OPINION: Will there be an iPhone killer, ever?

(Ok so when I say ever, I mean in the foreseeble future.)

A few brain numbing facts to start off with. Wikipedia says that more than 21 million iPhone units have been sold since its’ introduction in June of 2007. So it’s only been a little more than 2 years. Thats an astounding number of units. So, will there be an iPhone killer? Since its introduction, every now and then you see a smartphone entering in to the market as a potential iPhone killer. But they hardly even slap on iPhone, let alone killing it. They just dissapear. So why I wanted to write this opinion piece? Because I am someone who awaits a real iPhone killer but realizes that it may not be possible.

Let me put this on the table first. I do not like Apple. Not their products, the company. I hate their arrogant and ignorant attitude towards it’s customers. But they make killer devices. Apple is one of those companies you love to hate, but yet you fall in love with their stuff. Despite my hatred, I found myself using an iPod Nano, iPod Touch and (my wife) an iPhone. And it is with great will power of not being a hypocrite that I supress my desire to buy a MacBook and go for a Lenovo T400s.

Recently, we saw Palm Pre trying to gatecrash iPhones party. But as far as the numbers go, it hasn’t gone that well. Palm Pre was more a lifesupport for Palm than an iPhone killer. Then there was smartphones like Samsung Omnia, Nokia N97, Blackberry Storm, HTC Hero, etc. But iPhone rules them all.

People would beleive Androids to take over the smartphones, well because it’s Google’s. But seems Android is getting step-mom treatment from Google. Google is huge and they can do big things. But Android is hasn’t received those big shots. Even the Android MarketPlace is a mess. Hopefully Ver.1.6 is going to change it for better.

IMO, iTunes with the App Store will always keep the iPhone platform on top. iTunes just keeps getting bigger and bigger and everybody else needs to play catchup. Android Market place just yesterday announced they have 10,000 apps while Apple’s App Store has 65,000+ apps. And iTunes is the largest music seller in USA! Just let these soak in to your heads and you will realize how big Apple has it. Which platform would you think app coders will code for? App Store, Android Market place, Nokia’s Ovi Store, Palm’s WebOS catalogue or WinMo apps? Who would you think the music artists will give their music to?
Phone’s design and OS appeals to only a small fraction of users. Average user would not care if his smartphone is running iPhone OS or WebOS or Android or WinMo. Average user most probably go with the trend, the coolness. App store has so many applications that will satisfy your weiredest needs.

The other thing I see is, Apple is  targetting their audience beautifully. They have a commited fanbase, who will not leave Apple no matter how rudely they treat you. They just do not think like that. They think everything Apple does is correct. They think everything that comes out of Steve Jobs mouth is pure affection towards them. And many are not that smart. For example, when iPhone Os 3.0 came out it had copy&paste. Now this is a function that was already available in other platforms, and honestly this feature should have come in ver. 1.2 or 1.3  the most. But Apple made a huge entrance to the ver.3.0 with this. They had a dedicated web page with COPY&PASTE in huge letters! As if Steve Jobs had an miracle awakening and proposed copy&paste!

But whatever said and done, credit should be given where it is due. Apple came to smartphone market with a design that no other major phone maker dared to do. And they succeeded. Now everybody is following iPhone, in design and in functionality. Apple makes notebooks which nobody except Lenovo can compete with. Dell, Acer, Sony, Fujitsu maybe pioneers in laptops, but they cannot compete with MacBooks in design and quality. I do not know if it is because they are ignorant or it is because Apple has snatched every patent that would let others produce solid laptops. I was in the parket to buy a small MP3 player recetly. And a decent one costs somewhere around $80. And the best one I found is the iPod Shuffle! It’s small, solid design and is not expensive than a Sony player.

Apple is so far ahead it is getting annoying. People need to tighten theit belts and stop playing catching up with Apple. Because they cant. They need to do something else. What that is, I do not know. How can anybody compete with iTunes and App store, I do not know. But somebody better figure out soon.

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