iPhone 5: Apple Pulling Customers Into “Gravitational Field Of Loyalty”
The iPhone 5 was announced today, and around the Forrester blogs, analysts weighed in on what implications the product has on the consumer and enterprise markets and the very competitive smartphone marketplace.
Charles Golvin on market impact: “This is not about the iPhone 5 versus the Samsung Galaxy S III or the iPad versus the Kindle Fire HD; this is about customers’ attachment to the larger ecosystems that those devices inhabit. Amazon, Apple, Google, and Microsoft all aim to translate customers’ investments — of money, information, personalization, and social connections — into a gravitational field of loyalty so powerful that few customers will ever attain escape velocity. This market is still taking shape, but the iPhone 5 will markedly increase Apple’s pull, already the strongest out there.”
Sarah Rotman Epps on Apple’s role in the post-PC era: “Thinking about Apple’s post-PC perspective is important, because it tells us how they’ll approach competition as the post-PC era progresses. Apple didn’t launch an “iGlass” headset today, but they’re preparing for the day when the iPhone competes not just with the Samsung Galaxy S III, but with Google Glass as well. The next phase of computing won’t be a battle for our pockets (as this one has been), but for our sensor-laden bodies and the environments we inhabit. Apple is ready, and they won’t be the only ones.”
Tony Costa on the emergence of a more competitive smartphone market: “For the second year in a row, Apple has put forth significantly improved but underwhelming iPhones. Apple’s failure to continually bring new device innovations to the market allows competitors to catch up and threaten its iOS platform. . . . . Today, Apple’s iOS platform and ecosystem seem invincible. But all empires eventually crumble, and unless Apple ups its device innovation game, we may be seeing Apple’s iOS empire approaching its zenith.”
Ted Schadler on what the iPhone 5 means for CIOs: “CIOs need to tune into popular culture and divine what’s happening in the consumer market. . . . Apple generates enough excitement to force a refresh of its best customers — your employees. That means they will be giving their iPhone 4s and 4Ses to family, friends, and maybe their colleagues. That means more iPhones walking through the door on September 21st.”
Thomas Husson, on Near Field Communication (NFC): “Forrester stated recently that while the NFC ecosystem is maturing and opening up new opportunities beyond contactless payments, it is still early days for the technology. Apple seems to believe that neither the technology nor the market is ready yet. More specifically, this means that Apple hasn’t yet managed to put in place the experience that it would like to provide via NFC.”