Last night Apple officially unveiled its new iPhone 12, its first with 5G capabilities as well as a number of new features.
The iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max include Dolby Vision support, an integrated Lidar scanner, a new still and video camera system with a wider view, longer focal lengths, a new Apple ProRAW format and the biggest Super Retina XDR display ever on an iPhone.
All of that offers new opportunities for the media industry, from content creation to content consumption.
So, how can the industry use these new features?
We’ve long known that 5G is likely to have in impact on viewers consuming content on their phone. While some argue 5G has become over-hyped, others believe Apple’s move into the new technology will push it further into the mainstream, as media analyst Paole Pescatore tells TVBEurope, “If anyone can kickstart consumer demand for 5G, then Apple can.”
5G is also expected to have an impact across the entire workflow from production, editing, distribution and consumption. “The merits of 5G are clear, especially latency and the robustness of the network,” adds Pescatore.
According to Matt Loreille, CMO of Cloud-based video editing platform Wildmoka, the new iPhone will “meaningfully impact” the news and sport content industries. “For News, it will further democratise MoJo (Mobile Journalism), helping journalists to cover live events faster, as they happen and still with high quality.
“It will be especially beneficial to the local news broadcasters to cover ‘secondary’ local stories (that wouldn’t justify sending a technical crew). For aports, the 5G-enabled iPhone 12 can highly enrich the shoulder content. Outside of a game/a race itself, what makes the buzz and generates tonnes of views on OTT and social is footage that captures a special emotion such as a coach crying as he sees his champion winning. Being ready with a fleet of iPhones to capture the surrounding live emotion is now part of the overall media production strategy of the largest broadcasters.”
Loreille continues, “In many cases, since the speed to publish the content to the end-viewer is critical in order to be visible, live stream transfer from the 5G phone to the live production chain may be preferred. 5G-enabled phones will also allow to have more ‘on-board experiences’ (such as being in the peloton, on a bike, in a cycling race). It will then create a more immersive experience for the fans and a better capture of all the key moments.”
The iPhone 12 Pro Max includes 512 GB of data, which Pescatore believes is bound to attract industry professionals. “For sure, this is a premium product that will attract specific audiences,” he says. “Having said that, more and more people are making video calls, taking pictures and generating a lot of content. They are starting to demand a premium experience, a more for more approach with the devices they are buying.”
