Many have been predicting for weeks over the weekend when apparently AT&T listed it on their website. Oops! The problem with all these predictions is there is no rationale other than it is cool. Who’s asking why? Why aren’t they? I believe the mobile handset market is as as the VoIP market was to Skype when it launched. They now know it is cool but they still don’t have real strategies for it. More importantly, Apple’s strategy won’t follow the expected course.
- Why go from aluminum to black plastic?
- Why black and not any color? Etc.
- What’s the real story here?
I think it is simple and the answer is in India and Asia where thriving repair markets exist, along with fakes, knockoffs and copies. In any of these markets there’s the knowledge and the desire to open cases etc. If you sell millions it is even more important to make them simple to repair or fix.
- How long to fix or repair an iPhone screen?
- How long to replace a back plate? Etc?
- What are cost effective ways to get great upgrades?
- How do I make my iPhone really different? Is another Encase enough?
There’s also one big difference. The iPhone modding market focuses on one handset; the iPhone. Apple is NOT going after a Nokia n-Series strategy. If the iPhone is to be more fashionable it will be accessorized rather than different versions. While one can expect an iPhone nano and iPhoneGiga (large touch screen page size) they make more sense than worrying about video’s, special cameras, bigger speakers etc. They will sell more when the iPhone has USB equivalents inside. Then it is more of a platform. The big deal here is there will be more iPhones sold than any single (except the low end phones) model. Thus mod’s in this form are more attractive and likely to emerge. There’s a whole hardware market for the iPhone coming!
You want to see ? Take a look at this customizer. Then think rupees rather than dollars. Not quite but plausible. Color cases will be everywhere. If you want steel etc will be an option too.
I better provide another reason. Within the year more iPhones will be sold outside the US than in it. I don’t know what the iPod market has done relative to the US; the iPhone market will do much better. The product is simply more compelling.
Research that could be interesting?
- Give me 50 iPhone 8 top repairers and some design / plastics people…. It’s a certain market opportunity. I can think of 4 or 5 very likely super mods that would fly very quickly. Some that are cheap and other that go much further.
- Evaluate the “repair market” and “iPhone Accessories” opportunities in emerging markets. The assumption that iPhone accessories are “wrapper” and “dock” related is dead.
- iTunes store impact in the Internat Cafe and or with the “repair dude”. Many users won’t have the access we have to iTunes stores. Expect the synch libraries to be managed and charged for… Eg I will load x thousand songs, these videos etc onto it. Is there any limit to the number of iPhones that can be registered to one PC?
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