Apple iPhone
We watched Steve Jobs give his keynote address at Macworld earlier this year (online) where he revealed the Apple iPhone. While it's not here in Australia just yet, the benefit is that we will get a better product as a result.
There were basically two views on the iPhone. Those who saw the possibilities and those who saw the limitations. Regardless of where you sat, for a first generation product, a new standard has been set for user interface (UI) on mobile phones.
Touch screen in nothing new - but the way in which it has been applied is revolutionary. One example is the keyboard - if you get a chance, watch this video from the Apple website (stick with it, around half way through it gets pretty amazing). It highlights, just how software should be written - with the user in mind.
Apple has just done for mobiles what it has been doing for computers over the last 10 years - making it dead simple. If you think about the head start that all the major phone manufacturers have had - it's sad to see so little variation in their offerings and so little innovation. To give you a quick example, Mark's mobile rang the other day - and although I've been using mobiles for 15 years, it took me about 5 seconds to work out which button I needed to press to answer it. Imagine if I had to do something more complex with it...
The iPhone will change people's expectations about technology. This is not limited to mobiles, but everything from cars to ATMs, even the humble TV remote control.
Through the iPod, Apple gave a wider market a glimpse into the power of well thought through design and simple usability. With the iPhone, people are going to be asking "why didn't a phone company think of this first - this is how it should be".
If you're using a Windows PC, chances are you'll ask the same questions when you switch to a Mac.
We're all looking forward to having the iPhone in Australia.
David
Picture: Reuters: Shannon Stapleton
Labels: iPhone-Australia
Posted on Sunday, July 01, 2007
