What the iPhone Needs to Keep the Android Hordes at Bay……….

The Android platform is growing fast & Verizon is readying what may be the best Android phone yet. Consumers are getting more Android options on more networks. Meanwhile Apple is sticking to a consistent device design on a single network. The iPhone doesnt need to branch off into multiple sizes & styles to be the dominant platform but its single-U.S.-carrier situation is another story.Apple has rapidly gone from smartphone newbie to market share contender & the indisputable mindshare leader.
There are plenty of great features packed into Android 2.0 & the new Droid hardware but none are compelling enough to make me deviate from my iPhone 3G.

More importantly, we’re starting to enter a phase where Android is becoming more & more capable & smartphone manufacturers are starting to catch on, as well as innovate ahead of Apple in some instances. The point isnt which phone represents the best hardware, the best operating system, the best apps ecosystem, or the coolest design.
The point is that the Apple iPhone is heading toward a battlefield where it’ll be one smart phone facing an army of Android-based phones available on any network. Will any of these devices be fundamentally better than an iPhone, in all aspects of the iPhone world?
But imagine a field of consumers looking at options, trying things out, knowing they want a smartphone that does email, browses the Web, plays movies & takes decent pictures.
At what point will Apple need to offer different flavors & variations of its iPhone? Will it ever? Does the iPhone need a physical slide-out keyboard? An elegant Apple-developed snap-on keyboard? Does Apple need an iPhone nano?
Now those are tough questions. Its hard to see Apple deviating much & possibly risk diluting its own brand; its easy to see Apple creating a bigger screen, a thinner slab, better battery life, new software, & snazzier looks.
Reference: http://www.macnewsworld.com/story/68515.html