I used to be a staunch, die-hard Pocket Pc advocate. In fact, I still like the platform. The one thing I wholly disliked on the Pocket Pc was the internet experience. It is atrocious. Not only is it horrible, it is very expensive to get as well. Along came the iPhone and changed both of those things. The internet browsing experience is by far the best one to ever grace a mobile platform. Also, the price plans for data are way below current industry standards which makes it feasible for more consumers to use wireless internet.
So, the iPhone is bringing a whole new slew of mobile users to the market. We are becoming more mobile and the ability to have access to our data and services where ever we are is huge. The iPhone, and probably more devices later, are creating a huge new market that web 2.0 companies need to think about. As the iPhone is released to more countries and the price continues to drop, the iPhone will become more and more important to users and services boasting iPhone support will surely see an increase in their user numbers.
Companies are going to really have to evaluate and plan for this new mobile market. There are so many web apps I use that would be killer to have an iPhone version. If a competitor to a product or service I used offered an iPhone version, I would contemplate jumping ship. Since the iPhone cannot officially have third party apps installed on it and relies solely on web apps, more users will be turning to web 2.0 applications to fulfill their mobile needs. I can easily see someone who really learns to harness the user experience on the iPhone and can develop or design to meet that experience, can become a hot commodity to startups or companies. You could start your own iPhone development house similar to some of the Facebook development houses. In fact, Joe Hewitt has created an open source framework to get you started called iUI. Take a look.
What are some apps you would like to see mobile and on your iPhone? If you are a web 2.0 company/service, are you planning for this new market? Post your comments below.
