6:00 P.M. CDT and I am no where near an AT&T or Apple Store. I am sure that there the Apple Fan Boys in Boulder are going crazy right now with their new iPhones. Other bloggers are going nuts right now with live reports (link and link) from the lines at these stores. What is sadder is the thousands of people watching the streaming video of people standing in the lines.
I will be so glad when the hype dies down next week and the tech news returns to normal. Maybe CNET's Buzz Out Loud can go an episode without mentioning the iPhone. I love gadgets and bleeding edge technology as much as any geek, but the hysteria and hype surrounding the iPhone is more than a Grateful Dead reunion.
I have to extend my admiration to Apple for their marketing and design efforts. These guys understand the concept of the whole product. The iPhone builds on the lessons learned from iPod to redefine what we consider a cell phone. I just received my first iPod a few months ago so I can wait until the second generation of iPhone. The iPhone has some limitations that need to be addressed before I will buy one:
- The price needs to come down considerably.
- The battery should be user replaceable.
- Open access for third party developers including Javascript.
- Greater memory for programs and data.
- MMS support.
- Better voice quality.
- Available on other networks like Sprint and Verizon with EV-DO support.
Until they fix these issues, I'll stick with my Samsung A900. I may have a long wait.