iPhone set to rule the smartphone world?

It's here, launch date the 19th of June - that's tomorrow, the new incarnation of the now infamous Apple iPhone.

I spoke of my undecided mind on the matter of getting a smartphone several months back; since then I still haven't dived in and committed my hard earned money to any option.

But too be honest, since then, nothing has come onto the market that has made me jump.

Quick review of what's hit the market since then:

• HTC Touch - never really wanted a Window's based smartphone, call me a fool, but I've had enough of Windows in my life already


• HTC G1 - never liked the fixed keyboard or the curved nature


• Samsung Tocco Lite and LG Viewty Smart - haven't really considered either after bad previous experiences with both mobile manufacturer


• Blackberry Storm - slow screen responsiveness, app issues


• HTC Magic - issue with the accelerometer, but other wise a possible


• Nokia N97 - rumoured to be released at the end of June, but I've been waiting so long I'm bored of the phone before it's even been released.

So where does that take me, well back to the iPhone. So what are the issues with the iPhone that so far have stopped me just opting for that?

Well for one, I've been happy with my network provider Orange. Other than a minor altercation that annoyed me where they charged me for a game that I never downloaded (who'd spend £5 for a game on the Nokia 6300?).

Moving over to O2 wasn't something I really wanted to do; for one their service in the Hope Valley leaves a lot to be desired.

Equally, with their monopoly on the iPhone, their pricing structure has been some what sharp. Their new phone would cost me just shy of £200 and that's before I've even made a call!

Also the old camera was poor and the OS wasn't unknown to the odd reboot or unexplainable hanging scenario.

But the issue is no one else is offering a phone with the same functionality, access to a good app supply and good design to compete with the iPhone.

This has seen Apple move up the third in the global share of the smartphone market. Now holding a 10.8% of the global smartphone market from just over 5% at the same time in 2008; Apple must be very pleased with themselves.

Some may be surprised that it is only 10.8% with the plentiful supply of iPhone users that can now be found in any semi-trendy bar on a Friday night. But RIM and Nokia have been in the smartphone market for a lot longer and have many more than just the one phone on the market with which to stake their claim.

So are we going to see this market share increase tomorrow with the new launch?

Well I think so. I think like me, there are a number of consumer out there that haven't yet bitten the smartphone bullet and they've been waiting to see what the competition has to offer before they commit their money to an 18-24 month contract.

In a quick survey of friends and colleagues that were in this conumdrum, 100% of them stated they were going to invest in the new iPhone. That's pretty substantial even amongst my small survey base.

Pre-orders I hear are already sold out, so I think we are going to see the queues of folk outside iPhone suppliers trying to get their hands on the new model across the country.

The question remains, when are we going to see a real contender attempt to steal the crown of the king of smartphones. At the moment it seems Apple can't put a foot wrong with the iPhone.


Related links:

Hunt for a smart phone hots up - Digital Signals http://www.digital-constructions.com/blog/2008/12/hunt-for-smart-phone-hots-up.html

Apple benefits from the rise of the smart phone - ars technica http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/2009/05/apple-benefits-from-rise-of-smartphones-iphone-share-doubles.ars

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