It’s been bugging me for a pretty good while. Why do I love the Apple iPhone so damn much? Coming from the Windows Mobile camp (I used to be a hardcore WinMo fan – still am, just not as hardcore), and even having dabbled in the world of Nokia, I’ve been used to having the latest and greatest when it comes to hardware features – 3G, autofocusing cameras with incredible optics, WiFi, GPS, slide-out QWERTY keyboards, expandable memory, more third-party applications than I knew what to do with…the list goes on and on. So, why the hell do I love this iPhone that doesn’t even have MMS capability (not to mention the lack of video recording, expandable memory, or, most importantly, 3G)? I’m constantly defending this damn phone from the likes of, well, everyone. They flout their phone’s features as being superior to the iPhone. It’s always badass camera this, 3G data that.
Anyway, I digress.
I recently attended an interesting panel discussion regarding monetization strategies for anyone in the mobile industry, and Doppelganger CEO Tim Stevens, mentioned that the user interface is key to attracting users and helps drive online revenue in the mobile space. So, that got me thinking – does the mobile phone UI play a key role in attracting consumers? The answer I arrived at was, yes – at least in the coming years. Currently, attention is focused on hardware, but the future of the mobile industry is the UI. Let me explain.
As mobile phones become more powerful and packed to the gills with features (which is a good thing, by the way – viva la convergence!), all manufacturers will eventually have to offer the same features if they want to keep up with eachother. High-megapixel cameras, GPS, WiFi, mobile broadband, email, music – any manufacturer worth their salt in today’s market already has a device that offers most, if not all, of these high-end features. So, if hardware specs start to become more homogenized across the board, what aspect of the mobile experience will consumers base their purchase decisions upon? The answer is, the UI.
Sure, there will always be the low and mid-range devices that don’t offer every feature available on the market (keep in mind that as the industry advances, the low and mid-range phones will incorporate features that were once considered “high-end”), but these handset offerings will ride the wave that the high-end devices create.
So, what comprises the UI and why is it so damn important? Well, for the purpose of this argument, the UI is defined as the way you navigate through the devices features, hardware (or software) that allows you to input information, and the on-screen visuals. The UI will become increasingly more important as the consumer starts to demand a more cohesive, intuitive, and enjoyable user experience.
Now, this isn’t just an Apple fanboy’s declaration of love for the iPhone. As great as the virtual keyboard is, there is a steep learning curve (but I’ve gotten faster and more accurate on the iPhone keyboard than I had ever been on a hard-keyboard). I actually miss video recording (at least on my iPhone). GPS would be nice. But, to tell you the truth, I never really used MMS, and I don’t miss it.
I love my Windows Mobile devices (high-end feature sets, QWERTY keyboard, and touchscreen), and I have to admit that the Nokia N95 rocks for creating high-res photos and videos (despite shutter and shot-to-shot lag). Checking email on the iPhone is easy. Playing music is a breeze. Surfing the internet is an incredible joy (EDGE isn’t fast, but in real-world use it doesn’t slow-down the browsing experience that much – seriously, pages loaded slower on my AT&T Tilt and took just as long on the Nokia N95. I’m usually not editing word documents nor taking pictures/videos – so my iPhone is my day-to-day phone. So, what makes the the iPhone such a joy to use? It’s not the Apple logo. It’s not the exterior looks (I actually prefer the AT&T Tilt’s design). It’s the user experience, defined by the user interface – it’s the UI!
The UI is the future, and manufacturers are starting to realize that fact. Nokia is going with a touch-based S60. Motorola just bought a 50% stake in UIQ. Samsung has Croix. Apple has the iPhone. And therein lies the key to why the iPhone is such a success. The user interface on the iPhone is un-rivaled. Sure, it’s lacking in the hardware department, but Apple will eventually get it together and offer the same hardware specs that we’ve come to expect from high-end phones. But, the UI. Wow, the UI is incredible.
In that regard, Apple is ahead of the curve and the rest of the industry is going to play catch-up. Which is an easier task? Designing an incredible UI (which is largely based on subjective factors) or figuring out how to incorporate new hardware (which is merely a matter of sorting out the technical bits)? I would argue that developing an appealing UI is the more difficult task.
But then, there’s the issue of price. Most non-enthusiasts that I talk to love the iPhone, but the price is the major deterrent. On the flip-side, cost usually isn’t as big an issue with enthusiasts – and that bunch usually knocks the iPhone for lack of features. This isn’t an aspect of future-consumer decisions that I’ve put too much thought into, but I tend to think that the entire market will be driven by consumers that demand more out of their UI.
Now, you might disagree (and that’s what why we have a comments section), but mark my words. Consumers will be looking more towards the UI and less towards what hardware features are available. iPhone 2.0, here I come!