I recently wrote about the changes the iPhone is about to herald in on Smartmobs - Coming of the iPhone ... Dell, HP, Intel, IBM, and any IT company will suddenly need a cellphone strategy and Tomi Ahonen's recent post Entering iPhone Era: Marking Time in Mobile gave me an extra reason to attend MobileCampNYC last weekend.
I think the iPhone will change the mobile phone industry and Tomi Ahonen explained why and how it will do so in his iPhone post.
I'm not really sure if there are any upcoming competitor phones to the iPhone and yet, I'm finding, there's not much recent news on Technorati about the iPhone today; that surprises me as the iPhone will be coming out next month - so you'd think there would be more news about it by now.
Recently I bought The Flip for video blogging my Trip to France next week and I'm wondering if I should buy a 30GB or 80GB video iPod now or wait till the iPod comes out next month because it might be able to play iPhone videos and show me iPhone photos just as well as the 30 GB video iPod does.
I have had TMobile as my mobile provider for the last 9 years and if and when I buy the iPhone (which I probably will) I'll have to switch to AT&T in order to use the iPhone. So far, all I know about the iPhone is:
"..released in the United States in June 2007, and later in Europe and Asia. It will be available through AT&T (formerly Cingular) for $499 or $599, depending on the amount of memory. The iPhone's design and features include a 3.5" touch screen, virtual keyboard and buttons, advanced operating system, wireless Internet connectivity, camera phone, music player, video player, and full-screen Web browser."
At Know More Media's network - Jason Boog threw some new media journalists for a loop last week - and he mentioned it at The Publshing Spot (btw, I met Jason last summer in Brooklyn, he knows what he's talking about)"
"...The website Engadget had published a false memo about the iPhone production schedule.
Reportedly, the stock price at Apple actually dropped with the fake leak--leading CNET to dub the case "Applegate."
Every time this kind of high-speed publishing scandal rocks the blogosphere, I like to offer a quote from the story, "Penny-A-Worder" by Cornell Woolrich--a reflection on the self-destructive joy of writing for the vicious pulp fiction industry in the 1930's."
And then, Joseph Carrabis, who I saw recently at Emetrics Summit in San Francisco and who I owe an apology to (yes, I do make mistakes) talked about Apple's missteps with marketing the iPhone in his blog Biz Media Science:
"...On Jan 29th of this year Apple released a notice announcing an "embarrassing misstep in consumer electronics history". It seems that they would have to recall their entire production run of the Apple iPhone. They discovered that they had failed to include a "phone" feature in the handheld device. "
Hmm...the iPhone without a Phone - is that Groovy or just plain Stupid? I figure there's enough stupidity to go around - it's like selling luggage what can't store anything but looks good.
By the way, my opinion of Steve Jobs is gone up in the last 5 or 6 years -I noticed a video of Steve Jobs on Marketingblurb.com that shows how difficult it is even for the co-founder of Apple Computer and the Father of the iPhone to explain it's features.
"..If you're not familiar with the seemingly limitless features of the Apple iPhone, watch this video to see Steve Jobs giving an informative yet confusing demonstration."
Bill Belew on Rising Sun of Nihan thinks that the iPhone is no match for what the Japanese have already - Apple iPhone vs. DoCoMo i-mode Phone - No Contest - Japan Wins.
"....Apparently (the iPhone) can do videos, music, and photos, read the news and tell lies (rumors). It also has "a 3.5" touch screen, virtual keyboard and buttons, advanced operating system, wireless Internet connectivity and full-screen Web browser.It is also compatible with AT&T and Cingular.
Gee, is that all?
Can it do all those things AND -
1. pay for tickets ...on a train, a plane, a bus, to a concert, to a movie...
2. serve as a member's card...to a golf course, a gym, a club...
3. buy a coke, a candy bar, a beer, cigarettes....from a vending machine and/or convenience store
4. play a motion game like Wii,
5. serve as a key to get in my apartment, my car, my office, ....
6. get a boarding pass to get on a plane, a ferry...
7. buy anything, everything, that a credit card can...
8. open the garage door
9. change the channel on the TV, stereo....
10. read my eye, my face, my fingerprint for security purposes
11. offer two phone numbers in one phone...one for me and nobody else and one that my wife, girlfriend or anyone else can see.
12. offer two email addresses in one phone
13. be remotely locked if lost?
The NTT DoCoMo i-mode phones can do everything the iPhone can do and much more. And they work, too!
No contest...Japanese phones and phone service wins.
Seems like we're behind in the United States - we have lower expectations than much of the rest of the world when it comes to our mobile devices. Hopefully, the iPhone will bring the changes that Tomi Ahonen's recent post Entering iPhone Era: Marking Time in Mobile says it will (and I believe Tomi knows what he's talking about).
Even with the limited knowledge, I was still enticed. Talk about going way beyond your average smart phone. I just bought a Blackberry though on T-mobile and there is no way I am going to AT&T, poor customer service and coverage (at least that's what I hear).
Posted by: Kimberlee Morrison | May 23, 2007 9:08 AM | Permalink to Comment