iPhone news

Apple CEO Steve Jobs unveiled the revolutionary phone of the century on January 9, 2007, at the MacWorld Conference & Expo in San Francisco, prompting the rivals to crop up with claims that the model is not so ‘revolutionary’. According to them, many of the features that Apple claim as innovative are already popular in the cellular market.

According to a senior vice president at Samsung Electronics, North America, “Apple is jumping into the party where everyone else is”. Samsung’s new model, SGH-E890 that arrived the market in January 2007, offers many features of Apple iPhone, including the touch-screen facility.

According to the rivals of Apple, the concept that Apple sells through iPhone can be viewed purely as a business gimmick. Wireless communication enhanced by Bluetooth has become a common feature in most of the cellular phones. In this scenario, Apple iPhone that works only through Cingular Wireless will force the user to think twice before opting for it. According to the industry analysts, the iPod feature of the iPhone may attract the enthusiastic customers towards it; yet the sensibility of owning a cell phone in place of an iPod for an amount more than $500 will be a concern for any customer.

Apple, however, is confident about its multifunctional sleek gadget and expects a revolutionary entry in the market by June 2007. As it can be sensed from the cellular phone market, the entry of multipurpose phones always creates a wave of curiosity among the customers to acquire it. The iPhone that can be categorized as one of the smartest phones may not lag behind in the race. It has got many advanced data processing and wireless communication features including the e-mail and web access that makes it stand out in the crowd. It is the triple power of the Apple iPhone - the phone, Internet, and the iPod – that prompts the rivals to come up with more innovative ideas in order to survive in the market.

Nokia Corp. Chief Executive Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo welcomed iPhone’s entry to the market saying that the multipurpose devices like the iPhone are good for the industry. Samsung too is wary about the competition which iPhone throws to the mid-to-high-end category of Samsung phones with its cutting-edge design and reasonable price. Padmasree Warrior, chief technology officer at Motorola Inc., world’s No. 2 handset maker, described the iPhone a “compelling concept” admiring Apple’s creativity. However she did not forget to mention that there is nothing revolutionary about the iPhone concept.

IPhone’s price may be a concern for some while the lack of a traditional keyboard may be concern for others. Also, Apple’s partnership with Cingular Wireless may be another concern for the customers because of its slower 2.5G data network.

Criticism serves as the best tool to improvement. One can expect that Apple iPhone will be able to overcome the shortcomings of its technology or design by making necessary improvements and turn up successful in the new era of mobiles.