iPhone Savior: iPhone To Dominate Headlines in 2008

Special Report by Ian Fawling

Next year Apple's iPhone is perfectly poised to explode into popular media in an even grander way than witnessed in 2007 as "The headline of champions" on planet earth. With an iPhone 1.1.3 update now imminent to kick off 2008, the certainty of iPhone dominating headlines again in this new year is all but guaranteed.

Over the last weekend of 2007, the Blogosphere was catching fire with advanced photos and video of an iPhone 1.1.3 firmware update posted by Gear Live, one of the latest contenders vying to be shut down by Apples rule of law for leaking company information, the same rule of law that had Think Secret crying uncle. One small leak pulled in hundreds of thousands of hits from the curious, the crazed and the well connected tech sites from across the globe. Each one hungry to be the first to witness what new features the iPhone update contained, all asking the same nagging question; "When can we have it?". The next thought was, "I wish I broke that story." (link) This example of hysteria serves as only one small glimpse into what's heading our way over the next twelve months.

It's obvious that iPhone news has become a premium among cult followers armed with an insatiable appetite for anything that can make their revolutionary iPhone outperform what has rapidly become the status quo. That very appetite will set the stage for developers to enter in with a flurry of amazing new iPhone applications to be anticipated with greater joy than a six year old awaiting a special delivery from the Easter Bunny. With each new native iPhone application released, another huge chunk of space on Gizmodo, Engadget and AppleInsider will be simultaneously filled to meet the fanatical demand for freshness. These are only a few in a large number of websites aware of the fact that they are servicing a community of iPhone faithful arriving with expectations that far outweigh reality.

The second half of this year will prove to be Apple's latest Super Bowl of iPhone mania when the highly anticipated iPhone 2 is rumored to launch. Regardless of what features the updated Jesus Phone contains, you can be sure that speculation surrounding iPhone's second coming will be cooking faster than mountain moonshine in Tennessee. Expect Jobs to announce iPhone news at the 2008 Macworld Expo certain to keep the rumor mills cranking at full speed for weeks after the event closes.

Even though the novelty of the first iPhone launch will not be present, my prediction is that 2008 will be a gargantuan year for iPhone news, rumors, and sales for Apple. iPhone speculation and rumor has practically become a cottage industry of it's own over the past six months. Who knew? Expect a literal media feeding frenzy next year leaving many network news pundits trying to figure out how to capture the attention of rabid iPhone fanatics who've adopted a devil-may-care approach to gaining the latest anything for iPhone, regardless if it's free or requires a fee. Even the infamous Fake Steve Jobs will have difficulty expanding his readership without an adequate amount of iPhone centric posts infused into his blog.

"The iPhone has redefined the smart phone market; and with constant innovation it should remain the gold standard of the industry indefinitely. The iPod is yesterday's news. Now the Apple story is all about the Mac and the iPhone." Needham & Co analyst Charlie Wolf Source: Reuters

The iPhone dynasty will be driven to new heights not experienced this past year, as Apple hones their marketing message to elevate iPhone to the smart-phone of choice for the masses. We will see price points and aggressive product evolution to match Apples all inclusive message. The same track record is true of the iPod which has changed the way we experience music, quickly taking it's rightful place as the gold standard of portable MP3 players. Currently packaged and priced for mass consumption. Expect to see iPods success duplicated with iPhone, as Apple pushes even harder to capture it's largest share yet of the cellphone industry, mobile entertainment, the retail industry and down-loadable media across the globe. iPhone is far from being a fad, it's the future mister John Q. Public. Consider this slap in the head to be your final warning.

Allow me to cap off my prediction with the words of International Artist Award of Excellence winner Beyonce Knowles, which best expresses my feelings about iPhone media-mania in 2008; "I don't think your ready for this jelly!"

Give Me iPhone or Give Me Death (link)