Apple's soft power upgrade: evolution from information provision to solutions

Apple released a brand new MacBook laptop, Mountain Lion OS, and iOS 6 OS at WWDC. Taking iOS 6 as an example, the improvement of more than 200 features is enough to explain Apple's software development direction.

Software programs evolving to address user needs

In iOS 6, an application named Passbook is added, which provides the integration of information data and payment, including air ticket purchase, coffee purchase, and video. For example, if you want to drink coffee, you can use Siri to raise this requirement. Siri finds out the nearest Starbucks location and provides the location. Then, when you enter the store, the app will display functions such as sign-in and order, for example, medium cup, low-fat milk, and two-fold concentrated latte. This application can even pay by QR code.

This represents the evolution of application software, from providing users with the required information to directly solving user needs. The threshold for users to use electronic products is reduced once again, which is the direction of artificial intelligence.

Another example is map integration. When you open a program, you first find the location where the user is located. Siri speaks the desired location and provides the line and distance, then the program updates the road condition. After the user selects the line, the map application also provides the constant navigation, for example, "Turn right 60 meters in front ". At last, Siri can chat with users. You can ask them, "is it coming soon ?" Siri replied, "Don't worry, it's about 14 minutes ".

The problems that Siri began to accept become increasingly complicated. Logically, this assistant can accept more direct questions, and the user no longer needs to think about how to ask for an answer. This is the evolution to demand, which is undoubtedly the direction of development.

Learn from jailbreaking users and competitors

In iOS 6, a function is released to improve the interface for answering calls. When receiving incoming calls, you can choose to reply to SMS messages and send reminders in addition to answering and hanging up the call. Some people commented that this is why many iPhone users have escaped from jail. How many people still need to escape from jail after this feature is improved?

Speaking of learning, iOS 5 has an important feature learned from Android, that is, the message center in the drop-down menu, and Apple uses this application in Mountain Lion, mac users also provide reminders for emails, messages, twiiter messages, and facebook messages.

The idea of Apple's operating system is to restrict the core underlying applications and only open limited development permissions. If this idea limits developers' ideas, then Apple's learning and core function upgrades are the key to improving this model.

3D maps and basic navigation allow new iOS users to almost no longer download GPS navigation software, because simple requirements can be met. The improvement of basic applications such as information and contacts is the main reason for many jailbreaking users. However, Apple's new version of software constantly released shows that Apple can make the interface and user requirements better.

In particular, Apple is constantly upgrading to prevent jailbreak, while Apple is also improving itself, so that users no longer need to jailbreak.

Software and Hardware upgrades promote each other.

Compared with Microsoft Google, Apple's biggest advantage is the combination of hardware and software. Google Maps can also be kicked off by Apple overnight, while Google's own Android app has a large number of customized versions that do not come with Google Maps, because Google cannot make decisions on hardware. Microsoft has no space to expand its own Bing search.

The product is released twice a year, with the primary focus on system software upgrades and the primary focus on hardware upgrades. Apple's R & D began to present the intel-style pendulum model. The release of Mountain Lion and iOS 6 makes people feel the New iPad and iPhone.

The launch was like playing a huge game, and it was not until now that we were able to see the tactics of this game board.

Taking Mountain Lion's push center and Message application as an example, in the future, users can send text messages and photos with their iPhone on their computers, and use the Internet to make voice and video calls. Operators are completely bypassed. Based on a large number of iPhone users, this function greatly saves your cell phone battery.

For example, the bookmarks synchronization function of the new Safiri Browser allows users to view identical favorites and information columns on all Apple devices using Safiri without logging on to the user account, because the device itself is logging in with an Apple ID, and the offline web page reading and bookmarks have directly improved the browser system.

What should not be ignored is the release of the next generation of MacBook Pro, which has been "the best computer we designed" and once again proved Apple's hardware design capabilities, like Intel's Ivy Bridge processor and Nvidia's graphics card, Apple can always give better answers, though more expensive.

Grab the developer's job?

WWDC is an apple conference dedicated to developers. However, after this conference, developers may not be very happy because many of the above applications have taken their jobs.

For example, third-party software for sign-in and social networking platforms, call functions, map navigation, offline reading, and other long strings of content are all previously involved by developers. However, because Apple did not open the underlying applications, developers could not think of them, but could not make these applications that can combine multiple fields.

Therefore, the developer's strategy should be to provide unique content instead of integrating the platform and content, because Apple may be involved. This policy should at least be taken into consideration by iOS developers.

But on the other hand, App Store is still the most profitable platform for developers. A total of $5 billion of developers are divided into, and 0.4 billion of potential users bound with credit cards are gold mines, but the difficulty of gold farming is increasing. The author suggests that the unique content is more likely to benefit from long-term use. For example, an exclusive release of a best-selling novel is always easier to make money than an application that is free to read.

Chinese user features localization

Since the iOS 5 email system has joined the 163 series mailbox, Apple has greatly improved its localization adjustment in line with the characteristics of Chinese users in today's release.

Without twiiter, you can share it on Weibo, but you cannot access youtube or share it on Tudou. The biggest surprise is Siri. This smart assistant can not only understand the Chinese Spoken by users, but also search for content in Chinese databases to give answers.

In the Demo, a user asked "Are there any coffee shops nearby" in Chinese, while Siri gave a relatively close selection for 14 nearby users. According to the image display, these options also have corresponding user scores and comments, which means that Apple is very likely to choose a data provider in China to provide such a service together. Data platforms such as the public comments network and koubei.com are all possible.

In addition, Chinese user improvements include Chinese input methods. The input method is also considered to be one of the main reasons for iPhone users to jailbreak in China.

Apple CEO Cook said that Apple is working in various regions and countries. The social platforms, language features, and website tools that local users are accustomed to using are constantly incorporated into their databases by Apple.

This time Apple may not be able to sell a lot of hardware at a glance, but after this release, users are more confident in buying new Apple products, because one day, apple will launch something that concatenates all the hardware.