Blurbex

This story appears in this week’s Sarasota’s edition of CL and on their editorial blog The 941. I’m posting it here because a) who doesn’t want to know more about the iPhone? and b) I’m hunting for people who plan to purchase Apple’s latest wonder on June 29th. If you’re one of the brave souls planning on fighting the hordes to get your snazzy new phone, please e-mail me at joe.bardi@creativeloafing.com or post to the comments section below. I hope to hear from you!

Admit it: You’re crushing on the iPhone. The sleek design, the photos scrolling to the tap of fingertips on a nifty touch screen, the catchy slogan “Not just a version of the Internet, but the Internet … in the palm of your hand” — how can you not be seduced? Touted as nothing less than the reinvention of the cell phone and the best iPod Apple has ever made, the iPhone is the odds-on-favorite for Hottest Gadget of 2007. When the device goes on sale June 29 at 6 p.m., screaming hordes will invade Apple and AT&T stores from Sarasota to Spokane hoping to be the first to get their paws on this latest tech wonder.
But can the iPhone possibly deliver on all the hype? With only a few weeks to go before the release, several questions loom, including the biggie: Who’s actually going to pony up for this thing? Sure, there’s the “early adopter,” that special breed of techie who simply must have the latest shiny toy right now! But after that initial flurry of sales, who really needs an iPhone? Business users may be turned off by the inaccessible battery, the non-tactile onscreen keyboard and the use of AT&T’s EDGE network instead of the faster 3G. Regular Joes might balk at the limited memory (4 or 8 gigs, depending on the model), too small to cart around big chunks of media, and a price tag that could be prohibitively steep. At $499 or $599 for the phone, plus all the charges incurred by using it (possibly under a mandatory two-year service contract), the iPhone is no bargain.
At press time, it had yet to be revealed exactly how much the iPhone will cost to operate. Rumors abound that Apple will overturn standard cell phone pricing, which has traditionally been done piecemeal, by charging a one-price-per-month fee for using all the iPhone’s features (plus the cost of your minutes). How much will that fee be? Your guess is as good as mine.
But I wouldn’t bet against Apple just yet. Sexy ads aside, the iPhone obviously has a heap of potential, and Apple’s résumé includes some minor successes like inventing the personal computer and unleashing the 100-million-and-counting selling iPod. Dedicated Apple-watchers know that the company’s products often hit their stride in the second or third generation, so for now your best move is no move at all. Enjoy the hoopla as the Appleheads storm the technological Bastille, but bide your time. A second gen version of the iPhone could hit the street by year’s end; if you can stand it, hold out even longer. Chances are the iPhone will change the way you reach out and touch someone — just not until about 2009.

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