The waiting for iPhone 3GS is the hardest part
Like kids waiting for a new candy store to open, The Nerdery watched and listened to what’s next for the iPhone during Monday’s Apple Worldwide Developers Conference keynote spiel. Now, while we pace in the waiting room like expectant fathers for the birth of the iPhone 3GS, we take this moment to page through a story in Ad Age by Rita Chang on what this baby has in store for marketers.
But before we get to what’s next, just dropping the existing 3G iPhone to $99 (everything must go) will likely attract younger buyers – and greater market share alone spurs greater interest from marketers.
Then, on June 19, “speed” puts the “S” in 3GS. Speedier downloads, greater memory and processing speed, and AT&T’s pledged 3G network upgrade make for a capital “S.”
Writes Chang, “Krish Arvapally, chief technology officer of mobile ad platform provider Mojiva, said since Apple announced its new iPhone software in March, it has seen a 20% increase in the number of advertisers who say they want to target iPhone users.”
“Bring them on,” says the Nerdery.
Another marketable upgrade with 3GS is its ability to record and edit video, upload clips to YouTube, and share video via e-mail or multimedia messaging. “Michael Chang of Greystripe notes that the ‘better camera plus the faster network bandwidth could be the start of mobile video renaissance,’” writes Chang.
Location, location, location, you say?
“Until now, marketers had to count on users to enter their ZIP codes in a browser to geo-target offers via the mobile web,” writes Chang. “Now, with the Safari web browser pulling the users’ location data into the browser experience, marketers could serve geo-targeted ads to any iPhone user with an open browser – assuming the user has allowed the website operator to track his location.”
Also, writes Chang, “The iPhone 3GS will also sport a digital compass that tells users which direction they’re facing, with integrated mapping applications to automatically orient the map in the corresponding direction. Jamie Wells, director of mobile at OMD’s Ignition Factory, said he could see advertisers using the compass feature to make their creative more engaging – for example, a vendor selling merchandise at a sporting event could serve ads that instruct users to point their iPhone at the nearest concession stand to get a coupon.”
The new iPhone also lets users glow in the dark, experience weightlessness and even travel through time. Not really, but wait ‘til next year.
Lastly, if you’re Tom Petty, I’m truly sorry about that headline – but thanks for reading.
