iHype For the iPhone

Well, here we are on the long awaited day that the iPhone would be introduced, June 29th, 2007. There has been no shortage of coverage of the device, and the "iHype" is just about everywhere. During this last week, this little mobile device has dominated the tech news by a healthy margin.

I wrote a piece about the iPhone several months back, and for the most part, my initial conclusions have not changed. The one exception is the battery life, which Apple appears to have gotten under control, and makes the device eminently more usable.

I still think the darn thing is simply too expensive for what it is- a phone. And not even a great one at that. I saw on the news the other day the four screens that must be gotten through in order to be able to place a simple phone call, and I'm frustrated just watching it. In this day and age, $500 to $600 for a phone, with a built in iPod Nano is just not that exciting to me. I spent a similar amount of dough on my last computer parts order from NewEgg, and that money is much better spent to me. Not to mention that the service contracts are also way overpriced in typical Apple fashion. Sixty bucks a month for 450 minutes has got to be the most overpriced plan in the industry, and it's the cheapest one!

Sure, save the comments. I realize it's more than a phone, and we can be connected all the time to the internet, the one real "killer app" that this device promises to deliver in my mind. And don't even get me started that the AT&T Wireless data network is one of the slower ones, and they would have been better off with another company. When the commercials show this thing flying through web pages, they're doing it via WiFi, which you don't need an iPhone for anyway, my Palm T/X does that just fine with no monthly fee.

Many of us that cover technology are relieved that in a few days, all of this iPhone nonsense will fade back into the background. I would like to see some elements, such as the larger screen and WiFi connection incorporated into the new iPod. They've been very mum about the sixth generation device because they don't want anything to detract away from iPhone sales, and the lucrative contracts. Now that the iSheep can stop camping out, and get on with their lives, it's time to get back to something I find more interesting.

--Jonas