Does Nokia's "Tube" have what it takes? And why do people buy what they buy?

http://www.core77.com/blog/object_culture/does_nokias_tube_have_what_it_takes_and_why_do_people_buy_what_they_buy_11330.asp


We have to disagree with PC World's recent article, "Why Nokia's 'Tube' Is the iPhone's Biggest Threat," purporting that Nokia's 5800 will provide close competition to the iPhone. And our stance does not come from some blind reverence for Apple; we're talking about a basic understanding product designers should all have--the importance of emotion when it comes to people, objects, and purchasing decisions.
The article points out that the $390 price tag of the Nokia is okay because it's simfree. They also say the phone
...will feature the Nokia's Comes with Music bundle, which will allow users to freely download an unlimited number of songs from Nokia's Music Store over a year after the initial purchase.
...Nokia's 5800 Express Music also features a 3.2-megapixel camera, with autofocus Carl Zeiss optics and a dual LED flash. All these blow iPhone's 2006 style 2-megapixel-no flash camera out of the water. Also, Tube records videos at VGA quality (640X480px) and has a frontal camera for video calls, something that the iPhone can't do at all. In this category, it's clear who's the winner.

Really, it's not. No one buys the iPhone for the camera. And are there a lot of bands people like on the Nokia Music Store?
The Apple hype did help Apple to sell millions of iPhones, but Nokia sells over 500 million devices every year, out of which almost 100 million are smartphones. If we take in consideration brand loyalty and the other advantages Tube has over iPhone, we're about to see a very tight competition between the two.
We disagree. People like the iPhone because it's easy to use, simple, and for better or worse, it's considered "cool." People ditched brand loyalty to get their hands on the iPhone, and the insane store lines proved it. The Nokia may have better features, but when it sees wide release and the two phones really go head-to-head in the marketplace, I think we'll all have an opportunity to learn something about product design.
Two more things: 1) Let's pick this conversation up again in a few months, when sales figures start coming out, and 2) right now, what do you guys think?



I think Nokia can't win. Apple manages their brand image so successful. People buy Apple's products are not for its superb functions, is because its trendy design and the social value. People built up their self-images by using them. In Taiwan, people buy Apple's products just like people buy luxury goods in the United States. They show off what they have got. One of my friend complained about inconvenience of operating I-tune; however, he still bought another Apple's products. Nokia should reinforce their brand image if they want to compete with Apple.