Cometh the iPhone
I stumbled across an interesting article on the Guardian here (free registration required) on the possibility of Apple entering the mobile phone market shortly.
The mythical "iPhone" - an Apple designed combination of iPod and phone - has been rumoured for years, and most recently came to an apparently disappointing head with the release of Motorola's ROKR phone - a slightly chubby, bog standard Motorola design with iPod software and iTunes compatibility, but with a software-imposed 100 song limit. This weak attempt to enter the phone market without damaging iPod sales was met with some disdain, and with rivals like Sony Ericsson launching phones that can easily take a thousand songs, it seemed like far too little too late. Now however, there are increasingly firm reports that Apple have taken the design and concept into their own hands and begun the manufacture of a new Apple branded phone. What's even more interesting is the possibility that they won't be selling these phones through the conventional networks, allowing giants like Vodafone and Cingular (in the US) to call the shots, but retailing directly to customers with an emphasis on building in their own products and services.
Details on the iPhone itself are still scant, although it's fair to assume it'll have a good music player and reasonable storage, and a 2mp camera has also been touted. One of the big questions is which OS it'll use - Apple may well have their own, but Symbian might be another natural choice, and as the Guardian reports the Symbian people aren't denying their involvement. If Apple do go it alone without the operators and flog it in the same way as an iPod, we could well see a shifting in control from the big networks to manufacturers, and an end to the subsidised phone model of old in favour of greater competition and more innovative design. I'll still be buying Sony Ericsson's though.
who needs it ?
do people want their phone and their Pod shackled together though ? I know I don't. These things develop at different rates and I'd prefer the freedom to change either when I want to. I'd also prefer not to lose both Plod and phone the next time I have a senior moment on the train. And I wouldn't want to see the pleasing simplicity of the Pod's interface compromised by all the gubbins that comes with a phone these days. So, just so's you know, I won't be investing...
I heard that the Walkman
I heard that the Walkman phone asks you when you turn it on if you want to turn on the phone and mp3 player, or just the mp3 player. Which is quite useful. I don't necessarily want my phone on, when I want to listen to music.
I think all the new SE
I think all the new SE phones (Walkman and otherwise) have "flight mode" which lets you use the music player and other functions, without turning the radio on - so the phone side is still switched off.
Personally I think the two coming together is inevitable - phones are already in everyone's pockets whether they can play music or otherwise, and standalone Ipods naturally become a little redundant when your phone, which you have with you much more often, does the same job anyway. As music-playing becomes standard in most new phone models, Apple are already losing out in itunes sales as people switch to generic standards instead. At the end of the day, if Vodafone have just given you a Walkman phone with 4gb storage for next to nothing, why would you then go out and buy a Nano?
I'd prefer to carry one multi-purpose tool in my pocket than separate gadgets, particularly when they clash to some extent - for example, if you're listening to your ipod you could easily miss a phone call, whereas with a walkman phone the call gets piped straight through to your headphones. That doesn't mean to say you can't escape the phone of course - there's always flight mode for that - it just means you at least have the choice of remaining on call.