Now that mobile phones seem to have everything, what is the next step for phones in general?
Technology is growing faster and faster and its making our life easier. So, no matter the technology cost, we continue to produce and design a product that would make people buy it. We observe people’s behaviour to make communication, people’s lives and our digital life better.
Is it hard to design a phone that can appeal to everyone?
I don’t think there is a phone that can appeal to everyone.
So what’s the thing that is holding it back? Is it just battery life? Is that the biggest problem you’ve got?
Yes, actually every year we do a design exercise where we talk about going back to basic – everything back to our daily life. It seems as if what people really need is battery life and that is something we would like to achieve in the next level.
How close are you to fixing this?
We are still studying that.
Now you have got so many things in there, is there anything left to put in a phone or is it just the case of refining what you’ve got?
Well actually, there are two different cases. Firstly, we see what people need and if it’s a need then we will add it to improve that. Secondly, we improve what we already have.
How difficult is it to make improvements? Because each improvement is a slight one.
Something like battery life, we can extend 20 percent more .The battery capacity is 200 to 300 minutes and more, but these 300 minutes are not just about hardware but also software integration. I use the extreme power saving mode while travelling and I can use my phone for two days without charging. I still stay connected, everyone can reach me and I can still make a call. It’s about hardware and software integration.
So what’s the next thing we would see on phones for the next generation.
We are still working on that, I don’t think I have a clear answer to that yet, but I think we will have the answer next year.
“We believe we are one of the users and we design according to what the user wants.”
How important is it to have something that the user experiences and have the look as well? Is that how you differentiate yourselves from the rivals now?
I think every company is about integrating hardware and software and giving an experience to users. Talking about differentiating, I think now smart phones have become a commodity product, so we try to bring our value to the users. People want something different. This is different.
So when you’re designing the follow up, where will you start from?
We design like we are one of the users and we design according to what the user wants.
Is there still going to be a market for MP3 players or small digital cameras or is the phone going to make it obsolete?
I still don’t believe that phones can take over. DSLR has a much better image quality, no doubt, but it’s too big. I don’t want to carry it. I don’t even carry a camera when I am travelling. Dubai is a beautiful city, I should bring a digital camera here to take a photo but I don’t do that, I just bring my phone but it doesn’t mean that the product will be gone. People are changing and technology is changing, maybe it will come back again.
Are there any things that you have been working on in the near future?
Some technology like wireless charging, now the efficiency is getting better. Maybe there is a new technology that will jump in and cure the problem. So far fingerprint recognition is the turning point but maybe the other technology will jump in and have a better solution. Maybe eye recognition, why do we need a finger print? We are just checking the possibility.