What is the iPhone 4S missing? The number "5" for starters...

With any new phone release, most consumers have come to expect a few basics:

1. It should run/feel faster....check (see Dual-core A5)
2. It should have better hardware features (ie - camera, screen resolution)....check
3. It should look and feel new....oops...missed this one

With that said, Apple met only 2 of 3 basic requirements that most consumers expect. It failed to provide something that looks and feels new...detracting from some of the cache that many customers seek in purchasing Apple products. I'll grade Apple a C+ for meeting basic expectations.

The following expectations are in addition to what most phone-makers are required to do. There are no "gimme's" when you're the undisputed world leader in the market, and arguably the world's most valuable company. Apple is in some ways the victim of its own history of exceeding customer expectations.

Now on to what most customers have come to expect from Apple, with a new phone release:

It should fundamentally change the way I perform a basic task or approach a routine activity....potentially yes (a la Siri)...but NTC technology to enable mobile payments would have been revolutionary

On this front, I think Apple only partially succeeded. As mentioned above, an iWallet feature would have been truly breakthrough. Also, if the new phone is so much faster at processing data, why not allow FaceTime through 3G networks. Currently this is only allowed when on wifi. If you don't think 3G is fast enough for this technology, think again. I did this routinely on my jailbroken iPhone 4 a year ago. This is Apple's olive branch to wireless carriers, whose networks might otherwise be overwhelmed with data usage.  

If this were a typical phone manufacturer, this release would meet consumer expectations. But who are we kidding, we are talking about Apple, and we have come to expect more...

Here are just a few more reactions to today's release:

1. We missed Steve Jobs. Tim Cook did okay, but he's no Jobs.
2. The World Phone technology is great for those of us that travel internationally.
3. Welcome to the game Sprint. That's a big $20B bet you made, and hopefully the extra competition helps keep data fees low.
4. Twitter integration in iOS 5 looks cool...but where's the Facebook integration?
5. Really wish that some of the renderings floating around for a new design would have been included (wall to wall screen, rounded edges, slimmer profile, etc). Perhaps iPhone 5 is coming sooner than expected... Christmas 2011?

 

What is Talent?

If you happened to see the BYU vs. USU football game Friday night, you saw just about everything. An 80-yard score on the first play from the line of scrimmage by Utah State RB Robert Turbin, a couple impressive catches by BYU WR Cody Hoffman, and most of all a critical QB switch by BYU late in the game. Each of these sparked an opportunity for viewers to appreciate natural talent—particularly in the case of Riley Nelson….

Hold the bus…did I just admit that Riley Nelson, the kid with the terrible mullet and the awkward short-arm left-handed throw has talent? How can that be?

Let me put it this way… Talent is defined as an innate, naturally recurring pattern of behavior that most times cannot be taught. Turbin’s strength and agility combined with good vision make up a very unique set of talents. I would argue he is among the top 5 college running backs in the country. Hoffman’s speed, vertical jump and hand-eye coordination that helped him sky over Aggie cornerback Jumanne Robertson, while twisting at the goal line for a BYU touchdown make up another unique set of talents (thankfully we get a few more years to watch that talent blossom in Cougar blue). These are the talents that people usually discuss and praise. However, I would say that the greatest competitors in the world (Michael Jordan, Roger Federer, Tiger before his fall, Jimmer Fredette) are more distinguished in their mental talents than in their physical talents. The recurring pattern of outworking, out-practicing, outcompeting the opposition is what makes Jimmer special. Just listen to all of the ESPN pundits telling people why he doesn’t have the physical gifts to succeed at the next level…and yet Jimmer’s heard that all before, at every level leading up to this point.

Mental toughness is a talent…perhaps the scarcest talent in all of sports. It’s why freaks of nature like Ricky Williams, Marcus Dupree, and Vince Young are missing…and the reason that none of them ever lived up to their potential. It explains why Tiger Woods dominated at a young age, and crumbled in recent years. And this…is the edge that Riley Nelson has over Jake Heaps… Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying a guy with mental toughness can go out and beat Ricky Williams…you still have to have the physical ability to execute at that level, but that is only table stakes…it’s what you do with those gifts that counts.

This is actually something that I help clients manage on a daily basis. The company I work for has a mathematical model for assessing innate patterns of thought, feeling and behavior that can be productively applied to any role. It’s how we predict top quartile CEO talent, or which sales rep candidates will outperform the others. By the way, we also proved this model in assessing elite hockey talent. There is a certain mental DNA that performers in any category have, which helps them succeed. If you can decode that DNA, then you can replicate it.

BYU Head Coach Bronco Mendenhall and Offensive Coordinator Brandon Doman need to figure out whether Jake Heaps has the mental toughness to compete as an elite Division I college quarterback…but they also need to figure out whether Riley Nelson has the physical tools to support his mental advantage. It will be interesting to see how this plays out… It is an experiment in talent that I will be watching closely as a devout Cougar fan.