Several years ago just as the mobile revolution was beginning to take off, I invested in my very first smartphone. This was the time before the domination of iPhones and Android devices. This "smartphone" at it's very least was difficult to navigate, limited in it's functionality, and lacked any aesthetic sensibility whatsover.
1. Design Differentiation
Unlike other form factors, there was no keyboard. Just a single button and touch sensitive UI. Revolutionary. Probably. Ease of use, simple, and intuitive are critical factors for the rapid adoption.
2. Platform
Another critical reason for it's widespread adoption is that the iPhone, just like an Android phone, is an extensible platform. The functionality is limited only to apps that are stored on it. In fact, there are close to 800000 apps available for the iPhone.
It's pretty evident that Apple's built a robust ecosystem around the iPhone and encouraging development for the iOS platform. Similarly, the number of apps available to android phones exceed more than a 1,000,000. In contrast, Blackberry had a 100,000 apps available, 47000 peddled by a single developer, S4BB.
Google evolved the concept of a platform to a whole new level, taking a page from Microsoft's playbook. The Android platform that Google invests in, is completely free. Since it's free, it lowers the barriers to entry such that device manufacturers are more likely to leverage the platform. As more devices leverage an open OS, more developers are likely to build apps for it. By no means does it make Google a charity. Rather, the company charges for the services, searches and apps that are downloaded from it's app store.
Nokia and Blackberry
The question then arises as to why companies like Nokia and Blackberry which once dominated the mobile landscape, fail. Both companies were victims of their past successes, focused on past products and failing to recognize and adapt to the tidal wave of consumer tastes in smartphones.
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