By: Thai Truong

I’ll let you in on a little secret; the standalone mp3 player is dying. Nowadays mp3 players are being crammed into everything. Home stereos, car stereo, USB flash drives, digital picture frames, televisions; the technology to add basic mp3 playback functionality to any device is roughly $5 to $10, but the most ubiquitous mp3 player is going to be the cell phone. Apple knows this and they are scared shitless. Their back from the grave success is completely attributable to the iPod and sales from the iTunes store, ironic that a music player resurrected a computer company. Therefore, Apple’s future will rely on the new iPhone in the face of the iPod decline. It’s inevitable, business science and history shows us that the a disruptive product such as the iPod will yield the parent company, Apple, a large initial advantage, but their profits will attract many competitors until the vacuum is filled. Apple has done a phenomenal job of staying ahead of this curve, but they can’t keep up the success. Think of the Spartans fighting off thousands upon thousands of Persians in 300. So you may say, Apple’s iPod is the best mp3 player, why couldn’t they make the best phone?

Apple has a history of being stubborn and almost elitist in its products. They have industrial designs that all the cool kids want and half the time, their technology is superior. They are a stubborn bunch though. For instance, the iPod has no easy user removable battery even though all current rechargeable batteries for consumer electronics will become useless within 2 to 3 years of use, yet Apple refuses to make a battery cover. There’s no FM radio even though many people enjoy tuning into the TVs at the gym (maybe this is so people buy more iTunes music). It doesn’t stop there; their mice only recently adopted multi-buttons while the rest of the world used multi-button mice with scroll wheels. Don’t get me wrong, they make solid products that demand a premium and many people buy their products despite some the stubborn design decisions; but their products are beautiful, aren’t they? It’s no surprise that Apple has manifested its stubbornness into the iPhone and is breaking into an industry that has been around for some 20 odd years. It now has to deal with all the redtape in the FCC, and cell phone providers who put cool products second to profitable decisions.

Let’s look at positives of the device. It’s sleek and works like an iPod with the same interface with a modern touch screen. The SIM card and Quad-Band will let this work with more providers than just AT&T (Formerly Cingular). Its interface has potential with a sensor that automatically orients the screen, a nice looking web browser, photo album, and a visual voicemail program that just can’t be beat right now. By the way, did I mention it was a fully functional iPod too? An iPod and a phone, what more can you want, you don’t have to carry and charge two devices.<

Now the bad news. Don’t get me wrong, I was as giddy as a little school girl when this was announced, then I read the details. Despite having the most advanced touch screen, I need buttons. My first foray into a touch screen phone, the Cingular 8125, left me unhappy with not having tactile feel. Especially when driving, and one handed use is a must in this situation (Please, no comments on driving and cell phone use; I use a headset, but you do have to pick the phone up every once in a while). The candybar form factor I like, but the rest of the US market prefers flip-phones for some reason. A limited memory capacity with only 4 and 8 gigabytes makes those of us with larger music collections wanting more. To be fair, this is better than any music playing cell phone on the market, but every new music cell phone player offers a user expandable memory slot, something the iPhone doesn't have. Then there's the internet support, it's last generation EDGE when all the new phones have 3G. For the phone of the future this is inexcusable. The difference in speed would feel a little like dial-up verses a cable modem (though not as extreme). Having OS X on the phone is phenomenal, but Apple's decision to a closed operating system limits third-party innovation. The non-removable battery may have been bearable on the iPod, but it is intolerable on any cell phone. And finally there's price. Some people will buy this at any price, but at $499 for the 4GB and $599 for the 8GB, that's out of reach for many people. Did I mention the 2 year contact as well?

Americans love their cell phones, and they love their music playing iPods. However, Americans expect free or cheap phones. Apple has thrived on their high margin products, but the cell phone market survives on low profits and quick turnover. Phones come and go every 6 months, and while Apple introduces new iPods very quickly, it can’t keep up with this pace. So how can they cram in sophisticated telecommunications into an iPhone and keep up with the market? In comparison, the iPod is a relatively much simpler device than an advanced phone. People will buy this phone, but not like they bought the iPod. Apple, you are so close to getting this right, and when you are I will get in line to buy an iPhone.

You maybe wondering what phones are on my Radar. Check these out.
Cingular SYNC - awesome phone for the price.
Nokia N75 - most advanced flip-phone in the states
Nokia N95 - The uberphone that makes the iPhone look average.

Thai’s Current Top Book Marks
Some will change some will stay, these are the bookmarks currently on my radar.
Great News Aggregator that looks like a dedicated News Site: http://www.newsvine.com/
PopCulture Aggregator: http://popurls.com/

Deals. Good deals on general stuff: http://www.bargainist.com/
Good Deals on Gadgets: http://www.gottadeal.com/
Gotta Love Free Stuff: http://www.absurdlycool.com/

General Reference. Still love WikiPedia: http://www.wikipedia.org

Gadgets. All About Cell Phones: http://www.phonescoop.com
Coolest Gadget Right Now:http://www.usbcell.com/

Music. Learn about your tastes in Music (Damn Impressive, Free with limited use, pay for premium access):http://www.pandora.com/

Housing. Awesome Mash-up Site that overlays Craig’s list listings on google maps: http://www.housingmaps.com/

Time Waster. Great Time Waster: http://www.sodaplay.com/