The Apple iPhone strutted alone into the nightclub a few months ago with a heart-stopping little black dress and caught everyone's eyes - male, female, and   those transitioning either way.   Small groups started forming, looking at how the dress moved to the beat of the music that seemed to get louder as she entered the hot spot of the middle of the dance floor.   Guys walked toward her from each end of the club, bopping and smiling as they approached within a few feet.   Girls did the same, some out of envy, asking themselves why didn't they wear a similar dress, and where to buy one like that anyway.   What was remarkable about the dress was that it was sexy and functional at the same time.   Revealed her gorgeous legs and toned torso and arms, yet not overly showy. The colorful scarf, belt and other accessories came alive against the black dress.    It was full enough to move to the music but tight enough to highlight her sleek well-proportioned body.   Many, I'm sure, fantasized about more than dancing. Within minutes, the DJ boosted the dance music, people encircled her, some taking her hand and dancing, others just moving in her vicinity.   You can smell the brain neurons of nearly everyone there, sizzling with ideas on what to wear next Saturday night.   In the meantime, it seemed everyone started chatting with each other, remarking about outfits, throwing around comments about accessories and the fashion world.   Cameras clicked away, and blogs mused the next day about what the little black dress caused and why.   The next Saturday night, a concession stand appeared next to the coatroom closet.   You could buy suggested dress patterns, material, sewing needle and thread and bring them home to make your own little black dress like the Apple iPhone dress, and even instill your own creativity on shape, length, neckline, etc. A second concession stand had a seven-foot high rack of already-made knock-offs of last week's Apple dress, but the one my friend tried on didn't seem to fit right or move as sexily as she spun around to show it off for me.   Just as she was changing back to her jeans, the Apple girl who wore the dress last week came in, with a posse around her, everyone smiling and moving smoothly to the dance song.   This time, she had on a short reddish dress with a long laced vest over it and lots of jewelry with dainty pearl earrings.   Her pink lips framed a natural wide smile of knowing the others could never keep up with her.   I walked over, asked her to dance, and was somewhat surprised when she said, "Of course."

My reading a lot about the upcoming competitive challenges for the Apple iPhone triggered the dress metaphor in my head.   As Apple's iPhone competitors tout their strategies, they should remember that Apple has been dancing well for many years, has always been willing to wear clothes that not only stand out and attract attention but that also lead to a better time for all.   It's not just about the dress, it's about the person in it and the way she gets many to enjoy dancing with her, looking at her, and stepping up their own game.   Google may be like a party organizer with a lot of dance knowledge and fashion sense.

The most serious immediate challenge to the iPhone is the so-called Google Phone or gPhone, which is not really a phone but rather an open-source platform for developers to easily create exciting applications that may lead to the creation of scores of new phones by manufacturers. The project name is Android and big members of the related alliance include Motorola, LG and Samsung, T-Mobile and chipmaker Qualcomm (Absent are Microsoft and Nokia). (See ATM 1 below for New York Times 11/12/07 article and videoclip by Sergey Brin, Google co-founder). One manufacturer, HTC, has already started advertising its Touch phone that uses a touch screen like Apple's iPhone.   (See ATM2 for HTC webpage of products including 3 touch phones).   A major advantage of the Android platform seems to be the faster speed of the G3 network, even more apparent in Europe. (See ATM 3 for AJC news source on 11/13/07).   My guess is Apple will be meet that G3 challenge with a new development.

One possible outcome from intense competition is that the iPhone may evolve to become a very powerful mobile computer, with outstanding capabilities including larger display screens that are part of the device or displayable outside it.   Because Apple is an extraordinary innovator with a keen understanding of consumer markets and with an insightful eye toward elegant simplicity combined with powerful utility, in my opinion, the competition coming for the iPhone will force Apple's hand to engineer a device that becomes a dress we all will want to wear.

About the author:

Frank Sisco is a businessman who loves finding ways to enhance life through personal technology, and writing about it.    You can contact Frank by email at ideasmoney@aol.com or by phone at 914.589.1013 in order to express your opinion or send in questions, comments, or videoclips.   He resides in New Rochelle, NY with his wife and daughter.