The iPhone 4S Is Boring

The iPhone 4S might be selling extremely well, but that doesn’t mean that it’s not boring. The device looks the same as its predecessor, the iPhone 4, and only includes a few improvements here and there. It’s about time Apple shows off something that pushes design ideas forward, and doesn’t deliver something we’ve seen before.

In 2011, consumers were forced to sit through nominal upgrades from Apple. The company first showed off the iPad 2, which came with the same basic design as its predecessor. The iPhone 4S delivered a similarly, barely updated form factor, making some wonder if Apple was ending its practice of delivering major updates. Here’s hoping it doesn’t in 2012.

There was a time when the iPhone was the clear-cut winner in the smartphone market. But nowadays, that’s simply not the case. There are several upcoming smartphones, like the LG Spectrum, that are going a long way in pushing the design envelope. If Apple doesn’t regain its clear lead, it could be in trouble.

Apple made headlines last year by announcing that the iPhone 4S would come with a dual-core processor. This year, many devices will ship with quad-core chips. Already the iPhone 4S’ dual-core processor is obsolete. Apple better ship the quad-core processor in the iPhone 4S-or else.

Apple made the odd decision last year to stick with the iPhone 4’s same design in the iPhone 4S. Enough is enough. Apple needs to get working on a unique product design in the new iPhone and make it clear that it doesn’t want to simply rehash old ideas. Design is central to Apple’s success or failure.

The iPhone 4S is a fine device for enterprise users, but it hasn’t quite hit that point of being an ideal solution. Realizing that, Apple should offer up the kind of enterprise option companies across the globe are seeking. By doing so, the company could dramatically improve its financial position and all but kill Research In Motion’s BlackBerry.

Speaking of the BlackBerry, it’s important to note that RIM is providing a huge opening for Apple to capitalize on the enterprise. For years now, RIM has been operating by way of misguided principles that have allowed Apple and even Android vendors to capitalize. The iPhone 4S started to capitalize on RIM’s opening in the enterprise, but the iPhone 5 must get the job done.

Although Apple has been able to outsell every Android vendor on the market, the iPhone maker can’t rest easy. Companies like Samsung, especially, are seeing their device sales soar. Could this be the year Apple is outsold by a single competitor? It’s possible if the company doesn’t try something new with the iPhone 5.

Tim Cook is trying to survive in a technology world that was dramatically altered by Steve Jobs. So far, Cook has been riding on Jobs’ ideas and legacy. At what point will the Apple CEO try something out for himself to show once and for all that he knows what he’s doing? Perhaps the iPhone 5 will do the trick.

One of the biggest issues with the iPhone 4S is its lack of 4G connectivity. Apple has said in the past that 4G would have brought too many design compromises to be included in the iPhone and iPad, but when the company delivers the iPhone 5, it’ll have no choice but to bring 4G. Like it or not, Apple must acknowledge that 4G is the future.