Why the iPhone looks like a success...
First a quick story... My inlaws (82 years old) call up Saturday AM to 'say hello' and I happened to answer the phone. First thing they talked about was 'Oh, did you hear about this new iPhone from Apple, it looks really neat?!' (pretty sure they said 'neat' they are 82 ya know... 
Anyway I was really floored that they would have hear of it.... Okay they watch a lot of TV being that age so I guess that's not too strange but that they paid attention to what they say and remembered the name of the product AND who was releasing it.
Amazing... (and I'm not making anything up)
Now that really got me to thinking just how FAR Apple has been able to permeate it's marketing of this device. I then continued to think... If you walked up to your average Joe/Jane on the street or Aunt/Uncle, sister, brother, etc etc etc and asked them the following questions... what would their response be.
Q1 Name a cell phone...
Q2 Name another cell phone...
Q3 Name the cell phone you have...
Here is what you'd likely get.
A1 - iPhone
A2 - Ummmm I dunno (or maybe... perhaps... "THE RAZR?")
A3 - I have no idea? Cingular... Verizon???
Try out these questions to the 'more normal' people in YOUR family you know the less than geeky population that still make up 98-99% of this country...
I'd really like to know what their responses are.
If the results are what I think they'd be then its quite clear that Apple has an ENORMOUS chance here... The cell phone makers have done less than SQUAT to get its product name known and has a habit of changing their name like the wind to ensure their name will NEVER have a chance to sink into the minds of the public at large. I can tell you as sure as I'm sitting here that every phone that comes out of Apple now and in the future will be an iPhone... Sure maybe an iPhone Mini or iPhone Media or and iPhone Whatever... but iPhone will STICK and people will remember it (just like the iPod).
Apple has a real chance to eat the other cell phone makers lunch if their not careful and the year ahead should prove to be interesting if nothing else... Provided that is that Apple doesn't steal defeat from the jaws of victory (as they are also famous for)...
Dave
P.S. Notice this has nothing to do with Java support or Exchange or Flash or insert some other missing iPhone feature... The people at large hardly even use DATA in their cell phone... We're talking non-techos remember... Even many of the 'geeks' don't so much care about those either cause they know that in time all or most of that will be a software fix.
Anyway I was really floored that they would have hear of it.... Okay they watch a lot of TV being that age so I guess that's not too strange but that they paid attention to what they say and remembered the name of the product AND who was releasing it.
Amazing... (and I'm not making anything up)
Now that really got me to thinking just how FAR Apple has been able to permeate it's marketing of this device. I then continued to think... If you walked up to your average Joe/Jane on the street or Aunt/Uncle, sister, brother, etc etc etc and asked them the following questions... what would their response be.
Q1 Name a cell phone...
Q2 Name another cell phone...
Q3 Name the cell phone you have...
Here is what you'd likely get.
A1 - iPhone
A2 - Ummmm I dunno (or maybe... perhaps... "THE RAZR?")
A3 - I have no idea? Cingular... Verizon???
Try out these questions to the 'more normal' people in YOUR family you know the less than geeky population that still make up 98-99% of this country...
I'd really like to know what their responses are.
If the results are what I think they'd be then its quite clear that Apple has an ENORMOUS chance here... The cell phone makers have done less than SQUAT to get its product name known and has a habit of changing their name like the wind to ensure their name will NEVER have a chance to sink into the minds of the public at large. I can tell you as sure as I'm sitting here that every phone that comes out of Apple now and in the future will be an iPhone... Sure maybe an iPhone Mini or iPhone Media or and iPhone Whatever... but iPhone will STICK and people will remember it (just like the iPod).
Apple has a real chance to eat the other cell phone makers lunch if their not careful and the year ahead should prove to be interesting if nothing else... Provided that is that Apple doesn't steal defeat from the jaws of victory (as they are also famous for)...
Dave
P.S. Notice this has nothing to do with Java support or Exchange or Flash or insert some other missing iPhone feature... The people at large hardly even use DATA in their cell phone... We're talking non-techos remember... Even many of the 'geeks' don't so much care about those either cause they know that in time all or most of that will be a software fix.
Comments
I can't wait to see the results of this poll after a couple of weeks.
BTM,
Like all AI polls, it is flawed because it does not fullfill the poll criterion of inclusiveness of attributes. I can't push any of the buttons because it does not capture my assessment--lust, a few flaws(no laser,taser,mace and will not detect life forms as Spock's tricorder does) and, you'll have to kill me to take my iPhone.
Your poll has 3 attribute categories:
1-Appeal--Lust,love,like,Ok, dislike, hate, despise
2-Feature Set--Complete, Missing a few, OK for v1, missing too many basic ones, seriously flawed
3--Binary--Keep or not keep
Ahh didn't see you there SpinD **thanks*** for chiming in!
Amazing... where is 'over here' (Europe I'd assume) if so that really is amazing... 70+ Years old and in a country where Apple hasn't done ANY iPhone advertising (have they?) and yet he is already tuned into the iPhone... Wild.
Dave
She said mostly because of the smoothness of the touch screen on the iPhone and the Wii's motion controler.
So yeah, the iPhone is a pretty amazing device.
FIRST AND ONLY TWO POSTS!!! and this freakin thread is already derailed... Thanks a lot guys...
Ahh didn't see you there SpinD **thanks*** for chiming in!
Amazing... where is 'over here' (Europe I'd assume) if so that really is amazing... 70+ Years old and in a country where Apple hasn't done ANY iPhone advertising (have they?) and yet he is already tuned into the iPhone... Wild.
Dave
You're right Dave. My bad. The question--What do normal folks know about their cell phones, is a good one.
BTM,
Like all AI polls, it is flawed because it does not fullfill the poll criterion of inclusiveness of attributes. I can't push any of the buttons because it does not capture my assessment--lust, a few flaws(no laser,taser,mace and will not detect life forms as Spock's tricorder does) and, you'll have to kill me to take my iPhone.
Your poll has 3 attribute categories:
1-Appeal--Lust,love,like,Ok, dislike, hate, despise
2-Feature Set--Complete, Missing a few, OK for v1, missing too many basic ones, seriously flawed
3--Binary--Keep or not keep
I'm not sure I follow you. Anyway I find simple polls the best. Although some users are having trouble activating their phone, and are quite vocal about their dissatisfaction, I have yet to see someone disappointed after activation. I'm curious to see if a poll would back that observation up (realizing that it's not a scientifically valid poll).
FIRST AND ONLY TWO POSTS!!! and this freakin thread is already derailed... Thanks a lot guys...
Ahh didn't see you there SpinD **thanks*** for chiming in!
Amazing... where is 'over here' (Europe I'd assume) if so that really is amazing... 70+ Years old and in a country where Apple hasn't done ANY iPhone advertising (have they?) and yet he is already tuned into the iPhone... Wild.
Dave
I don't think my post derailed this thread at all. In fact it's results may support (or refute) your assertions.
I was just talking to my mom about it last night- she said basically 2 pieces of electronics have ever impressed her- the iPhone and the Wii.
That's exactly what I'm saying... The 'smart-phone industry' as it once was better have a game plan* to counter Apples assault on their segment or like they didn't with the iPod... Apple will BE the 'smart-phone industry'
* Not just the 'status quo' or empty promises of an iPhone Killer... They have to reinvent themselves and reinvent themselves quickly.
Dave
I'm not sure I follow you. Anyway I find simple polls the best. Although some users are having trouble activating their phone, and are quite vocal about their dissatisfaction, I have yet to see someone disappointed after activation. I'm curious to see if a poll would back that observation up (realizing that it's not a scientifically valid poll).
BTM,
A poll has to be all inclusive for its intended population. In your poll I can't choose"I love it" ,"It's feature set is not complete" and "I will keep it". Simple is not best, statistically speaking.
But yeah - she came up with the iPhone option all on her own, I'd never talked to her about it.
Mainstream consumers are intrigued. That's a huge shift for Apple computers, traditionally. (And yes, it's a handheld computer with a cell chip, more than a cell phone with PDA functionality glued on.)