Google - the Marketing Giant

Image via CrunchBase

Google have dropped/inspired another in a line of new innovative Hardware products, and with the Chrome OS and the series of Net-books being worked on, you might find yourself thinking that Google is trying to make a play for the hardware device market.

With the drop of Nexus One, Google appears to have pulled out all marketing stops.  Using services like YouTube to create Apple-like buzz around their new product.  Not to mention the Twitter buzz and Yahoo Buzz.  And the rumours dropped a few weeks ago by Techcrunch to start the hype was very Apple-ish.  It looks as though Google are quite serious about a move into the hardware device market.

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The iPhone model: the new smart phone.

With the impending release of the iPhone OS 3.0, I found myself in a discussion with friends on the importance of Apple's presence in the mobile/smart phone space.  Whether or not you like the iPhone, or hate Apple with the passion reserved only for an opposing football team, you have to admit that their approach into this space is breaking the mould and building a brand new one for all other manufacturers and carriers to imitate.

Why?  The model for the mobile phone industry here in Australia is like that of most consumer electronics.  Bring out a closed platform/device, sell as many as you can, come out with a killer new feature and build a new phone around it, sell as many as you can, rinse and repeat.

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iPhone: The Aftermath

Image via CrunchBase, source unknown

It may be a little early to be judging the 3G iPhone's success, or failure, but that isn't stopping the tech press.  ARS Technica has a nice "One month of the iPhone: what Apple needs to fix" article which gives us a look back over the month that was the birth of the new way to communicate, again.

I normally ignore this sort of press, because all the problems tend to appear and then go away in the first couple of months of any new technology.  But this time it validates one of my previous articles posted before the launch, so I though I'd better chalk one up and do the "I told you so" dance.

My post "Caution iPhone Unloading zone" pointed out that, as beautiful as a device as the 3G iPhone was, it was a new piece of hardware, and software, and should be treated as such. 

"Well, the first iPhone may be a year old and have the odd million out in the marketplace, but the New iPhone is kinda New, with a New radio (G3), New GPS, New Sync software, New Carriers, and New battery.  Looks to me like the only thing tried and tested is the hype surrounding the launch."

The above point stands firm and unfortunately the early adopters are really battling with the problems that it's newness is presenting.  One interesting problem is the 3G issue.  When the first iPhone was realized, within weeks of the launch the press and consumers alike were asking for a 3G version.  It was the top complaint next to the "no cut & paste", everyone wanted the 3G data network.  One of the biggest complaints with the new iPhone now is the 3G, what, they didn't look at the 3G coverage maps before now?

I have got to hand it to Apple for being able to sell ice to the Eskimos, or 3G phones to those without 3G coverage.  It should have been a warning when the software for the App store was going to work with both the old and new phones that Apple wasn't planning on the new iPhone being for everyone.

In the wrap up, the 3G iPhone had the same problems with the activation and setup as the old iPhone.  There are some hardware problems and the odd software problem, and all in all, it sounds like the first version of any ambitious new electronic release.

I'm still keen to pick one up though.  Here in Oz, the 3G coverage isn't too bad, I've been using a Jasjam for a year now and there are fewer and fewer places without coverage.  And now that Telstra have bumped up my download limit to 150Mb per month, I'm feeling like I could really utilise the iPhone's potential ;)

Jason Remnant

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