So because Bill Gates came along and snatched Apple’s innovation in terms of the mouse and resigned the Mac to a bit part player in the personal computer market, some commentators believe the same will be true with smartphones. And people get paid to communicate such opinions. What drivel. Hello. That is so twentieth century and well before the Internet, the tipping point and just about every technology that fans wildfire.
Apple singlehandedly resigned Sony to the scrapheap and reinvented how we consume music legally and it’s doing it again in the gaming market. The mobile web and mobile gaming were consultants’ wet dreams until Apple invented a device that unlocked the potential for the masses. Apple is brilliant at making technology both sexy and simple. Yes they got it wrong in the eighties but since they invented the iPod and transformed music - not all for the good - they haven’t put a foot wrong.
The iPhone will not let go of perceptual leadership of the smart phone market. And I predict that within three years it will be over half the market - and all phones will be smart phones. Nokia and all the other handset manufacturers are playing catch up and not one has the ability to match Apple. Why? Because cleverly already has stolen a march in letting everyone know that you personalise your phone not with skins and ringtones but with applications. And over 1 billion have been downloaded in less than 12 months. Yes I know most people don’t use them but they will in time. Oh and by the way, the sucker punch for every other handset manufacturer looking to build an application store, is that most people already use Apple’s - even if they don’t yet own an iPhone. Just in case you hadn’t heard of it its called iTunes!
What does this mean? If your not Apple you should be worried. If your Nokia it’s even worse. People are now no longer buying mobiles they are accessorising and personalising their iPhone. The only issue holding the market back? Network exclusivity - as soon as Apple’s app revenues warrant it, they will forgo handset shared revenues from their network partners and push for open markets. And watch the flood gates open in terms of handset sales.
In the mean time, at a loose end? Try Zen Bound probably the most innovative game in the App store.
