IP Convergence: Beyond VoIP, Beyond Cost Savings

In addition to the Consumer Electronics Show, there was another show which stole the limelight.  And while the Adult Video Awards (also taking place in Vegas) is a good guess, it was Mac World that garnered all of the attention away from the CES.  The big to-do of course was Apple’s iPhone. 

While I agree the iPhone is a brilliant combination of technology and design, since everyone else is falling over themselves praising the iPhone, I thought I would take a more critical look at it.   

Here are some questions I have about the iPhone.

1.            At a time when both Cingular and Verizon Wireless are competing on the network (“fewest dropped calls” vs. “it’s the network”), what does the iPhone portend for the future and how is Verizon Wireless going to respond to the iPhone?  Will the iPhone usher in an era where the network is irrelevant and it’s all about the handset?
2.            Are communications services of the future going to be defined by the customer equipment?  If so, will they be exclusive, proprietary equipment like the iPhone? 
3.            What will the role of iTunes be?  In his keynote, Steve Jobs said the iPhone can be synched up with your computer through iTunes.  Is iTunes going to keep a copy of the contents of everyone’s computer on iTunes?  Talk about a treasure trove of information.
4.            How do two leading proponents of net neutrality – Google and Yahoo! – square that position with their partnership with Apple and Cingular on the iPhone?  Apparently a “walled garden” on the mobile network is ok, but since mobile is going to be a primary on-ramp to the Internet, doesn’t this present some intellectual inconsistencies?
5.            Will we look back five years from now and see the iPhone as the first step in Silicon Valley’s domination of the telecommunication industry?