If any of you have seen the latest news to any degree, I am certain that you all have at least heard of the Apple iPhone unveiled at Apple’s keynote speech. As a quick recap, Apple CEO Steven Jobs addressed the questions and rumors regarding a "new iPod" device by releasing it with entirely new functionalities. "This is a day that I’ve been looking forward to for two and a half years," Jobs noted in his keynote. While at first said that Apple was releasing three "revolutionary" items, he eventually introduced what we now know as the iPhone. iPod. Cell Phone. Internet Communicator. Three Functionalities. One Device. Using Apple’s prowess in its music player along with its vivid imagination, all three came together in one single device that has half the world clung onto.
Now, I realize that all of you probably have read at least something about the iPhone and my intent is not to lecture you all on how great the product is or how it can handle many tasks — if you are interested, please take a look at Steven Jobs’ Keynote Speech or Apple’s iPhone Homepage. Rather, it is the approach that Apple has used in its products that has continually amazed me. CEO Steven Jobs continues to lead Apple in a positive direction, lending his hand to shaping consumer electronics and computer industries. Apple’s widespread success throughout the computer and now the electronics industry as seen in the instant iPhone-hype can probably be attributed to three main reasons that I wanted to look at: ease of use for the common user with tremendous synchronizing abilities, complete secret development, as well as a strong dissatisfaction for a product that is of high quality.
Bringing everything together
Ever since Apple entered consumer electronics, they have continuously tried to bring devices together. You can listen to music. Upload photos. Organize your life. After the release and re-release of the iPod, many of these multimedia flies became available via a stylish, portable machine. With Apple TV, TV is connected to the computer and the wireless network. Work and phone communication is connected to music player capabilities. Apple has, in a sense, truly been behind the integration and convergence movement. Instead of having several hand-held devices doing numerous different tasks, Apple invented one to do it all. Bring in an iPod and have it synchronize with the desktop or laptop system. And now, Apple’s iPhone brought together telephone communication with a touch of entertainment by giving it multimedia capabilities.
What does this mean to the average user? It goes deeper than walking with (literally) deep pockets, but it makes the product more useful to the consumer. The average person is not going to care quite as much about a slightly thinner iPod as opposed to an iPod which can make phone calls. Everything is easier and the user will have to bend back less for technology. Bear in mind that technology was ultimately developed to make life easier.
Secret Development
The development of iPhone started more than two years ago when the words "phone" and "Apple" never belonged in the same sentence. Cingular’s executives approached Apple’s Steven Jobs on a new revolutionary mobile cell phone product. They "trusted that Jobs and Apple would deliver on their promise to revolutionize the mobile handset," noted a Fortune Magazine Commentary on the iPhone. And Apple trusted Cingular not to meddle in the hardware or feature design." To me, it was amazing to see any company, albeit a high-profile company like Apple, work on a revolutionary mobile product and leak very minimal information to the public. Apple made it abundantly clear that leaking information would not be tolerated in any level. And so, today, a lot of us (Apple executives included) sit before the TV wondering where this product came from.
From a competitive standpoint, Steven Jobs’ move was very shrewd. By leaving only vague speculation on its specifications, Apple left its competition stymied and largely in the dust. Granted, this is only a "paper launch" — the products will be available in mid-2007. But no other company, Microsoft included, was even remotely prepared to take a counter-stance. The all-in-one Smart phone is now a must-have for not only the targeted businessmen, but also the average consumer. It’s not about business functionalities anymore — it’s about keeping up with the trend that Apple is setting all too well. Secrecy is a deadly weapon.
Release "Only the best"
Two-and-half years. That seems like a long time today, largely because nobody has a sense of time since the iPhone was first sketched out. But since the newest Macintosh line, Apple has released numerous products that were developed for years and only announced and released after they were sure it would grip the consumers. Take for instance the iMac — the machine that practically saved Apple. Steven Jobs and his team of designers produced an item that would, without a doubt in their mind, sell and sell well. For many of their current products, it means making the product stylish enough for people to cling onto.
Many of you may disagree with me on this perspective. But Apple, from what I see, has constantly released consumer-friendly appealing products that get the job done. They are complete systems for numerous users. It can, right out of the box, help schedule your day, download music, and show digital photos. Everything is there for most typical users. It is a complete product from day one. It is everything the average consumer would want done well, and so it is a quality product.
These three reasons, at least to me, seem to be key in Apple’s recent success in the consumer and computer industry. The manner in which Apple has developed and launched quality products and marketed them rigorously to the people has given them a leg-up on the competition. What will Steven Jobs and Apple think of next? I don’t have the slightest clue. But I can assure you that the next major release will be a popular product. It’s just their
On a finishing note, I am excited to introduce a new author to the Kudos & Calamities column from our very own community. Ryan Passey, a regular member/writer and staff here at PC Mech, will be writing alternating weeks with me. Not only will he bring a more regular Kudos & Calamities flow to you all, I think he will bring a unique perspective to this column as many of you have seen from his numerous previous articles. Look forward to his article next week as he delves into his Kudos & Calamities of technology.
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