DisplaySearch Blog

The iPhone is the Next RAZR!

By Barry Young, Senior Vice President of DisplaySearch

Apple announced the iPhone in January at the same time that the CES Show was in full swing, and you would have thought the world stood still. The wireless community was overwhelmed with this new device that was a phone, an iPod and an Internet reader with a new type of touch interface and no external buttons to reduce the available area for the screen (3.5” wide using LTPS from TMDisplay or CGS from Sharp). The analysts went to work and claimed everything from “It is the start of a new era in mobile devices!” to a big “Ho hum.”

So what has Apple wrought?

• A phone that operates on the AT&T (Cingular) network, which means GSM and a data interface called EDGE, which translates to 75-135kbps
• A beautiful 3.5” 800 × 480 display with a unique touch interface that will correct erroneous touches automatically
• The iPod form factor, which emphasizes slim size, narrow bezels and great design
• A 2 megapixel camera
• Bluetooth 2.0 w/EDR and A2DP
• WiFi that automatically engages
• A very high price of $499 or $599 depending on the storage capacity
• OSx and an intuitive user interface styled off the Mac where it is simple to navigate between voice, camera and the Internet
• 5 hours for talk or video and 16 hrs for music

So what is missing?

• No wireless support for iTunes (due to potential security issues)
• Although spec’d up to 135K bps, it is likely to be half that speed.
• No Mobile TV
• No tactile feedback
• The U/I requires two hands.

Is the iPhone good for the display industry? Our answer is a resounding yes! The iPhone sets a new standard for U/I and the ability to show almost an entire web page without scrolling. It will demonstrate that a larger display and larger device is acceptable if it offers unique and user-desirable features. Don’t be confused by the adoption of 2.5G instead of 3G; all it means is that Apple and AT&T have chosen to target the entire AT&T network instead of just the major cities. 3G in the form of HSPA, EVDO or WiMax will be widely available within the next two years and each network provider will be looking to at least emulate the display size of the iPhone. Mobile TV will come concurrent with its adoption by the carriers. The U/I makes it so easy to navigate that accessing the Internet will become second nature to all users and not just the techies. Imagine if the average display size for mobile phones moves up from 1.7” to 3.5”! The increase in area would increase mobile phone displays, which represents ~50% of demand by a factor of four, or equal to the Notebook PC area. We expect iPhones to sell out when introduced in June and start a new paradigm in the mobile handset market. What do you think? Is it too expensive, too slow and too new to have an impact or will it be the next RAZR that every set maker will have to emulate?

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