Slashdot Mirror


iPhone Faces Uncertain Market

48 hours have passed since Steve Jobs's MacWorld keynote and the reality distortion field is beginning to wear off. Lists of the drawbacks of the announced iPhone are sprouting all over the Net (and there is the occasional defense by true believers). Now narramissic writes, "The iPhone may be poised to take over the high-end cell phone market, but is it a market worth taking? Not if an InStat survey from July is any indication: Of 1,800 consumers surveyed, just 21 had spent more than $400 for a cell phone. Prices for the iPhone, admittedly more of a handheld computer than a cell phone, start at $499 for the 4G-byte version with a required two-year contract with Cingular. So, is Apple pricing it right? Analysts quoted in this article seem to think Apple's going to have a hard time getting the 1% of market share that Jobs called for."

4 of 869 comments (clear)

  1. Not enough information by ivan256 · · Score: 5, Informative

    Quite honestly, we don't know enough about the device yet to make any informed commentary. We're going to have to deal with six months of analysts talking out of their ass about it, and Apple fanboys/haters blathering on about how wonderful/awful it is without more than a basic overview of its functionality and no hands on UI experience. The 'specs' from Apple are a joke, and don't reveal the most basic of needed information. The details of the restrictions that will be placed on the device by Cingular are completely unknown. Until those things are known, it could go in any direction.

    Anybody who talks about what is going to happen with the iPhone in certain terms at this point is an idiot.

  2. One more thing... by earnest+murderer · · Score: 4, Informative

    If you've been considering upgrading to the new Treo 750, you're going to spend $500 with a two year contract. And it only comes with 64 MB of ram and a best case expansion of 2 gig which puts the price at $550 and is obviously inferior on paper.

    I'm just saying Apple isn't breaking ground on cell phone price points in this category.

    --
    Platform advocacy is like choosing a favorite severely developmentally disabled child.
  3. Re:Is it just me by gb506 · · Score: 3, Informative

    If the email client is based on Mail.app it will work w/ Exchange.

  4. Re:Apples and oranges by cens0r · · Score: 4, Informative
    --
    Jack Valenti and Orrin Hatch will be first up against the wall when the revolution comes.