Article by Chris Westley

The Apple iPhone 4 is the world’s most popular smartphone. But why is this? This article will look at why this device has sold so many units, and why users love the iPhone 4 so much. Given the sales of previous iPhone models, it is clear that the success of the iPhone 4 is no fluke. Why has the iPhone 4 proven so successful? Here are my thoughts on the subject…

iTunes Integration & Built In iPodAs with the previous iPhone models, users require iTunes to be installed on their computer to active their iPhone. So from the start, all iPhone users have iTunes. Apple has cleverly used this to allow users have instant access to virtually any music track, movie, TV show etc. And the fact that every user has an iTunes account which can be accessed on the phone means users are merely seconds away from downloading anything available in the iTunes store, straight to their phone. The fact that the device also doubles up as an iPod means that users have the unique customisation and library features of the innovative iPod touch. With iPhone 4 models starting at 16GB users can store their entire music collection on their phone. Whilst competing smartphones offer similar systems, nothing comes close to Apple’s products in terms of simplicity and ease of use. Rival companies may be catching up when it comes to offering downloadable music, but Apple has the edge as iTunes was available before the first iPhone. This has given them the chance to make leaps and bound in this respect whilst others are just starting to offer similar services.

AppStoreObviously, the AppStore is one of the major selling points of the iPhone 4. The manufacturer has even dedicated TV adverts to this aspect of the phone, rather than advertising the iPhone itself. The AppStore is no doubt responsible for the majority of the iPhone’s success. The AppStore offers users hundreds of thousands of applications (at the time of writing, there are over 350,000 available, and Apple recently announced its billionth App download), ranging from free to several hundred dollars. Apps from several different categories are available, and therefore, users can enhance every aspect of their device as well as truly make it their own. In fact, it is doubtful that there are many iPhone users who only have the pre-installed apps on their device. Apps are big business; an example of a successful App is “Angry Birds”. This is a simple strategy game which only costs £0.59 or .99, and has been downloaded over 12 million times. Of course, there is much more to the AppStore than just games. There are productivity tools which can make the iPhone 4 an invaluable companion in the workplace. Additionally, many location based services are available. SatNav apps can be downloaded, essentially replacing the need for a separate device, and the same can be said for standalone MP3 players and digital cameras. It would be impossible to cover the enormity of the content available on the AppStore, but there is no doubt that its contribution to the success of the iPhone 4 is vast.

Of course there is much more to the iPhone 4 than the ecosystem which Apple has created for it. It can do just about everything than any other smartphone can do. I personally think though, that a major contributing factor to its success is the fact that a single iPhone can replace numerous devices such as a digital camera, MP3 player, SatNav unit and to some extent even a laptop.

The question on everybody’s minds is “what can we expect from the iPhone 5?”. Well, the wait is nearly over, as it is rumoured that the device will be announced in June 2011. We can only anticipate what advanced the iPhone 5 will bring.