‘This changes everything, again’, says the email marketing campaign I received from Apple this morning about the iPhone 4. Should we be excited though? Initially I couldn’t help but feel a bit ‘so what’ about the newest iPhone. I soon changed my mind though.
Perhaps it’s because it was ‘leaked’ by technology site Gizmodo last month. Maybe it’s because I’m still figuring out my new iPad or maybe it’s simply because I feel like I’ve seen it all before. But the fact is we haven’t seen it all before, previous iPhone’s were just the beginning of many great things to come out of Apple.
A marketers dream?
The iPhone 4 provides a wealth of opportunity for mobile marketing and advertising, but the primary benefit introduced in the 4th generation device is the addition of a gyroscope which will allow developers to create motion-controlled apps that have 6-axis motion sensing. Mobile advertisers can utilise the advanced motion-sensing as well.
Developers can now access the location of a device, the direction it is facing and the orientation of the device using 6-axis motion sensing, meaning next-gen mobile apps and advertisers can utilise all these features combined to develop some pretty impressive things.
With the approaching introduction of iAds, Apple has created a niche opportunity to sway mobile advertisers to its corner of the mobile ecosystem, says Mobile Marketing Watch.
For brands wanting the combination of iAds, the iPhone 4 device and iOS 4 means the possibilities are endless – but they will come with a hefty price tag.
Apple’s tight control will undoubtedly make itself known, and will likely limit full-out functionality to brands going directly through iAds.
Steve Jobs said at the WWDC 2010 event yesterday that Apple created iAds to help developers make more money. The problem before iAds had been that mobile ads on the iPhone were a bit of a mess: different systems supported only basic interaction.
With iAds, developers get 60% of the revenue generated by the ad in their app, so who’s on board?
Jobs said, “So let me tell you some of the brands that will be advertising with us. Nissan, Citi, Unilever, AT&T, Chanel, GE, Liberty Mutual, State Farm, Geico, Campbells, Sears, JC Penny, Target, Best Buy, Direct TV, TBS, and Disney… those are some of the brands.”
Apple CEO has projected that Apple would have 48% of the mobile advertising market locked up by the end of this year.
At the keynote, jobs demonstrated an iAd for the upcoming Nissan Leaf electric car. It’s a compelling ad, Ad execs are clucking their tongues over the richness of the iAds platform (while seemingly missing the fact that they could have always built engaging experiences on the web this way without resorting to Flash).
Though it’s just day one, there’s it’s already clear that the iPhone 4, its iOS 4 and iAds will change the industry once again. But while we await more advertisers to get onboard with augmented reality and location based advertising, here a few new features of the iPhone 4 (from Apple):
Two cameras, two views. iPhone 4 has two cameras: One on the front, which focuses on you. And one on the back, which focuses on everything else. FaceTime lets you switch back and forth between them at any time during a video call. All you have to do is tap a button.
The Retina display on iPhone 4 is the sharpest, most vibrant, highest-resolution phone screen ever, with four times the pixel count of previous iPhone models. In fact, the pixel density is so high that the human eye is unable to distinguish individual pixels. Which makes text amazingly crisp and images stunningly sharp.
Multitasking: Now users can run their third-party apps — and switch between them instantly — without slowing down the performance of the foreground app or draining the battery unnecessarily.1 This smarter approach to multitasking is available only on iPhone.
High definition: Capture impressive video even in low-light settings, thanks to the advanced backside illumination sensor and built-in LED light. Then edit and create your own mini-masterpiece right on iPhone 4 using the new iMovie app — with Apple-designed themes, titles, and transitions. It’s coming soon to the App Store for $4.99.
Camera: Take beautiful, detailed photos with the new 5-megapixel camera with built-in LED flash. The advanced backside illumination sensor captures great pictures even in low light. And the new front-facing camera makes it easy to take self-portraits.