Maybe so, but I think Apple is banking on the fact that they have had a product that was drastically different from any other phone at its launch – you could even say it both commodified and redefined the smart phone genre. The very fact that you are only just starting to see competitors means that Apple has had little incentive to innovate as it has, by and large, been the sole occupant of its little niche. In fact, there is every reason to believe that many touted ‘innovations’ were likely available beforehand, but delayed release allows the company to launch a new product, driving the business cycle, and boosting its annual sales. My guess is, as competition gets closer, the company will be come out with new hardware and more open software in relatively little time. Just some thoughts…

This is a very good article…The DroidDoes campaign is not a super-genius idea , its just a product of the loopholes in Apple’s Innovation. I agree , this campaign could have been prevented by an increased form of Customer Loyalty on Apple’s Part , now Apple will have to fight hard to protect the turf of the Iphone – it reminds me of an old quote “prevention is better than cure” .

I was one of those people who consumed the “DroidDoes” advertisement on television with one eyebrow raised. Curious as the campaign appeared to be an attack on Apple – I typed the url (ironically on my MAC) to learn more – just as Verizon hoped I would. The history of Apple is well documented in the iPods and Macs that have accompanied me on my personal technology enabled journey through life. My affinity toward the Apple brand is strong.

I too was an advocate of Verizon’s “Are you IN?” campaign… building up my personal network to the point where it did not make financial sense to jump ship when the iPhone was introduced – even though the lure was intense.

With the Droid on the scene, I now have two companies… one known for innovation and the other for service excellence putting me in a predicament. The company which historically provides service excellence positions itself to be innovative. One can argue that the company known for innovation and fresh marketing campaigns has a loyal follower in me due in part to customer service excellence through the years.

Did Verizon get my attention? Yes. Will I act? It remains to be seen.

Touting superiority with the one you deem inferior in the room is best exampled by the “Hi, I’m a PC and Hi, I’m a Mac” subtle yet direct Microsoft attack TV ads… The “In” Network’s “There’s a MAP for that” is a departure for Verizon’s marketing approach in that it is “targeted” attack… Very much feeling like an Apple campaign… “personal”. Instead of being simply the “best” of breed, Verizon is inferring to be better than an component of Apple’s offering. Bold for them.

The convergence of everything I could possibly want in a single device at my fingertips… will always be worth exploring (for gadgets sake)… it will be for economics sake and according to the timeline I’ve established in my technology investments/commitments which will deem if I act now. How do you accelerate the timeline of a consumer – you solve my problems trough your innovation with a strong ROI.

Innovation for innovation’s sake is dangerous in that it lacks the underpinnings of customer voice… the agility of the perceived leader (the one being attacked, in this case Apple) to address the now amplified whispers of its loyal flock with the “In network” as the Droid looms is critical. Objectively, it would indeed seem as if Droid would alleviate the points of pain for all my iPhone friends, albeit in it’s cryptic messaging.

I am really looking forward to WhatAppleDoes ; )

@Yvonne:

I think with the launch of the iPhone the market got broadly segmented into 2 ccategories: Apple fans who couldn’t wait to get it and ‘Shirkers’ who for whatever reason choose to stay away from Apple’s products.
In my view, the Droid provides a legitimate alternative to the consumer who wants something like the iPhone but not an iPhone itself. Upto now every phone was lacking in some way or another. This seems to be the ‘total package’
With regard to the marketing; positioning themselves against the iPhone in such a way gives customers arguments to backup their decision to buy the Droid phone.

I doubt Apple will do anything, their consumer base is quite loyal and would be loathe to switch. In the classic Apple way they will continue to make minor incremental changes to the iPhone (like the iPod versions) and now concentrate on their tablet project. (see last Fridays news)

I can’t agree with the idea that iphone occupies a niche, solely. Fact is many phones had apps, and many phones had much more than iPhone had in functionality. Apple did vastly superior design and went away from the prevailing trend to reduce size. What Apple also did was bring in software updates, and provided a model for Apps revenues through iTunes.

I don’t think US analysts understand that non-American buyers were and still are heavy users of text and prefer a phone they can text with – without looking at it (ie a focused interface rather than a visual one). Yes the iPhone is a great fashion statement but a lot of people can’t use it like they want to use a phone.

iPhone still has a small market share even in smartphones – and there are many many market drivers that it simply doesn’t address. Meantime, all the major phone makers are able to emulate Apple’s designs easily because they don’t all for fundamental innovation.

The sustainable part of the iPhone though – and the one that has competitors running headless – is the apps store. If you want a phone that is really a window on apps it will be a long time before anyone catches up with the iPhone.

WHy the iPhone is regarded as having more market share and better performance than it actually has is I think a consequence of skew in online opinion making. What we need to understand better is how the web as an information market inherently favours the favoured.

@Haydn
I could not agree more with your point. Apple is not the one who developed the platform, simply the one who found the best marketing and sales tool for it. I used an similarly capable phone long before the iPhone came along (nokia n73M) and still do (nokia n95)

The larger problems (in North America) are that providers decide the instrument that are available and this creates B2B competition where there should be none. Should simply be a straight B2C transaction with manufacturer stores not provider stores. Perhaps the market is not as evolved as in other countries?

Nokia for it’s part is always 2 steps ahead…Did you know you can run 3rd party iPhone apps on the Nseries’ symbian browsers? (no lie!)

Your last point brings me to a question I have been toying with for some time: “Should I be able to ‘switch-off’ Search Optimizers?”
By always giving me hits based on my past usage, I could possible miss out on alternatives

The DROID campaign is heating up… there are a great deal of spectators.

Let the Games Begin: http://theappleblog.com/2009/11/10/opening-weekend-iphone-vs-pre-vs-droid/

No Action: http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2009/11/no-droid-for-me/