[Sigia-l] Apple's iPhone Changes The Stakes, Not The Game

[Will Parker]

On Jan 24, 2007, at 11:44 AM, prady wrote:
> Came across this article, at Forrester, which has interesting point --
>
> <snip>

> The iPhone will force competing device
> makers like Motorola to play catch-up and operators to search for a
> response, but the iPhone will not substantially alter the fundamental
> structure and challenges of the mobile industry."
>
> And here's the Billion dollar question --
> What is "The Game"? Can "design" change the game for cellular phones?
> What is needed for iPhone to change the game? What is missing?
>
> Anyone?

Always happy to spout off about Apple.

Please note that unlike the Forrester article -- and apparently  
everybody else -- I don't think this is going to play out as Apple  
vs. other cell phone _manufacturers_. This is going to turn out to be  
Apple vs. the cellular telephony _carriers_.

Just as the key to the iPod puzzle is iTunes, the key to the iPhone's  
success will be ease of use as a service. The only open question is  
whether the people at Cingular ('scuse me -- AT&T) are smart enough  
to follow Steve's lead on this.

There's a simple way to handle this. For every article you've ever  
read about why Apple is beating the pants off of their competition  
with the iPod, 'even though the iPod costs too much and doesn't have  
Features X through ZZ', substitute 'iPhone' for 'iPod'. Then  
substitute the names of Apple's competition in the phone arena for  
the names of their competition in MP3 players.

Alternatively, watch this YouTube video of Steve Jobs talking about  
Microsoft, and whenever Steve says the word 'Microsoft', mentally  
substitute the name of *your* current cell phone carrier, even if you  
are a Cingular subscriber.

- Will
Will Parker
wparker at ChannelingDesign.com

"The only people who value your specialist knowledge are the ones who  
already have it." - William Tozier