The iPhone lives!

You've already seen the image on the front of every major newspaper: Steve Jobs standing triumphantly in front of a disembodied hand holding the holy grail of tech, the long-awaited iPhone. I almost can't believe that it's true: somehow the iPhone has managed to live up to just about every rumor and expectation that was placed upon it. It has a widescreen for playing movies, runs OS X, sports a full touchscreen with an all new input system, offers up to 8 GB of music and movie storage, is somehow thinner than even T-Mobile's ultra-slim Dash and is exclusively on Cingular. And it's actually called the iPhone!

So let's get the obvious stuff out of the way here: It's a revolutionary device, it looks incredible, I want it and so do you. If you want the full tech specs, extensive commentary on Jobs's keynote and more photos of the iPhone than you knew existed, skip to the links at the bottom of this article. I thought, however, that I would provide us all with a little reality check. Not to rain on the parade or anything but there are a few negative points that are worth noting.

First, this thing is ridiculously, prohibitively, unprecedentedly expensive. $499 with a 2-year contract? That's about twice as much as a BlackBerry or Palm. And that's for those souls lucky enough to be able to buy into a 2-year contract with Cingular. How much will those of us with existing contracts have to pay to upgrade? $700? $1000? Apple has always sold products for a high price with high profit margins, so the iPhone's price should be expected (especially considering how advanced it is). But the price will be the number one factor that keeps the iPhone out of everyone's pockets for the next few years.

Next is Apple's choice to use Cingular's EDGE network: Why? Especially in light of the fact that Cingular is rolling out HSDPA in major metropolitan areas, Apple's choice of wireless broadband network is confounding. I'll guarantee that the iPhone won't run the way it did in Steve's presentation on an EDGE network.

Finally comes the disconcerting fact that Steve didn't do a live product demo during the keynote, as he usually does for all of the company's new products. It's quite possible that Apple wasn't quite ready to unveil the iPhone but was pressured to do so due to widespread expectations. Did you notice how the iPhone demo units were behind glass, away from prying hands? I was almost ready to accuse Apple of not having a working prototype--until I saw that Gizmodo's Brian Lam somehow got his filthy little paws on one.

In conclusion, the iPhone is just about the coolest thing ever but it will probably be a few years until everyone is walking down the street while talking into their little white earbuds. In the meantime, start saving up those pennies.

For everything you ever wanted to know about the iPhone but were afraid to ask:
- see Apple's official iPhone website 
- a hands-on impression at Gizmodo
- the press release and official specs, also at Gizmodo
- and more contrarian commentary on why the iPhone sucks from Ars Technica