When the iPod appeared, there was no broad-based, well known company who had something like it. Apple producedthe iPod, and partly through luck, partly through skill they had a design and feature set that worked (and I say luck because it's always an element). Plus, the thing was stand-alone, and would work just fine no matter what other "stuff" you may have.
The iPhone, though, is tied to Cingular. And, like it or not, it's not "revolutionary". It may (or may not) be "the best" implementation of what it does, but Nokia and Sony and the rest all have phone/camera/MP3 player/browser products, so Apple is jumping into a pool which is already occupied.
The best indicator that Apple knows all this is the fact that their ads include verbiage along the lines "there's never been an iPod like this". Apple seem to want people to look at the iPhone as an iPod with extra stuff. And that's a hard strategy to knock. But it's limited, primarily to those who want the extra stuff (e.g. watching videos... ick?) and who aren't encumbered by the Cingular-only stuff.
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Why iPhone is not an iPod...
... at least, with regards to the early adopters.
When the iPod appeared, there was no broad-based, well known company who had something like it. Apple producedthe iPod, and partly through luck, partly through skill they had a design and feature set that worked (and I say luck because it's always an element). Plus, the thing was stand-alone, and would work just fine no matter what other "stuff" you may have.
The iPhone, though, is tied to Cingular. And, like it or not, it's not "revolutionary". It may (or may not) be "the best" implementation of what it does, but Nokia and Sony and the rest all have phone/camera/MP3 player/browser products, so Apple is jumping into a pool which is already occupied.
The best indicator that Apple knows all this is the fact that their ads include verbiage along the lines "there's never been an iPod like this". Apple seem to want people to look at the iPhone as an iPod with extra stuff. And that's a hard strategy to knock. But it's limited, primarily to those who want the extra stuff (e.g. watching videos... ick?) and who aren't encumbered by the Cingular-only stuff.