Last June, everyone went ga-ga over the original iPhone, forming lines that stretched for blocks. Now, as the release of the 3G version draws near, anticipation is growing all over again.
The new iPhone, which hits shelves this Friday, will have more tricks than just a faster browsing speed. It will come with built-in GPS, for one. Many wondered why the original iPhone didn’t have this function, and though Wifi came to the rescue, the superior accuracy of GPS location awareness was still in demand. Support for enterprise Microsoft Exchange is also on the new version, meaning Blackberry will no longer dominate Corporate sales.
Apple’s cash cow will be its new App Store. Capitalizing on the recent SDK frenzy, the storefront sells applications for the iPhone on the device itself via WiFi or the 3G network. According to M:Metrics research, 75% of iPhone users are downloading third party applications. Thus, analysts predict that the new storefront will be worth $1.2 billion by next year.
The iPhone has without a doubt proved the mass-market viability of advanced mobile functions. A previous report contained some similarly staggering numbers:
- 85 percent of iPhone users accessed news and information in January 2008
- 30.9 percent of iPhone owners watched mobile TV or video, versus a 4.6 market average, and more than double the rate for all smartphone users
- Usage of social networking is also popular among iPhone users: 49.7 percent accessed a social networking site in January, nearly twelve times the market average
Considering its price cut and improved performance, iPhone 3G will likely introduce more and more non-nerds to the wonders of mobile technology–and Jobs will continue to reap the profits. Is that your iPhone ringing? Or Apple’s cash registers?
