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What can phone companies learn from the iPod?
Nokia has become the latest company to roll out an 'iPhone killer.' The new touch-screen phone will also feature built-in java and DVB-H mobile connectivity. The device will also likely feature Wi-Fi or HDSPA connectivity.
Given Nokia's heavyweight status on the mobile phone market, it's also likely that the company will be able to sell its phone at a lower price than Apple.
So, to review: Nokia's phone will have more features, a lower price tag, and the support of one of the biggest vendors in the industry. Sounds like Apple is dead in the water, right?
Not if history is any indication.
To see the uphill battle it will face, Nokia needs to look no further than the last great Apple gadget: the iPod.
Throughout the history of the iPod, there have been competitive devices that, for all practical purposes, looked like better devices. There were vendors who were in the portable media player market long before Apple that would have appeared to have an edge. And yet, the iPod beat them, and beat them good.
We all know what the most famous failed "iPod killer" was...
But that one is just too easy, so let's use the example of the Creative Zen player instead. Several years ago, the Zen was sporting a full-color interface, a removable battery, and the ability to play movies.
What happened then? Well, the Zen's clunky interface and awkward "menu" and "back" button navigation didn't help. Neither did its clunky size, which was more suited for a backpack than a hipster's front pocket. And of course the rise of the iTunes music store definitely hurt the Zen.
The pervasive theme was that despite all of its superior features, the Zen wasn't an iPod. It wasn't sleek, sexy, and simple. The bells and whistles weighted it down, it was a swiss army knife at a time when people just wanted a nail file.
If Nokia, and other mobile phone vendors want to take on the iPhone and win, they'll have to start by not trying to make an "iPhone killer." One-upping Apple on features often does not work, because Apple doesn't emphasize features so much as it emphasizes a user experience. The real iPhone killer will have to take this into account, and be designed not as "iPhone +1", but as "iPhone reinvented."
To even begin to compete with Apple, make it fun enough for 7 yr. olds to enjoy and simple enough for 70 yr. olds to understand. Build on top of that a sleek design and the features that are actually useful (share music with someone 10 ft. from you? WTH?? No one wants to hear what anyone else is listening to) and you can then say you wish to compete with Apple.
Posted by El Fez | April 9, 2008 1:34 PM