Apple will do something. Anything. Even an iPhone.

As the internet reverberates to the sound of Apple iPhone rumours, it’s clear to me that they have no choice but to get off the boat and make something happen.  Their ipod player market is being eaten alive by the mobile phone companies.  Apple have been positively neolithic in terms of dealing with this. 

The consumer is loyal to the Apple coolness until such time as it begins to impact your daily life and become, as we say here in London, ‘a bit of an arse’.

It’s a bit of an arse having to carry your mobile phone and your ipod — just because you want to listen to a bit of music on the tube.

Apple definitely wins when you’re walking about with a 5 year old Nokia.  But when Vodafone or 3 put a Sony Ericsson containing 500 meg of mp3 space in your hand….. the ipod becomes a bit of an arse for that tube journey and you leave it at home.  Your thoughtful mobile phone operator has also seen to it that you can easily download tracks to your mobile.  The mobile manufacturer has included good quality, wickedly nice headphones that also double as a hands free headset. 

Uh oh.

Before you know it, Apple is totally nailed.

I think they are.  Right now, they are, to all intents and purposes, nailed — quickly being relegated by a whole range of competing services and devices to a bit player.

I’m looking forward to seeing what they do. 

An iPhone would be interesting but fraught with quite a few challenges.  However, it’s clear they have no choice.  The mobile industry — and perhaps, more alarmingly, the consumers themselves, are marching away ahead of Apple. 

They cannot do nothing.  They cannot bring out another iPod containing a few more gigs of ram.  They aren’t leading the pack any longer — there is simply no alternative for the Apple ipod/itunes strategy but for them to *do something*.  Could be a phone.  Could be a wi-fi enabled VOIP + music device.  Who knows.  But they’ve gotta do something…