The Motorola Droid is barely out of its wrapping paper and already we have a new Android-based device being called the iPhone killer, and this time it is a device that will be sold directly from Google. Currently referred to as the Nexus One, the new device is designed by Google and manufactured by HTC. It will be sold unlocked, but is rumored to be a GSM phone, which means it would work on AT&T and T-Mobile but not Verizon or Sprint.
This newest incarnation of the Google phone will be thinner than the iPhone, sport a super high-resolution OLED touchscreen, will utilize an on-screen keyboard rather than a physical keyboard, has a trackball and runs on the super-fast Snapdragon chipset. And, of course, it will also come with the usual stuff: 802.11b/g Wi-Fi, microSD expansion slot, Bluetooth 2.1 connectivity, etc.
No doubt it will be a great phone, but will it be an iPhone killer? Not likely.
There is no iPhone killer in sight.
As much as the media loves to prop up any new challenger as a potential iPhone killer -- whether that phone be a Palm Pre, a touchscreen Blackberry or just about any device based on Google's Android operating system -- there are two truths coming in our future:
1) The Android platform will overtake the iPhone within the next few years.
2) The iPhone will be the most popular smartphone for the foreseeable future.
There will not be a single iPhone killer. Google's platform may very well be destined to become the primary operating system for mobile devices, but it won't knock the iPhone off the mountain. Apple's smartphone will remain the overall best-selling device until something even more sexy and 'cool' arrives to take its place.
In many ways, this is similar to the Apple vs IBM PC/Microsoft battle that took place decades ago. And like the IBM-compatible, the Android platform will win because it is an open platform. We'll see Android-based phone after Android-based phone, each tailored to meet the needs of a specific audience, and as it increases in market share, so will it increase in the number and variety of apps designed for it.
But like the Mac, the iPhone will continue to be a well-designed easy-to-use device and one of the most powerful smartphones available. This will drive sales and keep it on the top of the mountain for the foreseeable future. And unlike the Apple vs IBM wars, the business sector will not push the standard, which means well-designed and easy-to-use will help keep the iPhone on top.
Will the iPhone get pushed off the mountain? Certainly. If we cry "iPhone-killer" enough times, we'll probably be right... eventually. But don't expect it to be the new Google phone.
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Comments
Though I am not sure what this new phone holds, or even an idea of the specs, I can say this with pure certainty.
The only reason that the iPhone still has the edge is that prior smart phones have always been limited.
It also has one hell of a head start. Though most people I know are jumping ship from getting an iPhone because of the carrier, and in doing so are trying other new smartphones and finding out that they are liking them. So it really is only a matter of time. The iPhone will be toppled and probably alot sooner than many think.
Motorola Droid is cool. I got mine using the service at www.amzpricesniper.com. It watched the Amazon inventory and the moment Amazon received fresh inventory at the regular retail price this obnoxious alarm went off.
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