iPhone 4

Has anyone seen the new iPhone? It’s the latest and greatest in the iPhone line. It now has 2 cameras, one on the front of the phone for video calls. It will run you the same standard $199, and the 3GS price has been lowered to $99.

Personally I am not a fan of the iPhone. I like my BlackBerry; it does everything I need and more. Right now Apples biggest selling point is the huge amount of apps they offer. They currently offer over 200,000 apps to their users. These are mostly useless, and I think it would take you longer to browse all of these apps than it would to write one yourself.

Right now the iPhone’s biggest competitor is Google’s Android OS, which has already overtaken iPhone’s OS market share and is now second only to BlackBerry in the Smartphone market. Google does not yet have nearly as many apps as Apple’s app store, but consumer surveys show that consumers who have used both devices app modules find that Google has better functioning and more useful apps. Apple places many restrictions on their devices, making it harder for developers to make an app that performs as it should.

Google also wins out because it does not have a proprietary device and can be installed on any number of hardware compatible platforms, from the highest end devices, such as the new Droid Incredible by HTC, to lower end, more affordable options, such as the LG Ally. As I said before, Apple is focusing on their huge app store as a selling point, because new Android phones are bringing bigger and better hardware to the table. The 2 newest Android devices, the Droid Incredible from Verizon and the HTC Evo 4G from Sprint, bring better hardware options to the table. Both have larger screens, they boast better cameras, the Incredible has a 1GHz SnapDragon processor, and the Evo is the first 4G Smartphone.

Apple’s argument is they have a higher resolution screen, and they are relying on brand recognition and their app store to sell their device. I think Apple missed the fact that many consumers are brought in by the very obvious, outward features. I always dive all the way in and look at the smallest details, many consumers do not. They are going to look at screen size, not a slight increase in resolution. The Incredible has an 8 Mega pixel camera, and a larger screen, plus huge processing power. Consumers who aren’t drawn in by the brand are going to look at these outwardly advertised details to make their choice. Having used the iPhone 3GS and having seen the release presentation by Apple CEO Steve Jobs (very glitchy, by the way), and having used Android and the Incredible, I can easily make my decision. Based just on functionality and the user interface, Android immediately pulled me in. Based on hardware and outwardly advertised features, the Android phones also win out. Little by little, Apple is losing their market share. They need to get inventive, and quickly.