Apple iPhone Philippine Predictions

I'm far from an industry expert but of course the nature of blogging is that you're able to voice your opinion on just about anything.

Some people like the Apple iPhone, others are skeptical about it. I think one of the problems is that people are expecting Steve Jobs to replicate the the iPod phenomena. Thankfully, Apple's eyeing a more realistic piece of the pie, at least for 2007. One percent market share is a modest goal (but achieving it is no mean feat) and I honestly do think they have a shot at it.

It's just not happening in the Philippines.

The most difficult part about Apple iPhone predictions for this country is that I'm not making one for 2007--I'm making one for 2008. And a lot of things can happen in between that time. In fact the weakest chink in Apple's armor is its delayed release date. Hopefully the FCC gives it approval and perhaps even more hopefully, Apple can enforce its patents. In the meantime, competing brands should step up on their game and innovate.

The Good: OS X. I never thought I'd see OS X as an operating system on a mobile phone. If it's as efficient and reliable as it is running on the Mac Mini I'm using to type this, then it's a winner. Another plus is widgets.

The Bad: Programs. Based from what's been released so far, the Apple iPhone is a glorified iPod Video and a mobile phone. Sure, I have OS X but the question is what applications run on it? Quicktime and iTunes is all and good but an iPod Video does that too. iCal and Address Book is a step in the right direction but what I'm asking are the other applications a PDA is known for. Hopefully Apple manages to throw in a word processor (even if it's something as simple as TextEdit) and I hope to see Preview as an application (so I can browse through PDFs among other things). Just because there's a possibility that there'll be widgets doesn't mean that it'll actually be full of widgets.

The Good: Safari web browser. For me it's far from the best web browser ever but it's certainly good enough for the most part (I wouldn't mind getting stranded on a deserted island with Safari as my only web browser) and is superior to the bundled Internet Explorer in WindowsXP. And based from what was demonstrated, it seems like the Apple iPhone is going to change the way we browse the web on our PDA's and mobile phones (and none of that WAP thing).

The Bad: How do I connect to the Internet? Perhaps if I were in the US, in Singapore, or even in Korea this wouldn't be a problem. But the fact of the matter is, as much as the WiFi hotspots in the country are increasing, will I be able to access the Internet from virtually anywhere? In this, Apple's delayed release date in Asia is a positive note for the Philippines. Hopefully by the time the iPhone is available here, there'll be more venues to connect to the Internet via WiFi. Another problem is which TeleCom Apple will pick when (if?) they export it to the Philippines. Will they be able to provide a reliable Internet connection and at what price?

The Good: Touchscreen, innovative features. If there's anything that'll set the iPhone apart, it's the User Interface. Touch screen is a plus too and is probably the wave of the future.

The Bad: Can it live up to its hype? The question with most technologies isn't how it should work but how it is working. In theory, the Apple iPhone's great. In practice, we have yet to see if Apple manages to deliver what it promises. The other question is how "smart" the Apple iPhone is. Is it really as touch sensitive as they say? Will the on-screen pad disappear when I place the phone to my ear?

The Good: Flash memory. A big plus since it's supposed to be mobile. And none of that "if my battery goes dead I lose all my data" that plagues the O2 PDA-phone hybrids.

The Bad: 8 GB. Not that I blame Apple of course. Current technology limits flash memory to 16 GB at most for something of that size. And it's more memory than most phones have. But if the iPhone is going to be a truly interactive device, it simply needs more memory. 8 GB will seem paltry when you start wanting to have your video collection on the screen (and perhaps the biggest plus of the device is its horizon widescreen), especially when you factor in the fact that you're sharing that space with your mp3s, pictures, and other applications.

The Good: Long battery life. The reason why I'm skeptical about most hybrid phones/PDAs/mp3 players is its battery life. Five hours of video and sixteen hours of music is comparable tot existing mp4 players on the market.

The Bad: Irreplaceable battery. Actually, it's bad if you're the consumer, good if you're Apple since it means that if the battery goes dead, consumers will have to go back to Apple for a replacement... or a new phone. Then again, it's not as bad as some make it out to be. By the time the battery life of your Apple iPhone has shortened to a mere hour, it's probably time to buy a new phone, or the 2nd or 3rd generation Apple iPhone should have been released by then.

The Good: Sleek design and Apple's great marketing arm. Not only does the iPhone look pretty, your socialite friends will agree too. People can underestimate the power of marketing. The one who dominates the market isn't necessarily the one who gives the most value for their products but the one who can promote their products better (and this is especially true in the Philippines).

The Bad: How fragile is it? Flash memory's all and good for ensuring data stability but if your screen blacks out because you dropped the phone, the Apple iPhone's reduced to a really expensive paperweight. The fact that it's a touch screen also limits the third party protective gear that can be issued to it (you can't block the screen with plastic for example).

Others: Lack of 3G isn't much of a factor in this country. While we do have the "legs" for 3G it's far from the norm. The two megapixel camera might look meager at the end of the year but if it's simply uploading photos on the web (as most phone cameras are used anyway), the Apple iPhone is sufficient. I'm skeptical about how Google Maps can successfully integrate/adapt itself for the Philippines but Google keeps on surprising people. Perhaps my biggest qualm will be how successful the Apple iPhone will synchronize with PCs (or even Windows XP and Vista).

Overall Conclusion: I'm honestly impressed with the phone. For me the biggest drawback is its late release date. Other mobile phone companies can put up a good fight if they can get their act together during this time frame: a lot can happen in one year. The greatest innovation for the product won't necessarily be the features but the user interface, at how it makes communicating much much easier and maybe completely doing away with a numeric keypad is the wave of the future.