Phone Wars – G1 and iPhone Stir Up a Storm

1. Introduction
   
   1. Phone manufacturers of the Blackberry Storm, Google G1, and Apple iPhone must be very cognizant of consumer insights because they battling one another while trying to cater to very distinct market segments.
      
      1. History of cell phones
         
      2. General description of each phone
         
      3. Different market segments targeted
         
         1. Business-focused – Blackberry Storm
            
         2. Technology-focused – Google G1
            
         3. Innovation/trend-focused – Apple iPhone
            
      4. Needs of different markets and how they are addressed
         
      5. Ability to bridge the gap between corporate and personal user
         
      6. Brand loyalties
         
2. Body
   
   1. Through time, cell phones have adapted to meet the ever changing needs of a constantly "wired" consumer.
      
      1. Cell phones started as devices to make a call while away from home. Address books were not available and size was not an issue.
         
      2. With more people realizing the value of the convenience provided by a cell phone coupled with advanced technology, smaller sizes and new features like phone books, datebooks, and cameras were added.
         
      3. The Blackberry was the first to revolutionize the cell phone for the corporate user. Email and calendars were primary functions that differentiated this phone from others. The Smartphone was born.
         
      4. Research in Motion (the creator of the Blackberry), decided to create this corporate-focused phone to the regular cell phone user with the Blackberry Pearl.
         
      5. Since then, features that were initially intended for the corporate user have entered the phones for the regular user.
         
      6. Apple copied many features of Blackberry but tailored their phone for a mass personal-use market.
         
      7. Google G1 later entered the market for the more technology-adept cell phone user.
         
   2. Each phone has similar, yet distinct features.
      
      1. Blackberry Storm is a corporate-style phone with the daily consumer in mind.
         
         1. Blackberry email and calendar are unique functions that many corporate users are already familiar with.
            
         2. Modeled after the iPhone, touch-screen functions make the Storm unlike any other Blackberry, marrying corporate and consumer functionalities.
            
         3. Touch-screen indention allows users to have a responsive feedback when inputting data.
            
      2. On top of corporate-style functions, Apple iPhone introduces customizability and entertainment value for the regular consumer.
         
         1. Users have access to similar datebook and calendar functions of Blackberrys.
            
         2. The iPhone adds additional entertainment and customizability features.
            
         3. The iPhone is the first to introduce downloadable applications to modify the product.
            
         4. iPhone introduces innovative touch-screen function to appeal to mass market.
            
      3. Google G1 has many corporate features but further increases customizability with their open-source platform, Android.
         
         1. G1 users have access to Gmail, Google calendar, Google maps on their device.
            
         2. Android is a completely open-source platform, taking customizability to the maximum level. Users can view and edit code to their liking to modify the operation of their mobile device.
            
   3. There is a clear separation in the cell phone market.
      
      1. Research in Motion (RIM) has always focused on corporate users.
         
         1. Because Blackberry was the first to allow users to sync with their contacts, emails, and calendars, corporations have typically signed contracts with RIM.
            
         2. According to a corporate IT survey, nearly 75% of corporations say they use RIM products as their company's Smartphone.
            
      2. Apple entered to cater more to the personal cell phone user.
         
         1. The iPhone brought many features that RIM brought to corporate users to the general user in a more user-friendly interface.
            
         2. Touch screen operability, sleek design, and general innovativeness that Apple is known for were added features while still including corporate phone functions for the general user.
            
      3. Google focuses more on the high-tech consumer who desires customization.
         
         1. While they also focused on the general consumer, they designed their phone to a more niche market – the high-tech user.
            
         2. With the Android operating system that the G1 runs on, developers have unlimited access to applications, whereas there are more restrictions for iPhone application developers.
            
         3. The open-source model for the G1 appeals to high-tech individuals who are attracted to the ability to use and share any application created by any user.
            
         4. The open-source platform also allows the greatest amount of customizability, as developers can freely view and make changes to existing code.
            
   4. Needs of different markets and how they are addressed
      
      1. Corporate users have specific needs for their communication devices.
         
         1. The ability to streamline communication is extremely important, which is achieved through the high usage rate of corporations on the Blackberry network. There are no communication hiccups due to the seamless usage of Blackberrys in companies.
            
         2. Due to privacy issues, RIM allows corporations to disable the camera.
            
         3. Enterprise mobility requires protocol and GRC (Governance, Risk, and Compliance.     
            
            1. The current inability to customize your Blackberry with an app store like that of the iPhone and G1 increases the control a corporation has on each user's mobile device.
               
            2. IT managers can purchase applications through FoneWare that are specific to a company's needs, but each end user cannot individually customize their phone.
               
         4. Due to high levels of travel of many professionals, the ability to create and modify documents on the go is extremely important.
            
            1. The Storm allows typing/editing of documents in landscape mode while other phones do not.
               
            2. This increases legibility of a document and ease of modification due to increased viewing space in landscape mode.
               
      2. Many regular end users desire innovation, trendiness, and customization.
         
         1. The iPhone, like many other Apple products, was revolutionary with its fully touch-screen capability.
            
         2. Because regular end users have no restrictions bound by corporate protocol, the ability to play and download games, stream video and music, are attractive and valuable to the segment.
            
      3. High-tech users desire the ability to openly share their programs and completely customize their products.
         
         1. The Android operating system has no limitations on which applications can be released to the general public, unlike applications for the iPhone, which must be tested and approved before release.
            
         2. The open source model of the Android operating system, which is what the G1 runs on, allows high-tech users to have almost complete control of the way their phone looks and operates.
            
   5. While the G1 and iPhone have tried to bridge the gap between corporate user and regular user, the Storm attempts to close that gap even more.
      
      1. The iPhone and G1 took many of the features common to the first Blackberrys and integrated them into their mobile devices. Additional features were added to the "corporate features", making it even friendlier to the regular user.
         
      2. However, corporations already have a buy-in with the Blackberry network, making it difficult and unattractive for them to switch to iPhones or G1s.
         
         1. The Blackberry Storm has all the same features that the corporate user is already familiar with and additional consumer features like touch-screen capabilities and music and video accessibility.
            
         2. Many regard the Storm as the iPhone for the corporate user.
            
   6. Brand loyalties pay a large part in the user's selection.
      
      1. Blackberry loyalists are likely to have grown accustomed to the interface of Blackberry products.
         
      2. Apple users appreciate the sleekness of their products and constant innovations.
         
      3. Google users are loyal to Google products, and the G1 has a network of Google products (Gmail, Google calendar, Google maps, Google Search) preloaded on the device.
         
      4. While brand loyalties are extremely in the selection process of a phone, being able to cater to a consumer's needs are equally important. If one phone is better at addressing the specific needs of a consumer, brand loyalty can be overridden.
         
3. Conclusion
   
   1. To fully capture cell phone users across segments, phone manufacturers need to cater to the distinct needs of both corporate users and regular consumers in one product.
      
4. What I have learned from this study
   
   1. It is extremely difficult to successfully meet the needs of multiple segments with just one product.
      
   2. No one phone has been able to fully capture both the corporate and consumer market.
   
   
   
   I'm not quite sure whether or not I should include a section about brand loyalties in my paper because I don't know if I could really tie this into consumer insights.  What do you think?