I love when ppl ignore the fact that Apple Inc. is a hardened company. They think that Apple knows nothing about marketing, and that their products wont fly.
This is even said when products, like the iPod have taken almost the exact same path as this one will, yet, this one wont fly.
You have to remember, apple almost closed business a while back because they made some mistakes, they have seen what not to do.
I think Apple knows exactly what ppl want. Afterall, isn't that why we're all on this site in the first place?
I have to disagree with you on this one. iPod became a super hit not because of its technical superiority or interface or integration as some experts would lead others believe.
It was a cultural icon. It was trendy, it became a fashion accessory. Infact, I would say that iPod ear phones saved Apple's stock
🙂
I am not saying that this product won't succeed, I am just merely pointing out that Apple has bit too much for its own good. It is likely that it won't be able to chew it.
Since I am drunk, I will add more to it.
iPod business had to depend on the content from others (iTunes providers). iPhone has to depend on others for pipes/network. But, that's where the similarities end. At the time iPod was introduced, it had no major competition. And the media was available vastly through p2p. And so folks could buy iPod and load it with thousands of songs. Yeah, everyone uses mobile. It is a very mature market with not many really that interested in more advanced functions that making a call. Steve would make you believe that people just punch in numbers (as he calls "last century"). I have never seen anyone do that. And it is likely you haven't seen anyone either. Besides, US mobile providers are vastly trenched in old ways and their business model of razor-blade is very profitable. There is no need for them to change it either so that folks can just swap SIM cards like the rest of the world. It is so profitable that the companies are just buying each other like crazy. Besides, in the smart phone market, heavy weights have infiltrated corporate world, that is very likely, Apple would never get any hold of that market. And we all know Apple's competency in corporate selling. And add to the top of that, iPhone distribution is so limited to just 50MM subscribers of Cingular and is priced so freaking high compared to others. Blackberry as steve would have lead to believe costing $299, can be had at Amazon for $49. And on top of that obnoxious charges charged by mobile companies for data plans ($20-30/mo) is just way out too much for the intended target segment.
Don't get me wrong, it is a great great product with freaking innovative technology. But, until, the common man can get his hands on it and enjoy it, it is just another techno toy. And as it stands right now, iPhone cannot be compared to iPod and making those comparisons border ridiculousness. Things might change very soon, Apple might open up and let other networks come in. It might be subsidized to make it more affordable. It might just catch consumers imagination. But from the folks, I talked to, they are quite happy with the phones and networks they have and see no reason why they would even want to shell out anything more than $200.
