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I don't think the iPhone was so much a bet as it was an escape from a dying market. It's Apple's answer to the 2004 problem: "All phones will soon include fr

I don't think the iPhone was so much a bet as it was an escape from a dying market. It's Apple's answer to the 2004 problem: "All phones will soon include free MP3 players. As this will eliminate the iPod cash cow, how do we compete with these new telecom competitors? "Answer: We'll add a phone to our MP3 player."

martythemaniak 18y ago
Very true, which is why the iPhone came as a surprise to absolutely no one with a clue. This is evident by the fact that it's primary purpose is to serve as a nice multimedia player and internet browser, but nothing really productive. I say this from experience. I used to use my blackberry (sometimes heavily) for work. I have an iphone now and can't fathom doing anything approaching work with it.
axod 18y ago
Funny thing is the killer feature of the iPhone is not that it has a phone. It's that it is a decent portable pocket internet tablet with edge/3g/wifi. The fact it's called the i"Phone" is quite weird in a way I think, as I'm sure 90% of the usage on it is not phone related for most people. I had mine a couple of weeks before I used it for making a voice call... So I see it more as a "How can we make a cool pocket macbook which has a killer browser" rather than how to save the iPod. After all, no other mobile browser can compete at the moment.
- netcan 18y ago
  Yes that's true. But it still plays in the phone league. It replaces a purchase of another phone. If hadn't bought an iphone, you probably would have bought a nokia.
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raganwald 18y ago
"Answer: We'll add a phone to our MP3 player." The beauty of Apple's approach is that rather than allowing phones to make playing music a secondary feature of phones, they have found a way to make voice calls a feature of portable tablet computers. And while they were at it, they made playing music a secondary feature of portable tablet computers as well.

martythemaniak 18y ago

Very true, which is why the iPhone came as a surprise to absolutely no one with a clue. This is evident by the fact that it's primary purpose is to serve as a nice multimedia player and internet browser, but nothing really productive. I say this from experience. I used to use my blackberry (sometimes heavily) for work. I have an iphone now and can't fathom doing anything approaching work with it.

axod 18y ago

Funny thing is the killer feature of the iPhone is not that it has a phone. It's that it is a decent portable pocket internet tablet with edge/3g/wifi. The fact it's called the i"Phone" is quite weird in a way I think, as I'm sure 90% of the usage on it is not phone related for most people. I had mine a couple of weeks before I used it for making a voice call... So I see it more as a "How can we make a cool pocket macbook which has a killer browser" rather than how to save the iPod. After all, no other mobile browser can compete at the moment.

netcan 18y ago
Yes that's true. But it still plays in the phone league. It replaces a purchase of another phone. If hadn't bought an iphone, you probably would have bought a nokia.

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raganwald 18y ago

"Answer: We'll add a phone to our MP3 player." The beauty of Apple's approach is that rather than allowing phones to make playing music a secondary feature of phones, they have found a way to make voice calls a feature of portable tablet computers. And while they were at it, they made playing music a secondary feature of portable tablet computers as well.