Logicbank Media

Lost in the excitement of the Apple iPhone announcement, the real message of Steve Job’s Keynote speech could be the following statement:

“From this day forward we’re going to be known as Apple, Inc. We’ve dropped the computer from our name.” And then he quoted ice skating legend Wayne Gretzky. “‘I skate to where the puck is going to be, not to where it’s been.’ That’s what we try to do at Apple.”

Could the corporate name change reflect a belief that the PC centric era has passed?  Om Malik speculates that Apple’s rebranding as consumer electronics company reflects a future where WIFI enabled devices can exist without any dependence on a PC desktop. 

“While I am not suggesting that this replaces our notebooks or desktops
for crucial productivity tasks, the iPhone (if it lives up to its hype)
is at least going to decrease our dependence on it.”

Devices may benefit from a link to the desktop, but Apple’s iPhone does everything a computer can do: email, chat, surf the internet, consume multimedia, while running Mac OS X. 

The question remains whether Apple’s multiyear exclusive deal with Cingular may hobble the device and limit consumer choice.  In my opinion, Apple would have done better if they would have launched the device in two forms:  1) unlocked, non-subsidized, free to use on any GSM network; 2) subsidized and locked to a specific provider.