Just went through your blog and liked it (though I am not a software wiz) but some of the articles are good, specially this IPhone article. What’s more, I have also subsribed, though I find no activity since July last year.

And yes, before I log off, wish you a very happy birthday.

Vikas.

As phaniraj mentioned there are lots of compaies already provding the features that IPhone poromise to deliver, but can any one compete with the touch screen functionality and intelligent touch screen key pad of IPhone. Most of the features like Email( I think its far better than Blackberry).

I personally think iPhone will set new standards on user experience with a Smartphone.

And let me say this, iPod was not the first portable mp3 player. There were the Nomads and Rios. And look where iPod is at today. iPod didn’t do anything different than these other mp3 players, what it had was killer looks and an intuitive UI.

And I do think this is going to be a “before iPhone” and “after iPhone” era, atleast for the SmartPhones. I am sure we have seen the last of those ‘QWERTY’ keypads on the Blackberrys’ and Nokias’. And I am not smoking pot

On your comment about changing the industry….depends on what you mean by “change”. The ipod certainly revolutionised the concept of portable listening given that mini mp3 players existed long before that but never got the attention they probably deserved. Sure Nokia 1100 revolutionised the industry by getting a trucker to own a phone, but thats a different sort of change. So if nothing else, apple creates categories (if only to lose them to others - get thrown out of their own parties in a sense which benefits all the players

Apple has always been about the cult frenzy (often times backed up by products that do justice to the frenzy). Its a good example of how a few can make a louder noise than the masses. Frankly it is welcome (in a weird sense) to see such devotion in a otherwise matter-of-fact world of gadgets

There is however a lot also being written about the chinks in the armour of the iPhone and it will be interesting to see if the fans discover those or if the chinks are but musings from the competition. But with 16m estimated to queue up for the first 1m handsets they might well be forced to buy this….

http://www.mobilemag.com/content/100/337/C12712/

Cheers
Kiranbir

Nokia also is re structuring itself to be a service provider and not just a phone manufacturer!

and thats the interesting battle to watch. I agree that the device is not going to create any waves - they will have to come up with many different models with different features, since “one size does not fit all” in the mobile phone market.

Dev.
Nokia has re

Sharad,

While I agree with you on the volume bit (- fortune at the bottom..) and the revolutionizing bit, you must agree, looking at the ubiquity of the iPod in India - that the iPhone does have the potential to disrupt things…

This has two fallouts - it should drive the costs of other smartphones down (so you might see this benefiting people in India) and the second more important perspective - present a better experience for the cellphone user..

Regards…

Somehow this reminds me of the Segway hype by Dean Karmen. But Apple has always delivered something quite interesting for it’s hype.

Its Nokia that has revolutionized the mobile phone scenario atleats in India if not at world level by providing choices of features/price at all level which has enabled stinky rich as well even a daily earner in remote village to have one with the pride. You can easily talk about “Pre-Nokia” and “Post-Nokia” era easily in India.

While iPhone may not revolutionzie the mobile phone industry, I feel it will probably continue its dominance in music industry by adding additional feature of “mobile phone” to iPod.

Phaniraj Raghavendra
S7 Software Solutions.
“Where Migration Meets Innovation”

And while I do agree that iPhone’s have been hyped beyond compare (a recent parallel, for those following Indian Movie Industry, is the launch of the highest budget Indian movie, ‘Sivaji’ - a regional movie but which is creating waves all over India, even though a fabricated one, and doing quite good I must add) there is a reason why Apple triggers such passion from its users. The name of the game - ‘KISS’ (keep it simple stupid). The elegance of the Mac UI is the way it readily exposes what little one needs to do more than 90% of the time (and sometimes thus frustrating the power users, but then they are a very small subset). And add to it, the wonderful way it packages just about everything (even the box in which the ipod comes, the cables, the manuals, etc), just keeps adding to its beauty.

Comparing it a 7-series BMW is apt, only for the fact, this is a 2000$ BMW. Yes. How many people in this world can even think of buying a BMW. But many many millions can dream/and still buy a 200$ king of MP3 players (or now 500$ phone). Its like fashion attire for the rest-of-us. The fact that owning a iPOD (and now a iPhone) makes u and me feel like kings (without having to stop eating and selling your house), is probably one of the biggest reasons people go for it.

Everyone wants to be king. And most Apple products typically tend to give them this feeling.

:-)

Kumar Rangarajan
Senior Architect
S7 Software Solutions