In case you’re not a geek, yesterday Apple gave more details on iPhone OS v3.0, and announced its new iPhone 3G S. Lame name aside, this new iPhone offers some new hardware updates that allow it to compete closely with the Nokia N97 – it now includes a 3.2 megapixel autofocus camera (no flash) with VGA video capture at 30 fps, a built-in compass, and an internal specs increase, with a new, faster processor and bigger battery. So, what does this mean for Symbian, both globally and in the U.S.?
For starters, the fact that this new iPhone 3G S is only going to cost $199 from AT&T with a 2-year commitment, and the ‘old’ iPhone 3G is going to drop to $99 means that Symbian’s chances in the U.S. are effectively shot to pieces. The Nokia 5800 XpressMusic, which offers most of the same features, is priced at around $300, unlocked without contract. The Nokia N97, which trumps the new iPhone in nearly every way (other than the processor) is going to cost $699.99, again without contract. Neither of these phones from Nokia are available through any carrier, and are only really carried in Nokia’s 2 Flagship stores, one in Chicago and one in New York. Contrast that to the iPhone being offered in all of Apple’s retail stores, all of AT&T’s corporate stores, Wal-Mart, and Best Buy, well, there’s not much more to say.
However, since Symbian has a single-digit market share in the U.S., that’s not really going to impact them much. So what about globally? Symbian is the most widely used operating system in the world. While it’s true that the iPhone OS is growing quickly, it will likely take a little while before it’s able to trump Symbian entirely.
The iPhone 3G S is obviously a big deal, but it doesn’t offer any features that aren’t currently available on a number of handsets, and have been for years. The hardware – save for the processor – is a big steaming pile of ‘me too’. Worse yet is that it’s only minimal updates from previous iPhones. New features that were actually highlighted in today’s WWDC keynote include MMS support, tethering, voice-guided turn-by-turn navigation, and copy/paste. Seriously.
From my point of view, this new iPhone 3G S is the nail in the coffin of Symbian’s U.S. presence. I hate to say it, but, save for a bunch of new handsets available through AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, or T-Mobile, subsidized, in the next few months, Symbian is toast. However, globally, they’ve got a fighting chance.
In the global market, Symbian smartphones are commonly offered at a heavy discount through major carriers – the Samsung i8910 OmniaHD is offered on Orange, and high-end smartphones from Nokia are commonly free with the right contract. Thus, Symbian has the retail position in the global market. Also, international carriers are not as keen to lock down the entire phone, freeing the manufacturers to release phones with high-end features, like 8 megapixel cameras, much quicker, too.
In the U.S. market, the iPhone stands out as a cheap, well supported quasi-smartphone (we can debate whether it’s a real smartphone elsewhere). Abroad, it has to compete with other platforms, and has a bit more trouble doing so. When you tell an American that the iPhone 3G S has a 3.2 megapixel camera with autofocus, they spaz. If you told a British person that, they would say that it was likely an entry-level phone, certainly not a leading smartphone.
So what should Symbian, Nokia, Samsung, and Sony Ericsson be paying attention to on the iPhone 3G S to better their chances in the global market?
For starters, it seems like every part of the new iPhone is available for developers, via API – how true is this of Symbian?
The new iPhone 3G S has onboard video editing. Nokia’s smartphones used to have this, but it’s since been removed on newer phones – I wonder if we’ll see it appear again on future Symbian Foundation releases?
With iPhone OS v3.0, you can rent any video from the iTunes store straight to your iPhone, via WiFi or 3G. How long will it take to get an Amazon Unbox app that allows the same thing?
What else do you think the new iPhone 3G S means for Symbian-powered smartphones? Do you agree that this is the end of the line for the hopes of an increased presence in the U.S.? What about globally?
(Note: this is sure to be a heated discussion. All viewpoints are welcome in the Symbian-Guru Forum, but we’ll be watching this one, so please keep the discussion civil and clean)
my iPhone was actually a gift from my girlfriend. i really love this phone and i think that this is the best phone that money can buy. i like the features and the design.
“iPhone offers some new hardware updates that allow it to compete closely with the Nokia N97″ hahahahahaha looooooooooool i think the n97 does not even compete with iphone lol. the n97 its to cheap. lack of ram and graphics makes it cheap. at that price i dont expect to have the same amount of ram which i have on my n81 8gb lol. my next device would be for sure an iphone!!!
“iPhone offers some new hardware updates that allow it to compete closely with the Nokia N97″ hahahahahaha looooooooooool i think the n97 does not even compete with iphone lol. the n97 its to cheap. lack of ram and graphics makes it cheap. at that price i dont expect to have the same amount of ram which i have on my n81 8gb lol. my next device would be for sure an iphone!!!
what does 3G means ?