John Gruber (Daring Fireball) hits the nail on the head:
That is exactly what many people seem to oversee. All those Samsung, Sony Ericsson, Nokias that are supposedly the "iPhone killers" are just balloons without substance. There is nothing to tie the user with, they are -quite literally- disposable smart phones. Just because there's nothing backing them. No platform, as John says. I work for a certain telco which does not carry the iPhone. I will cancel my free staff phone because of this. I want the iPhone and its (platform) functionality. If T-mobile provides this for me, I go there, bad luck for that other telco..
The physical phone is not the story. A year from now, the iPhone 3G will be replaced by another new model. The platform is the story. Platforms have staying power, and, once entrenched, are very hard to displace.
That is exactly what many people seem to oversee. All those Samsung, Sony Ericsson, Nokias that are supposedly the "iPhone killers" are just balloons without substance. There is nothing to tie the user with, they are -quite literally- disposable smart phones. Just because there's nothing backing them. No platform, as John says. I work for a certain telco which does not carry the iPhone. I will cancel my free staff phone because of this. I want the iPhone and its (platform) functionality. If T-mobile provides this for me, I go there, bad luck for that other telco..