The iPhone is mainly a music phone

[skfny]

Sprint SERO + Treo 700p OR
Cingular (data plan more expensive than entire SERO) with iPhone AND lose dozens of POS apps that just work so well... hmm

The iPhone will be the most popular smartphone on the market. It will draw in more people into the smartphone concept, but I don't see it capturing a large segment of the POS or (specially) WM installed user bases. Seriously, how long do you think it will take for HTC to copy this design, fix some oversights, and slap WM on it?

 

[samkim]

There is no way Cingular lets this out the door without a really really really expensive plan (read: data). They have consumers over a barrel and they know it.

Cingular has said that they will require a two-year contract to even purchase the iPhone. I think that's as far as they can push people. IMO, requiring an expensive data plan on top of that would put this out of reach of the masses. An optional $8/mo budget data plan? Maybe. Mandatory $50/mo data? No way.

 

[KRamsauer]

Cingular has said that they will require a two-year contract to even purchase the iPhone. I think that's as far as they can push people. IMO, requiring an expensive data plan on top of that would put this out of reach of the masses. An optional $8/mo budget data plan? Maybe. Mandatory $50/mo data? No way.

We'll see. As high as the price tag is, I'd imagine there's still quite a loss to make up for through monthly charges...

 

[littlewaywelt]

This phone is going to appeal to almost everyone. Power users of smartphone type products are very small %-wise. Most use little of the phone's capability. The iPhone will do 95% of what 95% of the public needs & wants. Simple mobile email, web browsing and contact management & scheduling, coupled with a phenomenal form factor, elegant factor, cool factor and media capability.

To the first poster that said this device would replace iPods, that's simply not true. It's far too small storage-wise and too big size-wise to replace most people's ipods.

I'm guessing this phone will be more popular than iPods. It will bring mobile email and web to a much broader group and a more important group than the biz community or power user community.

 

[Pearl_Diva]

Too much hype and hysteria, IMO.

It's definitely an awesome phone, and it'll sell well, but it's mostly indirect competition for the Treo. The iPhone is a music phone.

For business users, the data entry is poor. Among the Treo's competitive advantages are one-handed operation and tactile feedback with one of the best keyboards on a smartphone. It's amazing how Steve can convince people that lack of a keyboard and stylus is a good thing. Note that in the keynote, Steve mentioned the calendar app as a key component, but skipped right past it in the demo. He only showed a quick screenshot. I wonder why? Imagine trying to enter appointments or take notes with the iPhone. Like a lot of devices with poor data entry, you'll be best off typing into your PC and syncing.

As for the consumer smartphone market, Palm's strategy is to reach the masses who want mobile email with lower-cost smartphones. Apple is not going to reach the same people. Journalists have speculated that Apple doesn't want carriers to subsidize the phone. I think the truth is that Cingular realizes that the masses are not going to sign up for the expensive data plans that help subsidize other smartphones. Most iPhone buyers will use it to just replace their iPod and cellphone with one device. And unless Cingular introduces a budget data plan for widgets and email only, the keyboard will primarily be limited to SMS.

I think Colligan had it right when he said that it's not easy getting smartphones right. The iPhone hit a home run as a music phone (and that market is huge), but as with all Apple products, it's not going to do great in the business market. My opinion.

Did Jobs even say this was a smartphone for business? I'm not sure I heard him say that. So I didn't expect it to replace a serious smartphone anyway.

 

[tirk]

The TREO 680 is a BETTER one though...

The iPhone is a music phone.

I can carry *several* x 8GB of music around if I want to, at $70 per SD card.
I can choose the software I use to play my music on the phone.
I don't have to use iTunes.
I can use better music formats than AAC/MP3.

Once again, an OPEN platform like POS (or Windows, or proper UNIX) will inevitably win over a CLOSED, vendor controlled one like the iPwn. Substance over style.

 

[NextDream]

I can carry *several* x 8GB of music around if I want to, at $70 per SD card.
I can choose the software I use to play my music on the phone.
I don't have to use iTunes.
I can use better music formats than AAC/MP3.

Once again, an OPEN platform like POS (or Windows, or proper UNIX) will inevitably win over a CLOSED, vendor controlled one like the iPwn. Substance over style.

Like all those "open platforms" are beating iTunes right?

 

[Malatesta]

Like all those "open platforms" are beating iTunes right?

bittorrent beats iTunes.

 

[Chatter]

95% of users just want a phone.

Marc

 

[ambtreo]

Probably not.

It isn't the iPhone by itself which will present a problem for Palm -- they are more business than that. And it isn't the Blackberry that presents a problem -- they are more personal than that. However, between those two goalposts, I'm not sure there's enough room for a standalone smartphone maker, especially as the goalposts grow closer...

Good point Kurt. Unless Palm can quickly get some form of an improved OS that is actually stable and functional, I only see one future path which is in bed with Microsoft. I can clearly picture a Zune/Treo phone in the not too distant future. :hmm: :hmm:

 

[Trevante]

Like all those "open platforms" are beating iTunes right?

Well to be fair, I think most people who use iTunes do so because they have to for their iPods and iTunes phones. Before I got my iPod I never touched (and didn't want to) iTunes. I'm sure if the iPod wasn't so popular, there would be a lot less people using iTunes.