Why iPhone Could Change The Mobile Web
At the MacWorld Conference & Expo on January 9, 2006, Apple, Inc. CEO Steve Jobs unveiled a long-rumored product: iPhone. Apple is touting the iPhone as a revolutionary new device that is five years ahead of any other cell phone on the market. The phone combines a wide-screen iPod with phone and mobile Internet capabilities. Unlike most cell phones, the iPhone has just one button (the “home” button). Nearly all interaction with the device is performed using touch-screen technology.
What may prove to be most exciting about this phone for business users are the mobile Internet capabilities. While every high-end “smartphone” on the market touts Internet capabilities, the actual experience is usually very lackluster. The Web browsers shipping with phones today are severely crippled and render Web pages much differently than how they would look on your computer. While some Web sites may offer mobile versions, they are usually still difficult to browse and are still crippled to a degree. With the iPhone, Apple is hoping to completely change mobile Web browsing.
The iPhone uses the Safari Web browser, the same browser that ships with Apple’s Macintosh computers. In short, this means that iPhone will render Web pages exactly like they would look on your computer. When you first visit a Web page on the iPhone, the entire page is displayed on the screen. By simply using your fingers, you can zoom in on specific areas and pan around the page.
This has two major benefits. The first is that the powerful Web browsing capabilities could position the iPhone as a possible replacement for notebook computers. If you often carry around a notebook for just Web browsing or email, the iPhone could be a compelling alternative.
The second benefit, although more long term, is for business owners. Currently, it’s possible to create an optimized version of your Web site for mobile devices. However, in addition to taking more time and thus money, these mobile-specific Web sites simply don’t deliver the richness of a full-blown Web site. As more mobile phones follow in the foot steps of iPhone and begin to ship with “real” Web browsers, the days of creating crippled, mobile versions of a Web site may soon be over.
One major issue still faced today with mobile Internet is bandwidth. While mobile Internet speeds have increased over the years, the iPhone will not support one of the latest and fastest standards known as 3G. So while the iPhone will be capable of displaying a Web page as it was intended, it could take some time for said Web page to load. However, the iPhone does support Wi-Fi if you’re near a hotspot and future versions will likely add 3G support.
The iPhone will be available in June at two price points: $499 for a 4GB version and $599 for an 8GB version. The phone will be available only through Cingular and a two-year contract will be required.