IPHONE - CONSUMERS NOW IN PALM DRIVER SEAT
OK, so the iPhone is launched. Businesses are talking. Consumers are buzzing. BlackBerry, Motorola and Treo execs / users seem ticked or scared or curious or all of the above. Who really knows? The point is, people are talking and businesses doubt or do not fully realize the drastic changes in palm device advancement that the iPhone brings with it.
After seeing the iPhone work reliably when a couple of friends gave us demos, Vitamin immediately bought the phones for our entire company. Our team deserved it. They work hard, and this past quarter was particularly stellar. We believe in recognizing our team for their hard work and commitment. Not to mention, these phones are pretty sick. In order to stay with the times, we needed them.
Business people around the world are baulking at accepting the phenomenon the iPhone brings. They are focused on the trivial; moaning and groaning about battery life, speed of internet access and integration with Exchange. Sure these things are important. But c’mon people; aren’t you more forward thinking than this? Don’t you realize what the accessibility created by these phones means? This is huge. Allow me to elaborate.
We live in a consumer-driven society. At the end of the day, Americans are purely consumers. We work to make money so we can spend it to get stuff. That’s the bottom line. Whether B2B or B2C, for-profit companies are in business to, in one way or another, appeal to the consumer. Therefore, the macro goal of any business’ effort is to proliferate the purchase of goods and services. That’s it. Plain and simple. So where am I going with this? Stay with me.
Why do business people even have tools like the Motorola Q, the Treo or the BlackBerry? To stay in touch with their companies, so business can be transacted faster, easier and with more precision. What’s the macro purpose here? That’s right – to proliferate the purchase of goods and services – to drive consumers to spend. OK, so we’ve established that the consumer drives the need for businesses to have sophisticated palm devices that integrate email, phone, calendar, Internet, etc. Keep this point in mind. Next topic.
With the average Joe so hyped about the iPhone, the consumer has officially taken over the driver’s seat for the future of palm devices. This is monumental, and this is where I think business people are missing the boat. Battery life? Internet access speeds? Exchange server? Whatever. Apple will get all this stuff worked out in no time. The point is, business people are forgetting why they even need their palm devices in the first place and who, at the end of the day, drives the need for businesses to use palm devices. It is all about the consumer. Those that scoff at the iPhone are completely turning a blind eye to the fact that, with the consumer at the helm, everything will change from here. Think about it. The advancements Apple has pioneered with the iPhone are quite significant:
- The real, full-blown internet at the tip of your fingers and in your pocket
- New touch screen technology and increased usability and ways to interact with the screen that make a great deal of sense (goodbye stylus, you made me look like a geeked-out cafeteria nerd)
- Thread-based text messaging
- Movies on your phone in wide-screen format
- New and improved ways to link calls together and access contacts
- And on top of all this, you can access Yahoo, Gmail, AOL, .mac, Pop and even IMAP an Exchange server
What’s next? A complete PC in my pocket running Mac OSX or Windows with the ability to run any applications desired? YES! That is what’s next. The consumer will demand it soon enough. As consumers demand, businesses adapt. They have to. Meeting demand is an essential part of sales and ultimately, profitability. This trend will effect how all businesses do business. Not just tech companies or B2C companies.
Remember when I asked you to keep the point in mind that the consumer drives the need for businesses to take certain actions? Here is where that comes back into play. Now that the consumer is in the driver’s seat, palm devices are poised to explode. The iPhone has opened the doors to the consumer market becoming savvy and demanding in regards to the range palm devices should bring. Still unsure? Read this. With the consumer dreaming and demanding, palm manufactures will have to react to meet the need. Therefore, the possibilities these devices will bring in the future are endless and the ceiling is only as high as the consumer can dream. Again, this new trend will send a ripple effect through all businesses causing greater and different needs for all kinds of products and services. For example, want to control your heating/cooling in your home from your palm while you are away? No problem, it is just around the corner. Remote start your car? That too. Pay bills? Done. Film a family video, edit it and send to someone? Check. Video conference? Man, that might be the easiest one.
With these types of things on the horizon, and with the naysayers scoffing, I can only see one thing happening. In two years, business people will be calling the world of palm a phenomenon; just like this whole “Web 2.0″ thing. They will be scrambling to figure out how to market and position themselves around it to take advantage of it so they can sell more stuff and become more profitable because of it. Too shortsighted and too narrow minded to identify it as here and now.
I work on a PC at home and at the office. Our design team uses Macs. I am a believer in both platforms. They are both great for different reasons. But man, do those Mac vs. PC commercials really hit it on the head. The business world just doesn’t get it until it smacks them blatantly in the face. Always two steps behind. Being an early adopter is a cool place to be. I can’t wait to see what we make the palm industry give us next.