Just a couple talking to a salesman who too was figuring out how to work the new mobile phone which is powered by Google’s new Android operating system.
This line in particular makes me realize something important: All of the media exposure that the iPhone got, including (and especially) the iPhone ads, effectively acted as tutorials on how to use the device long before someone actually bought one.
Pre-launch consumer exposure to the Android interface, however, hasn't been anywhere close to what the iPhone received. That's partly because the iPhone sucked up the novelty factor, but has there even been a memorable advertising campaign for the G1 in which the interface is front and center?
This is something I've noticed across all mobile phone ads, not just Android/G1.
- iPhone ads show a giant iPhone and a hand using it.
- Blackberry ads show flying beachballs and photos of puppies and people eating cake and whatnot, with meaningless voiceovers like "Your life! To go!"
As somebody who doesn't even own a cell phone, the message is crystal clear: other phones suck compared to the iPhone, but they feel the need to run ads.
that kind of thing is apple's speciality. Hard to beat them on that turf.
But it's easier (and cheaper) to follow. Once people know (from the iphone) what a phone is supposed to do, they'll be able to get other phones to do it too.
They're pretty similar. Both have a home screen with icons for programs, a button to return to it, and a similar touch-screen web-browsing interface.
Notable interface differences are the slide-out keyboard on the G1, two-touch zoom gesture on the iPhone, the hardware "back" button on the G1, and the "system-tray" at the top of the G1 that notifies you when a background process has something to say, like you just got a chat or an email or a download finished.
This line in particular makes me realize something important: All of the media exposure that the iPhone got, including (and especially) the iPhone ads, effectively acted as tutorials on how to use the device long before someone actually bought one.
Pre-launch consumer exposure to the Android interface, however, hasn't been anywhere close to what the iPhone received. That's partly because the iPhone sucked up the novelty factor, but has there even been a memorable advertising campaign for the G1 in which the interface is front and center?