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Ever since the introduction of the iPod in 2001 betting against iPod has been anything but a safe bet, CNET News.com editor at large Michael Kanellos decided to roll the dice with his perspective piece today, titled: "The Apple phone flop." Kanellos seems to have no love lost for planet Apple, but he does also have some good points about the market Apple is trying to enter.
When Apple burst onto the MP3 player scene, Kanellos said, it was in a harried state. Players were either too big, didn't have enough memory or were too complicated. Apple solved all of those problems. The difference here is that the cell-phone market is not underserved by the current manufacturers. In fact, it's very well served, and new models are being released every couple of weeks which improve upon the design and technology of the last generation of phones, smart or otherwise. Staying ahead in this space is a full-time job, and one that Kanellos doesn't think Apple has a chance of accomplishing.
This prognostication may be a bit premature, Apple has yet to confirm they'll be debuting the iPhone at the upcoming MacWorld event, although it is widely believed it will. The iPhone is rumored to be a smart phone with a keyboard and, of course, iTunes included. I'm a bit of a traditionalist when it comes to cell phones. I just want one that won't drop my calls, I carry my music on another device, so I won't be buying an iPhone. We'll have to wait and see how many other consumers decide to take the plunge if/when Apple gets around to releasing it. — Brian Ward
Go to story from CNET News.com
Technorati tags: iphone, music, gadgets.
What Kanellos gets wrong is that Apple will sell iPhones because unlocked mobiles are becoming commodities. Having more than one is no big deal: just swap in and out a SIM card.
The other issue he didn't cover is that there exists no _integrated_ Mac-compatible mobile. I have the SE W810i, and it syncs photos, contacts, calendar, even music, but it's not to the level I imagine the iPhone will be.
For those two reasons, and perhaps others, I think Kanellos is dead wrong. It might fail, but not for the reasons he mentions in his article.