iPhone day & the iDay

So I start this journey of blogs at a time when Apple has yet again come out with a product that dreams to change how people think about Mobile phones- with the launch of the iPhone, day before on 29th June'07.

In October 2001, Apple introduced a path breaking gadget called the iPod which revolutionized the way people heard, carried and enjoyed music. It wasn't as if there weren't gadgets in the market which weren't doing that, there were, but Apple saw an opportunity and man, didn't they grab it with both the hands! And that's what they believe they'll do now, with the iPhone.

The scene in mobile industry is quite similar to what it was in music industry in 2001. There are hundreds of operators, manufacturers, companies claiming to be the leader in mobile industry and claiming that they know, they understand the 'pulse' of people's need. But I beg to differ. And here's why-

• Firstly, there's no clear winner sitting on the top of the industry, enjoying the kind of lead which tends to push the self confidence towards 'over-self-confidence'. Nokia, Motorola- the world players; TCL and other domestic Chinese companies- none of them can take their place for granted. So one can clearly see a sea of scope here!
  
  
• Secondly, and most importantly, the kind of convergence people have been talking about for last few years in mobile industry, hasn't matured enough. PDAs, mobile phones with capabilities like camera, mp3 player, organizer, browser and so on and so forth- haven't really reached a level where you can pick one set from a manufacturer and say 'Yes, this is it, the best of all worlds!'. No, no set according to me has reached that level yet.

And this is reason why Apple has a chance. This is reason why Apple had a chance in 2001, and they pounded at it. And I see no reason why they can't do it this time around as well. But then of course, there are people who would like to believe that iPhone is a disaster in the making. With the price tag showing $499 (4 GB) and $599 (8 GB), it does dent the buyer's pocket, but people are willing to pay for something they've prayed for all their lives.

My bet is that the iPhone is going to cause a paradigm shift in the direction where the mobile industry was heading towards. The industry would now have an icon to match up to.

Funny enough, the iPhone day has come just days before the iDay, the independence day on 4th of July. Let's wait & watch :)

G