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Perfect designs
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Apple Matters concludes that the iPhone is perfect. Hadley Stern writes,
Many people will draw up lists of what is missing in the iPhone. These are the same people who dismissed the iPod because it didn’t have as many “features” as the competition. These people don’t get it.
and concludes
Design is about making decisions about not only what to include, but what to leave out. Steve Jobs has once again shown that an organization led by a strong advocate for design can indeed create products that aren’t me-too. They are perfect.
In a world of "me-too" products, design could be the distinctive competence that your competitors lack. It sure works for Apple.
iPhone is perfect?
Posted by
Saeed Khan
at
2007-07-19 11:28 AM
Hate to be a naysayer -- ok, actually, I kind of like being a contrarian -- but, if the iPhone is "100% perfect by any measure of the imagination." (according to Apple Matters), then what will be said of the inevitable upgraded model that will appear in the future? Will it be 110% perfect?
Because North American wireless carriers provide a very narrow range of devices, as compared to European or Asian carriers, the bar here is very low when it comes to new phone models. My friends in Europe had phones for at least 12 months, that have the capabilities of the iPhone (though admittedly without the multitouch screen). And they didn't have to pay $600 + forced 2 year contract.
Last year another friend of mine showed me his phone. He works with a lot of Asian mobile providers and got the phone in Taiwan. That phone blew me away: compact in size, but large clear colour screen, very intuitive navigation, web access etc etc. Paid a couple of hundred dollars for it.
So, is the iPhone a "cool" device? Sure. Revolutionary? If your reference point is the North American market? Maybe? If your world is the global marketplace? Absolutely not. Thomas Friedman may be able to make a case that the World is Flat, but that's absolutely untrue when it comes to mobile devices. In that area, North America is in a deep pit.
Saeed
Because North American wireless carriers provide a very narrow range of devices, as compared to European or Asian carriers, the bar here is very low when it comes to new phone models. My friends in Europe had phones for at least 12 months, that have the capabilities of the iPhone (though admittedly without the multitouch screen). And they didn't have to pay $600 + forced 2 year contract.
Last year another friend of mine showed me his phone. He works with a lot of Asian mobile providers and got the phone in Taiwan. That phone blew me away: compact in size, but large clear colour screen, very intuitive navigation, web access etc etc. Paid a couple of hundred dollars for it.
So, is the iPhone a "cool" device? Sure. Revolutionary? If your reference point is the North American market? Maybe? If your world is the global marketplace? Absolutely not. Thomas Friedman may be able to make a case that the World is Flat, but that's absolutely untrue when it comes to mobile devices. In that area, North America is in a deep pit.
Saeed
Perfect designs
That is my opinion as a consumer. As a marketer, I hate to admit it, but I do not think that Apple will capture much market share until it can address some pretty significant issues.
RIM has designed a phone/email combo that is incredibly easy to use, durable, and seems to handle mobile email better than anything else out there. It frankly shocks me that no one has competed with them more successfully, depsite full-keyboard attempts by Treo, Nokia, and others. Furthermore, though it is a high-end phone, consumers can buy Blackberry at substantial discounts when they commit to a service term with a carrier.
Enter iPhone. I personally find the sex appeal irresistable, and though I am in Canada I will have one on my next visit to the US. But there is more to design than sex appeal. Deep inside I really wonder whether the iPhone will have the dead-simple utility of the Blackberry, and to be fair, the iPod. The primary issue for me is the lack of a physical keyboard because of the tactile feedback it can provide.
RIM sounds undaunted by the iPhone, but then if they were daunted, they wouldn't say so. (For example, see http://onproductmanagement.wordpress.com/2007/07/09/rim-on-the-iphone/)
My predictions are:
- RIM maintains lionshare of business users because of the price breaks, market momentum, and dead-simple utility... along with the physical keyboard.
- Apple captures a significant share of the the technorati ... those who simply wouldn't be seen without the ultra-cool device.
- Apple won't gains substantial *market share* until they relax some of the ridiculous requirements that they place on carriers and purchasers. These include cost, contract terms, and Edge vs. 3G networks.