Apple Isn’t at MWC, But Apple Is Everywhere at MWC

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Apple doesn’t have to physically attend a trade show in order to loom over it like a thick, dense fog. CES and Macworld are prime examples, as is the Mobile World Congress (MWC), which runs Feb. 14-17 in Barcelona, Spain. Already at MWC, Apple’s presence is undeniable.

Samsung is a perfect example. At MWC, it unveiled a new tablet: the Galaxy Tab 10.1. Like many manufacturers, Samsung seems to be following Apple’s lead with the 10.1-inch form factor, after having brought the 7-inch Galaxy Tab to market last year (with mixed results). Steve Jobs famously derided tablets smaller than 9.7-inches, citing the poor usability of such devices, and predicting that other manufacturers would abandon them in due time. Since Samsung is opting for the larger form factor for its follow-up to the Galaxy Tab and no 7-inch successor is on display, it looks like Jobs’ comments may either have been prescient or prescriptive. Samsung also unveiled the Galaxy S II, and seems intent on streamlining its smartphone branding under the “Galaxy” moniker, in a strategy that more closely resembles Apple’s standard practice with iPhone naming conventions.

But if you’re looking for Apple at MWC, you probably won’t find a more striking example of its influence than at HP’s booth. HP recently unveiled its TouchPad 10.1-inch tablet device, running webOS, which it acquired when it purchased Palm in 2010. At its unveiling last week, the TouchPad looked like a very promising product, and webOS seemed to work wonderfully on the larger display. But what was more remarkable from the perspective of the Apple observer: the TouchPad’s mail and web browing UI, and its keyboard, look taken almost directly from iOS on the iPad. It’s true that Apple may have done it best, but it was still a shock to see HP lift so liberally from the Cupertino school of interface design. Regardless of whether you agree or disagree with HP’s decision to to so closely mimic Apple’s UI successes, the Mac-maker’s influence in undeniable.

Even more amazing is HP’s broader adoption of webOS on its traditional desktop and notebook computers, something the company says is in the pipeline for later this year. Unifying hardware and operating system under one corporate roof is obviously a page torn directly out of Apple’s playbook.

I could go on about every tablet introduced by every major device manufacturer at the conference, but that fact that virtually everyone has one says it all: For better or for worse, Apple now sets the pace and trajectory of the entire mobile tech industry. And by entire, I really mean all of it. Carriers are affected by Apple’s mobile presence at least as much as the hardware and software-makers it competes with in the device market. Recent information suggests Apple could be poised to wrest even more power out of the hands of network operators with a built-in SIM card that can be easily switched from one network to another by any iPhone owner. European operators are banding together to ensure that Apple doesn’t turn them into dumb data pipes with minimal say in setting rates and a much smaller chunk of potential earnings.

So Apple isn’t at Mobile World Congress, but Apple virtually is mobile in terms of its influence on hardware, software and even carrier policy and mobile bandwidth usage. MWC is a response to Apple, and an anticipation of its next moves. Would LG have introduced the 8.9-inch Optimus Pad with a 3D camera had the iPad not come out last year? No, just like its new smartphone with the 3D camera and screen wouldn’t exist except as a response to the iPhone. Arguably, then, no company is more present at MWC 2011 than is Apple.

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