iPhones have finally been sold to the public in the States, amidst crazy scenes. Although not available here in the UK until later in the year, the news prompted me to think about why people are willing to put themselves through such hassle to own one.
I guess everyone knows about the iPod and iMac but what prompts such loyalty to the brand? The looks, the design or the ease of use? Now I'm writing this on my MacBook and in my office I've got a desktop Mac so maybe I'm not the most independent judge -but I'll try to be for a moment. The iPod wasn't the first MP3 player and uses a restrictive file type to store and play music - but it dominates the market for portable music players. In spite of the price differential between Apple and Sony or Creative for example, the iPod continues to fly off the shelf.
There are lots of reports of the iPhone not using the G3 network and having slow download speeds, but at present it look like it'll have the same desirability - the must have gadget of the moment - as other Apple products.
Is this great marketing, a teflon brand or merely a company that knows exactly what it's target audience wants and delivers accordingly? In any case Apple are banking that the iPhone will take over where the iPod left off - certainly they're thinking big hoping to sell 10 million by 2008 or 1% of the mobile market.
For now we'll have to wait and see if the loyal fans keep buying. In the meantime, check out the interest when Eric Schmidt took his (iPhone) out at a press conference!