I'm a web strategist and aspiring know-it-all with a passion for all things digital. I've worked in PR, advertising and not-for profit industries, and now I run a creative agency. These are the things I think about, and am sometimes compelled to write. More...

And Jobs begat iPhone…

Jan 09 2007
7

I’ve been reading speculation about the iPhone for a while now, and in all honesty, I wasn’t terribly excited. I’ve had a Mac for about a year now, and my Mac gadget-lust has since worn off. Love the products, but I’ve got better things to covet, frankly.

I can’t find it or remember where I read it, but I read my favourite quote about the iPhone on a gadget blog a few weeks ago. It went something to the effect of:

“The iPhone is kind of like God. If we were sure it existed, everyone would stop caring.”

That is what I thought until I saw it today on engadget, and promptly dropped to my knees in worship of what may be the most perfect piece of consumer gadgetry that I have ever witnessed. It’s small, and sleek. It’s based on MacOSX. It’s a widescreen video iPod, a brilliant phone, and email device all in one. I gazed in reverence upon its touchscreen-based interface, sleek widgets and intuitive controls.

After a few months of researching my next phone, I have come to one conclusion: the people who design phones are idiots.

Apple has designed something that actually seems useable – unlike my Blackberry that causes me to constantly hang up on people because the disconnect button is right where your thumb goes, and which almost always makes me select the wrong email / contact / whatever because of that useless click wheel. More than that, Apple, if they are successful, will revolutionize the way we view the mobile web.

Apple fanboy-ism aside, this device is going to have a major impact on the way we consume information, much the same way the iPod changed the way we listen to music and watch online video content.

These are my predictions:

  1. As the phone catches on (and I’m 100% certain it will), other cell phone companies will rush to copy it. This means that widgets will become commonplace for consumers with cell phones (read: all of them) and the widget will become an extremely powerful marketing tool.
  2. The readable mobile web interface will increase the number of people who are surfing the web from their cell phone. This means that online marketers will have to really have to consider these consumers when designing their sites.
  3. Although PC-compatible, an increase in the number of people using the iPhone and the user-friendly and attractive Mac interface will cause a jump in Mac computer sales.

Of course, by the time it comes to Canada, the phone will likely be extinct, and we will communicate solely by telepathy, but you can bet that the second it’s available, I will have one.

The Apple iPhone: http://www.apple.com/iphone/

  • http://www.responsiblepress.org Joe

    Yea, I have to say, I was impressed when I saw it. I’ve always been sort of amazed nobody came out with a straight-up touch screen phone/pda/mp3 player before. I’m sure it won’t be long before people are making their own interface skins and everything else.

    Any word yet on price? That’s where Apple has always sort of handicapped themselves – they do price fairly high compared to their (admittedly inferior) competition.

    And on that note, anyone else wonder how the hell they manage to sell any of the new Nanos? $250 for a 6 GB nano or $300 for the 20 GB video… makes no bloody sense.

  • http://www.ryananderson.ca Ryan

    Yeah – it’s expensive. Something like $499 for the 4GB and $599 for the 8GB. It will undoubtedly go down as it gets more popular. The iPod cost roughly the GDP of Kenya when it came out.

  • http://www.creativetraction.com Duane Brown

    Yeah, those are the prices. I was taken back when I saw it a few minutes ago. I’m sure those are the American prices, so I want to know what we’ll get changed here in Canada as well as what the phone plan will be like. It’s an exciting time. Knowing that the iPhone will work together much like iTunes and Mac OSX, is a dream come true. I can’t wait.

  • http://www.ryananderson.ca Ryan

    It’s funny… people are talking about how expensive it is, but I’m looking at a Treo right now with about half the features and only 60MB of space for about the same price.

    Smartphones are expensive. The iPhone isn’t out of the ordinary on price point.

  • http://www.martinhofmann.net Martin Hofmann

    For owners of the BlackBerry Pearl, bragging has just become more difficult, if not a thing of the past. :-)

    I wonder who Apple will partner with in Canada. According to Kris Abel’s blog Apple Canada hasn’t made a decision yet on when to release it here. With number portability for cell phones supposedly coming to Canada this year, it could be an incentive for people to switch to either Telus, Bell or Rogers if only one of them gets exclusive rights to the iPhone for Canada.

  • http://www.ryananderson.ca Ryan

    From what I understand, the phone, at least in its current incarnation, is GSM based. That means Rogers would be the only one who could support it right now. Everyone else in Canada is CDMA.

    If they do change the technology to support either, then you’re right… there is going to be a huge bidding war for the rights.

  • http://www.responsiblepress.org Joe

    According to CJOH news last night, it’s coming this summer on Rogers.