Shulou(Shulou.com)05/31 Report--

With the recent release of Apple's iPhone X and iPhone 8, the Internet has been full of enthusiasm. Traditionally, fans praised the new version, while critics criticized the new model as "evolutionary". Despite cynicism, experts predict that the number of orders will exceed 50 million.

Samsung, Apple's biggest competitor, is also busy releasing Galaxy Note 8 to compete with iPhone 8. Samsung's Galaxy S8 has sold strongly since its launch in March last year, triggering a much-needed rebound after last year's Note satire. 7. Smartphone makers such as Huawei, Oppo and Vivo are also growing sharply. Gartner, a research firm, estimates that global smartphone sales rose 9.1 per cent in the first quarter of this year.

Eventually, the purchase of these newly released devices will help increase the number of mobile devices in circulation worldwide. Ironically, with this growth, the sustainability of the global smartphone ecosystem is now becoming more urgent.

The latest technological developments highlight some life cycle problems in the smartphone industry. If the industry continues to flourish, there are some things the industry needs to solve quickly.

1. Adjust the pace of innovation.

It is easy to argue that many of the latest developments in smartphones, even high-end models, have not reached revolutionary levels. Larger screens, faster processors, higher resolution cameras and larger storage capacity are all expected to develop.

It may even seem that manufacturers are hesitant to introduce some technology in the annual update that has been going on for some time. For example, the iPhone X will use organic light-emitting diodes, rimless design, wireless charging, and facial recognition 3354. Other brands have also introduced all the features. Some even question the reasons behind this pace of development, because it is robbing technology giants and forcing consumers to upgrade and buy new models every year.

The next big question is: what revolutionary technology will eventually replace smartphones? The phone may be bigger, but the interface remains almost the same. Biometrics and connectivity offer interesting possibilities, but wearable devices such as glasses and watches don't really challenge mobile phones. Virtual reality is also slowly increasing. However, it seems that the next big event has not yet been decided.

Manufacturers and developers must innovate to make people's digital lives better, faster and easier. They should redefine the user experience, not just introduce "very useful" features that may be useless.

two。 Lack of universal standards.

Unfortunately, mobile phones still do not exceed the manufacturer's technical standards. View the wireless charging solution as a microcosm. For example, Qi, the wireless power consortium, supports several leading smartphone brands, such as Apple, LG, Haier and so on. On the other hand, AirFuel Alliance is standard for Samsung and Huawei, while other large enterprises such as Golden Bawang, Lenovo and Hewlett-Packard have also joined the AirFuel Alliance's wireless charging accessories. This is another confrontation between Betamax and VHS.

Even if there is a strong consensus on how the technology works, subjectivity leaves a lot of room to judge this attraction. For example, users' complaints about screen brightness or screen color vitality can be difficult to assess without testing, because everyone has a unique perception of light and color. At the very least, stakeholders must have ways to objectively test the functionality of smartphones and make extensive use of these diagnostic tools.

The diagnostic tools developed by Asset Science can be used by manufacturers, technicians, retailers and even end users to check the function and performance of mobile phones. John Sheeran, the company's chief executive, claims that the best quality checks are those that simulate actual use.

"in order to reduce the number of faulty devices sold, we need to test the device thoroughly, just like the interaction between the user and the device, so that we can really know whether the device has achieved the desired function," he said. " Usually, it is not as simple as testing and transportation. Unless we test according to the usage of users, we can never guarantee that the equipment is suitable for use in factories or stores. "

3. Security and privacy issues.

Today's digital lifestyle encourages most of us to use smartphones to manage most of our lives. Users synchronize their email, social media and even financial information on their devices. Therefore, the stolen, lost or stolen mobile phone may expose users to the threat of identity theft and fraud.

New smartphone security features now include biometric scanning. However, whether these features can really achieve their due functions depends on their level of design and development. By using digitally modified fingerprints as the "home screen", network elements may use fingerprint locks to unlock many smartphones, according to a recent university report in New York. This has aroused people's concern about whether biometric technology is to achieve smartphone security.

Leigh Anne galloway, director of cyber security at active Technologies, is a strong competitor to biometric technology. "in my opinion, randomly generated long passwords are still the safest way to lock a phone," she pointed out recently. " This is not to say that it is the most convenient 3354. Of course, 3354 is hard to remember, but any password that makes users easier will also make it easier for hackers. "

Therefore, manufacturers and developers must strive to develop a more reliable, less penetrating, friction-free way to protect smartphones.

4. Manufacturer's defect, no fault found.

Hot topics debated with iOS include reliability and failure rate. According to a recent report, the failure rate of Android devices is high worldwide.

Increased by 25%, while iOS devices only dropped to 12%. Regardless of the comparison between Android and iOS, the data still show that a large number of phones purchased by consumers are still not working as expected. This often brings inconvenience to consumers and cost retailers to return goods.

The quality of smartphones may be good news. Compare

Cheap non-brand phones may produce shoddy products, but high-quality models should not. However, even flagship devices have manufacturing flaws, such as the explosive Galaxy Note 7 battery or, more recently, iPhone 8 crackling headphones. With the price of these devices, consumers should get better quality control from manufacturers.

In addition to manufacturing defects, another problem in today's industry is the problem of "fault free discovery" (NFF). This happens only when the factory is re-certified as operational when the consumer returns the device and forwards it back to the manufacturer for diagnostics. As with all returns, NFF represents the main costs of supply chain stakeholders-in particular, retailers are under pressure to meet customer requirements.

Frontline diagnostics are critical to solving this problem because retailers are in the best position to explain to customers the nature of their concerns.

"A simple test at the point of sale will provide two things for retailers and customers," said Sheeran of Asset Science. "valid proof of the operation of the device, as well as the benchmark for retailer and customer participation, if the device fails during the warranty period. In many cases, both parties do not fully understand what is bought or sold and what the equipment is like at the time of purchase."

5. Battery mortality problem

Early smartphone users may recall that smartphones had relatively short battery life compared to the previous generation of phones that smartphones replaced. The old and popular Nokia 3310 can sometimes survive on standby for a whole week without charge.

Today, battery problems still exist. Even a battery with a larger capacity won't last all day. To be fair, however, all new hardware components-including larger screens, more sensors and various connection options-can lead to battery depletion. Another point of view is to improve charging time. Most modern phones take an hour or two to fully charge.

In response, companies like StoreDot have joined the boom in developing high-quality batteries. Cracking fast charging companies may be the key to the feasibility of electronic technology beyond computing, and may even support automotive and industrial applications. StoreDot's rapid charging technology, which uses nanomaterials instead of lithium-ion batteries, can be fully charged in five minutes, attracting attention and funding from carmaker Daimler and Samsung Venture Capital.

Doron Myersdorf, chief executive of StoreDot, believes it is time for the industry to adopt new standards for charging. "this is a major challenge because we have violated the charging rules," he said. "our focus is to bring mobile batteries to market next year."

Smartphone manufacturers should constantly innovate and create reliable products for consumers. The new features must be designed to improve the user experience, but must be robust enough not to introduce vulnerabilities in security and privacy. The industry must also consider adopting technical and quality standards to ensure that customers enjoy acceptable quality, safety and reliability.

Otherwise, manufacturers could exacerbate problems that could lead to their own collapse. Ultimately, development must be geared to sustainable and beneficial symbiosis among stakeholders-users, manufacturers and middlemen.

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