Short post but very significant in terms of the evolution of personalization on the back of gadget penetration. Apple have trademarked the term “Mobile Me” – one can speculate as the Reuters article does that Apple are looking to launch a iPod/Phone hybrid or that perhaps the iBrand is now changing into something more about integrated service rather than hardware or software.

“We believe this is further indication of (Apple’s) strategic direction to extend its iPod + iTunes and Mac franchises into new business areas including smart phones, value-added mobile content services, and the broader consumer electronics space,” American Technology Research analyst Shaw Wu

I suspect that the combination of iTunes (please change it to iMedia or something!), iPod, the MacMiniPVR and a range of mobile phone hardware partners means that Apple are starting to glue their properties and brands together, moving into Yahoo! Go territory perhaps, we hope. The next 6 months are going to be pretty historical from a personalized service perspective as Apple perhaps another runner get involved with the other big three (see last post) in a four horse race.

Posted by Gary Hayes ©2006