Apple iPhone

What made the iPod such as hit? Can the iPhone replicate this success? Motorola are betting on the affirmative and will be demonstrating their co-developed handset very soon. Having already announced that it will be at a mid-range price, expect the functionality to be reasonably simple – with the noted exception that it will allow purchases and playback of music from the iTunes Store. Imagine a phone with:

- the iPod’s simple interface
- Apple’s industrial design influence
- The ability to browse and purchase music
- Enough storage for your current top 10 (?) tracks.

This should make carriers reconsider their revenue forecasts for mobile music (if you sync with your PC, you don’t need to pay exorbitant mobile data costs for download). Their response to this will be interesting. It’s doubtful they can afford not to support what is clearly going to be a popular handset. And when the iTunes Australian store finally releases, Apple Australia will be getting more than their share of press.