iPhone 4S Cements Apple's Product Strategy Leadership Position

Let's face it: Many observers, anticipating a redesign and a raft of hardware innovations, reacted with disappointment to Apple's iPhone 4S unveiling. Does it matter? No. Why? Because Apple launched more than just a single phone — it launched three products (iPhone 4S, iCloud. and iOS 5) that will span experiences across a wide range of Apple products. Software and services will increasingly differentiate product experiences and extend customer loyalty. Product strategists in other industries can learn from Apple by designing experiences that bridge the increasingly diverse range of connected devices. They can also learn from Apple's ability to resist the tendency to add the latest technologies to its products and from its capacity for taking risks. Indeed, we believe that Apple's decision to differentiate the iPhone 4S with the Siri voice-controlled intelligent assistant is a bet on a new user interface (UI) paradigm.