« I am proud of our teams at Echovox | Home | How to raise money from VCs »
iPhone: the coolest piece of consumer electronics ever
By David | July 9, 2007
Finally! My iPhone found its way across the Atlantic to reach my desk this morning. To be totally honest, I was seriously worried at first. The device is so hyped that I was getting ready to be disappointed. 5 minutes later, I was like a 5 year-old kid in front of the coolest toy on the market. Nothing comes close to the iPhone in the entire consumer electronics industry. The interface is so intuitive, the design flawless, the animations and visual effects seamless, never lagging. I was worried about the virtual keyboard too. Apple said that people will be able to type with 2 thumbs after a week of practice. After 20 minutes I was already typing almost as fast as with my Blackberry.
“Real” support for Microsoft Exchange server is the only thing missing. When the iPhone becomes as tightly integrated with Exchange with email, address book and calendar synchronization over-the-air, I will ditch my Blackberry the same instant. For now I guess, I’ll be carrying both devices like a good mobile geek I am… (the good thing is that the Blackberry 8300 Curve is really small, so I can live with that for a little while).
What most people don’t realize is how the iPhone will change the mobile industry for ever. Carriers have been trying to sell content and various services online to justify the near $200 billion (in Europe) spent on acquiring 3G spectrum licenses and network roll-out. Apart from SMS, content sold by carriers didn’t even make a dent in their balance sheet, while amortization of licenses and infrastructure is killing them. The only viable business model for carriers is to open the gates and generate revenues by selling flat-rate, unlimited data plans on top of voice and messaging services. Before the iPhone, it was theoretical, now they have no choice. Through iTunes you can crop and transform any of your full-tracks into ringtones and use them on your iPhone for 99ยข, compare that to the $5+ you pay to download a ringtone from your carrier deck (in the UK)… For the first time you can seriously browse the real web from a mobile device, with the next iPhone, that will undoubtedly support 3G, carriers will be in a position to sell data packages to millions of users that will really want data services for the first time because the interface hurdle has been solved. They can either accept this, as AT&T did in the US, or be left aside while carriers that will accept Apple’s rough financial conditions (sharing revenues on everything) will rack-in subscribers by the million. Does Compuserve ring a bell?
Well done Steve (that is Jobs of course). After revolutionizing the computer industry (by inventing the mouse, and the interfaces we all use) and the music industry, you’re about to turn your third industry upside-down, only this time you’re addressing a 3 billion+ users market… Anyone out there listening? Buy Apple stocks, even at $130+.
Sphere: Related ContentTopics: iPhone, Blackberry, Apple |
