iPhone: Apple's Third Act
I'm as facinated and excited about Apple's iPhone (as much as everyone else) when it was introduced last Tuesday. I've burned midnight candles to do some readings and was ready to drop my Palm TC (and my current Moto phone) right away. Everyone was talking about it with such enthusiasm and awe. Its indeed a wonderful piece of concept, but the reality distortion field (RDF) begins to wear off quickly. Back to reality, I've asked myself if I would be getting one, I could have probably if it was made available right away. If you ask me now, I'll tell you that I'll be holding off until the release of the iPhone version 2 or 3 (if there are such in the making). Why? Let me count the ways...
1. The iPhone is high technology, highly priced but with a crippled feature and its locked. It wasn't designed like the iPod. The iPod started out only to play music and it does what it does with an affordable price. For the iPhone, you have the potential technology that is crippled to the application and features that Apple dictates (with a high price).
2. Steve says you don't need a fixed physical thumboard on the device. This seems to be a viable reason if the phone doesn't do SMS and email, but it does. And it needs a tactile feedback inorder for the concept to be compelling. This is the same reason why Apple's Mighty Mouse created much frustration.
3. No unlocked version available. The choice of network is out of the question. I personally don't like to be tied up if the phone is not even given away for free. The second or third iteration would probably have the unlocked version (not to mention a much lower price).
There are more reasons in the sea on why its an overrated phone, but those three are the main reason for me not to jump on it right away. The iPhone won't kill the ones that Steve shown during his keynote. In fact, I'm even in doubt if the iPhone could make its expected 1% marketshare target by next year. Remember that not all iPod owners could afford an iPhone and not all iPod users would buy an iPhone. Buying a shuffle or a nano for a second iPod is more likely to happen than buying an iPhone as a third or fourth iPod. If history repeats itself, I see the iPhone being another G4 Cube in the making.
W
14.1.07 05:52
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