Here's a few observations:
1. Few manufacturers, if any, go to this length to simultaneously evangelize the concept and explain/teach usage of the features. A lot of times it's a 1-2-3 text description on a manufacturer site that isn't descriptive enough or helpful.
2. The keyboard has some attributes that directly address almost every one of the complaints/concerns of using a non-tactile keyboard. I won't go into much detail about them as you can go to Apple's site and see the keyboard video for yourself.
3. The configuration process takes less than one tenth the time it does to activate a system on AT&T's own internal computer network... literally less than five minutes total; and the management/synching and software updating, all done through iTunes, are ridiculously easy. This is going to be a bigger selling point than some anticipate... because today it's all about instant gratification. If you don't believe me... then ask yourself why cell phone manufacturers now ship rapid chargers standard when they used to be optional only and cost $100.
After seeing the videos and learning more that I didn't know, I'm even more astonished than ever. Forget the feature debates... Features do not drive psychological desire in quite the way, or nearly on the same order of magnitude as aesthetic appeal does. As functional as they have proven themselves over the decades, still no one gets rabidly excited about manila folders... People buy necessities because they have to, but when someone WANTS something... that is a far greater psychological pull. There's no rationality required in the purchase decision... sex appeal alone can yank that customer out of the hallway and onto the sales floor. Note that Apple's store environments are sterile and white... this is to make their products stand out as much as possible. I swear you go into Best Buy and you cannot tell where the endcap marketing splashes and store fixtures end and the products begin. Product camouflage is not a good thing.
Again this is not about 2.5G or 3G or SMS or physical keyboards (of course when you see HOW this keyboard works, predicts, corrects and contextualizes its interface, you'll never miss a physical keyboard). This is not about gizmos and bells and whistles... this is about setting an entirely unprecedented expectation of service which none of their competitors can meet even if they do come up with a multitouch phone... the OS and the internet configuration integration will always be well behind Apple's which will continuously improve.
Apple has set the bar WAY above... to a whole new class of customer service and usability benchmarks that rightly should have Motorola, Nokia, Palm, and all of AT&T's competitors very, very scared.
1. Few manufacturers, if any, go to this length to simultaneously evangelize the concept and explain/teach usage of the features. A lot of times it's a 1-2-3 text description on a manufacturer site that isn't descriptive enough or helpful.
2. The keyboard has some attributes that directly address almost every one of the complaints/concerns of using a non-tactile keyboard. I won't go into much detail about them as you can go to Apple's site and see the keyboard video for yourself.
3. The configuration process takes less than one tenth the time it does to activate a system on AT&T's own internal computer network... literally less than five minutes total; and the management/synching and software updating, all done through iTunes, are ridiculously easy. This is going to be a bigger selling point than some anticipate... because today it's all about instant gratification. If you don't believe me... then ask yourself why cell phone manufacturers now ship rapid chargers standard when they used to be optional only and cost $100.
After seeing the videos and learning more that I didn't know, I'm even more astonished than ever. Forget the feature debates... Features do not drive psychological desire in quite the way, or nearly on the same order of magnitude as aesthetic appeal does. As functional as they have proven themselves over the decades, still no one gets rabidly excited about manila folders... People buy necessities because they have to, but when someone WANTS something... that is a far greater psychological pull. There's no rationality required in the purchase decision... sex appeal alone can yank that customer out of the hallway and onto the sales floor. Note that Apple's store environments are sterile and white... this is to make their products stand out as much as possible. I swear you go into Best Buy and you cannot tell where the endcap marketing splashes and store fixtures end and the products begin. Product camouflage is not a good thing.
Again this is not about 2.5G or 3G or SMS or physical keyboards (of course when you see HOW this keyboard works, predicts, corrects and contextualizes its interface, you'll never miss a physical keyboard). This is not about gizmos and bells and whistles... this is about setting an entirely unprecedented expectation of service which none of their competitors can meet even if they do come up with a multitouch phone... the OS and the internet configuration integration will always be well behind Apple's which will continuously improve.
Apple has set the bar WAY above... to a whole new class of customer service and usability benchmarks that rightly should have Motorola, Nokia, Palm, and all of AT&T's competitors very, very scared.