iPhone 3.0: Channeling Handspring
March 21, 2009 by Jayvee Fernandez
Filed under Phones, Phones, Phones
When Apple announced iPhone 3.0 and its ability to integrate almost any accessory into the dock (they showed off a mock photo of a digital blood pressure accessory), I immediately remembered the days of the Handspring Visor and the springboard modules that, though unsuccessful, paved the way for portable gadget features we have today — phones, cameras, the Internet, MP3 players — all in one Personal Digital Assistant. Handspring was a breakaway faction from Palm back in the day. They concentrated in developing springboard accessories for their line of Visor PDA’s running the Palm OS. I remember having the 56kbps modem attachment, the MusicJAM MP3 player and the VisorPhone, which was the spiritual predecessor to the first Palm Treo.
Handspring’s strategy ultimately failed because sooner or later a lot of companies incorporated the very same features into their phones — turning hardware into software. So you didn’t need an external MP3 player anymore. All you needed was some good software that could incorporate music into ringtones.
Will Apple’s entry into this same business fail? My short answer: No.
Whereas Handspring was struggling for market share to begin with, the market is already something the Apple iPhone has. And not only that — it’s been more than 6 years since the Handspring was innovated and these six years was the time it took for the market to determine what type of features should be staple in a mobile device. And people HAVE said it through the products that we see today: MP3 player, camera, phone, Internet, GPS.
Apple’s iPhone 3.0 developer foray allows for the creation of accessories that are more niche in application based on individual’s professions.
[image c/o Apple Website]
