New Phones Compete With Software, Not Hardware

The iPhone may have buzz, Wired writes, but the smartphone market is deviating from the model of Apple’s “Jesus phone,” particularly in the software area. Wary of Apple’s restrictive software development policies, Wired pegs the Nokia N95, with an open source application platform, as more influential in the development of future handsets. That’s not to say that the N95 doesn’t somewhat resemble the iPhone externally.

It has the requisite tall, rectangular screen and high-end camera, as do many touch-screen wannabes on display this week at the annual CTIA Wireless conference. But handset makers will primarily compete with a plethora of seamlessly integrated applications and entertainment offerings, an area where the iPhone, locked in the walled garden of the Apple experience, falls short. (More iPhone stories.)