Is the iPhone Really a Threat?
I stumbled upon the headline, "iPhone a True Threat to Windows Mobile" on the blogosphere the other day and couldn't help but chuckle a bit. How can the iPhone be a threat when millions of us can't even use it because we're not AT&T Wireless customers? Personally, I'm not in a position to pay to break my Verizon Wireless contract - which has five family phones on the plan - so I can pay $500 for an iPhone, sign a two-year contract with AT&T Wireless and still not be able to manage my e-mail in the tunnel between the Woodley Park and Dupont Circle Metro stations.
Don't get me wrong. The iPhone could be revolutionary to mobile communications. The touch screen technology, the WiFi connectivity, its approach to mobile Web surfing and - my favorite - the interface for managing voice mail are all cool concepts. Just a few days ago, not long after the iPhone launched, I ducked into a Verizon Wireless store to see the new offerings in phones. There was a decent selection and it included several phones running Windows Mobile software. But the closest iPhone was down the street at the Cingular store (the signs haven't been changed to AT&T yet.)
Meanwhile, across town, a hearing of the House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet yesterday is being dubbed the "iPhone hearing" because lawmakers were calling for a more open wireless system where any device could be used on any wireless network. Chariman Ed Markey (D-Mass.) said the iPhone highlights both the promise and the problems with today's state of wireless communications. The iPhone, he said, demonstrates the "sheer brilliance" of wireless engineering but also raises questions as to why consumers can't use it on any network.
But opponents to an open-access proposal counter that the wireless market is already competitive and that the competition forces wireless carriers to invest in new products and network improvements that benefit consumers.
Over at the Verizon store on L Street last week, there were a lot of choices - but none for me. I'm now on my third Treo 700p, replaced twice because of problems with the device itself, never the network. I'd like to give the iPhone a try, as would many others. But not so long as I pay Verizon every month. The hackers are busy both here in the states and overseas trying to find a way to "unlock" the iPhone so it works on other networks. But so far, I haven't heard of any successes - and Apple is usually pretty good at closing the open doors that hackers find.
I guess I'll just cross my fingers and hope that the third time is the charm for me and my Treo.
