iPhone

Six months ago, a friend of mine who works at Apple told me that Steve Jobs was very very frustrated with his cell phone. 6 months later, the iPhone is born. It must be nice to have the world's best industrial design and technology department around to make stuff just for you.

The iPhone looks awesome. Up until now I've resisted fancy smartphones, trying to get the simplest device with the best reception and longest battery life that I could find. I haven't tried a real iPhone yet but I am sorely tempted. Telepocalypse lists the good, bad, and ugly.

One interesting twist on the iPhone story is the pricing and availability. The unit is extremely expensive -- $500+ -- and is only available on Cingular through an exclusive deal. I'm guessing that Cingular is paying Apple for the please of being an exclusive provider, and hoping that the phone will drive uptake and usage of its digital services (even though it does not seem to be compatible with Cingular's high speed data network). Currently smartphones are a tiny market, and wireless data usage has remained small. The iPhone may change that.