PETER ZABALLOS: Are the Kindle and the iPhone the exceptions in the mobile market, or are they the first of two landmarks in a entirely new landscape?
What these two consumer products have in common -- and what makes them different -- is they are mobile devices with blockbuster user experiences that connect to the Internet. And oh yeah, they use the cell phone network to make that connection.
But while that’s remarkable, what makes them capable of transforming the landscape is that Amazon and Apple have finally succeeded in “unbundling” the user experience and device from the mobile service.
In the case of the Kindle, you don’t even know that Sprint provides the connection -- it just comes with the product.
With the iPhone, you know it’s there only because AT&T is who you pay your monthly bill to. But the user experience? That’s 100 percent Amazon or Apple.
Need proof? Just walk up to someone who has a Kindle -- including the new DX version that launched today -- and ask them how they like it. But give yourself 20 minutes to listen, because you’ll need it. And the word “Sprint” will never be mentioned.
BACK IN THE USSR
It didn’t used to be that way. For years the mobile carriers wanted us to believe they weren’t just providers of a commodity. They even convinced themselves they weren’t and built businesses around that belief. And for a while we sort of believed them too, back when the Razr was what we thought of as “good.”
more
No comments:
Post a Comment