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ShareThanks to an obedient media that works so well for Steve Jobs, the hottest item this summer (and no doubt for Xmas) will be the iPhone. The flood of glowing reports are only matched by the stories about the frenzy surrounding the arrival of the phone itself- it’s a perfect self-feeding story. Make no mistake, this little gadget will indeed change the game for the several devices it’s meant to replace- cell phone, MP3 player, web browser, digital camera- mainly because it offers you all these things in one place. Of course, just like the original cell phones themselves (not to mention many models today), the I-Phone actually offers you half-assed scaled down versions of each of these items but that’s not the point. You’re getting them all in one place and adding to your convenience supposedly.
Even more important, it’s the hottest little electronic toy of ‘07. So if you have 500 or 600 dollars to blow, go for it. Just remember that you’re paying to be a guinea pig. Any sensible consumer never buys the first version of any electronic product- have we learned nothing from Windows? These always have the bugs in them that still have to get worked out. As you complain about this to friends and message boards and salesman, you’re providing research and development info for Apple. Plus, you’re paying for the privilege to do that!
The most sober article I’ve seen about the iPhone is this one from CNN, which lays out the pitfalls plus the marvels of the device. As they say, let the buyer beware.
