It appears that the media darling isn't so great after all. It will prolly still sell well tho because of all the hype. www.iphailure.com says DON'T BELIEVE THE HYPE!

The iPhone's been a long time in coming - I've been writing about it since 1979. Of course it isn't perfect now. But there's no doubt in my mind that, if anything, the media hype is understimating its impact and success.

So basically, you're upset that some theoretical battery failure which hasn't happened yet is going to cost you three days (of course you fail to mention that Apple will offer $29 loaner iPhones during this process if you so choose). You also claim that your data might possibly get wiped in the process. This is ridiculous. All iPhone data is stored on the computer it syncs to. You could wipe your iPhone at any time and simply re-sync it with everything it had on it. Keep trying to spread the FUD boys. Why are you looking for every little thing to hate about this device?

This is one of the most retarded articles i have ever read regarding the iphone. You dont even own one nor do i doubt you even tried one at the store, which is what makes you retarded for making a comment on it. I went into the apple store in my town and what i saw i have never seen. Ten people with demo's in their hands, smilling, laughing and just plain giddy. Men, women, techies, nerds, normal people, moms, kids..every walk of life. And then a brother and sister who were a little older than my kids (10-12 years old) picked up one each and without any instructions were cruising through every menu, sent each other email and called eachother in the store! The keyboard is fine, i sent myself an email, the sound is fine, i called my wife from the phone, the user interface is 100% over the top and better than advertised. I had the oposite reaction to your stupid article. I was in the "wait" and hold camp..Not any more. As soon as they are in stock again, im buying two, one for the wife and one for me. By the way, the battery is fine, i have a friend who bought one and has not run out of battery in a days use yet and he cant put it down....I sate in the store for at least an hour, watching video, emailing, calling, all while listening to music and surfintg the web and the thing never dropped in power. Your article is lame...

Ephraim,
You're showing your ignorance about Apple (again). The battery issue is a valid, but minor complaint - battery replacement will probably be 3rd party within 3 months just like iPods, but still it's a minor annoyance, probably due to a seamless design philosophy. But as Dave says above, EVERYTHING is synched to the computer. Then, if you have .Mac it's stored there too. If that's not enough redundancy it can be stored on your iPod as well as your system backups. Come to think of it, that's exactly where my Treo is backed up - on my desktop G5, iPod, backup and .Mac account. It's easy, reliable and automated - happens every time I plug in and hit the button. An iPhone is even easier - it synchs when you plug it in.

I don't see getting an iPhone anytime soon, but it's a great little toy. Too expensive for me, but... . Like anyone else I expect teething problems, but as early as Saturday I heard from other system admins needing to connect executive iPhones to Exchange, notes, and Groupwise. Like it or not they're here, and the market will be very different in a year as a result.

Can someone explain to me the advantages to buying an iPhone as opposed to any other phone on the market?

Thanks a bunch.
Rita

It's been years since I've bought a phone I couldn't copy the contacts out of before I either sent it 'away' or replaced it. An iPhone would be no different. Never send anything back with data you expect to see again... And that's easy advice. I'm no Carnac...

But my reluctance to go out and buy an iPhone is the same one that leaves me using my 7105T - I want a bigger, more useful display than I want to carry around.

See my dilemma? I want more than I'll tolerate.

Now, when folding screens come out, I'm there. Until then, I think the iPhone looks just too big and clumsy to me to be cool. It does, however, have the one thing that overcomes that... the fruit.

I really think you have no idea what the basic premise of the way the iPhone stores its data... it's a mute point if its wiped clean. I could wipe my data clean every night and it wouldn't make a difference. The data is on your computer! Like an iPod. When you plug your phone in to charge, it automatically syncs your data. One of the best parts about the phone is that it links up to Outlook or whatever e-mail program you use to back up your contacts. I'm not a big Apple fan, but I just hate ignorant articles trying to get attention by spewing out garbage.

It really is interesting. True believers get how easy the Apple World is and the rest have simply gotten used to press three keys and hold your mouth the right way and everything will work unless your PC based hardware is having (yet) another bad day.

Is this proof of an anti-evolution trend where exposure to the Microsoft world make people less intelligent?

What a stupid article. Will the five people who have replaced their iPod batteries please raise their hands?

Enterprise customers? If you think Apple is going after the enterprise market, you haven't been paying attention. They could care less about enterprise sales. The target audience is *exactly* the same audience as the iPod was targeted to. There are millions and millions and millions of such people. Apple doesn't need "enterprise customers".

how fragile is it? I've cracked the screen on my Treo while it was in a steel reinforced case. What if the iphone gets dropped off a ledge that is, say, at desk height?

If you were trying to excite readers to lash back you were successful. As with any product in first release there will be commentary on where there could be improvements. The iPhone is revolutionary.

If you don't like Apple products, call your bias what it is. A true technologist judges products based on capability and technological merit. There currently is no competition to the iPhone, so rate it on what it offers.

Many other journalists have identified the only notable weakness, the AT&T network.

There have been other times when I've been disappointed at the lack of meaningful analysis from you guys. This is the second to last time I'll waste mouse clicks on your newsletters.

The last clicks are me unsubscribing from your no longer relevant content. I agree with Bret and Alex, your analysis was insipid and you have no idea what your writing about.

I'll definatly say this is a flame article. But what must be looked at is the fact that this is not an enterprise phone, and I don't care if S Jobs himself graces me with his presence to tell me otherwise. I see no real security in it, nor an attempt at encryption (no ability to have 3rd party encryption availible as well.) The only real innovation I see is a touch screen that may prove to work over the previous attempts by palm and the old Ipaqs which people hated terribly and caused a rush to tactile keyboards on these models. The other nice feature is how the voicemail works. The shortcomings appear to be the reliance on propriatary programs, a substandard camera, dial up modem speeds for the internet (The WiFi abilities are not everywhere, and most people must PAY for them) and critical updates of the OSx platform. Who knows if the latest patches affect this model, how many times will users actually sync to update the OS and not just their music? This is just a wait and see for now until it all pans out. As for the "full web browser," that has been out, and good phone based media players have been out for over a year. Lets see how the compition takes aim (n95 and others), and until the playing field is set I'll stay with my old blackberry for now, thanks-

Interesting. The Macolytes are out in force. That's a surprise. Here's a question for all of you: Can you name me one other cellphone currently on the market that the user cannot replace their own battery by buying a generic replacement and swapping them in the privacy of their own home?

I purchased an 8GB iPhone and can tell you that it is indeed revolutionary, not in terms of a list of features, but in the elegance of the user interface. Here is the test. Hand the iPhone to someone unfamiliar with the device, explaining only the Home key. I've done this with over two dozen people who instantly could use it and in fact wanted to keep it to play with further. Now grab your friends cell phone, any cell phone, and access voicemail, make a call, attach to a bluetooth device, cruise the web, or listen to music, all without looking at a manual. Not so easy is it!!! Once again Apple provides an interface that is fluid, smooth as silk and intuitive. The content in this article is derived from ignorance and bias and a lack of factual information.

I have a PPC6700 that -could- be sync'ed (backed up) to my laptop but with ActiveSync running Over-The-Air, I almost never back it up. When the iPhone has ActiveSync OTA working with Exchange then enterprise use is reasonable - and I would guess that support won't be long in coming. At that point the battery issue is mute. Just surprising that Apple didn't learn from all the wireless carriers in that PDA (Smart) phones must have customer replacable batteries (at least with current battery technology).

I think this article is typical of those with an ax to grind against Apple. My son and I both bought iPhones on Friday. So far, I can't think of another technological product I've been as satisfied with. I was out with a friend on Saturday, and we thought of an office product we needed. In seconds, I was online with the iPhone to find the closest store selling the product and clicked on the store's phone number on their website to find out how many of the product they had in stock. It's fun and versatile. I love it.

Ephraim,
this was a disappointing article; I'm used to getter better analysis and perspective from you. The battery issue is interesting because it's different from what everyone else does. Time will tell if it's a real _issue_ though; I've never even ever needed a new battery in a phone before (of course, I've never had a phone for more than 3 years either).
But the comment on backing up data was lame. Come on, I wrote my first article encouragine people to do regular backups back in around 1986. (What IT journalist hasn't ever done that?) Apple makes it extremely simple to back up everything on their device, and that's what you should continue to encourage, not complaining that people have to back up.

Wow. A cell phone can't be successful unless it's accepted by the enterprise. Alert the media!

Wait, you are the media. Aren't you?

I guess my iPod is doomed too. Damn. I kinda liked it.

I'd like everyone who got to this point in this blog to re-read everything again and look at the venom being spit by the Apple worshippers. It's amusing to me.

Apple does make good products. So does Porshe. But not everyone needs, wants, or can use a Porshe. The majority might prefer the Ford Prefect for whatever reason.

Now, had the iPhone been a Microsoft product, the Microsoft bashers would be all over this and the people above would be on board.

The animosity is not helpful one way or another.

How about this: Look at the product and the reviews, decide if it's what you need or want, then act on that decision. The market will eventually follow.

Very desperate article. Have you heard of "ITunes"? It's on three out of four Windoze PCs, 100% of OSX Macs, free to everyone else and it eliminates the "backup" issue.

This isn't a Treo or a Blackberry or a Palm. No one will call the IT department to make a backup... they'll set the phone in the cradle and it will be backed up. Just like every other phone and PDA should work but doesn't.

Ah... users not calling the IT department... is that the REAL threat of the iPhone? Can you at least say it honestly... "If this takes off, I'm back to washing dishes". That would be easier to understand.

Ephraim, have to agree with the others that your blog here is uninformed and alarmist, tho you should not count me as likely to go out and pay for an iPhone in the near future (and the blissful happiness of those who went out, waited in line and paid for one is something I tend to discount as I imagine they went into this as true believers to start). Still, it looks cool and they have a great track record in recent years so I will be keeping an eye on it.

There are issues with the iPhone in a business environment at this point, but I am sure that Apple will address them. The assertion above that Apple is not interested in the enterprise market makes no business sense since that represents so much of the smart phone market. While they are capable of creating a new market as they did with the iPod, it is not easy and most likely in this case would be cannabalizing their iPod sales. So why not go after Palm, etc to get new business, as opposed to iPod replacement/upgrade business? The plan may be to sell a bunch to consumers, work out the kinks, and then sell into the (probably) less forgiving enterprise market. Perhaps, just perhaps, this lack of some of what is required for enterprise support is quite intentional and pretty smart?

Always amusing to see someone poke a stick into the Apple-believers' hornets nest and watch them rise to the bait tho, if you will forgive the mixed metaphor. Hey, guys, columnists have the right to be wrong. It is not that horrible. In fact if you know a lot about any subject what you read about it in the mass media is going to be superficial at best, misleading or incorrect at worst. It is not a vicious attack when that happens to Apple any more than when it happens to Microsoft or any other company. Not that I expect you to accept that. Ephraim was wrong, misinformed, alarmist, but he's not a bad guy and some of his columns are even interesting, including this one if not quite in the way he intended.

If you are going to use the iPhone as a PDA, internet tablet, ipod, etc., then the backup and battery is somewhat moot.

BUT, if you are going to us the iPhone as a MOBILE phone -- a non replaceable battery is a nonstarter for most heavy users. I have been stuck in too many airports with weather delays to ever travel without one (or two) extra batteries.

A major point overlooked with the whole battery issue: it isn't about replacing the battery in a few years that is a problem. It's not being able to swap my battery for a spare when my battery dies and I have no place to recharge at hand.

THAT is the real killer problem of not having user changeable batteries.

Ephraim, having one written for InfoWorld back in the day, I find it incredible that they give space to pieces like yours... even on the web. This piece is simple ill-informed clap trap. I realize you believe you'll earn "insightful pundit" credits for bashing a product that has generated the landmark buzz the iPhone has. The reality is that everyone who reads this piece realizes you've never even touched an iPhone. You go to extraordinary lengths to fabricate issues with the product. It is a downright painful read as a result.

Now you did it. You criticized an Apple product. Is it worth the money to an adult? No. Is it a business oriented product? No. That doesn't matter. It's Apple.

Well, Ephraim, why don't you just go buy one, and show us a copy of the sales receipt as proof that you are qualified to comment on the device?

Yes, it would be nice to have a 3G network, a user-replaceable battery, stereo bluetooth, the ability to use it as a video camera, a refillable water bottle, a personal vibrator, and a cattle prod for self defense, but fercryinoutloud, give 'em some time, will ya? It takes a while to turn a single-function tool (phone) into the equivalent of a lifestyle managing Swiss Army knife.

Despite the nitpicks, It's still a revolutionary device. I think Jobs is brilliant to NOT target the enterprise first. It will come in ALL the back doors and force a bunch of overly-stiff curmudgeonly IT managers to change their Nazi ways. When the CEO and the VP Sales and the COO all embrace it, you guys will understand. You may not like it, but you'd better be ready.

Version 1.0 = programmer/developer/designer's dream
Version 2.0 = real users' reactions to Version 1.0
Version 3.0 = well-refined compromise and mainstream success.

If you can get beyond version 1.0 of anything, it has a fighting chance of survival in the marketplace. I'd say Apple is well on their way to version 2 by now... with thanks to all the bloggers who have given them the punch list.

Okay, Bill Burkholder, makes a good point when he says about my complaints, "give'em some time, will ya?"

Yes, it is always easy in high tech at least, to pick on version one of any product. Version one is never as good as it is going to get.

But, maybe it should be. I won't spend $500 on a new refrigerator or washer/dryer unless it has no discernible flaws.

I will and have spent more than that on a Canon digital SLR because it does everything I need it to do with no limitations.

Yet in high tech why do we put up with less than perfect?

Perhaps it is a generational thing. We are still so enamored with high tech and ga-ga over it that we are willing to put up with imperfection.

I ask all those who commented are they willing to say that the iPhone is perfect as it is right now?

I will give Apple some time to iron out the kinks, to get on that faster network, to make the battery replacement simple, to add Flash and a JVM then I will buy one.

I don't deny that it is a beautifully designed product with a very slick interface, but Apple will not get my $500 until they make these improvements.

Ephraim Schwartz
Editor-at-Large
InfoWorld

It's MOOT not MUTE. ONE person used it correctly. Argh.

And yes, E.S. really needs to edit his article to add the rather critical tidbits of info that (a) Apple offers a loaner for duration of the battery replacement process, and (2) the iPhone is backed up onto your computer (even non-IT types can handle plugging in a USB cable and firing up iTunes... which they MUST have had if they have an iPhone, since iTunes is required to activate the phone), so the data wipe issue is irrelevant as well (not to mention the VAST majority of companies that do any sort of work on an electronic device tell you to back it up in case of data loss before sending it in... at least Apple has provided a usable tool to get this job done).

Ephraim,

You asked, "...in high why do we put up with less than perfect." I have the answer because I remember it clearly. We--the consumer--asked for it.

On August 24, 1995 (if my memory serves) people stood in line for a product called Windows 95-- insisting that Microsoft release it even after Microsoft told us there were still 200 known bugs. On that day the "release now, patch later" mentality was born and we put up with it. Now we're stuck.

BTW -- That product, though problematic, was also revolutionary.

I still wonder about using the user interface. Can I surf the web at the same time I'm talking? Can I listen to music while surfing the web? I find having two separate devices mean I can deal with one without having to switch out of the other one. I wonder how that actually works, say you're surfing the web listening to tunes when a call comes in. A seamless UI is troublesome in those situations. I'd like to hear actual experiences.

For those of us who bought iPhones the key comment was about the ease of use. This thing shipped without any documentation at all!! One little brochure that repeats the TV commercials and the OSHA mandatory one that says to avoid using it under water. I have no doubt that when my 85 year old mother-in-law sees it she will insist on getting one. The interface however is unbelievable. Scrolling by flicking the list is so good that you can feel your mouse skills atrophy. Google Earth is so good on the 3.5 inch screen that the iPhone becomes the instrument of choice over the MacBook Pro. The first level control makes the mouse and popon of the big screen Earth abominable. This is the new interface- just imagine the TRS-100 form factor with this screen! And no mouse, track pad or cursor! Leopard has some of this, the next Apple laptop will have the whole bag!

Ephraim truly does not understand markets or marketing. His myopia in this case makes Mr Magoo look farsighted. And his technological ignorance dwarfs his myopia. The current gen of 3G GSM networks are incomplete, the chipsets are power hungry, and will reduce battery life to bupkus. The next gen will have fractional power consumption by comparison.

I have a RAZR with over 30K usage minutes plus 2 years of standby on the original battery. With a 12 volt and AC adapters my spare battey sits unused in a desk drawer. I do have an outboard 60-minute battery for emrgencies, but it's never been touched.

He argues that his Canon DSLR "does everything I need it to do with no limitations". That is not a definition of perfection, that is a definition of adequacy. I'm still waiting for a DSLR with decent dynamic range, which I consider very limiting for my needs, and what gen digital cameras are we in? I own two digital cameras and use them regularly, but still prefer film for my serious work.

I am told that virtually all provisioning problems were associated with in-ports of other carriers numbers not meeting the FCC requirements. That's a Verizon and Sprint problem, not an Apple and AT&T problem.

The iphone is not to be sure, perfect. It is more than adequate for the 500,000 initial users, and to projected 10M within a year. I think that Son-of-iPhone will be adequate for a far larger market, yes even the vaunted "Enterprise".

And the real news there is the impact it will have on the cell phone industry. Adding nearly a full point of churn to Verizon is a very big thing. Locking those customers up for 5 years is sheer agony for AT&Ts competition. And all the FUD that the Ephraim's of the world create cannot overcome the simple litmus test, "Yes, but is it an iPhone?"

for me there is really only one problem, same problem as pen driven phones and pdas. You need to stop moving and use two hands to put in text. For a mobile, i think that counts as a problem.

Jeez, am I out of date - the only problem I had with the article was the statement: "at least those flat panels were as good as the cathode ray tube monitors". (I don't think they are.)

Like I said to the last Roger's Wireless telemarketer that called me - the problem with getting a cell phone is that someone might call me.

Keep up the good work E.

A lot of the posters here are harsh and, well, missing the point.

Early reviews are in and the news is good so far. There are no big "gotcha's" that weren't already widely noted in the press. Apple looks like they have a winner.

Still, the iPhone is not targetted at general business use. Why? It's a smart phone with mass storage capabilities. It makes no difference whatsoever that it's default network is the cell system. It's not just a phone!!

In order to qualify as a business targetted device, here's what it needs: Central management capabilities. Device level encryption. Remote wiping, or disabling. Better yet, some type of "report home" capability (achievable, despite lack of GPS, with cell triagulation). This device WILL be lost and/or stolen. If you've stored your company's latest secret business plan on the iPhone, you really don't want that getting out into the wild.

Oh, and give the device some time to get used. The irritating little flaws take time to become obvious.

To those of you who say the iPhone is unique, you have succumbed to Apple hype, and become an extension of their corporate marketing. A smart businessperson gets paid to do that. That would make you... something else.

Factually, the BlackBerry 8830 World Edition, LG Prada, Treo 755 (p or w), Cingular 8525, and Nokia N95 are all strongly competitive with the iPhone. And there are a whole lot more models after that first-pass market overview.

I wonder have a lot of you seen any other phones out there. I was one that went to the mall and checked out the Iphone. I was very impressed with the look and overall presentation of the Iphone.

However, the Iphone is not a revolutionary product. There is no doubt that Apple will sell millions even 50 million or more. I would bet on the more side. There are so many phones out there that take picutres, send emails, instant message, make phone calls, mp3 players, a calculator, watch movies, download songs or movies, and many more things. The Iphone looks the best when doing all those things verses other products.

Its just like most Apple products they take an item (idea) and make it better. Just look at the MAC or the Ipod. The Ipod is just an MP3 Player, there are many of those out there, well why did Apple sell over 100 Million. I think its because they made the MP3 Player better, look better, feel better, work better! Apple using the same motherboards, ram, hard drives, processors, video cards, and many other things that PC's use. They use a Unix based operating system. What is so revolutionary about that? Again they took something and made it better.

I am not a fan of Ipods or MAC's, however I am a fan of AAPL, which is Apple's ticker symbol. Their stock has risen over 200% in 2 years! Just 6 or so months ago they were around $60 a share and now $130. They must be doing something right! Yes, I do like the Iphone and will probally buy one, but not for a while. I do not think that they are worth $499 or $599. I like the price of $299 to $399. I mean the phone only costs $230 or so to make.

Another thing to remember for all the people that want to complain about problems with the Iphone. We are dealing with technology and it never works perfect the first time it comes out. Because if the manufacturers waited until it was perfect, it would never come out.

Plus with all the hackers around there are bound to be problems and bugs.

"Enterprise customers? If you think Apple is going after the enterprise market, you haven't been paying attention. They could care less about enterprise sales. The target audience is *exactly* the same audience as the iPod was targeted to. There are millions and millions and millions of such people. Apple doesn't need "enterprise customers".

Why are you lashing out at Ephraim when he is simply agreeing with your statement that Apple "could care less about enterprise sales"? It would be foolish and irresponsible for enterprises to buy products from companies that don't care about enterprise sales and support. So if your statement is true, then you should be joining Ephraim in discouraging enterprises from buying iPhones. You should also be advising enterprises to steer clear of Apple Mac computers too.

This "weblog" is complete CRAP. Have you even visited an Apple store and tried out the iPhone?? Afraid that you might actually take an umbiased look at some hardware and software??...you are a complete idiot. You have completely misrepresented this product, and you and your (few) uninformed toadies
will be left in the past as the iPhone leads intelligent people into the future of communications. Open your eyes, fool!

There are already a number of so-called iPhone applications in beta stages that you can test on supported browsers like Safari, IE7 and Firefox

www.mp4-converter.net/iphone-converter/iphone-video-converter/

Insightful comments. Thanks.

Michael Locker MD

All right everybody. If you are part of the 5% of fruitware fanatics you will love it. But please don't gang up on the other 95% of us who may or may not perceive any value. Apple has always done things their own, 'right' way, which to the rest of us, appear unorthodox and unintuitive.

I support your right to like the iPhone and to go ga-ga over it. Please allow the rest of us the same courtesy.

Ephriam,
As one of the early commenters I was glad to see your repost. And yes, after reading comments about swapping batteries in airports I get the point - I rarely travel by air so it's a nonissue for me. It will be important to others.

As I said the first time, I will not be buying an iPhone anytime soon, but not because it's a flawed product. The cost (especially the data service) is too high. I'm not a CxO, nor a sales dweeb - I have nobody to impress, and I get by with my Treo just fine. The interface is a bit clunky and getting files in (and out) is a bit of a pain, but that's the kind of thing I do for a living. Plus it's a darn sight better than my company-supplied Blackberry. (Don't get me wrong - the Blackberry is a fine corporate device, but I'm not sure I would call it a smartphone. Nor is it designed for left-handed use.)

Point is the iPhone version 1.0 was not aimed at the Enterprise. Nor was it aimed at curmudgons like you and I. I'm quite certain the battery issue is a conscious design decision, valuing slim and rugged over replacable battery. There will be solutions - likely a standalone USB battery recharger for executives on the go. Not quite as good as a replacable battery, but maybe Apple can make a thicker, uglier version for corporate use with a replacable battery.

The only real, valid complaints I've heard so far are:

ATT Wireless (yuck!)
closed system (yuck again)
Slow net access (see #1 problem)
Nonreplaceable battery (I'll agree with you here, but it's a 5% problem)
Cost

All valid points. The first we're stuck with (reportedly) for 5 years. The second will probably be solved officially within a year, unofficially in another week. A battery solution should be available within 2 months, and the cost will come down (eventually).

 "Yet in high tech why do we put up with less than perfect?"

I'm sorry, are we talking about cell phones here? Clearly the response to the iPhone is not so much about how good the phone is itself as it is about how crappy the cell phones are that most of us have no choice but to tolerate. Most cell phones have all the right specs but remain unusable because they aren't designed well from a user perspective. The iPhone resonates with an audience that is ready for a vision of what the cell phone ought to be, and what the iPhone will likely become in version 2 or 3.

What's fascinating to me is how strongly the tech community reacts against innovation. It's as if each person takes it personally that anyone would envision something that consumers like. What is behind the acrimony? It's great to be skeptical, but this reaction is clearly personal. What's behind it?

I will wait for version 2 myself, or I may never be able to afford this phone. Still it excites me as a technology fan to see a phone produced that is headed in the direction I think of as the future, as I imagined it a decade ago. There is a vision out in the wild now that other cellphone vendors will need to respond to, one way or another. It's technological progress in the direction we're worst at - usability - so why all the antagonism?

Rob Fellows:

I have to agree about the current state of many cell devices. Apple is stirring up the market and has leveraged their superior industrial design. The competition is what I believe the legacy of iPhone will be.

However, your suggestion that the "tech community reacts against innovation" is off base. I don't agree that InfoWorld's reviews of iPhone have been antagonistic. They cater to business concerns and have been properly representing those concerns.

On the other hand, what's with all these people who are clearly ga-ga over the iPhone, and seem to think that Apple and Steve Jobs walk on water? You'd think that Ephraim Schwartz said their kids were ugly or something!

Claiming that E.S. never actually looked at a real iPhone is just over the top.

I've been in this business a long time. Devices come and go. Even the best ones will fail, or break down, or have problems over time. It's a rare technology indeed that really proves to be a breakthrough. The iPhone is just too new to claim that status.

So again I ask, what's with all the rah-rah boosterism? I hate to say it, but I have some suspicion that there might be some marketing plants here. Viral marketing is all the rage these days. How do we know that some of these people aren't being paid, directly or indirectly, to plug iProduct?

A little perspective and skepticism is called for here. Even if the iPhone is GREAT, it doesn't cure cancer and it won't make you a better person.

The only thing that is new, interesting, or intriguing in the article or the comments, is how many people mention "mute" points...

Come now, we all know that the iPhone is meant to be a grown-up toy; no enterprise target, no care about the battery life. The big emphasis thus far has been that you can watch You Tube videos- what is not mentioned is the fact that you obtain those videos at dial up speed.

Not a bad item, but the speed bottleneck is the true killer. Once Apple wakes up and upgrades AT&T's network for them, or starts their own, and finds a way to reduce the price, then the iPhone will make sense for the "targeted masses".

Honestly, what amazes me is the price. Seems that since AT&T traps you, the least the carrier could do, is to pick up at least a fraction of the total. Why, when simply adding some phone circuitry to a video iPod, does the price suddenly skyrocket?

Yes, have seen some of the reasoning, but wow, that is a huge increase.

Nikk

Points to mention:
1) Apple immediately went to work to resolve the battery problem. They've been open about the issue.
2) When talking about the possible loss of data, please refer to the Treo/Palm product and their "hard reset" - which I've had to do far too often. I've never seen such commentary applied to that platform.
3) Treo 600 phones are also "sealed." Any battery issues with these babies, and you'd better be willing to wait for service.
4) As others have said, it comes with the cable and software in the box to get a backup done. I haven't checked, but I would bet you a nickel that Apple's website to handle the returns includes step by step instructions on how to backup your data before shipping it out.
5) 3 days? And you're complaining? Ship on Monday back on Friday? You have 30 days to sit on your thumbs waiting for laptop service....

It looks as though everybody is coming out with "a lot of malarkey", including Ed Markey!!!

The day after I got an iPhone for my wife, it got dropped from about 5 feet onto a tile-over-concrete floor, FACE DOWN. After staring it it for a moment, fearing the worst and picking it back up, we were happy to discover that there's NOT A SCRATCH on it and it worked perfectly still! Another thumbs up for Apple quality engineering! :)

Regarding comments on slow speed while on AT&T's EDGE network, our iPhone experience has been that it's actually not that bad. The new H.264 codec for YouTube videos helps ALOT with the bandwidth issues in viewing streaming video, and websites/emails load at better than dialup speeds. I've heard of people getting 160kbps on this network, which is fine for light web browsing and email.

The slower speed issue is easily overcome by the usefulness of having a real web browser and email client that's roaming. The savings alone from not having to call 4-1-1 for directions, or having to dig out maps to drive somewhere are huge, at least for us.

The bottom line for me is that no matter your opinion on cost/network/battery/etc., once you actually use one of these devices it makes whatever device you normally use seem like a dinosaur.

The battery issue is a red herring. Last time I looked, my car did not either have a crank or a spare battery in the trunk. Non-user replaceable battery means larger longer lasting battery. Soldered leads increases dependability.

Further any iPod external battery adopter will power the iPhone.

It is only a matter of time until enterpise centric solutions will be available to satisfy the IT gatekeepers.

Wonderful technology at the very beginning of its life cycle---a baby capable of real growth based on a real operating system---OSX.

V.M.

Enterprise? Don't think so, Apple made this phone because they wanted to provide a "true" smart phone to the not so smart masses. Most cell phones are a hassle to figure out, not the iPhone.
Expensive, yes, but not any more then the others in the smartphone category when they arrived. Just like the iPod the iPhone will eventually branch out into other models and there will be a model for everyone.
AT&T's network will get faster or Apple will release a 3G version.
As far as the interface complaints go, ever heard of a software update? This is what sets this phone above others.

@joe Exchange server syncing
http://news.com.com/8301-10784_3-9742616-7.html

Lots of comment here about the iPhone in a traditional smart phone market. I think this misses the point, Apple have developed a smart phone to appeal to consumers and in that respect the iPhone is something unique. Outside of the corporate environment smart phone usage is virtually nonexistent Apple has created a device which will probably change this and in that respect it has changed the mobile communications landscape.