iPhone: Planning vs. Implementation (REVISIT)

One year ago, in January of 2007 I posted an item about the introduction of the iPhone. Referencing the unorthodox nature of its advanced announcement and marketing efforts, and its intuitive interface, the analysis was one of those who would pay and those who would abstain. Quote from the original article:

What the iPhone does for us creative types is help provide an alternative to the highly formal blackberry or treo. We are no longer mislabeled by the phone we carry, and we can succumb to our ever-vocal choice in electronics

I would like to update this commentary, based on recent developments of the iPhone market.

The value embedded in owning the iPhone is incredible. Just like my previous analysis:

Apple knows it has cornered a certain type of market and is seeking to expand that market everyday (see the latest TV ads obviously geared towards older PC-using men).

There is incredible value in the conspicuous ownership of the iPhone, as is a functional benefit. Nonetheless, I still know of, and see, here in New York, many many people required to utilize two phones because of the ever-difficult business functionality of the iPhone. Blackberry and iPhone ownership represent the dual nature of the business telecommuter. One for play and one for work. The weak email application is partially to blame for this observation.

Additionally, the iPhone has lost control of its inventory. With over 1.7 MILLION phones missing, of the some 3.1 million produced, the "unlocked" iPhone black market is HUGE. A large percentage of these missing and unaccounted for phones are surfacing in markets where the iPhone does not even have a carrier arrangement: Thailand, Hong Kong, India, Eastern bloc european countries.

Here, the iPhone is unlocked and then distributed as a hacked phone, with the ability to insert a SIM card and use on local wireless carriers. This, I feel, is represented by the iPhone's strict standards because of their carrier contracts, like here in the US with AT&T.

The iPhone carries with it that inherent playful and intuitive value, that Apple so cleverly has accomplished in its brand recognition, yet the facts are cold and true:

• Millions of phones are already hacked and have circumvented Apple's ability to profit off of its carrier contracts.
• Apple does not utilize business productivity as one of the driving factors of selling its device, thus requiring many business people to keep two phones (one blackberry) if they want an iPhone
• The iPhone's post launch price drop and recent introduction of new and superior models have soured some Apple fans.

PREVIOUS POST, iPhone PLANNING VS IMPLEMENTATION

The Power of Viral Marketing

Recent efforts that I have started to further a notable cause was struck with hard negative pressure, in terms of my ability to secure and transmit the reason for being and purpose for joining in the cause for which I was working (Sustainability). This was until I secured the efforts of my efforts in viral marketing.

By utilizing my existing social networks and established and related facebook group, I was able to quickly (in 1/1000th the time) secure the syndicate of information for which I was seeking and able to see my registrations of interested people exponentially grow over two days.

Incredibly, messages sent through my facebook group for sustainability were returned within minutes, not hours or days, and with more enthusiasm than my face to face efforts at Parsons.

Moreover, membership in my group grew, hits to the official website generated with inertia.

Suggestive Authors on Our Current Ecological Crisis

We are in the starts of the crisis of our era, our degradation of our social and environmental framework. A large part of my personal education rotates around the sustainability movement. In one of my courses, I dissected different notable authors and their sociological explanations of why we are at this pith of human survival. The following short paragraphs are taken out of one of my final exams at Parsons.

Lynn White's thesis about Judeo-Christian anthropocentrism is a causal factor of our current ecological crisis. He states that because of prevailing Judeo-Christian values. From the start of religious experiences, we have seen values imposed upon followers which refer to anthropocentrism as a pivotal norm. The preachings and writings have led to a people-centered mindset, in terms of ecological harmonization. The values passed through religious medium instruct people that "man" has mastery over nature, and that we are to exploit its resources (to some degree). This implicates generations of environmental misconduct, leading to crisis.

Lewis Moncrief critiques Lynn White's thesis, and while he does not refute it, he writes an alternative explanation, which indirectly includes White's thesis. Moncrief writes that because of democratization and capitalism we have increased population, wealth, urbanization, and industrialization (India, China..). These resulting factors are, and have been, the cause of our environmental crises. Moncrief writes on White that, Judeo-Christian values did play a contributing factor to democratization and capitalism, and this could be indirectly involved. Moncrief also writes that environmental degradation has been occuring since before Judeo-Christian values prevailed.

-- Flash -- Age of Conversation Monkey Hits My Table

He wants a hug before he sends off to Ohio!

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What Am I Talking About?

I talk a lot of gibberish, but this is the age of conversation, and apparently somebody is listening while I am blabbing.

From the desk of B. Glazo:
Drew writes about the changes - including a move to Amazon - here. You still have time this week to grab a couple copies at the initial price level. It would be nice for the book to get a good bump before holiday time descends upon us. I mean, when was the last time you were able to be part of the Internet crashing to a standstill? Everybody seems to be talking about the news - Chris even suggests trying to explode the web on December 14 :)

Remember it comes down to helping Variety - its mission is children.

The quality, breadth and diversity of these contributors continues to astound me.

Gavin Heaton, Drew McLellan, CK, Valeria Maltoni, Emily Reed, Katie Chatfield, Greg Verdino, Mack Collier, Lewis Green, Ann Handley, Mike Sansone, Paul McEnany, Roger von Oech, Anna Farmery, David Armano, Bob Glaza, Mark Goren, Matt Dickman, Scott Monty, Richard Huntington, Cam Beck, David Reich, Luc Debaisieux, Sean Howard, Tim Jackson, Patrick Schaber, Roberta Rosenberg, Uwe Hook, Tony D. Clark, Todd Andrlik, Toby Bloomberg, Steve Woodruff, Steve Bannister, Steve Roesler, Stanley Johnson, Spike Jones, Nathan Snell, Simon Payn, Ryan Rasmussen, Ron Shevlin, Roger Anderson, Robert Hruzek, Rishi Desai, Phil Gerbyshak, Peter Corbett, Pete Deutschman, Nick Rice, Nick Wright, Michael Morton, Mark Earls, Mark Blair, Mario Vellandi, Lori Magno, Kristin Gorski, Kris Hoet, G. Kofi Annan, Kimberly Dawn Wells, Karl Long, Julie Fleischer, Jordan Behan, John La Grou, Joe Raasch, Jim Kukral, Jessica Hagy, Janet Green, Jamey Shiels, Dr. Graham Hill, Gia Facchini, Geert Desager, Gaurav Mishra, Gary Schoeniger, Gareth Kay, Faris Yakob, Emily Clasper, Ed Cotton, Dustin Jacobsen, Tom Clifford, David Polinchock, David Koopmans, David Brazeal, David Berkowitz, Carolyn Manning, Craig Wilson, Cord Silverstein, Connie Reece, Colin McKay, Chris Newlan, Chris Corrigan, Cedric Giorgi, Brian Reich, Becky Carroll, Arun Rajagopal, Andy Nulman, Amy Jussel, Kim Klaver, Sandy Renshaw, Susan Bird, Ryan Barrett, Troy Worman, CB Whittemore, S. Neil Vineberg