There's a lot of hardware and useful features on smartphones that are yet to make it to Macs - and I wonder if they'll ever get them and if you all think they'd be useful.
A few I can think of:
- AMOLED screen
- Touchscreen
- SIM slot
- Siri/Google Now
- GPS
- NFC
- Notifications in the toolbar
etc etc
My MacBook Air is more than three years old whereas I get a new phone every year or so. I just don't see the need to update my Air as the newer ones offer nothing significantly new or different.
A lot of features on laptops missing on phones: up to 15'' screen, physical keyboard, desktop apps, multiple USB and thunderbolt ports, trackpads, form factor designed for placing on a desk, etc.
Touchscreens are ergonomically poor for laptops unless you convert one to a tablet. No one likes extending hands out for long periods of time, it's fatiguing.
GPS is less useful for a computer that you don't use while moving.
Siri is not practical in the office or at home, and is less efficient than a keyboard.
It's a matter of user experience, not features.
LTE on the laptop tied to a phone's data account... that could be cool.
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Following up on this, the mere fact that it's less fatiguing to hold the front of your hand toward your face than the rear of your hand will be a major advantage for phones over smart watches.
It's more natural to turn your wrist palm down for a brief glance (traditional watcH) and more natural to turn it palm up for a longer duration. My first cell phone replaced my watch...
An innovative smart watch would place the screen on the opposite side of the wrist.
The fact that you lay your hands palm down on a table negates this, but if you have a table you can use a computer. The iWatch will be a huge distraction at meetings, though!
