The iPhone Effect

Since Apple’s release of the first iPod a little more than eight years ago, their series of “iProducts” have slowly evolved and revolutionized the mobile device market. It has helped to establish Apple as one of the largest manufacturers of MP3 players and one of the most popular online distributors of digital music, movies, and TV shows. What makes Apple’s products so appealing is their focus on easy-to-use graphical interfaces, sleek and striking device designs, and extraordinary ad campaigns that have helped to persuade the mainstream entertainment buff and casual users alike that “iProducts” are the best choice for experiencing visual and audible distractions. With the release of the iPhone in 2007, Apple looked to claim another mobile space: the cell phone market. In three years time they have been able to successfully alter the social perception of cell phones entirely, and push companies like Google, Microsoft, and Palm to create rival devices that aim to capitalize on Apple’s newfound successes. Now that Apple is expanding the iPhone’s reach to eBook users and casual gamers, they have begun a rapid technological race in more than just cell phones or MP3 players, but in several other portable device markets as well.

It would be impossible to talk about systems like Google’s Android and Palm’s webOS without mentioning the iPhone. The iPhone transformed the once business-exclusive term “smartphone” inside out, creating a new market focused on ease of use, drawing in trendy teenagers, young adults, and the average American. One could argue that if it were not for the iPhone’s immense popularity, that these operating systems, as they are known now, would not even exist. “Smartphones” like RIM’s Blackberry line are now being labeled as antiquated, with clumsy interfaces and lackluster touchscreen support that only the most hardcore business men and women still appreciate. The iPod touch series of MP3 players, often termed as the “iPhone without the phone”, have also dramatically impacted the design of many portable media players. What makes these “iProducts” so influential is their ability to combine the most popular features of portable hardware into one single, slim package.

This is how Android users feel...

With recent eBook phenomena like Amazon’s Kindle, Apple decided to up the ante with their release of the iPad and announcements to natively support eBooks on both the iPad and iPhone. Apple desperately wants to create products that meet all the technological needs of consumers, even if their hardware is not the most ideal place for these features. This brings up Apple’s recent decision to more aggressively target the video game market with an Xbox Live-esque social game network integration with the iPhone’s next firmware upgrade. Core gamers that enjoy playing with tactile buttons and precise controls on their DS’s and PSP’s may not enjoy Apple’s touch and motion-exclusive game library, but many casual game players do not mind it one bit. Looking at the success of the iPhone app store, and the sales figures for downloadable games for the iPhone/iPod touch/iPad, Apple may be on its way to securing the mobile games market as well. They have a long way to go in order to push Nintendo’s handheld behemoth – the DS – out of the way, but considering Nintendo’s own concerns with Apple encroaching on their turf, Apple may be onto something.

The iPhone has truly changed the face of mobile devices everywhere, but it has been at the expense of certain functionality and configurability. Android, webOS, and Microsoft’s Windows Mobile have all proven that the iPhone is not the “God” phone some people may believe it to be; however, as Apple continues to improve upon their products and fix their mistakes, the consumers will be the ones benefitting the most. Strong competition opens the door to amazing innovations, and as markets affected by Apple’s imperious presence adjust and evolve around the company’s dominance, mobile devices will only get more interesting. The race for the best mobile phone or media player has never been more exciting.