I have always believed that the iPhone is just another iPod that makes calls and can surf the web. This perhaps is one of the reasons why the iPod sales have been slowing down, ever since the iPhone was launched in 2007.
In November of 2008, almost a year and a half after the iPhone came to the market came the latest version of Nintendo’s hugely successful handheld gaming device - Nintendo DSi. Unlike the earlier DS versions, Nintendo DSi is not a revolution, however it does have something that I believe is revolutionary (although lack of robustness might prevent us from acknowledging it yet).
Other than additions like a camera that you can play around with, the DSi is WiFi enabled.
To me, this is the point of departure. If I were to look at this development in the context of Wii’s plan to stream content for its users to their consoles, then the DSi is following a very similar path. To me it seems that through both of its products, Nintendo is trying to enter the content & applications space – rather than just selling hardware, which it has done so far. This transition is similar to what makes iPhone and iPod sexier than many viz. the presence of iTunes and the Apple App Store.
However this transition acquires greater meaning when we look at the next question that it raises. “How many devices will I carry when DSi’s WiFi function stabilizes?” or “What all would I want to carry, when games on the iPhone start matching the sophistication of titles on DSi?”
This question about convergence keeps haunting me. Would it really be one device? If I were to look back (and I hope I am not looking back too early) I do not see it happening:
1. Mobile phones have failed to become notebooks – and thus we have Netbooks filling shopping shelves!
2. Notebooks could never become elegantly mobile – thus came Netbooks!
3. The TV could never become the PC and the PC could never become the TV!
Also click here to read about the new roles that the TV is set to play, beyond entertainment!
The above three are interesting because the MP3 (iPod) player did become the mobile phone (iPhone). So – is it about consumers not being ready for one product or most of the companies not being able to come up with a compelling design and function that can motivate them to buy ‘that one device’? I suspect it is the latter.
Friday, May 08, 2009
Your MP3 player is ringing & my gaming device is downloading your song
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2 comments:
You can hardly say the DSi Wi-fi feature is revolutionary, as the PSP has had wi-fi since it's earliest version.
Sony have tried to make the PSP offer many devices in one, adding skype, and various ad ons such as camera and sat nav. But these have never really taken off.
It won't be easy to get all functions into one device without compromise i.e. having a screen large enough to watch video (psp), but small enough to carry around (iphone). But with new technology such as flexible screens, I'm sure it wont be long before we get the uncompromising 'all in one device'.
Thanks for reading Matt. You are right - PSP got wifi first.
The question that I would also like to raise here is that how come iPhone is a much more successful phone as compared to PSP which is not half as successful as a portable gaming device?
Is it only a hardware and design issue (big screen or small screen or flexible screen, as you have indicated) or is it equally linked with the ability of the device to connect and be able to download a variety of content thus offering the feeling of new.
Does the Nintendo DSi indicate the future direction of innovation in the convergence devices - viz. one device with many basic functions (iPhone) rather than device with a dominant function (PSP)?
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