There is a lot of change in iPhone since its debut a decade ago. There is improvement in artificial intelligence and in the display and camera in every conceivable metric. They also refine the form factor and add an array of new sensors. Apple’s industrial design continues to break new ground in manufacturing, its software.
Smartphone, Dumb OS
Sure, there have been significant improvements in both functionality and aesthetics. But, with the exception of the App Store the difference in experience between iOS 1 and iOS 11 isn’t drastic
It doesn’t matter if you’re using your iPhone at home or in a foreign country, or at day or night time. As soon as you unlock your phone, you’re drop in the same static, multi-screen grid of app icons.
If that’s not bad enough, the burden of organizing and grouping apps is left to users, leaving them reliant on muscle memory.
The idea that digital experiences should dynamically adjust to your needs isn’t new:
- Netflix suggests which movies you’d have interest in, shows that you should resume, etc
- Amazon suggests items you search recently, pairs items that you bought together, items on sale, etc
- Spotify curates personalized playlists based on your taste
They orient artificial intelligence in that direction with Siri Suggestions for contacts and apps. Also, geolocation based suggestions for apps on the lock screen (not sure if it still exists in iOS11):