Happy, July 11!
For Apple disciples, it’s like July 4 a week later given the excitement about the 3G iPhone. Even Canadians may be excited after Rogers reluctantly decided at the last minute to “listen to its customers”, and offer a generous 6GB of data for $30/month.
It will be interesting to see whether the 6GB offer actually wins people over given the wave of criticism that washed over Rogers after it introduced its original packages. A fascinating comment from a Rogers VP was they were surprised that consumers looked at the iPhone differently from other wireless devices. Really!
So I gotta ask the question…and if you are going to pony up $199 or $299 for a shiny new iPhone, leave a comment on why you want/need one. (Here’s a post from someone ready to dump their Blackberry for an iPhone.)
For what it’s worth, VentureBeat’s MG Sigler says the 3G iPhone is “sublime”. Then again, he lined up overnight! For bloggers, it’s exciting to see mobile applications for Wordpress and TypePad. Then again, I’ve heard the iPhone’s keyboard isn’t that user-friendly.
8 Comments
I’ll wait for the upgrade around the new year. I can’t justify paying that much without at least an improved camera and stereo music out through Bluetooth.
Thanks for adding the “I love my Blackberry” option in the vote. I have no interest in the Iphone, I’m not anti Apple and if you saw me in person you would say I fit the “look” of a Iphone buyer. The Blackberry Bold has me more excited but I have no interest in the touch screen keypad on the Iphone or the one coming out with Blackberry for that matter.
This is such a pathetic issue. The world can be frying up, nuclear projects can be hundreds of millions of dollars over budget, the price of flour can triple, and people can be starving around the world, yet the only time the public gets revved up is when it can’t get its precious electronic toy for a lower price, or when it wants a novelty gadget (and lines up outside a store overnight) that won’t be novelty in a month or two.
Humanity, in many respects, deserves what it gets. Neil Postman certainly got it right with Amusing Ourselves To Death. Society is sick.
Tyler,
You’re absolutely right but this is how our consumer-obsessed world works. It’s all about getting something new and shiny. It doesn’t always make sense but it’s how many people roll.
Sometimes the world needs trivial breaks from the media doomsday clock. With the Iphone you can blog and twitter your discust in humanity in super fast 3G every waking minute, while driving an SUV to Wall Mart
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Tyler, innovation in communication is one of the main ways that we can confront the issues you mention. Most people in the world can’t afford computers, meaning they have less to no access to information on the web — and these people are buying mobile phones. Put the pieces together: A phone with great mobile web access (iPhone) means web access for hundreds of millions who couldn’t really get it before. Which means more communication about the issues. Which means people understanding more about each other, and about what’s really going on.
I know it looks like this stuff is all trite fun and games but its real, and it’s making a big difference.
Believe me, I covered telecommunications for eight years at two major dailies. Sure, nothing wrong with telecommunications helping the world, well, communicate with each other, writes blogs, etc… that’s all great. What’s wrong is what I original said, is that people are more inclined to wait overnight for an iPhone than protest the things that truly — and I emphasize truly — matter in life. Apple should donate the tens of millions of dollars is has probably saved in advertising costs to addressing some of the world’s real problems. Have a fancier cell phone isn’t one of them.
As for needing a break from trivial doomsday clock, I agree — but a break from what? I break from doing nothing about it?
Anyway, it’s a cool gadget — don’t get me wrong. But it’s just a gadget.
Sorry guys, don’t mean to be a party pooper.