Everything else is just dated...

Aug 2, 2007 12:16 GMT  ·  By

One of the commercials for the Apple iPhone touted its abilities as a portable Internet device by contrasting it with other similar devices that could not properly work on the real net, instead resorting to a baby Internet. Apple's boast is true and their device offers the same Internet that people enjoy on their computers, making everything before it look like a joke.

The mobile web looks and feels like a relic, with stripped down text sites crammed on a little screen, with controls meant for phoning not browsing. While the mobile web has been this way for quite a while, it was not until the iPhone that people were shown that things can be done in a very different way. The question is, now that people have seen what mobile Internet could and should be like, will they ever be able to go back?

Customer satisfaction with the iPhone is off the charts, nearly all of the buyers stating that they are very satisfied with the device. Satisfaction with the internet capabilities of the iPhone is also very high, the device being a viable replacement for a portable computer for many personal and work related tasks. Companies are also becoming increasingly aware of this and web-based applications are being adapted so that they work and are optimized for the iPhone.

Considering the possibilities that this device opens up, it is only a matter of time before it becomes standard in many companies, with general adoption not being that far off. This is bad news for manufacturers of cell phones, as the iPhone sets a standard that they will not be able to at least match for quite some time, meaning that their products automatically lose the race. As the iPhone is seen and used by more people, it will be harder and harder for them to go back to the baby Internet and anything that is not at least on the same level as the iPhone will be seen as a dated device, despite it being the latest.