Collateral Damage

In the tech world, when a large company launches a product, it inadvertently kills off a lot of small companies which were offering features that were not available previously. Case in point: iPhone 3GS. Here are the list of several companies/products that Apple cannibalised when it introduced iPhone 3GS:

1. Flip: With iPhone 3GS' video recording capabilities and it's ease of use to upload videos onto YouTube, who needs a Flip? Wonder if Cisco is regretting its acquisition of Flip?
2. PSP/NintendoDS: Have you played a racing game on a iPhone 3GS? It's fast and and graphics is as good as a PSP or a DSi. Why would you need a PSP if you can play the same game on an iPhone 3GS?
   
3. Garmin/TomTom/Navigon: With its GPS & compass, stand-alone GPS device manufacturers are forced to address this market by making available their apps to provide turn-by-turn navigational software on iPhone 3GS. By opening up accessory/dock access, Apple is letting them have their hardware touch on top of the software. If your phone can be your GPS device, why would you a Garmin, TomTom?
4. Several small AppStore vendors: By offering Voice Memo, Voice Control & Compass a built-in apps in the Appstore, Apple basically killed off several apps that were trying to do the same thing (albeit ineffectively).
   

Oh, by the way, I bought an iPhone 3GS and if you don't follow me on twitter, please do so. Will try to update the blog more regularly.