Dark Mode on Apple iPhones sensible move: Industry experts

Industry experts have given thumbs-up to Apple introducing Dark Mode in iPhones and phasing out iTunes at a time when delivering experiences is the key for smartphone makers.

Dark mode is a hot trend right now. Google has also announced the same for its upcoming Android Q during its flagship I/O developer conference a few weeks back.

Currently, several third party apps offer Dark Mode. There are two major reasons for this.

"The screen is one of the biggest battery drainers in smartphones. With screen getting bigger and better coupled with trend of OLEDs at several price points is leading to strain on the batteries and overall battery life for an average consumer," Navkendar Singh, Research Director, Devices and Ecosystem, India & South Asia, International Data Corporation, told IANS.

Dark mode allows for lesser consumption of battery since OLEDs (which need to be lit up at all times) do not need to be lit up when smartphones are on Dark Mode.

"This certainly helps elongating battery life to a significant extent," Singh added.

Dark Mode is a new dark colour scheme that works across native apps to deliver a great viewing experience especially in low-light conditions.

Dark Mode is available to third-party app developers for integration into their own apps and can be scheduled to turn on automatically at sunset or at a certain time.

According to Tarun Pathak, Associate Director at Counterpoint Research, Apple is focusing further to optimize experience on its products.

"The Dark Mode on iPhones and goodbye to iconic iTunes are such steps in that direction. Additionally, Apple is strengthening its take on privacy and this will continue to be a great differentiator for consumers," Pathak told IANS.

"With screens getting bigger and much brighter, it puts severe strain on our eyes especially when we use the phone before sleeping or in a dark room. So, wellness factor is also important with Dark Mode on the smartphone," Singh emphasized.

According to him, Apple is not "really" bidding goodbye to the iTunes.

"It will still be available as an iTunes app to purchase either music, movies or podcasts. What really is being done is bringing three apps (Apple Music, Apple TV and Apple Podcast) to the fore as three separate streaming apps," said Singh.

iTunes was formally launched in 2001 and its music store was launched two years later.

"This is an indication of two things: One is Apple's focus on services as a big revenue pillar, going forward. As hardware (specifically iPhone) demand slows down, services and ecosystem become all the more important.

"Second is the shift in media consumption habits from owning to streaming. This is a gradual shift we are seeing, even in a market like India," said Singh.

(Nishant Arora can be contacted at nishant.a@ians.in)

--IANS

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