Ever notice that with every new device, phone or hand-held gaming system, they all seem to be getting more… similar?
The launch of Nintendo’s DSi (Nintendo’s third iteration of the device) has made this abundantly clear. It now has built-in online capabilities, a micro SD card for storing music, and an up-and-coming application store similar to the iPhone’s.
Compare this to an iPhone, which can do many of the same things. The DSi cannot make calls, of course, but everything else is there. The Sony Playstation Portable also has these features.
It seems that all of our electronic devices are merging into one, super device. Sure, you can still carry around a music player, phone and a gaming device. But who has that many pockets, besides men who wear cargo pants?
Most likely it’s quite the opposite. The phone now has a micro SD card for music. The phone is doubling as a gaming device. Soon we shall all have tiny touchscreen bricks that can do everything in the world under one, shiny glass screen.
The problem is, whose logo is going to be on that single device?
One company would be getting all the revenue from that device; one software developer, one hardware maker in control of your phone, music and gaming platform. Good for whomever that company is. Bad for everyone else who didn’t get your money.
This could stifle competition, especially if one company does it extremely well, like Apple.
Take the iPod for instance. The iPod more or less revolutionized the portable music arena. While good, the iPod still carries a premium over similar devices with fewer features.
A similar trend could occur in this newfangled everything device. The iPhone is certainly on its way to being a dominant player in the phone industry. Let’s just hope the competition is able to keep up.