The launch of the 3G iPhone is a little over a week away. With all the promotion that Apple and AT&T are getting, other carriers and mobile handset developers have been releasing touchscreen phones like crazy. From Blackberry to LG, there are tons of touchscreen handsets that will hit the market this year in order to take ground from the iPhone. However, they're missing something very important. It's not about the touchscreen guys, it's mainly about the mobile apps.
The iPhone has a ton of selling points. It sports an user interface that goes beyond anything ever seen on the Windows Mobile, Blackberry, and Palm OS'. The performance is fast! The interface is intuitive and it sports an iPod. How many people have phones with music playback capabilities, yet don't transfer any songs to play on their phone? I'm one of those users and if you're one too, you know you'd use the iPod that's integrated with the iPhone with no hesitation. All in all, the iPhone is sleek, beautiful, and performs adequately. The biggest selling point though, is not necessarily the Safari browser, but the applications that have been developed to take advantage of Safari's functionality on the iPhone.
Touchscreen phones are being snapped up left and right. More than enough are already available including the LG Voyager (Verizon), Samsung Instinct (Sprint), HTC Touch (Verizon, Sprint), LG Vu (AT&T), and Samsung Glyde (Verizon). While this is great for those who may want to go against the rising tide of the iPhone, these phones will not break the iPhone's stronghold. Why? Their browsers suck!
The biggest reason most people would like an iPhone is because of the Safari browser. However, it's not just the browser. It's the mobile applications that are accessible via the browser. Have you seen the user interfaces for mobile apps made for the iPhone? The functionality is splendid. The design is flawless just like the iPhone. Execution these applications is in strict accordance with Apple-like standards. There are tons of mobile applications already available that don't require you to download them. And after the WWDC, there are tons more on the way.
While it's nice to see more touchscreens on the market and phones that pick up where the iPhone natively slacks, meaning you don't need to "jailbreak" them just to do something, they just don't compare to what's available for the iPhone. Sure there are more Windows Mobile applications floating around than iPhone apps, but take a look at the design and execution difference. When it comes to mobile apps, it doesn't get any better than what the iPhone has at this point. However, I hope that mobile handset makers and carriers are striving for something better to break what is surely a monopoly that the iPhone will eventually hold on the mobile web.
Comments
Subscribe to comments for this post OR Subscribe to comments for all Read/WriteWeb posts
Just bought one of the Nokia N series last week and now there is another gadget worth saving for! Whew... gadgets these days!
As you stated, "The iPhone has a ton of selling points. It sports an user interface that goes beyond anything ever seen on the Windows Mobile, Blackberry, and Palm OS'. The performance is fast!"... Well, then who can resist that?
Posted by: The Webloglearner | June 29, 2008 2:29 PM
It's funny - in this cloud-based world - why do we think of any one handset as having the "best software'.
Whatever happened to Benioff's "end of software" mantra? Sure the other mobile OS's miss out where the Jesusphone is strong - but it's just a matter of time before they get that side of things sorted - thereafter the openess of the other players (or more correctly the walled-garden way that Apple works) will tip the balance away from Cupertino.
No?
Posted by: Ben Kepes | June 29, 2008 2:33 PM
I have seen and played with the IPhone ver 1 phones, though i quite like the new fresh feel it brings with the accelorometers (spelling?), and its touchscreen motion commands. I personally am not sold on the new IPhone as yet, as a mobile web device it cannot yet load full flash player 9 and its the biggest thing that is stopping me from buying a new smartphone/mobile device that is capable of Wifi and 3G, and also has full flash player 9 capabilities. however I believe it eventually will come, so I will wait for the version that will finally sport full flash player 9 support.
Posted by: Chong | June 29, 2008 6:16 PM
The iPhone is always going to continue to have some stumbling block that prevents it from being accepted. No Flash support. Even if Flash support is marginal on WinMo, users must have it even if it's buggy, just to say WinMo does a fine job of supporting Flash and the iPhone doesn't.
Posted by: Constable Odo | June 29, 2008 8:39 PM
Yes... that is why I'm researching new possibilities to GPhone and other G gadgets...
Posted by: Ruben Zevallos Jr. | June 29, 2008 8:45 PM
iphone 2.0 supports: Xcode and Safari
WM6.1 supports:
SOFTWARE
Now:
C++
.NET
JAVA (full)
Soon (one month or so)
Flash Lite (officially)
Silverlight 1.0
Fall or Early 09:
JavaFX
Better Flash Lite
Better .NET
BROWSERS
NOW:
PIE (wm6.1 version)
Opera Mobile 8.5
Netfront 3.5 standard
LATER
Netfront 3.5 Special/concept (only for WM)
Opera Mobile 9.0
SkyFire
Firefox Mobile One
This don`t count without counting the Windows Ecosystem integration.
= Windows Mobile will do fine against Iphone or whoever while WM7 arrives.
Posted by: Avatar | June 29, 2008 11:03 PM
You are a poor writer.
When something pops into your head, think before you blog.
And do not report as though you have a certain prowess in business.
Please Leave.
Posted by: ANALYSIS | June 30, 2008 12:00 AM
oh rly
Posted by: lmjabreu | June 30, 2008 5:46 AM
When it comes to mobile web browsing, the iPhone already dominates all other smartphones. That is simply because the iPhone has the best web browser. iPhone users, as a result, will use the iPhone more frequently than other smartphones, to browse the web.
It already dominates in this area. It will only get bigger!
The iPhone, as a result of its standards-compliant web browser, its dominant hand-held browsing position, and its new standards-compliant application framework (SproutCore - which allows you to create desktop-like apps in a web browser), will make Flash obsolete.
Remember that Flash is NOT standards-compliant. It is NOT a web standard. It is completely PROPRIETARY. And full Flash runs poorly on handhelds.
It doesn't matter if Apple sells fewer iPhones than Windows Mobile or Nokia or other smartphones.
The only thing that really matters is that Apple will make a TON of money selling the iPhone. Think about it: Apple makes at least $425 on each iPhone sale in pure profit. It also makes more money selling iPhone accessories, makes a 30% cut off each iPhone application, makes another cut off 3rd Party "Made for iPhone" product, makes additional money selling MobileMe, and makes even more money selling music AND movies on iTunes. Apple stands to also profit as the iPhone turns into a great mobile gaming platform. AND each sale of an iPhone leads customers to recognize and many buy the other Apple products - the Macs, Mac Software, and iPods, and their accessories. It drives people to come to the Apple Stores - which are the highest per-square-foot selling stores on the market - even better than Tiffany's. Developers of iPhone applications will make a higher profit selling their software than on other platforms. This is because selling their product on iTunes costs only 30% overhead versus the 50% or more overhead selling their product on other platforms. Additionally, each iPhone user will be able to access the developer directly on their iPhone as opposed to going to their computer to buy the software. This will cause the iPhone to dominate mobile applications sales.
THIS is the Apple iPhone Ecosystem.
There is NO other cell phone manufacturer that can create such a MONSTER selling and profit environment around a mobile product. Apple is already the number one music seller - as a result. And Apple is already the number one online movie service - as a result.
All the other smartphone companies have slim margins or lose money. Windows Mobile, for example, has lost BILLIONS of dollars for Microsoft. It has been a disaster, from a money-making perspective, for Microsoft. Palm is dead in the water with very slim margins. Nokia has been caught flat-footed.
The iPhone is NOW. And it plans to DOMINATE! Yeah!
Posted by: James Katt | June 30, 2008 6:17 AM
I have an iPhone and also an E90. After using iPhone for quite sometime as my primary phone, now I decided to use back my E90 as the primary. Reasons because it has many compatibilities, longer battery life, etc-etc though it much slower (e.g. In term of typing, web browsing etc) when compared to an iPhone.
Posted by: Passerby | June 30, 2008 9:25 AM
I can't even imagine life without my iPhone anymore. I have no desire to ever even *consider* carrying another phone. And, yes, the apps will continue to make the difference between it and the others even more stark.
Great post, Corvida - rock on!
cheers,
Graeme
Posted by: GraemeThickins
|
June 30, 2008 10:02 AM
It is absolutely true that biggest selling point is apps, but I think every pixel of iPhone is its biggest selling point e.g. even the minute feature in it is its biggest selling point. Its so AMAZING.
Posted by: Sachin | June 30, 2008 11:41 PM
The Apps may be the iPhone's biggest selling point, but what's going to make the iPhone and its ilk truly successful is the development of more mobile content.
How many software programs do you use on your PC today vs. websites you visit regularly online?
http://Why.mobi
Posted by: Alex W | July 1, 2008 7:42 AM
I can't wait July 11 I will be buying the iPhone 3G, followed by spending more money at the apps store.
Apple Rules Microsoft Drools
Posted by: You SEO partner | July 1, 2008 8:15 AM
Launching GPhone with Android can change everything. In some time all phones will ge 3G and then 4G.
Posted by: seo specialist | July 6, 2008 8:01 AM