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iPhone Versus the Rest: More Evidence Smartphone Makers Are in Trouble

$500 for an iPhone which "could" have a great interface and has 4gb memory but that's just about it?

Or $0 for the Nokia N95 which has 5mp camera, GPS mapping, up to 2GB of changeable memory, smaller and lighter than the iPhone, and 3G?

The iPhone may look better and will probably have a better interface. But if that's all I cared about then I'd be happy to put up with a worse interface considering everything else you get with the N95. And I'd spend the $500 I saved on a Hugo Boss suit or coat to make me look cool.

Money money money. That's what it's all about. The iPod is successful because not only is it the best but it's also damn good value for money. It's isn't infinitely more expensive than it's rivals where as the iPhone is.

Some people say a phone is just a phone. Well then save your $500 to!

The key feature on a phone now a days is the camera which is why the iPhone is poor. But the key features of the near term future are mp3 playback capability and internet access. The iPhone may be fine with one but it's not with the other. It can't access iTunes on the move? That is a big advantage to the competition because they have already set up agreements to provide music downloads on the move as part of the contract.

iPhone: On A More Sober Note...

I personally don't see people paying the huge premium for this device. Most people will only replace their stand alone mp3 player once the mobile phone is small enough and has a long enough battery life. The new iPhone looks rather big and bulky to me. And it's battery life is no where near as big as a normal mp3 player. What people want from a mobile first and foremost is to make calls. But the other main redeming feature is the camera. Most of the other mobiles on the market will trounce the iPhone as far as pictures are concerned.

What do people want from a mobile in terms of features (in order of importance):

To make calls
To text people (will it be as easy to send texts with the new touch screen?)
To take pictures
To access the web
To use as an mp3 player
To use to watching tv
To use as a GPS system

What do people want from a mobile in terms of form (in order of importance):

Looks
Size
Weight

The iPhone may look amazing but it's bigger than the rest in terms of size and weight. People would be better off just getting the best current phone (either the Sony Ericsson W810i or the Samsung D900) and a Nano iPod. Plus it would be cheaper!

We are going in the right direction though. It just depends whether Apple can start delivering phones that are cheap enough for people to not only want them but also buy them.