Almost Every Portable Is in Direct Competition with the iPhone

A report signed Kottke.org claims that many tech-focused companies, as well as those making devices, are reluctant to the fact that Apple’s iPhone is taking over. Being the powerful, complex yet intuitive platform that it is, the iPhone is competing with a truckload of devices whose capabilities it is duplicating to some degree, the report outlines.

“Few technology and device-making companies probably realize it, but they are in direct competition with Apple (or soon will be),” the report in question reads. “How did this happen? Well, the iPhone does a lot of useful things pretty well, well enough that it is replacing several specialized devices that do one or two things really well. Space in backpacks, pockets, and purses is a finite resource, as is money (obviously). As a result, many are opting to carry only the iPhone with them when they might have toted several devices around.”

OSXDaily picked up on the subject listing the devices with capabilities duplicated to some degree by the iPhone, as shown by Kottke.org. Those include (and are not limited to) mobile phones, PDAs, media players, power and shoot cameras, personal computers (we wouldn’t go that far), Nintendo DS, PSP, GPS, flip video camera, compass, watch, portable DVD Player, Kindle, pedometer, tape recorder, heart monitor, calculator (who even makes them anymore?), remote control, and USB key.

While some of you may disagree that Apple’s iPhone competes with all of these devices, most of them are indeed in competition with the handset, in one way or another, as noted by Kottke.

Softpedia note
We dare disagree that specialized devices are facing a threat from Apple’s iPhone, at least when said devices are in the hands of professionals. A doctor wouldn’t choose the iPhone over a specialized heart-rate monitor. In the same manner, a carpenter is less likely to browse the App Store for The Stanley Level app (which needs calibration), rather than go for the real thing.