and love traveling to other places.

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Tagged apple, change, Devices, htc, Innovation, microsoft, New

crazy_satelite

I think we're just getting older.

Rico

This. If you've been following any market for long enough, you'll reach a point where you've seen it all, you know the trends and what to expect from the major players. Every once in a while you'll get a shocker — a collaborative effort between "rival" companies, a newcomer with a product that competes with the already established companies, etc. but overall it's similar patterns of events ad naseum. It doesn't help that we're in a weak economy, so typically risk-averse companies are even moreso as they take cues from successful competitors in their industry, and takes less risks.

Still, the smartphone market is innovating faster than say, the PC market. My interest waned in the PC market five years ago, and i started looking at smartphones. i haven't looked back.
http://twitter.com/WMPerson @WMPerson

Hahah old… I dont think that is just quite it

Rico

He said "older", and it's true that we're all getting older. By the time i finish typing this, i'll be older than i was when i started.

i'm almost 31 and have been following technology for at least 15 years. Before that it was video games. But these days, especially with smartphones, so much changes in the span of even five years (*ahem* Android) that it's easy to get burnt out or apathetic to the changes in the industry. The smartphone market now is in a position where the PC market was roughly in the 80s, where there were several manufacturers all vying for attention and trying new things to stand out. Inevitably, many of those players died out and we were ultimately left mainly with Windows, Mac OSX, and Linux. We'll likely see similar consolidation in the smartphone space in a decade or so.

Irfaan

I think its just the 'calm' before the storm. Once WP7 hits the stores then I believe all hell will break loose!
qmt49

I think we should look at the PC market to see where smartphones are heading: despite innovative form factors like all-in-one PCs, the vast majority of people are still using big boxy desktops or laptops, with a basic design that hasn't changed for over 20 years. Despite the technical possibility to create something more beautiful that takes up less space, people still choose the cheaper, "standard" option. With smartphones currently standardising around a black, all-touchscreen slab before our eyes, I think we'll see something very similar to the PC market with phones: every one will look the same, with just a few premium-priced models having a truly unique look. I disagree with your assessment of the iPhone 4: it still uses the same basic design as all previous models, with a huge amount of wasted space at the top of the device that could easily accomodate a taller screen, as on the HD2.

http://www.martinschmidler.com martinschmidler

The extra space is good for gaming for example…. did you ever play on an iPhone yourself? I don't think so.

http://twitter.com/WMPerson @WMPerson

True, I hate that about the HD2 because my hand can't hold it comfortable while playing a racing game, so I have to hold it in an uncompromising position.

Krekiere

Man… Steve said : Hold Different, there might be the true innovation !

qmt49

Actually, I have: I owned a first generation iPhone as well as an HTC Hero, and my current device is an HD2. I know very well of what I speak. I have never had a problem holding any of these devices in a position that is convenient for gaming. I always find myself holding the devices by its edges when I don't want to interact with the screen. I never found a need for a wasted space on the front just to put my fingers. I don't doubt that others may disagree with me, but I was just giving MY OPINION. Isn't that what the comment section is for?

http://www.martinschmidler.com martinschmidler

o.0 (my comment -> fail ^^)

okay, it's a matter of taste I guess

Shawn

The end of innovation in the smartphone market will be when we use phones like the ones in this Microsoft Office Lab video. Heck, when everything in this video comes to fruition then innovation will only happen in non-tech markets.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQdGvfV4WnU
full videos here: http://www.officelabs.com
http://www.facebook.com/Bugblatter Bug Blatter

I don't like Apple, but even I have to admit that the smartphone market was stagnating until the iPhone came out.

I had a Loox 720 when they first came out, and every now and then I'd look to see what new piece of technical wizardry had come out to replace it. For years not a sausage!

Even my Touch HD was no faster than the Loox 720, probably slower! It was ahead in other areas but still not impressive given the number of years between the devices.

So thank you Apple. I'll never buy one of your devices, but your devices lead to the devices I WILL buy.

Looks like the same thing may well happen with tablets, although I'm not sure I actually have any use for one so probably won't bother.

As for smartphones, future innovation will be in new form factors made possible by foldable screens and new input methods.

http://www.martinschmidler.com martinschmidler

Which new input methods do you mean?

I think smartphones will continue to get new sensors. I read in the US there's already a trend of tracking your whole life. Also the merge with car systems is something we could see in the future… MS could really have a headstart here, but I fear they will "sleep" until Apple or Google come up with something really fancy.