The subject of envy is often a result of the admiration it holds. Apple seems to be the best to describe such a situation.

Be it any launch of its products, the company somehow finds itself in some controversy or the other regarding its products.

When the whole world was singing to the tunes of Windows, it was Apple which introduced Mac thereby challenging the might of Microsoft. And the result was wide acceptance of the operating system within the industry.

Apple has always strived to differentiate its products based on the user-friendliness and quality of its products. The positioning of Apple products has been a cut above the rest.

And continuing with its tradition of offering innovative products to enhance the lifestyle of consumers, the company first introduced iPod products. The aim was to offer consumers an advanced yet user-friendly experience and revolutionise the concept of on-the-move personal entertainment experience. And the product was an instant hit with the consumers.

Apple then identified a huge segment to cash on. IT realized that personal entertainment and mobile phone could be converged to a single device thereby avoiding the need of the consumers to carry along with them two different devices. This gave birth to the revolutionary iPhone. We call it revolutionary because even till date the slick nature of the phone coupled with rich features is difficult to compete with.

The introduction of iPhone forced handset manufacturers to give more importance to the looks of the handset model. And they also had to take into consideration the fact that the model has to be rich and unique in features as well. Suddenly with the advent of iPhone ‘slick’ became the ‘in-thing’ for handsets. One has to give full credit to Apple for revolutionizing the concept of design in handset manufacturing.

But then it is not mere design that makes iPhone click with the consumers. The phone has a host of features. Music capability of the phone is mainly derived from the iPod and hence stands distinguished among its competitors. The phone also has 8GB and 16 GB memory space versions. And the latest version of iPhone i.e. iPhone 3G allows operators to offer a wide range of 3G-based VAS services to the subscribers. iPhone 3G also has a 2 mega pixel camera.

Apple also dared to change the rules of the game as it encourages independent software developers to offer software applications to the users. This was against the rules of the game where originally the manufacturers tried to garner revenues by way of miniature software upgrades.

Apple’e strategy is also focused with only single models being offered to subscribers unlike in case of other manufacturers who offer a wide range of models which in some cases are left to be differentiated only by size or colour.

But all this has come at a price for Apple Its iPhone has always been a subject to envy as critics and competitors have frequently pointed out to flaws in the products. While other handsets too may have flaws, iPhone’s flaw appear in highlight mainly due to the attention it receives. It is like identify a flaw in iPhone and one is assured of instant recognition within the industry.

Bloggers have pointed out that unauthorized users can gain access to iPhone’s users and gain control over emails and contact details even when the phone is locked. People have also pointed out that Apple has control over each and every iPhone.

People are also now questioning iPhone’s inability to allow forwarding of SMSes and lack of Bluetooth connectivity.

Users in India particularly are upset with the American firm’s pricing strategy adopted in India.

While all these may hold true, the fact remains that iPhone remains to be one of the most admired and sought after products globally. And no wonder that whoever envies this reality, loves to hate the iPhone.