For many technology enthusiasts, music lovers and “creative” types, the release of a new Apple product is a celebration of epic proportions. It takes over the news headlines for weeks to come. Television ads show how the new products will enhance our digital lives. Analysts speculate about the stock prices. A release of a new Apple product is like a parade and it’s part of our culture.
Now, with the astronomical growth stemming from the iPhone and iPad, “business types” are also waiting with baited breath on what new gadgets will be revealed to help bring information to their fingertips in their professional lives.
So what is it? A sleek, fast & shiny iPhone?
We already have that.
We predict whatever is ‘revealed’ will be all about enhancements and features. Along those lines, here are some of the features we’d like to see which will enhance our travel lives and help us reduce our insurance rates by practicing safe driving:
-The technology behind “Waze” — an up-and-coming app that measures iPhone users’ speeds while on the road to help ‘beat traffic’ for its users — has been licensed to Apple.
We’d like to see real-time traffic and re-routing technology built-into the Maps app. Perhaps we can include the opt-in location provided by our friends within the app, so we can meet up with them. *
-Its been rumored that airlines will begin using a check-in service called “Passport” – to allow iPhone users to quickly present travel documents.
We’d like to see a dedicated line at the airport for (not just iPhone users) but any smartphone users who want to digitally “check-in.”
-Siri — the virtual assistant who takes voice commands from you and processes them into events, Google searches, directions, etc. — gets an upgrade.
We’d like to see enhancements for improved usability while driving. The app should recognize when we reach a certain speed via the GPS feature of the iPhone, and use this information to automatically “turn on” Siri so that drivers can begin commanding the phone to do things without ever needing to touch the device.
There you have it… our predictions & wishlist for the “new” iPhone. Feel free to share your thoughts and predictions in our comments below or through our Facebook page.
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*Check out our infographic, which shows phones, tablets and other electronic devices being used in the car account for 20% of all injury auto accidents in the U.S. Remember to always use a hands-free device & exercise caution when using a mobile device in the car.
9/12 Update: Apple announced the iPhone 5 today. It features a larger screen, an improved camera, it’s thinner and has fast LTE data connectivity. Our prediction of an enhanced Maps application with real-time traffic data looks to be accurate: link
