The Apple iPhone Reality Distortion Field
by Ewan Spence
Russell has presented the Strategy Analytics consumer report on the Apple iPhone, and I’m not at all surprised that the iPhone has come out as a better phone, even though nobody in the survey will have actually tried out any of the features on the iPhone. So straight away the survey is flawed in showing the iPhone is better.
What it has quantified is just how much of a reality distortion filed (ie hype) surrounds anything coming out of Cupertino. From 7% of people thinking it will make better phone calls, right up to 35% better at doing music (although I think that one is fair, given this is a video iPod with a phone circuit, not a phone with a a/v circuit). I’m also raising an eyebrow at the 35% better at web browsing – considering the Nokia S60 devices use the same web core fundamentals as Safari does that’s a rather arrogant number.
Of course Apple are packing in a lot of new technology into the iPhone (such as the multi-tap screen), but the area where it was not perceived to be ahead is in texting – one of the key markets in Europe and Asia – areas where the iPhone initially isn’t available.
But what it does tell us is that Apple’s presence is already having an effect on the marketplace. What will be more interesting is who is going to get the most value – the marketplace or Apple themselves
