Digital Media Minute has written before about iPhone’s evolution into something more than a phone– here’s a thought-provoking article from Jason Kottke on the subject. For Kottke the Blackberry Storm, the Palm Pre, as well as devices running Android are all showing us where this device consolidation, favoring dedicated devices, is taking us. I do think that the iPhone has strengths that the others don’t have, but I agree with Kottke and the post is well worth your time.
Few technology and device-making companies probably realize it, but they are in direct competition with Apple (or soon will be). How did this happen? Well, the iPhone1 does a lot of useful things pretty well, well enough that it is replacing several specialized devices that do one or two things really well. Space in backpacks, pockets, and purses is a finite resource, as is money (obviously). As a result, many are opting to carry only the iPhone with them when they might have toted several devices around. Here is a short list of devices with capabilities duplicated to some degree by the iPhone:
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Excellent article. It has to be killing you your phone is on the fritz right now.