Anyone holding onto the notion that the iPhone 3G did not, or will not continue to, revolutionize the phone industry may find themselves increasingly alone. Since opening about 30 days ago, the iPhone app store has sold 60 million applications, according to Engadget.
Just as the iPod changed expectations of portable music, the iPhone is setting a standard that other phone manufacturers are scrambling to reach. While it’s hard to say that anyone has their finger on the pulse of consumer taste, Apple is certainly holding a fine-tuned stethoscope.
And once everyone catches up – and surely they will – who knows what will happen. The iPhone could become the Kleenex of next generation wireless. Or Apple-haters could turn a device like the Zune into serious competition. Or maybe carrier will take on Apple with it’s own app store!
What’s that, Fierce Wireless?
T-Mobile USA is developing a unified software store that would mimic Apple’s App Store but would work with every T-Mobile wireless device.
This strategy is a big departure for T-Mobile, which has always made mobile applications available through its deck. That deck often varies depending on the device and the operating system. According to reports, T-Mobile would offer a store for all its devices that could support simple Java apps and more sophisticated apps intended for operating systems such as Google Android and Windows Mobile.
This was confirmed today:
mocoNews is reporting that T-Mobile is getting ready to throw its sacred content deck wide open to all interested parties, adopting an App Store-esque model that lets Joe Developer submit his apps straight to the carrier. Once an application is approved, it’ll be made available on the deck in order of popularity with no unnecessary fiddling on T-Mobile’s part (good for them), and here’s where it gets really interesting: the exact details of the revenue share depend on the intensity of the app’s data consumption.
This is a new game for T-Mobile, and it’s going to be hard to play against Apple, which has only one device to worry about. But as phone buyers get accustomed to the ease of the app mall setup, it’s doubtful they’ll want to fuss with siloed applications. This is also more evidence of how mobile carriers are opening up their doors to survive.
As Jean Noël Kapferer points out in “[Re]inventing the Brand” – when products are universally excellent, it is the intangible values that will distinguish products and drive consumers. So the final victor may not be the one with the largest cellular mall, but the one who can influence consumer thinking first. Apple may have a head start, but the rest of the pack surely isn’t going down without a fight. We’ll see if T-mobile and other carriers/manufacturers can gather their strength and throw some decent punches.
