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Researchers with the US Army’s Next Generation Squad Weapon program, who have been brainstorming a replacement for the M4 carbine and M249 light machine gun, are reportedly looking to the iPhone for inspiration. Officials believe Apple found success when it focused on platform rather than bells and whistles, ultimately providing a better path for expandability. The Army’s next-generation weapons are expected to flaunt a plethora of capabilities (e.g., onboard processor hardened against cyberattacks), so they’re adopting the same philosophy.
"Imagine that Steve Jobs and his engineers were trying to convert the iPod Touch to the first 3G iPhone," said Army Col. Elliott Caggins, project manager for soldier weapons. "There were a thousand technologies they could have put in the first iPhone but they were looking to mature the platform before they could actually go onto the system. We have hundreds of capabilities we can put into this weapons system, but we want to do it by holistically creating a system that that takes advantage of everything we've done in the past," he added. "This means its capabilities will only grow, just as the iPhone's did."
"Imagine that Steve Jobs and his engineers were trying to convert the iPod Touch to the first 3G iPhone," said Army Col. Elliott Caggins, project manager for soldier weapons. "There were a thousand technologies they could have put in the first iPhone but they were looking to mature the platform before they could actually go onto the system. We have hundreds of capabilities we can put into this weapons system, but we want to do it by holistically creating a system that that takes advantage of everything we've done in the past," he added. "This means its capabilities will only grow, just as the iPhone's did."