The Apple iPhone completed its 5-year anniversary on June 29, 2012. Read reports of widespread anxiety amongst Apple fans from around the world – to celebrate this day. Unfortunately, Steve is not with us anymore; but am sure, looked down on Apple proudly from the heavens.
No mobile device in the history of electronics has been so influential – in terms of – design, UI, the perfect combo of software & hardware, applications, integration, look-n-feel, the touch and most importantly, developing a fanatical following amongst followers. An iPhone is special.
I had bought an Apple iPhone 3GS in Bangalore, around November 2010. Was the most advanced piece of mobile hardware / software on earth at that time. The company I was working for at that time – I still remember – on my floor of 500+ people, only myself had an iPhone. Cost me around – Rs. 45,000 for the set (locked with a carrier) – approx $808 today. Still remember the frenzy it created amongst my friends – had someone or the other come up to me every day, and wished to see it. The iPhone. The ‘special’ phone.
Till date – Apple has sold 315 million iOS (iPhone , iPad , iPod touch) devices. Out of which 220 million iPhones – 2G, 3G, 3GS, 4, 4S – all 5 models combined together. Thus, remaining 315-220 = 95 million devices are iPads & iPods.
Apple posted record breaking earnings for it Q1 2012 quarter which ended on Dec 31, 2011 clocking $46.33 billion with a profit of $13.06 billion.It managed to see 37.04 million iPhones , 15.43 million iPads and 15.4 million iPods and 5.2 million Macs. (Report)
But it has been a lot of hard work, passion, meticulous timing; and more important – a lot of squabbles with wannabe copycats like #Samsung and others trying to steal the new designs. Have they succeeded? As of now, Samsung’s Galaxy series is a sub-standard phone that failed to take off. Other companies have tried their best to create rip-offs and make some money, but failed. One such phone includes – Intel’s entry in mobile computing with Lava XOLO; which looks more like a candy bar box rather than a stylish smartphone.
In fact, 2012 has been extremely fruitful for Apple. Won a few cases against Samsung, resulting in blocking of sales of Samsung Galaxy phones in the US. Samsung tabs, imitated from Apple’s iPad, also lost the cases against Apple.
I often wonder why people worldwide like using an iPhone when the same features could be available on another smartphone from another company for half or even less the price? For me -its the design, the look-n-feel, the touch, the applications from App Store; and more importantly – the belief that am holding a piece of Steve Jobsian perfection, meticulousness and passion to create something – so unique, so special, and yet so simple. Its the nearest to what – perfection is.
Am looking forward for the iOS 6; and official release of the iPhone 5.
Am supremely confident, that the last bastion of copy cat phones – of the likes of #Samsung, will be over soon.
Palm is toast.
HP is toast.
Nokia is bankrupt and gone.
Microsoft is reeling. Confused and dead.
RIM has a few pathetic years left, till it finally shuts down.
Samsung engineers, shameless as they are, still continuing to copy iPhone designs & UIs. And yes, loose court battles – one after another.
In the forth-coming 5 years; its my personal prediction, that iOS devices will mostly dominate all the 3 spheres of mobile computing – smartphones, tablets & music devices.
So did you get your iPhone? Or are you still happy using that second rate BlackBerry or Android phone?
If you’re a thing of the past, well, don’t change.
If you’re a prospect for the future, do get an iPhone. š
See here, Steve Jobs Launching Apple iPhone at Macworld Expo 2007.
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