[Disclosure: my agency represents several companies in the mobile tech space, including JAJAH and Berggi. These views are my own, not those of my clients.]
A few not-so-random thoughts about the Steve Jobs Apple iPhone presentation, which I followed on Engadget:
*It felt like an evangelical church revival. The spectacle, the theatrics, the call-and-response interplay with the audience.... I say that with the utmost respect -- and awe. The audience had many true believers. It was thrilling to see the presentation unfold.
*This evening, I watched the Apple video of the presentation with my wife. We both wondered why there was no mention of business productivity applications, other than voice, email, SMS. Two possibilities -- One: Jobs wants to emphasize that voice, email, and SMS are the chief mobile applications for business users. Two: Jobs wants to market the product to a far bigger audience than business users, and any mention of other productivity applications -- e.g., word processing -- would dilute the overall message. (Here's another perspective).
*Will the iPhone cannibalize the iPod? There's no question in my mind that the timing of this pre-announcement is meant to freeze sales for smart phones (BlackBerries, Treos) in Q1 and Q2 2007. But will it also freeze sales for the iPod? Perhaps, but Apple might compensate for the loss by accelerating sales for the Mac, which suddenly looks like a smart investment for many people.
UPDATE: New York Times reporter David Pogue got to play with the iPhone for about an hour, and posts a generally positive review.
UPDATE#2: Required reading -- John Markoff's article in the New York Times.
does this mean we will be able to make a simple phone call?
Posted by: alfred f walsh | January 10, 2007 at 06:58 AM