Will Apple get out-innovated?

IMAGINE THAT: Each new iPhone has sold as many units as all previous generations combined, and it isn't crazy to think exponential growth can continue for at least one more iteration, the Wall Street Journal speculates in an editorial on the eve of Apple’s next product presentation. But the device setting those records is likely to be just an incremental upgrade over the iPhone 4S. Indeed, the newest iPhone may not look that different from those Apple sold three years ago apart from a slightly larger screen and a slightly thinner profile. In one sense, that is good since a reason the iPhone is so popular is that "it just works," notes Neil Mawston of Strategy Analytics. In another sense, sticking to the iPhone's traditional design is a problem, giving rivals a chance to jump ahead with new features. The Windows Phone operating system used by Nokia has "live tiles" that display info or photos directly on the home screen, not just icons that launch apps. The camera technology in Nokia's latest device is likely to top Apple's. Overall, the new Nokia is loaded with the sort of subtle upgrades have typically been the hallmark of the Steve Jobs era. Apple's dominant ecosystem should stop it from ever suffering a similar decline as the once-mighty BlackBerry. But by resorting to evolutionary design changes, the company that once revolutionized cellphones by turning them into hand-held computers gives rivals an opening. (9/11a)