14. HOTLY TIPPED PRODUCT - IPHONE

The iPhone is three "amazing products" – mobile phone, widescreen iPod and breakthrough internet communications – in one. It is replacing the conventional mobile phone, with more features, a better music player, increased internet capabilities and more importantly a memory of 4GB or 8GB. It also has a 2MP camera, touchscreen, as well as Bluetooth and wi-fi capabilities. It is relevant to show the increasing demands of the audiences, and the converged devices which are now being produced. The technology involved, is internet, camera, phone, Bluetooth etc.

The phone interests a wide target audience from the ages of 14 – 35, however mainly males. Music lovers will like the fact that the phone has a relatively big memory so that can store a lot of songs on the phone, teenagers will also like that there is Bluetooth allowing them to effortlessly share their files with their friends, and business men will like the increased internet capabilities which allow them to constantly stay in touch. The phone offers a lot and is seen as a breakthrough in communication devices. The main thing that interests people are the inbuilt iPod capabilities, as a lot of people have ipods, and by converging this device with a phone, it makes life easier for the audience as they do not have to carry two devices – it is all in one.

The institution involved is Apple, who are producing a break through product, which is bound to be extremely popular with the audience, especially following the success in past years with the iPod. The fact that iPod chose to introduce the product several months earlier than its release date (June 2007) allows interest to be created, and thus when the product is eventually it will be in a lot of demand.

Regulation is a factor that needs to be taken into account here as music is often downloaded illegally. This is something which can not really be control, as there are too many people doing it to prosecute everyone. This means that everyone continues to do it. Quality is a factor, as the 2 MP camera is an example of what is being improved through the new technology. Convergence however is probably the key thing. With all of the advance features that the iPhone offers a lot of different technologies have been combined to provide the audience with this e.g. camera and iPod. Portability is a factor, as the point is that you can take the device with you and then do a lot of things with it, regardless of where you are, this is similar to miniaturisation, where even though the product has a lot more features, it is still relatively small considering. The phone is also an example of personalisation, as the things that people put on the phone can be personalised according to their interests for example different music.

12. CONVERGED TECHNOLOGY – SIDEKICK 3

A T-Mobile Sidekick is a phone that lets you stay connected “the way you want, when you want”. You can do almost anything on a sidekick, and the development into a sidekick 3 with added features means it is beginning to replace conventional mobile phones, as well as MP3 players, as due to the large memory capacity people may feel that they don’t need both an MP3 player and a phone, when they can just have the sidekick. This is also similar with a camera, as although the picture quality is lower than most digital cameras, it is more convenient, as you have it built into your phone, which you take almost everywhere you go. The technology involved is a phone.

The main target audience for the Sidekick is girls aged 14-24 as it means that can constantly keep in touch with their friends. The fact that celebrities such as Paris Hilton and Lauren Conrad (from Laguna Beach) also have one influences their opinion on the phone, as they want to be similar to them. Recently, however T-mobile have tried to make the Sidekick appeal to boys as well as girls by creating a D-wade Sidekick, designed by an NBA player.

The sidekick is quite a big phone, however this is mainly because it has a keypad on it, allowing for the audience to easily type email messages and AIM messages. The phone has a 1.3MP camera, internet access with instant messenger, email, phone and Bluetooth, and a music player, as well as an extra 1GB memory capacity through the use of a memory card.

However, these different groups may use it differently. Boys may be more interested in keeping up with the latest sports news, whereas girls like to constantly keep in touch with their friends. However, both groups probably find that all the features are relevant to them in some detail.

From an institutional point of view T-Mobile want to produce this phone to keep up with technology and also to keep the teenage audience, which is especially helped by the fact that Paris Hilton has her very own sidekick. The way the phone is exhibited is essential to the audience. The website ties in with the teenage age group, as it is set on a street, which you navigate around using your own sidekick. You can also choose the music that plays, mimicking one of the main features of the sidekick. It is also important for t-mobile, as it is a product, which no other company really has. It is a PDA style device, but with features that are aimed at teenagers, which puts them in a strong position within the market.

The sidekick is a good example of portability, as it allows you to consume media on the go, for example instant messaging due to the built in AIM and MSN capability, the sidekick 3 is also an example of miniaturisation, as even though the phone is slightly bigger than others on the market, it is much smaller than the previous models, the phone also allows for personalisation as the audience can adapt the technology to suit their lifestyle, for example by uploading on to it their favourite songs. Quality is increasing, which we can see from the 1.3MP camera, and we can also see convergence, due to all the different technologies that can now be consumed through the sidekick.