Apple has announced their iPhone which is more of a palmtop computer with wi-fi and cellular connectivity than it is a phone. It has lots of cool features like the ability to play movies and music from it’s 8GB disk. It uses an innovative touch screen to provide a dynamic interface instead of trying to re-purpose the buttons on the keypad or add an additional keyboard. It makes use of what I assume is a ’shock sensor’ to allow the user to interact with the phone by moving it (i.e. it turns on when you pick it up, answers the call when you put it to our ear, and changes screen orientation when your hold it sideways). These are all very cool features, but they are not the coolest feature.
Typically the most advanced phones are released in southeast Asia first and then Europe. The US has historically been the last to get the most advanced cell phones. Many of the slickest phones are never released in the US. Importers like Dynamism convert the language of Japanese devices and sell them to US consumers, but you pay a premium for it. The iPhone on the other hand is possibly the most innovative phone that will be released in 2007 and it will be released in the US first. (Quick, someone setup a site to convert these to Japanese and sell them on the internet).
Apple is really raising the bar for smartphones. It is a powerful tool that is easy to use. The other phone makers are going to have to step up their game in the US. If they want to compete with Cingular and the iPhone, they are going to have to bring their best phones to the US as fast as they can. Sprint and Verizon have had a horrible selection of phones over the years. They often cripple the features on the phones to force users to only use them the way the provider wants. The iPhone will help to change all of that. Just like Apple laptops have forced the computer industry to compete with sleeker and slicker laptops, the cellular handset makers are going to have to do the same. Just like OSX has forced Microsoft to take a long hard look at the aesthetics and usability in Windows, the cellular software industry (and providers who cripple the software) are going to have to do the same.
Regardless of whether or not you will buy an iPhone, Apple’s announcement yesterday will be a win for the consumer. As someone who will travel thoroughly in 2007, I can’t wait for the iPhone to arrive. I will be switching away from Sprint as soon as I can pre-order the iPhone. Sprint has been ignoring Apple customers for a long time.
Note: I recently posted about my lack of interest in products that are several products combined into one. I see the iPhone differently because it is just a small computer with a cellular card. Apple have been making computers (and the software that powers them) for a long time. They are not combining products here, it is just a natural evolution. My laptop has cellular service, I am just unable to use it to make phone calls. The iPhone is just a smaller version.
