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 iPod


As 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 customization 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.

AppStore


Obviously, 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 $0.99,


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 expectfrom the iPhone 5?  We can only anticipate.