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iPhone to Lose Its Cool in 2012 According to IBD

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It would seem that the easiest way to get n with the “cool” crowd this year is to call the iPhone uncool.

Hot on the heels of Nokia’s claim that the youth are fed up with the iPhone, The Investor’s Business Daily predicts that Apple will, “lose its cool factor.”, in 2012.

According to the publication, “The iPhone is boxy, flat and feeling stale.”, while the Android competition is fresh, or as Brian Deagon puts it, “The Samsung Galaxy smartphone seems cooler.”

Deagon goes on to predict that smartphones and tablets will become a commodity in 2012, one in which Apple’s coolness and desirability will be derided by a growing number of Android smartphones at multiple price-points. He also points out that Apple will face stiff competition in the TV market where Samsung reigns supreme.

Apple iPhone CoolHas Apple lost some of its edge in 2011? Sure. We finally have competitive Android smartphones available on an array of carriers. Most notably the Galaxy S II and Galaxy Nexus smartphones from Samsung, but that didn’t stop millions from purchasing the “boxy, flat” iPhone 4S in the tail end of 2012. This prediction forgets that Apple brings out a new phone every year, and is rumored to be working on a slimmer iPhone 5.

Other gems include the prediction that Twitter will totter, Steve Balmer will be fired from Microsoft and Ultrabooks will be the next big thing.

If some of these sound familiar, it’s because IBD also predicted that Steve Balmer would be shown the exit during 2011. Their predictions also included the launch of an Amazon TV device and the big A purchasing TomTom.

Some 2011 predictions that could easily come true include Blackberry going the way of Palm and Social media playing an increasing role in disrupting government authority, including Twitter.

I’m not sure why everyone thinks that saying the iPhone is uncool will make it so. The only way Android or Windows Phone will dent the iPhone’s popularity is with killer hardware and killer software. The Galaxy Nexus is the closest thing to this on the Android side, but Windows Phone 7 still needs killer hardware in the U.S.

Additionally, Android tablets need a home run if they want to get a leg up on the iPad in 2012. Perhaps the promised, “Tablet of highest quality,” will help to take some of the cool away from Apple, but I wouldn’t count on Apple losing its Cool in 2012.

8 Comments

8 Comments

  1. So

    01/03/2012 at 8:20 am

    Even if an android phone is better than the iphone, it has to be so much better that you are willing to switch. Please lose the bias.

  2. dumbSmartPhones

    01/03/2012 at 9:51 am

    The only way Apple will lose it’s cool is if it stops being the Oracle and loses it’s authority. Once it is unable to tell the Android/Microsoft crowd what to do then it will finally lose it’s crown.

    Sorry Android lovers, bumping specs doesn’t mean you’re innovating. I don’t own an iPhone 4/4s or an Android phone, just stating the obvious that people are ignorant of.

    Once Google and friends start introducing paradigm shifting technology/ways then perhaps they will one day be cool too and maybe deserve some respect.

  3. John Harrington Jr.

    01/03/2012 at 10:58 am

    I think iDevices will keep their cool this year, at least in the eyes of business professionals; the iPhone has already replaced the BlackBerry as the standard smartphone for corporate use and 96% of businesses claim to have at least one iPad in their environment (according to the Aberdeen Group). Learn how you can enable iPhones and iPads in your workplace https://bit.ly/Jan5webinar

  4. John Malekin

    01/03/2012 at 4:49 pm

    I don’t usually write comments but I must say one thing… I’ve got a free iphone from one website! It was a free offer where I just left my email, they contacted me and sent me free working Apple Iphone 4s to test it and keep it.

    To be honest, I wouldn’t believe in this if someone told this to me. I usually don’t believe in free stuff :| Check this website, you have nothing to loose believe me! https://bit.ly/ooe6us :) John.

  5. Brian Deagon

    01/03/2012 at 6:53 pm

    Hi Josh,
    I enjoyed reading your post. I
    certainly tweaked the Apple fan boys, where Apple is king (but no longer king
    of the hill).

    It seems that Samsung is now teasing Apple with its new
    commercial, seen here: https://bit.ly/zCmrUA

    It reminds me of the long running Apple commercial years ago
    that made Bill Gates into a total nerd while Steve Jobs was super hip. This
    Samsung commercial seems to have borrowed a page from that.

    Apple fans are generally viscous when someone taunts their
    leader, with hurricane force, as evident by the numerous comments from the many
    blog posts attacking my prediction. I welcome the debate and feedback.

    And as a long-time follower of Techmeme I can see how
    supremely excited Apple fans get over even just minor tweaks – as if nothing
    else exists.

    But a sober look at the market numbers show Apple is
    decelerating while Android is accelerating. One can’t remain hot forever. And
    the loss of Steve Jobs as their mystical leader is a big negative. Several
    people I trust think Apple will lose its cool, but not until 2013, as Jobs
    likely left enough in the pipeline.

    Apple will remain highly popular but the market has caught
    up in smartphones, and will do the same in tablets. Apple is suing Samsung all
    over the world in part because Samsung is giving them major headaches. And the Amazon
    Kindle Fire did very well over the holidays, apparently stealing some iPad
    thunder.

    Is there something the iPhone can do that no other phone
    can? Siri? That technology has been around for a very long time. It’s a neat gimmick.

    Apple has almost 590,000 apps on iTunes while Google Android
    has about 320,000. Android is catching up but, truly, does one more app really
    make that much of a difference?

    Perhaps Apple has some more tricks up its sleeve and will
    redesign its flat, boxy and stale iPhone. But in time, I think, Apple will be
    just one of several options people will consider when buying a phone or a
    tablet.

    In the end most people will gravitate to the price/value
    proposition. Perhaps Apple will be the BMW, but a lot of people like the Lexus,
    or Honda, or even Ford. The iPhone is a tool, not some magic wand.
    A Morningstar analyst wrote a lengthy column on whether Apple can maintain its momentum. And it seems that strategy may require lock-in, which many people don’t like.
    Interesting stuff, here: https://news.morningstar.com/articlenet/article.aspx?id=451291

    Be well,

    Brian

  6. Swoodhall

    01/04/2012 at 6:10 am

    Iphones are useless as a business mobile device.  but they are great for simple home users.

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