Analysts say Apple iPhone is not a smartphone
January 27th, 2007 Leave a comment Visited 170 times, 1 so far today
Analysts say Apple iPhone is not a smartphone
Apple Inc. showcased their Apple iPhone product earlier this month. The company is due to launch it in the market by around June this year.
The phone combines the capabilities of a mobile phone with an iPod and an internet communicating device.
Apple says that the iPhone comes loaded with a stripped down version of their Mac OS X operating system. Though, the device is locked and third party applications would not be supported.
This has resulted in a situation where the market analysts have said that the device might be a highly capable mobile phone but it is not exactly a smartphone.
Philip Solis, an analyst for ABI Research spoke on Apple iPhone: “Therefore, we must conclude at this point that, based on our current definition, the iPhone is not a smart phone; it’s a very high-end feature phone.”
Solis added: “Feature phones have third-party applications too, but these are relatively weak and limited to applications that work with the middleware such as Java and Brew. The competition in an open environment also yields more cutting edge, rich applications.”
Market analysts also believe that blocking third party applications might hamper the sales of the Apple iPhone device due to lack of customization and application availability.
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January 28th, 2007 at 7:12 am
First, what kind of arbitrary definition is this? Who made these guys the bureau of standards? Just because the iPhone isn’t open to third party apps doesn’t carry that it’s not a “smartphone”. Apple has produced apps that stand head and shoulders above third party aps – iTunes, Garageband, iPhoto, iMovie, iDVD and more – all quite powerful and fantastically easier to use than alternatives – with the bonus of being powerfully integrated with each other. The apps on the iPhone will have a level of integration not easily acheived with third party apps. OK, I’ll grant it’s not going to be a “smartphone” – It will be a “smarterphone” maybe even “GeniusPhone”.
Second, these are the same “analysts” that made a big deal with their “research” headline last November that said “58% of iPod Owners Planning Another MP3 Player Purchase Will Consider Microsoft’s Zune.” And what happened? 21 Million iPods sold, the vast majority of those sold AFTER Zune rolled out. How many Zunes? From my Walmart shelf space observations, not a lot. Walmart will be returning crates of unsold Zune inventory to MS before they have to pay their 120 day terms (if each Walmart in the US was stocked with 40 Zunes (20 black, 10 white, 10 brown) that’s 100,000 Zunes that will need to be paid for in March (Walmart’s usual terms are 120 days). A substantial number will be returned in March instead of being paid for.
Since these “research” guys are just not credible, they must be paid hacks for someone with a biased axe to grind. Beau-zeaus.
June 15th, 2007 at 10:14 pm
Thank you for clearing this up. I am in need of a new smartphone and have been looking forward to the iPhone. However, if I cannot use the applications I need for my job (I’m a nurse and have installed applications such as Drug Books, procedures and lab values)then I will not be buying the iPhone. There’s more to Smartphones than what iTunes can provide.
November 21st, 2007 at 6:43 am
Garageband…a quality app?
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!