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Friday, 09 November 2007 |
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Forget Apple and its iconic iPhone. The digital Swiss Army knife will be with us soon.
It’s hard not to get bored with the hype surrounding the launch of the iPhone in the UK and Europe. In the USA, the failure of such hype led to Apple, the mobile handset’s manufacturers, being sued by angry customers. Some were annoyed by the fact that iPhone prices were so soon reduced in the US; others appear to have taken umbrage because the iPhones for which they queued to purchase had their selling value on eBay devalued. No sympathy here for either camp.
Meantime, Apple has seen a surge in sales of its computers thanks to its raised profile courtesy of the iPod. The iPhone is tucked neatly on the back of the same bandwagon.
The iPhone may or may not take flight; it's already at the centre of an OS row – which is not the way Apple likes to conduct itself. It has nonetheless upped the ante in mobile phone design and functionality. Some manufacturers will squeal that they have already produced such handsets, but the whole point is that few people took any notice when and if they did so.
Apple’s iPhone is a step-change in the development of the C21 digital Swiss Army knife. However iconic it may be, it will look hopeless within 12 months as further designs and added functionality emanate from Apple and its rivals.
Jim Chalmers
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