About 18 months ago I wrote a blog post, iPod Killer… Found. In that post, I

analyzed what would finally kill the iPod, and the requirements I said needed to exist on this mythical device was:


  • Media player

  • Good quality video camera

  • Large amount of storage space

  • Doubles as a cell-phone

  • Easy access to a store to get new media (free and purchase)

  • Always-on broadband internet access

  • Allows access to media sharing services like Flickr and YouTube

  • Exchange integration with “Push” email

  • Access to GMail, Hotmail, and Yahoo accounts

  • Has to be “cool” and easy to use


And my prediction for who it would be? Microsoft + Yahoo. Oh man was I wrong. C’mon, Microsoft had the most feature rich mobile OS at the time, they had to be the top contender, right? Not even close. Windows Mobile is pretty much exactly the same as it was back then, and they really missed the boat. I didn’t even figure Google into the equation, and they stand a much better chance to beat out Microsoft with Android.

Well, it looks like the iPod has finally been replaced by its cousin, the iPhone. I just finished watching the Apple SDK announcement presentation and it’s very clear that it is going to be a revolutionary platform for mobile devices. Don’t believe that? Venture capital fund Kleiner Perkins will disagree with you too.

It’s just a reminder that you have to innovate to stay on top. Nice work Apple.