MB, I like your posts. On the high-end brick phone that you mentioned, I agree it was a show case phone ( I saw an earlier very expensive model at a trade show .... The mfgr was very proud of it.....it was all about materials (vs. features)). Around the same time, NTT DoCoMo was partnered with AT&T Wireless to bring iMode like capabilities to the US market (feature rich).
To make a long story short, and this is fact, feature rich won out and "American" style content did even better, and then "American" brands, e.g. Apple. This is fact, and at the expense of stylish form factor because consumers (and primarily young adults and teens that grew up on the internet) were hungry for content, ring tunes, video clips, texting, etc.
Now, ( and for some time) the opportunity is on the hardware (mechanics vs software): better materials, stylish form factor, etc.
AAPL has done a great job on software ( meaning OS that is easily upgraded over the air to introduce new user interfaces, features, etc.). The next steps are as you have pointed out, e.g. Materials evolution.
I pointed out a while back that "cost" is everything when it comes to margins, etc. ( what WS rewards, etc.) and some ppl want to believe that "status" trumps that and everything else.
It absolutely does not (meaning traditional norms of status).
What ever AAPL comes out with, I agree will be well thought out, competitive, etc., and meet their financial objectives vs. one offs.
Anyway, I believe that facts trump huff and puff. They're coming along as has been pointed out. It disappoints me that it is taking so long and especially as it might have been believed to be a factor in giving LQMT more credibility in the market.
