iPhone

GPhone

BlackBerry Bold

All of these play a critical role in our wonderful world of technology.  When it comes to the GPhone in particular, I feel like it's a Déjà Vu all over again.  In the early 80's there was Apple in its nice polished state (in its time), and Microsoft in its early stages of commoditizing the desktop operating system.  The "rich" could afford the Apple, but it wasn't available to the masses.

There are definitely lots of reasons for Apple to be nervous.  Google, in its usual fashion, takes a completely different angle on things, and isn't nearly as focused on the GPhone as they are on the platform and alliance that will enable any and every phone manufacturer to create a GPhone.

When Microsoft decided to commoditize the Operating System, history was written.

Google is a significant enabler in commoditizing the Operating System on the mobile device, and in the process setting itself up for a healthy advertising revenue on every single device, day after day.  Even Eric Schmidt acknowledges that a day will come where more revenue will come to Google from mobile devices than the desktop.  So, of course they'll focus on that.

The collective of all the phone manufacturers, developers and technology enthusiasts will outsell iPhone any day, and while they may never get the polish of the iPhone, they'll get better numbers.

The other significant element is in how Apple and Research in Motion have their hands in the data plan cookie jar.  Developed nations already have a mobile phone economy where that's the norm, but the majority of the planet's population still does not have an iPhone nor a BlackBerry, and won't be able to afford a data plan with so many hands taking their percentage.  The GPhone will make the cellular data plan optional, giving owners a lower Total Cost of Ownership.  Even with a data plan, it will be a deal between the customer and carrier only, thereby being less expensive than the iPhone or BlackBerry.

In the end, we as consumers and business users win by having more choices.

This entry was posted on Friday, August 22nd, 2008 at 12:40 pm and is filed under Nerds On Site. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.