iPhony

I had the Engadget web page open and reloaded it a few times once Jobs mentioned the 3 devices, as the inevitable unfolded. Very interesting.

Here's my take:

On the one hand, Apple has done quite well with iPod, and in fact they have changed everything in terms of personal media (from the device to interaction to distribution to personal media publishing ala podcasts, etc etc etc) and they've made it compatible with "my mom" so that it's accessible. Doing the same with personal video will probably be just as interesting.

On the other hand, I think Apple is the Centaur in the x86 race. That is, they're coming in with some different ideas and different ways of doing things, but they're goal is a 1% market share in 2008 with a single product at a high price point (though I would hope they'll roll out variations on a theme, who really knows?). Not that Apple will be bought up, but Apple has rocked the boat a little bit and they've used their amazing brand to amplify that rocking. Much like the non-Intel x86 companies made things better for those using the x86 (everyone from developers to integrators to re-sellers to end users), I think Apple will force the tide to rise, as will all boats.

I for one have enjoyed using my Nokia N70 "smart phone" on a daily basis. It's great, despite an annoying reset bug where it soft-reboots itself sometimes. The camera is great, the features are just fine, it can play video and audio, has an FM tuner, etc. However, I also have a palm pilot and an mp3 player. Why?

Because a device that can do everything doesn't always satisfy everything. I'll take my current phone and a really good media player (one of the Creative Zen products, something from Archos, etc) any day, and I'll be able to take a call while a video is playing!

Look for the standard "version 1 syndrome" to strike the iPhone out of the gate, and then watch for angst about scratched and fingerprinty touch screens, battery life, etc. I'll take an unlocked Nokia phone any day of the week...