The media and blogosphere is abuzz in anticipation of the Apple iPhone June 29th rollout. 
Whether the initial release of the Apple iPhone will support iChat, VoIP, Google Talk, Skype, SIP, Adobe Flash, and other popular communication apps is still a bit sketchy. Applications created for Internet Web 2.0 standards and Ajax based e-mail applications such as Zimbra, all look very promising under the iPhone architecture and Apple strategy.
Apple continues to leverage its brand and previous success to reinvent and redefine itself. How many other companies can claim that? The mere fact that Apple has been able to enter and create so much buzz in a mature mobile phone device market is remarkable. Apple has already created an emotional desire for the product before a single unit has been sold. An estimated 10 to 16 million people are willing to buy an iPhone. Jobs and his marketing team get high marks for creating demand ahead of yet another remarkable product. If Apple can secure 1% of the almost 1 billion mobile phone market by 2008, that could add another $5 billion in revenue to Apple's bottom line.
While some critics pick apart the technical merits of the features and whether the iPhone is suitable for the corporate market, they seem to miss the point that the iPhone is perhaps one of the first rich media communication / collaboration devices that is consistent with the new social media paradigm. Anyone who has experienced a watered down WAP mobile version of the internet will find Apple's messaging welcoming and on the mark. Try accessing your favorite widgets, mashups, blogs, YouTube videos, any POP3 e-mail, running a Google search, running a Yahoo search, or accessing your Web 2.0 Ajax based applications on your Samsung Synch phone. For once, it would be nice to access "my" favorite sites, applications, POP3 e-mail accounts (without BlackBerry type or mobile Exchange service), and social media tools as I would on a standard computer.
The Apple iPhone is for a very different audience than the traditional smart phones or BB corporate crowd. The iPhone is all about native rich media, social media, and more transparency with internet as we know it. I am all for the "true web experience" on a Wi-Fi enabled mobile device. Hopefully, the Wi-Fi option will give users the option of decoupling the iPhone from a service plan (network provider). I already have Wi-Fi access at home, work, school, across my town, my favorite destinations, and my favorite coffee shop. Why do I need another service plan? The fact the iPhone will automatically detect and provide connectivity through Wi-Fi networks is a big leap forward over the two dominant U.S. network providers. If you look at Apple's ads, copy, and official remarks by Steve Jobs, you will understand what this three in one revolutionary device is all about.
Other companies should take a lesson from Apple. My sense is that Apple will far surpass the 1% benchmark and build on the success of iTunes and iPod brand.
Kameran Ahari
