“Greg Winn is considered Telstra’s second-in-charge and oversees most of the carrier’s big product decisions,” Sam Holmes reports for AAP. “He believes the iPhone may meet some significant operational challenges when it comes to actually making its market debut.”
“The iPhone is expected to hit US shelves in the middle of this year while an Australian release has been scheduled for some time next year. ‘There’s an old saying — stick to your knitting — and Apple is not a mobile phone manufacturer, that’s not their knitting,’ Winn told AAP. ‘You can pretty much be assured that Nokia, Motorola, Samsung, Sony Ericsson and ZTE and others will be coming out with devices that have similar functionality,'” Holmes reports.
Holmes reports, “In addition to mobile calling, music portability and e-mail capability, the iPhone boasts a vastly enhanced design that significantly challenges most mobiles’ current approaches to user interface. The phone’s touchscreen is also considered a significant drawcard but Winn doesn’t believe the device is truly revolutionary. ‘I think people overreacted to it — there was not a lot of tremendously new stuff if you think about it,’ he said.”
“Winn said from a marketing perspective, Apple had committed a number of oversights, including the iPhone name, which provoked a corporate slanging match with enterprise systems group Cisco, which had previously registered ‘iPhone’ as one of its own trademarks,” Holmes reports.
Holmes reports, “Apple’s exclusive carrier arrangement with US mobile carrier Cingular was also puzzling. ‘They did an exclusive with Cingular and they talked about a global rollout — well, Cingular is not a global company,’ he said. The non-replaceable battery may also be a sticking point with consumers, as it has been with the iPod.”
Full article here.
Apple is a mobile phone manufacturer; a revolutionary mobile phone manufacturer, to be precise. The others will not be “coming out with devices that have similar functionality,” since Apple has over 200 patents granted and pending on iPhone and intends to strongly protect them, according to CEO Steve Jobs.
The “iPhone” name dispute with Cisco is a non-story and meaningless. Anyone who brings it up is either looking to bolster their list of iPhone FUD or is an ignoramus.
Apple’s exclusive carrier arrangement with Cingular is for the US-only, hence the use of a US carrier. Steve Jobs said clearly that iPhone will go 3G in the future which means many carrier possibilities for Apple around the world. Non-US carriers need not fit current iPhone specs.
The battery design is not a sticking point and we can give you about 21 million reasons from last quarter alone, if need be.
And, finally, Steve Jobs has obviously already told Telstra to go pound sand and that’s exactly why you see this sniveling, whiny little baby’s comments in print today. There are now two very different kinds of mobile carriers: Apple iPhone haves and have-nots. The former group is planning where to store their new profits while the latter group is stuck trying to spread FUD in public (with laughable results, as you can see above) while pulling out their hair in private.
Winn, you lose.
Related articles:
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Microsoft caught off-guard, beaten badly by Apple’s iPhone innovations – February 13, 2007
Palm CEO: ‘We don’t want to follow design fads’; Nokia CEO challenges Apple over iPhone – February 13, 2007
RIM co-CEO doesn’t see threat from Apple’s iPhone – February 12, 2007
Apple’s soon-to-be iPhone rivals sound just like iPod rivals circa 2001 – February 01, 2007
O2, Vodafone, Orange, T-Mobile battle for exclusive rights to Apple iPhone in UK – January 26, 2007
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FUD Alert: Apple iPhone ‘isn’t very practical’ and a ‘security risk’ for business – January 24, 2007
Research in Motion downgraded due to Apple iPhone competition – January 23, 2007
Microsoft CEO Ballmer laughs at Apple iPhone – January 17, 2007
RealMoney: Apple just blew up the whole damn mobile-phone supply chain with its new iPhone – January 11, 2007
The massive FUD campaign against Apple’s iPhone ramps up – January 10, 2007
eWeek: Apple iPhone fallout: ‘They must be crying in Nokia-ville and other telephony towns today’ – January 10, 2007
Jefferies downgrades Motorola on fears of market share loss to Apple iPhone – January 10, 2007
The massive FUD campaign against Apple’s iPhone ramps up – January 10, 2007
Time: ‘iPhone could crush cell phone market pitilessly beneath the weight of its own superiority’ – January 09, 2007
Analyst: Apple iPhone should be given its own category – ‘brilliantphone’ – January 09, 2007
Apple debuts iPhone: touchscreen mobile phone + widescreen iPod + Internet communicator – January 09, 2007
