The iPhone effect

When Apple announced the iPhone, which goes on sale this Friday, there was little doubt that its entry would change the face of the mobile market, forcing consumers to re-think the cell phone. The New York Times, however, adds Hollywood to those attempting to accommodate the new possibilities that the iPhone (and other products that are likely to come after it) offers. From the lede:

The iPhone doesn’t go on sale until Friday, but Steven P. Jobs, the chief executive of Apple, is already changing the perception of the mobile phone, from a quick way to call a friend to a hip, media-friendly device. In doing so, he has forced mobile phone and Hollywood executives to react by chasing hungrily after the newest thing or face being left behind. 

Mobile phone makers are scurrying to offer new products to compete with the iPhone’s touch screen. Wireless carriers also seem more willing to listen to their partners’ advice. And in Hollywood, where Mr. Jobs’s convention-defying tactics are all too familiar, media executives are eagerly preparing for a new era as they hope to position more content where consumers want it: in their hands.