If the cover reads or hints at something like “Apple could have a tough 2008 because competitors are gunning to topple it - and here’s how they will do it,” it will definitely get more of you to pick up a copy.

FastCompany is in the business of selling issues. An “everything’s not perfect for Apple” article does that.

With subscriptions down and single issue sales down as well for most mags, you can expect more articles with slight shock value in order to keep sales propped up.

What are the chances the article was written from the reporter’s Mac Book Pro with the occasional break to buy a new tune from iTunes or to take an incoming call on his / her iPhone from his / her editor on how the story is coming?

Like the walkman, the iPod will only last for some years. People need to carry less than 25 gizmos around. Hence the iPhone, the “convergent” device. But it should have VOIP (iChat; which nobody in the planet uses; skype would be great–It will hopefully have after the SDK).

The article basically assumes that the iPhone won’t evolve at Jobs pace. But it most likely will. Five years ago an iPod had 4GB, today it has 160Gb… if it continues at that pace, it will reach a terabyte soon (for HD video?). But storage isn’t the point. In four years, the iPhone should have a 10+megapixel camera, capable of capturing video, it will certainly have over 100Gb of memory, an included GPS, it could become a gaming platform, blah blah yadda yadda.

It has the potential to become the “convergent” device. Whether or not it will is in the hands of history. Jobs should be concerned with Android–a project certain to be a mess at start, but to rapidly catch up with the iPhone.

Apple might also launch a tiny iPod-nano-style phone, with a list of contacts to call, at a low price point. It is easier to fill new space (as the iPod did with mp3 players), than to capture space that’s been conquered (as the mac and the iPhone are trying to do).

You are right, Apple/Jobs has shown world that, what is possible when everything works as it should and its takes a real visionary to achieve that. But, at the same time its also very difficult to maintain that.

They come out almost as strong as they do when a novice apple suer posts a article on the apple forum about an issue with a apple product and then 10 minutes later sees that the post has been removed.

“grin”

Sorry, Steve: Here’s Why Apple Stores Won’t Work
http://www.businessweek.com/ma.....han=search

I wish I would have bought their stock back then. Hey, maybe you’re given me another chance!

http://fakesteveballmer.blogspot.com

The problem may be that Apple / Steve understands the US market perfectly… But has imperfect understanding of markets outside.

I see the problems with iPhone deployment in Europe as being:

1) The high cost of the unit in addition to (and most of all because of) the high cost of a fixed length contract is a serious financial commitment.

2) The lack of availability of an unlocked phone, in order to give choice of either provider or option to use pre-paid SIMs, shows a serious lack of understanding of the European market.

3) The premium price is not justified by the lack of development since the June release - the phone is still very much 1st generation, for the following and other reasons:

- The lack of 3G for such a high-priced (cost + contract) phone is intolerable.
- At the very least, a 16GB model should have been presented as an enticement.
- The software, while adapted to international formats (essential for release), has not had much other development, eg, the lack of MMS, notes syncing, other apps, etc.
- Apple seems to have spent more time revising its security lockdowns to prevent illicit unlocking - a fool’s errand that simply demonstrates how greedy they are for network revenue.

While the UI of the iPhone is superb and still state of the art, the slow pace of sales in the UK vs the US market demonstrates that Apple should not rest on those laurels alone.

Also the iphone product is not that convincing, e.x. there’s nothing of a hype surrounding the iphone in Germany and this is one of the key mobile markets. It’s not a success story yet. People don’t like that touchpad initiative and the device is far to large for mainstream usage.

I don’t think that Apple will crash but it’s hard to believe that Apple can repeat the ipod story in Germany.

just my 2 cents

That’s a lesson people might be missing.

Next….

when the competition is this lame, taking marketshare is easy-pickings