So, what’s your take on the new 3G iPhone?

When I blogged about the new 3G iPhone, I didn’t look into the data plans and other stuff related to it. I blogged about its features, its cool apps, and of course, its discounted price. Apparently, not everyone is happy about that.

Both the New York Times and CNN have stories regarding the 3G iPhone and while the former says that it’s a step backward for the consumers, the latter says that it’s not so cheap after all. The bottom line of both stories - though the new iPhone looks cheaper, it’s actually more expensive than the old one as it has more hidden costs. Let me explain.

Though the prices for the 8GB and 16GB 3G iPhones have been slashed, AT&T will actually pay way more than what it will charge its customers. It means, it has to recover its costs in some other way. So, the rate of the data plans will be increased. Also, you have to sign an exclusive contract with AT&T for the new iPhone for two years and should you try to terminate the contract before that period, you’ll have to pay a hefty termination fee.

Let’s do a little math.

You pay $199 for the new 8 GB iPhone and pay $69.99 per month whereas you paid $399 for the old iPhone and paid $59.99 per month. So, for a period of two years, the new iPhone will cost you $40 more than the old iPhone.

Considering this huge amount of $40 for a period of two years, both the New York Times and CNN have decided that the new iPhone is costlier. I have nothing against their point of view, but then I’d have to say that it’s utterly myopic to come to such a conclusion.

The $40 increase they talk about is not something you pay at the time of purchase. You pay an extra $10 per month, which I think is completely reasonable considering the features I get to use in this phone.

Now, to the people who point at the iPhone and cry it’s costlier. I ask you - is it necessary to split hairs over an increase of $40 for two years? Is it that big a deal? Wow; it amounts to a whopping 5.6 cents per day. Is it that big an amount to stop you from buying a better, faster, improved phone? Anyone has answers?

Categories: Apple iPhone, All things mobile phones.

1 comment.

Watch what you say about Apple

Regular readers of this blog might know that I’m not exactly a politically correct person and I say just what I want to say. I’ve written for and against a lot of issues regarding mobile phones, mobile phone advertising, and other things. But from now on, I shall restrain myself when I write about Apple iPhone. Or anything Apple for that matter. Not that I’ve changed my writing style or taken a course on political correctness or something. I read the New York Times today. Dan Mitchell had something to say about Apple fans and their so called ‘thin skin.’ Read it and decide it for yourself.

Categories: Rant, Apple iPhone, All things mobile phones.

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Do you own a Google share?

I’m one of those poor souls that can’t afford to buy Google’s shares and believe me I’m kicking myself for being one. Especially, after reading this report from New York Times.

2007 was a great year for technology funds with returns over 17% and it could be even better in 2008. Especially, Google’s shares could make a huge difference in your portfolio. To give you an idea, a single share from Google will cost you $690 as of now. It is expected to go up to a whopping $900 this year, making it one of the costliest stocks in the market. Wait; why is this blog suddenly turning into a stock market blog? There’s a reason, a pretty good one.

Google’s entry into the mobile advertising industry has put it in a much better position than before. Industry experts say that if a mobile user does a Google search on his mobile phone, just once a week, it could mean huge money for Google, adding up to its revenues. Just imagine, if the mobile user uses Google search just once a week, it could have that big an impact on its revenue. I’m sure as hell that the number of searches per user could be a LOT more than that. Imagine the kind of revenue Google can make and the kind of growth its stock can have. Now, you understand why I’m kicking myself for not having bought a Google share; right? What about you?

Categories: Google.

2 comments.

Cellphone advertising in 2007 - A review

2007 is almost over and we’re eagerly expecting the arrival of the New Year. So, it’s that time of the year when people look back at their silly mistakes, achievements (if any), resolutions they made, and all other useless stuff. I’m not gonna do any of them; don’t worry. Instead, I’m gonna look back at the cellphone advertising and marketing industry and share some of my thoughts with you.

The single biggest event that changed the course of the cellphone advertising and marketing industry was the launch of the Apple iPhone. It was more than just a phone and the truckload of features made it a favorite with users instantly. At a time when cellphone advertisers were thinking about advertising via text messaging and banner ads, the Wi-Fi enabled iPhone offered them a hell lot of options. Interestingly, iPhone is not the only phone in the market with such features. Blackberry, AT & T and T-Mobile Network phones, and a few models from Nokia also have Wi-Fi facility and other features that the iPhone boasts of. But the most important difference was in the way Apple marketed their product. The enormous hype created before the launch of iPhone was simply never heard of in the market before and thankfully, it lived up to the hype.

The second biggest event, in fact the one that almost outshone Apple iPhone was the launch of Google Android. Google had been timing the market to take the plunge for a long time and speculations were running wild. A lot of market experts and market watchers (including yours truly) had predicted that Google would come up with Google Phone, which could be the fitting answer for the iPhone. But when Google announced that it will not develop its own phone, at least in the near future, they had their foot firmly in their mouth. But Google Android proved out to be a bigger success, considering the buzz it created in the market. With its Open Handset Alliance with 30 plus big names, Google simply stole the show from the iPhone. I’ve already explained why Google Android could lead to the undoing of iPhone and it remains to be seen whether I’ll be proven wrong in 2008.

2007 could possibly go down as the most eventful year as far as cellphone advertising industry is concerned, as the year saw some major names like Microsoft, New York Times, Coca Cola, Facebook, MySpace, Fox Interactive Media, and of course Google enter the market in full fledge. Most of the industry experts and research firms predicted a huge growth for cellphone marketing and advertising industry whose revenue was estimated at around $1 billion. Also, it is said that in just about five years, this revenue could increase tenfold.

Also, 2007 was the year of acquisitions. Big players in the market realized the enormous potential of cellphone advertising and marketing and started acquiring cellphone advertising firms. We saw Nokia acquire Enpocket, AOL acquire Third Screen Media, Microsoft acquire ScreenTonic, Publicis acquire Phonevalley, and so on. This definitely marked the arrival of cellphone marketing and advertising in a big way.

Though 2007 is undoubtedly the biggest year for cellphone advertising, there are still some unconquered territories within the industry. First of all, mobile internet facility should be within the reach of the majority of consumers for advertisers and marketers to be able to reach them fully. A lot of companies have realized the potential of mobile websites and for consumers to be able to make the most of it, the price of high-end mobile phones should be brought down. Already, Apple has started the process with a hefty price cut on its iPhone and we can expect other handset makers to follow suit, hopefully. Also, thanks to mobile advertisers, the price of premium services has come down drastically and in a lot of cases, these services are available free of cost, thanks to ad-funded services. With some operators even offering free talk time to customers who opt in for cellphone advertising, I really think cellphone advertising has hit the target big-time. Its continued success though, lies only in the hands of operators, advertisers, and handset makers for they are in a position to lead the industry in the right direction next year.

Categories: Cell Phone Advertising.

0 comments.

Real estate listings right in your mobile for free- says the New York Times

I thought of blogging about this a couple days back, but then - you know I’m a busy man. (Alright; brickbats later)

All ye people living in the U.S.A., you can now have all the information you want about real estate property listings at your fingertips, literally. The New York Times, being the people-friendly newspaper that it is, has come up with something called New York Times Mobile Real Estate Listings. (No, I’m not getting paid by the NY Times to write this)

The New York Times Mobile Real Estate Listings is a service that you can use to get information on real estate property listings that you see in the newspapers, internet, or even if you are searching on your mobile.

Newspaper Ads: If you see a property listing in a newspaper with the New York Times mobile icon and want to know more information on it, simply message the real estate ID to 698698 from your mobile phone. You will get a message with complete details on the property, a mobile web page link which has more info on the same, and pictures, if available.

Internet Ads: If you find a property listing in the NYTimes.com real estate website interesting, you can simply click on the “Send to Mobile” link which is available in the “Listing Tools” section and enter your mobile number to get more info on that property. You’ll be sent a message with more details, a mobile web page link that has all the info on the property.

Direct Mobile Search: This is my favorite – you can simply check out http://mobile.nytimes.com/realestate from your mobile phone and find all the information you want in two ways. First – If you’ve found out a property listing somewhere and find it interesting, you can get more info on the same by typing the property ID of the listing into the site. Second – If you want to find out the price of a house in your favorite location, you can use the search function by giving necessary details like location, price range, and number of rooms you want in the house, and so on.

As of now, this service is available only to the US residents. Most importantly, New York Times does not charge you a penny for this service. Yes people – you heard it right. It’s a free service. Just imagine, if this service becomes a hit big time, NYTimes will suddenly have scores of people accessing their mobile website and it would be a real estate developer’s dream to get his property listed in the New York Times real estate website. I already told you that New York Times is trying to cash in on this big opportunity of mobile phone advertising, and there you have the proof. I told you so.

PS: Just in case you want to find out more info on this service, you can simply key in the message re help to 698698 and you’ll be greeted with a text message from New York Times which will clarify all your doubts.

PPS: Trust me people, I wrote this piece as part of my value added service (whatever that means) to you. I’m not getting paid by the NY Times.

Categories: Cell Phone Advertising.

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