Agreed on many points above, but I am not so sure how an iPhone will look after several months of pounding either. . . . .
The next Palm/Hawkins Device offering had better meet the challenge. With a 2 to 3 year gestation period -- we will soon see what Palm's vision was in '04 and '05.
Does the iPhone come with a window wiper for the screen and a little nozzle to squirt blue liquid stuff? I can envision a screen always in need of grease removal. . . . .
Ok, ok. . . trivial point.
Cheers, Perry.
Not necessarily a trivial point...it becomes a problem viewing the screen...it did on my Treo and it does on PPC6700. That said...I see something like the oil fob motorola includes with the RAZR as Apple's solution...it'll dongle off the lanyard loop and be there to de-grease your phone. probably machine washable too.
Now...my feeling on the iPhone since I haven't chimed in yet. I think it's seriously going to shake things up. All of the devices today have a trade-off...thin and no touch screen...thick but touch screen. iPhone...thin and ALL touchscreen. People have said that tactile feedback from a keyboard is necessary...I disagree...you will get used to not having that...how many people don't use their stylus to do quick things on the screen of Treos and PPCs? It'll be a pain at first but we will get used to it and probably like it better in the end.
iPhone is cool in it's ability to change the UI to suit the need...something no other device can claim. You can't change the button layout or keyboard on ANY other device...it is what it is. Different language keyboard...done. Different button layout...done. Where I work we have been using what I call 1970's technology...buttons, switches, POTs etc...but our new user interface is completely centered around an LCD touch screen panel...yes we have a few buttons left but the world is heading this way. Our customers have driven the need for this. Plus...I can create tabbed screens rather than add another hardware button or control panel...similar to the iPhone. It gives me the flexibility to take the existing hardware and augment it with software for many years to come. I can give you a whole new UI in a few hours and you can install it yourself.
Ok all that aside...the thing just friggin' looks cool. How many times I watch Johnny Mnemonic, The Matrix or any other future movie and say damn...we are still in the stone ages. It is the year 2007 and things don't look much different from 50s - 90s. Sure, things have gotten smaller and not as big-button but this isn't the world we envisioned or promised even BACK in the 50s. I think for the first time we're seeing technology more on par with where we should be for this date and time. I just saw the dash of the new Honda Civic the other day...completely different from most offerings...not really a new idea (digital dash) but the two tiered approach is cool...puts the important information at road level...no more hand-pop to see your speed, gas etc. Nice ideas and forward thinking.
Will the iPhone rule the world...no. Does is force the hand of everyone else to catch up...absolutely. This phone will be big and a lot of people are going to buy it. Does it replace an iPod...not really...people have more and more music and movies...passing the 8 gig mark. Most people have been happy though with their 4 gig iPod nanos though. The big drawback to the iPhone no memory expansion slot...it is what it is and that's all that it is. If I want to go buy another 8gig SD card to add to my iPhone...I can't. That's the part that sucks...at least with most devices I have that option. The other thing...I see no information about handling attachments other than pictures. A true "smartphone" allows me to work remote...i.e. handle Word, Excel, PowerPoint and PDF files. I know apple can do this...will it be included? That's a true differentiating factor as well.
Anyway this is my whacked thinking on this whole thing...I think it's good for us and the industry...it is just one device in a pool of many...but out of the gate...Apple's got a great start. Good luck to everyone else in catching up...the other vendors have obviously had blinders on. They need to start hiring the guys Steve's hiring and quit passing on them because they have weird (good) ideas. I read this on engadget and it is SO true...the writer was standing outside the door after Steve Jobs' keynote and overheard someone on their cell phone...and I (semi) quote "Steve Jobs looks like a f***ing jedi master compared to these other idiots". I have to say...I agree...these other CE(don't knows) are just missing the mark, the boat and whatever else you want to call it. Even Yahoo and Google had lame presentations showing no real innovation...just fluff about adding a feature or two to an existing product line.
Get with the program people...the future is now...let's start building it.