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Ben's Talk3G Blog

iPhone 4, one week out.

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by
Ben
, 17th June 2010 at 02:24 AM (3159 Views)
Something remarkable is happening.

In the face of overwhelming competition from Google's Android and RIM's Blackberry high-end smartphones Apple's iPhone 4 should not be a runaway success. But, with over 600,000 pre-orders filled on the first day, it already is.

This is not a bad thing.

For Apple's iPhone, the mobile phone that took an extremely tired and uncompetitive industry and turned it on its head, to fall slowly into obscurity so soon would be a massive loss to all of us. We need Apple's continued assertion in the mobile space to spurn on its new-found competition to continue pushing the boundaries of what can be done and, most importantly given Apple's high-end targeting, for how much money.

We also need Apple to keep driving its magic fast and hard to wake up sleeping giants Nokia, who are stirring but have so far failed to realise an Apple-like mobile experience for their vast, vast customer base.

The other remarkable thing is just how desirable iPhone 4 is. Jonathan Ive's latest industrial design somehow makes the first three iPhone's look not just old but retro! So clean and fresh is the styling that the 3G/S's curves seem almost trendy again despite never 'going out'. I want iPhone 4. You want iPhone 4. We all want it so badly that Apple's SIM-Free pricing doesn't even make us blink.

And that's the last thing I want to touch on. No other phone ever released will see the levels of SIM-Free sales that the iPhone will. Yes, of course the mobile operators will still sell more; handset subsidy is attractive to a great many of us. But the mobile operators are about to get a massive FaceTime call to remind them that the iPhone is like nothing they've ever seen before, and if they wont bow down to what Apple wants, when it wants it, then the phone is more than capable of selling itself.
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    1. gorilla's Avatar
        While I generally agree with you Ben, I disagree with the desirability of iPhone 4. I know this is probably just me, but I don't like it! I can't put my finger on it, but the styling is a turn off for me, maybe I preferred the curves of the 3GS??
        One other thing that puts me off is the price. I paid �400 for the HTC Desire and �440 last year for the 3GS, but I'm not prepared to hand over �500 for iPhone 4. I do believe Apple are innovating and largely responsible for pushing Android to where it is, but having used a 3G and a 3GS for the last two years, iOS 4 is just not moving forward fast enough for me to want to stay with them.

        I think you're wrong about FaceTime. I can't see it taking off for the masses. Phone calls are generally private FaceTime will be public (assuming your sharing a room with others), why do you think SMS and data are so popular?

        Just to move off topic :-) Sorry!!

        The release of the new mac mini (which is a thing of beauty) at the inflated price of �650 is sickening. I have a mac mini and it is fantastic, but would I consider paying �650 to upgrade to the latest model? Not a chance. I'd spend a few extra pounds and buy a macbook. I can understand that Apple are a premium company and will never reduced their prices to market themselves to the masses but these latest product releases really do ask the question: how far can Apple push consumer/prices and what's the long term future for the company?

        As a premium product Apple will never reach mass scale - does this actually matter? Developers seem to be getting paid, iAd will bring in some revenue, but is Apple the only winner each and every time?

        I'm an apple fanboy. I love their products and I rave about them to others. Each day this week I've been saying "...but the iPhone does it this way", yet I can't help feeling this latest release of iPhone hysteria is just not justified. Without question the iPhone is a phone the masses can adopt and get to grips with, but it's not the only phone like it.

        This is what I think is happening:
        iPhone 2G = few people knew about it or cared
        iPhone 3G = lots more people wanted it, but were put off by price
        iPhone 3GS = loads of people wanted it, got it
        iPhone 4 = Everyone now knows what an iPhone is and what it can do and wants one = unprecedented demand! It's the iPod moment

        Apologises for the rant ;-)
      • Ben's Avatar
          Maybe you'll feel different about iPhone 4 once you see and feel it in person? I've got a feeling it's going to be incredibly tactile, feeling like nothing else on the market right now. Plus thin, I don't think the pictures do it justice. We'll see!

          As for FaceTime - no, I don't think it's going to be a massive hit either, I think I was going for satire or something Failing, I might add!

          I also agree that the new Mac mini is too expensive. It clearly isn't the starter Mac that it once was. If Apple are pushing the Mac mini as a TV-connected computer, which they do appear to be doing, then they need a new low-end Mac IMHO. That said, I have nothing against excluding the lower margin, higher volume markets.

          iPhone 4 does appear to be the iPod moment. I didn't think things could get bigger than the 3GS at these price points, but was clearly wrong. I do think that any major future growth, however, will come from a lower cost 'nano' style handset.
        • gorilla's Avatar
            It's been rumoured for some time that Apple will produce multiple handsets, but I just don't see it. Many people can pick up an iPhone relatively cheaply on a 2 year contract (and seem happy to do so) so why not stick with two models and a couple of memory options?

            Everyone talks about the iPhone experience, would it still be possible to get that on multiple devices, with one being a lower end 'nano' phone?
            Look at Android and the mess it's in. I think Apple will stick to pumping out high end phones that all run the same OS.
          • Ben's Avatar
              You have a very good point, and yes I'm more than happy with the current arrangement. But can Apple really get away with its low-end simply being last years device, when manufacturers like HTC are tailor-making mid and low-end smartphones that are fresh and new?

              I think the iPhone 3GS 8GB should be cheaper than it is, but Apple clearly struggle to make much headway with the pricing on these older devices. They pull some memory and hope for the best. Perhaps they need to look at reducing their margin on the previous generation iPhone - the 3GS will be capable for a long time yet (Apple finally have a strong iPhone lineup) and I think they're a bit silly not to use this opportunity to get it into as many hands as possible.