Some new Nokia phones look a lot like the iPhone. Nokia’s global reach suggests they might flood the market with this sort of device. Which raises the possibility that the iPhone might end up like OSX: owned by a relatively small amount of users, but very influential on what the rest use.
(via Slashdot)
Comments
@ 02:23
Unfortunately, this is a chicken and egg thing, and false logic. Nokia have been on this form factor/function path for at least two years, starting with the Nokia 770, and more recently the Nokia N800 - both internet tablets. My post goes into more detail here:
http://www.al4ie.com/?p=862
@ 10:28
Well, yes and no. The overall market for mobile phones is indeed more complex historically than simply the present moment, and involves more projects and players than my post describes. And yes, both Apple and Nokia (among others) have bee researching and developing these products for a while, in the context of other related projects. I, for example, am typing this on a four-year-old tablet PC (Gateway).
But given that, it is nevertheless possible to isolate one current of influence. Apple’s iPhone has undeniably made a huge splash in terms of buzz and hype, with considerable sales. And that event should increase other players’ desire to push to market competing products. If other players, like Nokia, are already developing similar lines, this does negate the current of influence. For example, the success of the iPhone may push Nokia to increase resources devoted to their related products.
I suspect this will differ from the MP3 market, where Apple has actually won a large share of devices sold.
http://en.wikinews.org/wiki/Nokia_Inc._announces_plans_for_iPhone_rival
@ 11:21
Although I do agree with your statements, specifically that the iphones “success” (but really it’s UI) will drive development by competitors, my point is that Nokia have been on this path for at least 3 years, and the Iphone aside, would have been on schedule to release this upcoming device. I was pointing out that it is disingenuous to label this device an Iphone ripoff for this reason.
@ 16:06
I agree, thinking the ripoff language is harsh.
The success… well, twofold. There’s a large number of people who now own the thing, Mac users and others. The design impact is different. Nothing has (so far) had this effect, at least in terms of media attention. I’ve been using and showing tablets for years, for example, and still get “what the heck is that?” reactions.