“Most people would agree that the iPod rejuvenated the digital music market and, by the by, restored the fortunes of Apple,” Mark Ward writes for BBC News.
“With the launch of the iPhone, Apple is looking to do the same again – set the trends, corner the market and leave everyone else looking like also-rans,” Ward writes. “But selling phones to people is very different to selling them a portable music player.”
“To begin with, most people already have a mobile phone. In the UK, upwards of 80% of households have one. Worldwide, more than one billion handsets were shipped in 2006. By comparison Apple, which has a more than a 70% share of the mobile music player market, sold 39 million iPods in 2006,” Ward writes. “And with the iPhone, Apple will not be creating a market, it will be muscling in on a lot of very established companies.”
MacDailyNews Take: The iPhone certainly will be muscling in; take that prediction to the bank.
Ward then spends a lot of time trying to convince the reader that Nokia, Samsung, SonyEricsson, LG and others have devices that resemble, share features, and/or some looks with Apple’s iPhone.
MacDailyNews Take: More nonsense from The Beeb. Actor John Goodman resembles, shares feature, and/or looks somewhat like Babe Ruth, but Goodman couldn’t hit a major league fastball out of the park if his life depended on it. Apple’s iPhone is The Babe, the others are pretenders or worse: they have a laundry list of “features,” but none of the usability of Apple’s iPhone. This is iPod redux. People who don’t use or who are competing with Apple products make this mistake routinely: only comparing feature lists and ignoring the usability (UI) of the device. The iPhone hits home runs; the others hope that by looking like they can go yard, people will think they actually can. They can’t and they know it.
Ward continues, “Gilles Oriol, product marketing manager for Western Europe at SonyEricsson, declined the opportunity to talk directly about Apple’s iPhone. ‘We do not comment on rival products,’ he said. But, he told the BBC News website, that he ‘doubted’ that SonyEricsson would ever make a phone that only had a touchscreen. ‘It must remain a good telephone first,’ he said, ‘consumers are more willing to dial a number with the keyboard than they are to do it with a touchscreen.'”
MacDailyNews Take: The iPhone is a “good telephone” and where’s the proof that consumers are “more willing” to use plastic keys over a touchscreen? There is none.
Ward continues, “‘Also,’ [Oriol] added, ‘the point about a touchscreen is that it affects battery time. You need a powerful battery because to use the touchscreen means it remains on all the time.'”
MacDailyNews Take: Apple’s iPhone battery offers up to 5 hours of Talk/Video/Browsing and up to 16 hours of Audio playback. iPhone’s proximity sensor detects when you lift iPhone to your ear and immediately turns off the display to save power and prevent inadvertent touches until iPhone is moved away. iPhone’s ambient light sensor automatically adjusts the display’s brightness to the appropriate level for the current ambient light, thereby enhancing the user experience and saving power at the same time. Oriol has no point.
Full article here.
Comparing feature lists is not the best way to compare products. People make this mistake, unintentionally or not, all the time. A Windows PC has icons, folders, menus, etc., but it cannot compare to the Mac’s user experience. A Yugo has wheels, an engine, a steering wheel, etc., but it cannot compare to actually driving a BMW. A plow horse has hooves, a mane, eats oats, and can be ridden, but it will never win the Derby. Apple’s soon-to-be iPhone victims have nothing else with which to try to sell their suddenly-antiquated devices, so they can be excused for blowing smoke, but witless reporters that go along with it are doing their readership a disservice.
Related articles:
Cellphone users set their sights on Apple’s iPhone; look to get out of existing contracts – March 15, 2007
Getting ready for Apple iPhone: How to get out of your 2-year cellphone contract – March 13, 2007
Wired’s Mortensen: Apple is under-selling iPhone with their 10 million figure – March 13, 2007
Apple’s marketing machine does it again: iPhone generates $400 million in free publicity – March 10, 2007
Analyst: Apple’s iPhone has Palm ‘shaking in their sandals’ – March 09, 2007
Which company is most at risk from Apple’s looming iPhone onslaught? – March 04, 2007
Morgan Stanley reiterates Apple ‘buy’ – says market is underestimating iPhone demand – March 01, 2007
Apple’s 10 million iPhone sales target for 2008 would surpass most other smart phone sales – March 01, 2007
Apple COO Tim Cook: iPhone is a revolutionary product; you get what you pay for – February 28, 2007
How will vehicle makers integrate Apple’s iPhone? – February 28, 2007
Apple COO Tim Cook: iPhone on track for June launch – February 27, 2007
Goldman Sachs: 4 reasons to be bullish on Apple’s iPhone – February 26, 2007
Apple airs iPhone teaser ad during Oscars – February 25, 2007
Apple preps 3G iPhone model for Europe – February 25, 2007
The once-mighty Palm Inc. doomed to decline and failure – thanks to Apple’s iPhone – February 23, 2007
Palm CEO can’t stop talking about Apple iPhone – February 19, 2007
How Steve Jobs played hardball in iPhone deal with AT&T (Cingular) – February 17, 2007
Digit takes a closer look at Apple’s iPhone – February 14, 2007
Microsoft caught off-guard, beaten badly by Apple’s iPhone innovations – February 13, 2007
Apple’s soon-to-be iPhone rivals sound just like iPod rivals circa 2001 – February 01, 2007
How Verizon blew the Apple iPhone deal – January 29, 2007
O2, Vodafone, Orange, T-Mobile battle for exclusive rights to Apple iPhone in UK – January 26, 2007
Rogers to offer Apple iPhone exclusively in Canada – January 25, 2007
Research in Motion downgraded due to Apple iPhone competition – January 23, 2007
Ihnatko: Hands-on with Apple’s iPhone (which runs Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard) – January 18, 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
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
Well…it is rather difficult to review something you’ve never seen, touched, or used now isn’t it?
first post???
“But selling phones to people is very different to selling them a portable music player.”
Geez ya think?
The Beeb should have used the vowel O instead of E in its name.
“And with the iPhone, Apple will not be creating a market, it will be muscling in on a lot of very established companies.”
Neither did the iPod. If you look at it as an mp3 player, it was not first and if you look at it as a portable music player, it was definitely not first! However, it still out sells all other mp3 players, as well as tape and CF based walkmans, etc.
BMW, sheer driving pleasure!
I bet Babe Ruth couldn’t have dealt with Roseanne for very long….
Until it’s June release, the iPhone is barely above vaporware.
amin, what did you do, stay home from school today so you could be a “first post” on MDN?
As much an Apple fanboy that I am, I find user experience features in Windows that I do not find OS X. I’ll cite one example: Select text and choose “Print Selection”. Not in Apple applications. OK, yes in Firefox, but this is built in to Windows. I personally don’t care, but when I attempt to “switch” people to OS X, and they get angry and say “I used that feature alot”, and I just start stumbling… “well, it is a better OS”… it hurts my credibility and the overall notion that OS X is easier to use.
Once again, I have to counter with this story:
http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9012135
LOL TowerTone. There isn’t enough whiskey in the world. I love John Goodman. He made me ROFLMAO
in the Big Lebowski.
Computers on phones IS the future
Apple should control it, at least own the most profitable portion of it.
Will I get a iPhone? Well I don’t know the standby time and I certainly can’t put one in my jeans pocket like my Razor.
I’m worried about the screen getting scratched. I’ll have to buy a pouch for it.
I would like to have a iPhone for the features when I’m out and about, but the cost of another phone and Cingular’s internet access is a bit much. $75 a month now for just 20 calls a month and a few games/internet access.
I think it’s still better to access the internet on my large iMac because my eyes are not getting any better.
Wrong thread Fanboy?
I’m still stunned that King Ralph and Jailbait Babysitter were overlooked by the Academy.
Fanboy,
OT, but you obviously need to explore Mac OS X’s “Services” a bit more. It’s under each application’s name in the menu bar.
To Tommy Boy,
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”grin” style=”border:0;” /> Anyone can write a review. Its just hard to do a ACCURATE and FAIR review of a product you have never used and as seen here, most of these “negative” reviewers, have NO clue, but they do have an “adjenda”. : -)
I disagree. “Well…it is rather difficult to review something you’ve never seen, touched, or used now isn’t it?”
Not at all.
ne
I’m continuously amazed how many people are able to write detailed reviews of a product that only exist as a prototype. I mean these fools have never actually held the iPhone prototype(not to mention the one that will ship). Amazing!
Let’s face it, all the incumbents are scared. The decision people and staff are scared; they know what’s coming – pink slips for everyone!
This is iPhone 1.0 and it has already disrupted the status quo. What happens in two years when we are at Mac OS X 10.7 and iPhone 3.0?
Short Nokia, Samsung, SonyEricsson, LG, et al; go long AAPL and make your self some cash.
Rock on Steve!
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Those other phones have two missing features that the iPhone can only have. A built in iPod and its running OSX. Both facts that this writer never took into account when comparing the likes of Nokia and others. Both of these features make the iPhone stand out and will sell far better than anyone expected. I’m sure that Apple will include more features which will just make it all that much better as well.
Wasn’t most of Steve’s Keynote not describing that dialing phone numbers is a dying trend. Most people currently use their recent calls or missed calls lists instead of dialing numbers. Iphone is all about calling with a single touch.. Searching google maps for whatever your looking for and 1 touch dials it for you. Speed scrolls through your contacts and 1 touch and your dialing.
Even if I did find myself in a situation where I had to dial.. why would I want buttons? Most of the time they are crammed in there and you press 2 at once or they don’t light up enough in the dark.
The Z
“Most people currently use their recent calls or missed calls lists instead of dialing numbers.”
Good point and true. This will become even more commonplace when the UI
isn’t a pain in the neck!
I hate the “this isn’t the portable music player market” argument.
1. Apple never claimed to want to dominate the phone market in the same manner
2. Dominating the phone market with the iPhone is not necessary for it to be a success
3. The huge numbers of the phone market that are claimed in these arguments means that Apple can
achieve their goal of 10 million phones without significant market penetrance
With regard to the practice of writing reviews of hardware that is unavailable, I believe it is fine to do so long as the current information on the device is sufficient and the reviewer clearly states their assumptions. Many people are obviously drawing conclusions already anyway. For example, I already have budgeted the funds to purchase one, even though I’ve never heald one. In essence, I’ve reviewed it for myself. That said, many of the reviews of iPhone have contained ridiculous assumptions and assertions passed off as fact.
Madcow, alive in the BBC……
“where’s the proof that consumers are “more willing” to use plastic keys over a touchscreen? There is none.”
– You could argue that the market share and popularity of plastic keys shows that people want plastic keys instead of a touchscreen. Of course, that logic is quite faulty, yet that doesn’t stop MDN from using the same logic as “proof” that consumers don’t want to rent music either.
Once again MDN selectively reports a slightly negative Apple article from the BBC whilst ignoring the many negative articles on Vista and Microsoft in recent weeks, despite being provided links to articles slamming Vista. What is it with this site and the BBC?
yoiks,
Don’t kid yourself about Apple’s real goals. 10 million iPhones, my ass. That is the usual Apple sandbagging, as bad as Apple’s ludicrously low earnings guidance each quarter – under promise, but over deliver. Apple IS going for the dominating profit making #1 position in the cell phone market. This is no mere niche, but a huge opportunity.
Apple has some fans that still suffer from Stockholm Syndrome from the old days when they truly were beleaguered. There is a new word to use when thinking about Apple — “juggernaut”. Let’s not be satisfied with anything but first place. It is ass kicking time and there are no sibilants in the word “kicking”, if you get my drift.
I don’t think Apple predicted that they would own 70% of the iPod market, either. It is not their fault that everyone else shoots themselves in the foot. Sure, they won in innovation, but 70% market share is ridiculous. The playing field was pretty level 5 years ago when this all started.
When people start actually seeing the iPhone on the street and in peoples hands, then the iPhone will take off. I agree that Apple has way underbid their numbers. We have to be patient because it will take till fall before the real sales numbers begin.
Don’t forget that when touch screens take off, the makers of plastic keys will go out of business.
Their former employees will riot, filling the streets with a river of blood.
Locusts will feed on the blood, multiply and mutate and ravage the planet’s crops.
Disease and famine will spread rapidly across the planet.
I’m not sure it’s worth the risk.
I don’t comment on stupid articles…
This article is the stupidest one I have ever read.
MDN sure is confident about the iPhone isn’t it? They say it will change the market and anyone who questions that is an idiot, stupid, scared, head in the sand, etc. Well, MDN, I’ve “iCaled” your comments on how great the iPhone will be and I’ll be sure to cite you in the future if it doesn’t pan out the way you predict. I, for one, honestly don’t know how well it will do.
Hey, I’m a huge Apple fan, but sometimes MDN’s rabbid condemnations get a little tiresome.
Peace
I work for an agency that’s been investigating a series of inside tips over the past month regarding “anomalies” vis-a-vis the iPhone and other Apple matters. I will only say that there is a major inconsistency between what’s being reported in the news and what many believe is the truth out of the public’s eye. A few days ago I had dinner with an old friend from Goldman Sachs, someone I’ve consulted for advice on and off including for opinions regarding the iPhone. He suggested off the record that in addition to trying to protect Steve Jobs, possibly out of pure hatred for his closest foe, Bill Gates, that the journalistic community may be – I’ll just quote him:
“the journalistic community may damn well know that the iPhone is a legally unviable product but these guys for the most part are poor, you think all these little news people with their little stories get paid anything any of us here would even get up in the morning for? These guys may have the “brilliant idea” that here’s a once in a life time chance to play the market, knowing damn well what could happen to Apple come summer. This could be why they’re all spouting euphoric news about the iPhone that simply doesn’t add up, given that many of them clearly know the truth. We’ll see. If they ALL suddenly report the truth JUST BEFORE, I mean like the night before the truth comes out, then you’ll know. We’ll see. Then the SEC should investigate the major news agencies to see if criminal wrongdoing occurred on their part. That would be fun dont you think. Those guys are always trying to get one of us doing the perp walk on camera. It could be them this time.”
Call it too much wine. Call it whatever a Mac fan wants to. But things are NOT adding up unless you are on drugs and living in MacDreamy land.
TMF
Damn. If all that happens, be sure to capture it on your iPhone and email it to me…
“But selling phones to people is very different to selling them a portable music player.”
–Why? It’s a consumer electronic device designed to make our lives easier. If it works better than those which have come before it, iPhone will be a success.
“To begin with, most people already have a mobile phone. In the UK, upwards of 80% of households have one.”
–And most people had CD players at home, in their cars, portable ones, all of which cost much less than an iPod!
“And with the iPhone, Apple will not be creating a market, it will be muscling in on a lot of very established companies.”
–Apple didn’t creat the mp3 player market, either, and there were plenty of companies there first which had established products.
Most often, the company which comes to the market first with a new invention does not produce the best of the product. Apple has listened to what people want/need, and then jumped ahead to make it incredibly easy to use. No other company is even close.
Apple will sell all the iPhones it can build for quite a long time.
I’ll try TT. If I’m not picked up and carried off by locusts. Somehow, I have the feeling that Halliburton will STILL get the clean-up contract.
Of course they will, TMF.
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Rove is spreadin the locust eggs now!
xyzzy@wallstreet, I’m gonna waste hours cleaning the coffee I sprayed all over my keyboard and monitor, after reading your fantastically inspired funny conspiracy… in fact I’m on my way to my brokers right now to sell every one of my Apple shares…. “I work for an agency which is investigating…” When that great Apple edifice comes crashing down, remember you read it here first, folks.
Why is this dated 3/17 when it was publised yesterday?
If 80% of the population already have a cell phone, and one billion were served last year, then there sure must be a lot of people who aren’t too happy with what they’re buying. Apple has MORE of an opportunity to make a big splash with the iPhone than they ever did with an iPod.
His logic doesn’t quite have that logical ring to it, ya know?
“–And most people had CD players at home, in their cars, portable ones, all of which cost much less than an iPod!”
The difference is that an iPod is actually different from those devices.
The iPhone is larger, weighs more and does less then existing smart phones. Its like a company starting up to try to sell CD players (iPhone) to mp3 player (existing smartphone) owners.
BBC = Biased Bigoted Cretins at work
…you have to laugh at them really.
“BBC = Biased Bigoted Cretins at work”
Oh and you’re not biased at all, are you?
One article, people. At least the BBC isn’t Fox News.
What crappy sites STILL publish your email address in comments, huh?