These days, it’s just common knowledge: Apple innovation has tanked since Steve Jobs’ death, while Samsung’s parade of split-screen apps, touchless gestures, and sexy smartwatches has propelled the Korean tech giant into the lead. Not convinced? Simply gaze upon Apple’s last three iPhones — underpowered, featureless, stuck in the past — and you too will see that Apple CEO Tim Cook is cooked. Or is he? We looked at four of the most common Apple criticisms, specifically those for the iPhone. Has innovation really leveled off in Cupertino? 1. Performance The Criticism The iPhone is underpowered. While Samsung reinvents the stat sheet with each new phone, Apple makes routine updates a year later. It just can’t compete on specs anymore. The Reality In recent years, Apple has done some of its best innovation under the iPhone’s airbrushed hood. When consumers see a new iPhone of identical shape and size, they assume nothing’s changed. In reality, Apple’s biggest accomplishment is maintaining its lauded design while keeping pace with Samsung’s powerful, shape-shifting phones. Granted, we can’t conclude that Apple is winning the spec war, but it’s certainly not losing either. We plotted Geekbench multi-core scores for Apple and Samsung phones over the last few years to see how they stacked up over time. Apple and Samsung have both maintained a dizzying pace, nearly doubling performance with each new release. Apple’s 2x leap from the iPhone 5 to 5s is particularly impressive, perhaps even more so than the all-new Touch ID. 2. Features The Criticism Apple hasn’t added any innovative features since 2010. Samsung adds 2,010 new features in every phone. The Reality This one’s partially true. Whether it’s air gestures, tilt scrolling, or companion watches that let you take secret, creepy photos, Samsung is the indisputable King of Features. Meanwhile, Apple’s biggest feature forays have seen mixed results. (Siri? So-so. Touch ID? Great when it works. FaceTime? Neat, but who actually uses it?) Still, who says “number of features” is synonymous with “innovation?” It all depends on the problem you’re trying to solve. … Continue reading Relax: Apple Innovation Is Fine