8 February 2007
iPhone: Apple's innovation, hype, arrogance
By Jim Pinto
Somehow, Steve Jobs and Apple seem to do it again and again—launch products with hype and hoopla, generating spontaneous applause and the urge to buy whatever new stuff they come up with.
Apple’s new iPhone combines three products—mobile phone, widescreen iPod, and Internet communications e-mail, web browsing, maps, and search. It also has a slick user interface, letting you control everything with just your fingers.
Apple may have moved too fast since the iPhone won’t be ready until June 2007, and Cisco (new Linksys VOip phone) owns the name. One wonders if this is a major Apple slip-up and they’ll have to switch names. Aphone?
Apple’s hype moved its stock up (for a while), but the arrogance is often irritating—pre-announcing products, talking with Cisco about the name and going ahead anyway, charging for some software extensions that should be free, shutting out third-party developers—the list is long. But hey, perhaps that is just good marketing.
It is significant that the basic design choices include newly available technologies, but Apple gets to bring them all together first. The applause comes from people who instantly recognize the innovative leap, often from the feeling of, “Hey, I thought of that!”
Take a look around you and see what people are doing with their cell phones—not just talking, but playing games, text-messaging, taking spontaneous pictures, watching videos, listening to music.
The new Apple gadget gives you much more to play with—2 megapixel camera, 4GB (or 8GB) of storage, Bluetooth 2.0, WiFi that automatically engages when in range, quad-band GSM radio, OS X support, Google Maps, Safari Web browser, Yahoo free push iMAP e-mail, and iTunes of course.
The iPhone (or Aphone?) will be out in June, exclusively through Cingular. Hey, anyone want my new touch-screen pocket-PC cell phone?
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Behind the byline
Jim Pinto is an industry analyst and founder of Action Instruments. You can e-mail him at jim@jimpinto.com or view his writings at www.JimPinto.com. Read the Table of Contents of his book, Pinto’s Points at www.jimpinto.com/writings/points.html.
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