01.19.2007 The iPhone - Why you will probably want one By - Chris
Bell

D on't ask why. No one knows. But when Steve Jobs speaks, the world
listens. Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple Computers has some sort of sixth...or
sick...sense of what consumers want. What's more impressive than his
product instinct is his sense of timing. Here is the G2 on Apple, its
founder, and their latest invention, the iPhone.

Jobs founded Apple Computer in the late 70s and the company quickly
became an American icon. It bravely took on the seemingly unbeatable
triad of IBM, Microsoft, and Intel who controlled the then emerging PC
business. Apple thrived until the mid 80s when Jobs was forced out by a
board of directors made up of Wall Street stuffed shirts who thought
they knew better. Jobs left and went off to found a little animation
company called Pixar. Jobs had the wacky idea that new computer
technology would make producing animated films economical again. More
importantly, he believed consumers would shell out $10 bucks to see
movies like Toy Story. And, of course, he was absolutely right on both
fronts. He later sold Pixar to Disney making him one of the largest
single shareholders of Disney stock.

Meanwhile, the new management team at Apple did their best to crash the
company into the side of a mountain.

Then in 1997, like America liberating Paris, Jobs returned to save the
almost bankrupt Apple. And the rest...as they say...is history.

Of course, while Apple has done well reinventing its computer business,
the real catalyst of what some consider a miraculous recovery was the
introduction of the iPod. If you study the history of the MP3 player,
you will quickly find that the iPod came literally years after the
introduction of the technology by other companies like monster consumer
electronics firm Sony. So how did Apple so quickly, almost
effortlessly, take control of the MP3 market from big players like Sony
who had at least a 24 month head start? Honestly, it's too much to go
into here, but it all comes down to timing and marketing. And as we
watch the introduction of Apple's latest contraption, the iPhone,
it's hard not to wonder if they will do it again.

The fact is, the iPhone is just one in a long list of multi-tasking
pocket devices. The iPhone is part phone, camera, MP3 player, email
client, text messenger, video player and more! While the iPhone
includes an impressive list of features, at first blush, it's not
clear why it's any better than the latest Blackberry or Treo.
Furthermore, why would anyone believe Apple is going to be successful
in the cell phone business? After all, companies like Motorola and
Nokia have been in the wireless phone business for more than 20 years!

However, there is one huge difference....the iPhone is from Apple and
everything else is not. Don't forget, Apple has one of the most
impressive track records of any company in history when it comes to
entering a market late in the game and still finding a way to be a
dominant player.

Only time will tell, but here at G2, we have a sneaking feeling that by
December the iPhone will be the must have Christmas present for many of
America's rabid gadget freaks.

You can learn more about the Apple iPhone by visiting www.apple.com.
Let us know what you think by posting your comments below.

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