Rivals "feign complacency" over iPhone: analyst
updated 05:20 pm EST, Thu February 1, 2007
Complacency over iPhone
Apple's new opponents in the cellphone industry are only maintaining the illusion that the iPhone won't affect their plans, ThinkEquity Partners analyst Jonathan Hoopes observed today. Though he acknowledged that the iPhone's success was far from certain given its lack of 3G wireless and expensive, Cingular-only price plan, the industry expert argued that apparent disinterest from competitors such as Nokia and Samsung was just a ruse, disguising their own uncertainty.
The cellular mainstays face "an extremely savvy marketing competitor with a huge user base," Hoopes commented. "They better be nervous. But they are all trying to feign complacency."
Established cellphone companies in recent days have presented mixed opinions about the iPhone, commending Apple's effort but being equally quick to downplay its long-term damage to their own lines, pointing to differences in design. Palm spokeswoman Marlene Somsak, whose employer's Treo smartphone was openly criticized during Apple's iPhone introduction, contended that its professional base "need[s] a full keyboard" instead of touchscreen input. US-based Motorola has also said that the iPhone brings nothing new to the table.
"There is nothing revolutionary or disruptive about any of the technologies," wrote the company's Padmasree Warrior in her blog.
