Apple Inc Unleashes iPhone - Aesthetics
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The phone is rather large (as most smart phones are) and the term "phone" does not truly describe the product. It is actually a combination of a mobile phone, widescreen iPod, Internet communications device, web search, map and class email. The term used by one commentator to describe the product is "Yummy." The touch screen is a beaut, and the width makes it one of the slimmest phones available. I think of it as an iPod with phone and search capabilities.
Some analysts complain that the phone's aesthetics came before its functionality in its design, but no concrete evidence was put forward for this design complaint. Apple is hoping that their iPhone will grab one percent of the mobile phone market; specifically, they're chasing the 20 percent of the high end phone market dominated by Palm and Research in Motion, with some share by giant telecom end user device makers Nokia, Motorola and Sony Ericcson.
"Today Apple is reinventing the phone" Steve Jobs
Services
Before we go into the carrier (Cingular) and the price of the phone, let us look at the other services that will come integrated with the iPhone. The phone is truly different , with email services powered by Yahoo, and web search and map search capabilities powered by Google. Yahoo IMAP mail works like Blackberry without the Microsoft exchange server.
Carrier and Prices
The phone will be marketed by AT&T's Cingular network, and comes with a mandatory two year contract. The prices will be $499 for the 4 GB model and $599 for the 8 GB model. Prospective users already cite the added costs that this package will incur for them. And there are also complaints about Cingular's service, but the Apple brand seems likely to pull users from other networks into Cingular's.
Prices Suck (and other goof ups)
Frankly a phone the same price as a PS3 is ridiculous, and the battery cannot be replaced by the user! That is a nightmare in the making. Apart from this, the phone is an excellent (though horrendously expensive) device.
Apple Goes Live!
The Apple iPhone does quite a lot for Apple in terms of defending current market share for their portable media player market, and also penetrates into the mobile convergence device market. In one move Apple combines the iPod with a phone, thereby raising the stakes for competitors such as Creative and Zune. Apple aims to keep their grip on 62 percent of the portable media player market and are also aiming at one percent of the mobile phone market (currently ten million devices). Apple also changed their name from Apple Computer Inc to Apple Inc to show that they are moving from computer hardware to consumer electronics (this shift is worthy of an article on its own).
But with the shift comes new battles. As they enter the living room, they go up against old foe Microsoft, and as they enter into telecommunications they face new challenges from competitors which are as big as they are (if not bigger). One of these challenges strikes at the name of their current jewel, the "iPhone."
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