What if Apple created a minimalist iPhone?
Every year, it seems that Apple launches a new iPhone which is better than before, with more features. It’s faster; its camera is better. Etc.
Aside from the cost of keeping up with the latest technology from the Cupertino (California) company, there’s the increasing complexity. Isn’t life complicated enough? do we need to carry around a handheld computer, which is essentially what the iPhone has become?
We are bombarded with messages in our daily lives, whether it’s advertising, or e-mail notifications, or breaking news. Do we need to be reachable and connected at all hours of the day, everywhere we go?
Some are looking for a break, seeking minimalism in at least part of their lives. When it comes to technology and specifically our phones, it isn’t that easy to find something simple these days. Remember when a cellphone was just a phone? (OK, yeah we could send SMS text messages too.) Who else had a Nokia flip phone?
The other day, I took to the Internet to see what was out there in terms of simpler phones. I was spurred on by a news article that I read on basic cellphones. Most didn’t grab me; they generally looked really cheap.
But then I came across two that caught my attention:
Punkt. MP01
First, I found this gem from Switzerland. The Punkt. MP01 is a completely basic cellphone yet it is gorgeous, high-quality, durable, and useful. Remember when your cellphone battery lasted days or weeks? The company calls their product “the best of class non-smartphones.”
They have actually released a second phone, the MP02, with more features while adhering to a minimalist design.
The Light Phone II
Meanwhile, an American company has taken a somewhat different approach to minimalism with The Light Phone II.
From the company’s promotional information, “The Light Phone II is a phone that actually respects you.”
Again the product is beautiful and durable, as well as having long-lasting battery life. This one, though, has a touch screen and several basic apps.
One particularly cool feature is its screen which uses an e-ink technology (think of e-readers compared to common smartphones). Aside from this being more efficient in terms of battery draw, it also means the screen can be easily viewed in direct sunlight, unlike smartphones.
Apple?
What would the perfect Apple minimalist phone be like, if the company were ever to create such a device? Let’s call it the iPhone ME (minimalist edition).
I do think that a full keyboard touchscreen is a necessity these days. Quick text messaging is a part of our daily lives, and a QWERTY text entry system does make it much easier. (Remember on the old “dumb” phones when we had to press a number several times to get the letter we wanted?)
But otherwise, the device should be simple, with basic features: phone (obviously), messaging (perhaps still using the iCloud messaging system but then the phone would also need cellular data which would add to the cost and battery drain), calendar, and clock/alarm tool. The addition of GPS and a compass might be good too.
I like the idea of the e-ink screen, so, Apple, why not consider that for the ME device?
Apple needs this device. Minimalism is an emerging market.
While we are at it, how about an Apple Watch ME too?