There are many contenders now holding Apple's beloved iPhone in their cross-hairs. Each with their own agenda on how to tackle it, yet also needing to stay ahead of the other potential slayers.
So who will win the coveted "iPhone Slayer" prize? The safest and easiest answer is simple: consumers.
More after the jump...
The Target: Apple iPhone
Before I get too deep in my thoughts on these "iPhone Killers" in training let's take a look at the competition. I won't lie about my position on Apple and their products. I believe them to be a company less of innovation and more of a marketing phenomenon. I believe they feel their customers are idiots and take advantage of hard working people every chance they get. I also find it ridiculous that despite all of this, they are successful.
Those feelings, however, are not what the spirit of this round-up is all about. No, there is some legitimacy to the iPhone's continued success and, while I'm clearly not a fan of the product itself, it did help redefine the purpose of the modern smartphone.
The Dark Ages
During the pre-iPhone era, smartphones were business commodities. Meant for suits who needed to keep in touch with their office. There were only 3 players, and only 2 holding any relevancy. Microsoft's integration with it's own e-mail product, Exchange, was seamless and made desktop synchronization nearly unnecessary. It was also terrible to navigate--think Windows 98 in the palm of your hand. Hardware vendors thought there was no need to customize the interface, thus every phone (software-wise) was nearly identical.
The major competitor was Blackberry--e-mail was a cinch to setup and the phones were pretty basic. It did the necessities, and it did so quickly. It was easier to navigate than Windows Mobile, and it was becoming a favorite in the business sector.
Then there was poor Palm. The Palm OS was dated and the phones were, well crap. There was plenty of thought put into the engineering of the phones, but they were bulky and heavy and lacking the performance.
The Crusades
When it originally launched, Apple used the success of the iPod to convince it's buyers that you were carrying too many devices. It also took a real hard look at how you interact with the device. The interface is clean, input is direct and logical. In fact, I think the shortest learning curve of any handheld device I've ever used was iPhone. It also performs well and is quite responsive (perhaps a nod to the evil multitasking demons being held at bay!).
By focusing their energy on pleasing the non-corporate crowd, Apple found themselves with a winner in the corporate world. It was easy to use and could replace their Blackberries or Windows Mobile phone, iPod, and, later, you could squeeze a game or two in, as well.
During its tenure at the top, it has received software upgrades and interior hardware upgrades--but has continued to keep its simplistic outer shell, gaining 3G, a camera, video recording, etc.; all along the way.
Catchy Slogan, Be-Damned! There probably is "An App for That"
Apple's other big win with the iPhone is the App Store. Sure, websites like Handango existed long before Apple had an App Store, but in the beginning, many phones did not support OTA (over-the-air) installations. The overall experience for installing an application was troublesome and complicated--especially if you were not well versed with a computer. The experience got better as time progressed, but nothing compared to the simple, centralized software repository that is the App Store.
So we've got an idea on how the iPhone got to the top, but what about the competitors?
BlackBerry: A bitter end, or a sweet beginning?
Although BlackBerry still has their die-hards, it was quickly shrinking towards irrelevance. The simple, text-heavy, fast interface was shown up by the graphically intense, yet still quick iPhone. Quickly trying to fight off the iPhone, the Storm pressed all the wrong buttons and was quickly replaced. The Storm 2 attempts rectify many of the shortcomings of its predecessor, but with an antiquated browser many are skipping the BlackBerries for breakfast and going for a nice hearty Apple (sorry, couldn't help but make a fruit-related pun).
RIM still has a strong group of supporters, and if you've ever met these people, they're quite the fans. With a new browser on the horizon, many could find themselves continuing their proud BlackBerrian traditions. Unfortunately, to me, I think the company that popularized e-mail on a phone might just have lost its competitive edge with a large infrastructure to support and desperate need to play catch up in it's software department.
Google Android: Searching for Dominance
Built on an Open Source platform, I find myself strongly intrigued by Android. While the G1 was notably painful to operate because of its lacking performance, the OS really tried to offer a new experience. It also tried to offer a new community. And it did.
The unfortunate thing is that it seems to be more of a "geek" platform. Like the Linux it's based on, it has a lot to offer, but it's lack of real focus has prevented it from marketable success. Don't get me wrong, I don't feel that Android is going away, but I find it complicated to use and custom UI's like Sense are almost a necessity to provide any kind of productivity to the phone.
To achieve higher success, Google really needs to push Android as a Phone platform, start using it as a Phone and make it easy to use.
webOS: Is Success in the Cards?
Palm is a company pressing hard to win in a market that it used to have such a strong hold on. With a new CEO (noted for his contributions on creating a new personal music player for Apple many years ago called the 'iPod'), a new OS, and new hardware, Palm is spending a lot of money trying to win back lost clientele.
Another Linux-based OS, webOS introduces a new way to navigate--blending the familiar with the new. Unfortunately, with it's gesture-area hidden, "meta-taps" and notion of programs launching in "cards" can be hard to pick up, many will find the device hard to use if they have just picked it up for the first time. It's also plagued with performance issues as it's entire API is an extension of HTML and is not quite feature complete.
Palm promises much, but it doesn't have the size of it's competition to rapidly deploy updates and maintain its App Catalog much the way the "big dogs" do. At this point, they are simply trying to match the iPhone 3GS's capabilities and extend minutely upon them, but we all know how Apple likes to give us something new in June--will the new guy be able to fend off "one more thing?"
It's really a shame, too, because the devices have a very sexy design, and the OS is the cleanest of the contenders. It's quite the sword in this fight, but has Microsoft brought the gun?
Windows 7 Phone Series: Insert Witty Comment Here
Why the lack of creativity on the last one? Simply really, none of us have really ever seen the new OS from Microsoft. Clearly this new start is just what the company needs in terms of a design standpoint, but will it anger partners with its strict chassis requirements?
The closest thing I've come to the new Windows 7 Phone OS is the Zune HD. It's slick, it's clean, and it's nice to use. While many have focused on graphical elements to spruce up their phones, Microsoft has simply beefed up transitions and effects, but kept an almost strictly text-based OS. We'll find out in time as details become available, but I have to be honest, I'm quite excited about this. Microsoft has seemingly loosed the chains from its designers and is planning on doing the driving in a full scale assault against Apple instead of placing the weight squarely upon it's hardware partners' shoulders.
Conclusion
There's finally some diversity in the mobile phone market--and some real innovation happening here. The one device I think we'll never replace is our cell phones, and that's what makes them so important in this competition. Win here, and you'll find yourself holding the keys to the future.
In 1, 2, or three years time, will all of these contenders still be around? Let's hope so, because while the competition is fighting, we all reap the benefits.
Apple won't give up it's position without a fight, but I think we're about to witness the UFC of mobile phone platforms.
So while I personally have thrown my support to webOS's corner, I know that with competition like this--it's gonna be good fight no matter who you're rooting for...
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