The iPhone eyes ubiquity

In Wednesday's IT Blogwatch, the iPhone is crowned. Not to mention the royal duds...

Seth Weintraub sees iPhones everywhere:

NPD has the news today ... specifically that iPhone is the number one phone amongst adult consumer shoppers... That means in a few months, you'll probably be more likely to see an iPhone in someone's hands than a Razr. It also means that iPhone has reached critical mass. Non-techies can confidently pick one up as well. Grandmas know about them. Joe Sixpack wants one. They'll of course have heard it is a best seller. This is of course fantastic news for the iPhone development community who now have millions more potential customers to sell their wares to.

If this all sounds familiar for an Apple product, it really looks like Apple's iPhone is hitting the trajectory that the iPod line had hit. It is the market leader in the smartphone name space. Ubiquity.

Oh and don't forget it is twice as reliable as a blackberry and three times as reliable as the Treo. That, and really cool new apps are coming out for the App Store that are pushing the limits of what a gadget has been traditionally able to do.

John Paczkowski farewells the Razr:

The Motorola (MOT) Razr’s 12-quarter streak as the No. 1-ranked handset in the United States has finally been broken–by Apple, of all companies. According to a survey by NPD, the Razr V3 slipped to second place behind Apple’s (AAPL) iPhone 3G in the third quarter, apparently a victim of its own outdated design.

An interesting trend. Especially, since smartphones tend to be quite a bit pricier than their dumbphone counterparts. Indeed, AT&T (T), the iPhone’s exclusive carrier in the U.S., offers the device for $200 with a two-year contract, while it offers Motorola’s RAZR V3xx Platinum for $0.01 ... Seems $200 beats free, or essentially free, even in the ugliest of economic times–as long as it’s emblazoned with an Apple logo.

Jeremy Sikora eyes world domination:

It has taken Apple a very short time to reach this position, would it be wise to assume that it is only a matter of time for it to become #1 worldwide?

Brennon Slattery sees stars:

The iPhone is having a stellar year. First, it blasts past RIM's Blackberry in sales. Then it ousts Motorola's RAZR as the top-selling handset of all time. And, now a report from mobile phone warranty firm SquareTrade says that Apple's iPhone is the most reliable smartphone on the market, surpassing both Blackberrys and Palm Treos.

Erna Mahyuni headlines with pricing:

Thanks to aggressive pricing (and Steve Jobs’ Reality Distortion Field), the iPhone is now officially the best-selling consumer handset. And AT&T is probably thrilled at this development as it means more people are suckers enough, I mean, savvy enough to sign up for one of its pricey data plans.

And finally...

• Computer Gripes

Buffer overflow:

• Coding Horror: Feeding My Graphics Card Addiction
• Microsoft Watch: IBM to Microsoft: It's Small Biz Server War
• VoIP Watch: Boingo Buys OptiFi, More Consolidation of WiFi Networks
• Sam Dean: Go-oo: A Lighter, Faster OpenOffice, With Extras
• Network Security: What would you ask the Department of Homeland Security Secretary?
• Dana Epp: Introduction to Microsoft's SDL Threat Modeling Tool
• Todd Watson: Moving Pictures On The Interwebs

Other Computerworld bloggers:

• Preston Gralla: Has 25 years improved Windows?
• Robert Mitchell: Ning's Bianchini -- The rest of the story
• Douglas Schweitzer: I don't take my freedom for granted
• Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols: The big Windows 7 lie
• John Brandon: StumbleUpon is a weak link to the Web
• Seth Weintraub: Apple's iPhone is the number one phone in the land

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Our usual blogwatcher, Richi Jennings, is eyeing a cold one from his lounge chair, waves lapping its feet. Mike Barton called in today's edition.  

Previously in IT Blogwatch:

• Nortel layoffs: Kerfluffle, reshuffle in telecom land
• IBM at Apple's throat
• Wi-Fi Protected Access: More access, less protection