iPhone And Beyond

iPhone And Beyond

iPhone Matters, MA - Jul 12, 2007

We’ve dealt with the first generation iPhone and the initial reaction has been positive but eventually Apple will announce future models boasting new features and bringing about much needed upgrades. But if we are to embrace future iPhones a lot of changes will be needed or else we are really, really screwed.

The main problem and focus of this article is the ball and chain the iPhone requires you to bear. I am not saying other carriers don’t impose similar restraints and locks but the iPhone’s a little more severe. I am happy with the device and happy with AT&T I’ll say that much but I am locked in for 3 years. The iPhone doesn’t give you a new 2 year contract it extends your contract by two years. This was incredibly convenient for me and a lot of other iPhone buyers if we consider the alternative of a new contract being required.

While this is good for Apple and AT&T on a first generation device it won’t be for the second/third/forth etc. generation iPhones. A 2 year extension would would be horrible for two reasons and if Apple continues the trend I’d advise them to ditch all plans of the iPhone and save themselves from the wrath of consumers.

First off Apple would be prevented from introducing an iPhone in a shorter time span like it did with its iPod line. An iPod is something you can buy any time without any hassles and once you leave the store no significant costs follow you out the door, no one forces you to buy music, it could be a rather expensive disk drive or if free content is your preference then it could be your mobile Podcast player. The iPhone and Cell Phones in general are a purchase you consider beforehand and for the tech illiterate it’s mostly decided by sales reps. Additional fees are incurred with a new purchase, plans tacked on and restrictions set in place. The amount of red tape you have to trek through to obtain an iPhone is marginally different than an iPod.

Plus a refresh every two years would leave Apple vulnerable to competitors such as Sony, Nokia, Samsung and Motorola who are not going to forfeit their hard fought marketshare to a new and inexpereinced contender. Even with the lock-in Apple cannot treat AT&T as the only wireless provider in the nation, competitors would get a significant edge (maybe EVDO) over the iPhone and assure them Apple’s assimilation.

However, should Apple do the exact opposite and introduce new iPhone updates regardless of timeframes and continue extending users’ contracts by 2 years we’d still have more than a year left if the iPhone followed the same product cycle as the iPhone. This never ending chain of lockdown would not be tolerated by consumers but sadly if the device gets too popular then we’ll be forced upon new schemes to forfeit more money for Cell Phones.

iPhone sales are huge