iPhone Equals Explosion of Korea's Mobile Internet Market?

Now that the iPhone is officially coming to Korea, there seems to be a flurry of media attention to what it all means. Many observers are beginning to pick up on the larger significance, as indicated by today's article in The Korea Times, headlined "iPhone's Debut May Spark Mobile Internet Usage." Of course it will! Consider the following:

• The major reason for the iPhone's popularity around the world is that it makes the internet mobile. Most of its applications depend on the internet.
• Mobile broadband is the killer application for mobile devices and the main transformation taking place in mobile communication worldwide involves the transition from phones to handsets that are internet-capable and more like hand-held PCs.
• There is a very good chance that Android phones will rather quickly surpass the iPhone worldwide and in the Korean market because of (1) Google's powerful range of cloud computing information services and (2) the more open nature of the Android platform.

The next year or so will be a period of great transformation in Korea's mobile market, with positive implications for consumers here.