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Jan
15 |
Updated 2007-01-15 16:43:54
Updated 2007-01-15 13:58:46
Though Apple's unveiling of the iPhone at last week's MacWorld Expo and Convention garnered most of the attention, the number of consumer electronics introduced there and at CES are enough to keep techies foaming at the mouth for at least another few months.
So, let's take a quick look at the Apple's iPhone, which is basically a MacBook in an iPod's body. The touch screen "phone" provides e-mail, web browsing, maps, and Google and Yahoo! search capabilities. The device also plays movies and music like an iPod.
Personally, at first glance the iPhone was, of course, very impressive. The sleek appearance is sweet on the eyes, much like anything that Apple produces. However, priced at $499 for the 4GB and at $599 for the 8GB, I wondered who exactly Apple was targeting with this product.
As this Crave article from CNET.com points out, the iPhone still has a few kinks to be worked out.
The price itself isn't completely outrageous, given that Palm's Treo line carries around the same price tag, but I don't know if Apple's products are that appealing in the business world. Apple markets itself as an everyday-people's company that develops easy-to-use products.
The main "business" draw that Apple has is the ability to run Windows on it's Mac OS software. I don't know how appealing the iPhone is going to be for executives, who are the ones that can fork over the cash for the phone and its "revolutionary" services.
The average consumer probably doesn't need the extra features that come with the iPhone, at least not at that price. Also, given that most of Apple's fans already own an iPod or media player of some sort, having to hand held media playing devices can be a bit redundant.
In my opinion, the iPhone is probably most comparable with T-Mobile's Sidekick 3, which runs about $350, but with promotions and specials can be anywhere from $200 and lower. The SideKick 3 is essentially a smartphone for the younger generation, and that's how I see the iPhone, for now at least.
The biggest appeal the iPhone has isn't the new Internet technology or the music or video players, or even the touch screen, so much as it is the Apple name. The iPhone would be nice for average consumers, but at such a steep price, it isn't a necessity for those who can't afford it.
Now, as with the SK3, it comes down to the promotional deals that the service provider is willing to, um, provide. Apple's history for sales and discounts leads me to believe that the iPhone isn't going to drop unless Cingular is willing to offer some major deals.
On top of that, the way maintstream media accepts the iPhones, ie. celebrities sporting the Apple device at hot spots and what have you should not be underestimated. Celebrity influence is still at dizzying heights in consumer America, and how often the iPhone is seen on the hands of the Lindsay Lohans and Paris Hiltons will have a direct relation to how widely accepted the iPhone will be.
Also, as newer versions of the iPhone are launched and introduced in the future, it will be interesting to see what Apple does to accomodate its consumers, or will it continue to expect its consumers to accomodate to it.
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Jan
12 |
As the wave of next generation game consoles continues to grow and the competition heats up between the XBox 360, Wii and PlayStation 3, Sony is playing it smart by keeping the PS2 around for back up.
By maintaining the PS2 line of products and game titles, Sony protects itself from fans of the brand and potential customers defecting to the competition.
Though the PS3 remains in high demand, the list of concerns may be enough to give the majority of consumers a reason to look elsewhere. And while gamers wait for the steep price to fall, the temptations of a more cost-friendly game console just might be too much to resist.
The PS2 buys Sony some crucial time as Microsoft and Nintendo are starting to catch up. It also helps that the PS2 is still a very popular console, with shipments reaching well over 100 million units this year and licensing revenue expected to be around $1.4 billion, including PSOne titles as well.
Game makers are still developing new titles for the console, providing a lifeline to the PS2 but also making backward compatibility that much more important on the PS3.
With consoles going for $130 each and prices for game titles likely going down, the PS2 is an appealing option for gamers not ready to make the jump, as well as for general consumers.
Having said that, the future for Sony is obviously the PS3, and even if the PS2 can remain popular for the next few years, it's the success of the next generation console that matters now.
With graphics and gameplay on the PS2 already becoming noticeably dated, Sony will have to recover from these early PS3 slip ups swiftly if it wants to maintain, if not build on, the considerable head start it acquired with the previous PlayStations.
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