iPhone Bundles Maps, Apps

The Apple iPhone has been released and with bundles of Google maps and Yahoo applications many say it will change the face of mobile marketing. But can one little phone really change the world?

by Kristina Knight

The wi-fi device was unveiled Tuesday at MacWorld and lets users make calls via Cingular wireless service. It also plays downloaded music and videos and has Google maps and Yahoo email inside.

"This is the beachhead for converging mobile devices. It's a music player, video player and a phone all together," said Tom Burgess, CEO of mobile marketing technology company Third Screen Media (via MediaPost). Burgess estimates Apple’s iPhone will need at least 5 million users a month to attract serious ad dollars.

So far consumers have been slow to jump on the mobile music bandwagon. In Q3, 2006 only about 10% (23.5 million) of cellular subscribers had the ability to download music on their phones. Only about 2 million had downloaded full tracks.

Downloading music and video through the iPhone is expected to be seamless according to some experts, which could spur the use of the phone’s services. If the expectation becomes reality, analysts expect mobile marketers to raise their efforts toward converting mobile users with free downloads and other offers.