iPhone

I was watching the Apple presentation today of their newest gadget: the iPhone. Below is some of the press release that describes it. It really looks great of course and at $499 combines a laptop, an iPod and a telephone all in one. Sounds like exactly what I have been wanting. I doubt I will get it though. First, It's a bit pricey and I already have an iPod. Second, I will need a new phone before they release it in May or June. Finally, I am wary of the the first generation of anything electronic. There are often unforeseen problems that are not straightened out until the second or third version. Also the price tends to go down by year 2 and 3. So my plan is to get a new (non i)phone. Wait the 24 months for improvements to be made and prices to come down before looking at the iPhone. I also hope that with the imminent release of the iPhone - other PDA makers will lower their prices NOW - so folks like me can take advantage.

Here's is how Apple describes their new toy:

After more than two years in the making, Apple CEO Steve Jobs today announced the company’s intention to enter the mobile handset market, unveiling the new Apple iPhone. The iPhone brings together several features of the iPod, digital camera, smartphones and even portable computing to one device, with a widescreen display and an innovative input method. “Every once in a while a revolutionary product comes along that changes everything,” said Jobs. Featuring a new input technology called “Multi-Touch” the iPhone features only a single “home” button, and is controlled by sliding a finger across its touch-sensitive 3.5-inch, 160 pixel-per-inch display. The iPhone, which runs Mac OS X, has full iTunes integration and can also seamlessly sync data with a desktop, including music and videos from iTunes, contacts, calendars, photos, notes, bookmarks and email accounts.