Wait - I got something to say about the iPhone too!

The most amazing thing about the iPhone is how much people are praising/criticising it even though nobody's had a chance to try it. Most writers are saying Steve Jobs is God and they want to have his babies. Others predict the iPhone spells the end of Apple Computer Inc.

So... the iPhone. All in all, an impressive piece of technology which will define how the cell phone / PDA market evolves. I've longed for touchscreens on personal devices for a while now, because they allow the interface to change with the application. This is the real winner.

Initially, I think Apple will be facing a couple of challenges in trying to replicate its iPod success with the iPhone. First, because of the price - although people have got a lot of disposable income these days, we are used to paying very little for our cell phones in return for signing long term contracts - especially in Europe. This mentality will have to change if Apple is to gain a foothold in the market, and changing mentalities takes time.

Second will be reliability. Man, those first iPhones will be buggy. That's a given. There's way too much new technology in too tight a space for things to work smoothly straight away. Now, people can live without their iPod for a few weeks while it gets sent back to Apple for repair (hey Tyler?). I can live without a laptop battery for a few weeks while Apple sends me a replacement. I managed. Terry managed. Not happily, but we did.

Living without a cell phone even for a few hours is a dangerous, unsettling and excruciating experience. Trust me, I've tried.

So, my advice: wait for these second or third gen iPhones. Innovators are suckers anyway. Meanwhile, Apple is once again showing the way.