Think different. Yeah Right

I have had a few days since Apple changed the world with the announcement of the Iphone. I still stand by my remarks last week, but I would like to add some thoughts now that I have had a chance to rationally analyze the device. The first thing is this phone is not revolutionary at all, it is at best evolutionary, but I think that is giving it too much credit. The Iphone does have a couple of novel features like visual voicemail, and the multi touch interface. In fact with the exception of those two features my phone has every single feature of the Iphone and then some. My phone can switch from landscape to portrait view, it has a touch screen interface (which people don't really like by the way), it can play MP3 and videos, it surfs the web via wifi and on top of that it has superfast 3G connection which the Iphone doesn't have.
Another way that apple could have actually thought different was the model for selling it. The current state of affairs in the U.S. (Europe is slightly better) is that the carrier has a stranglehold over the handset market and often requires manufacturers to cripple interesting features in order to sell them. Verizon is very famous for hobbling bluetooth in many of its models. These phones are available, but people want the discounts on those free pieces of garbage that the companies give away for free. Apple had the marketing clout and cache to sell the Iphone themselves, but they wussed out. Partnering with Cingular (AT&T after today) for a multi year agreement. It is just offensive. Steve Jobs is evil, he screwed every single man woman and child who uses cell phones in the U.S.
I really do hope the Iphone succeeds in shaking up the cell phone market. I just wish apple would have been willing to go all the way and take that one final step toward thinking different. I would have been a switcher for life. Another missed opportunity for Apple and for America.

Sent wirelessly