The iPhone 6: Loyalty's Price and Apple's Burden

Warning: The following rant is not for the faithful.  If you are an Apple iPhone user eagerly awaiting the imminent release of the iPhone 6 you should instead head over to MacRumors or something equally hopeful, wishful and kind. I will instead raise an extremely simple question:  So what?

Here is what I see.  The hype on the iPhone 6 is causing Apple stock to rise a bit, but not as much as it has ahead of past iPhone releases.

Why is this happening? Perhaps because of the rumor that Apple is having supply chain issues. Loyalty, though, is patient, and you can expect demand will be strong.

Rumor has it that the iPhone 6 screen will be taller than the current iteration, with the same screen width, an overall screen size that will keep Apple rooted as an outlier with regard to smartphone display.  I expect that if it the rumors are true, Apple will be introducing some split screen interfaces for iChat and other applications. And on the subject of outlying, I find myself wondering if the iPhone charger interface will change yet again. If so, it will mark the shortest time window in which Apple peripheral markets have been able to maximize profits. 

Of course, though, this is Apple and we will follow wherever the company leads us.  At the heart of the value in Apple is the relationship with its app ecosystem, and through the years more and more peripheral adjunct devices have bet on Apple to deliver a community of interest.

So, yes, I expect that the forthcoming iPhone6 announcement will trumpet better display technology, but I will be listening for news of Bluetooth and other local RF interfaces that will address the increasingly more developed market of at-home devices.

Taking a long-term view of Apple launches, it is easy to make the case that the company is taking a bite out of our interactions, one activity at a time. We first went from music to movies, then from computing to calls, and now we are likely to go from home to health and whatever lies in between. And while I will continue to rage against the iMachine, I have no doubt my family will be ready — is probably already ready — to assimilate the upgrade.