There aren’t many blogs today in my Newshutch that aren’t doing something to accelerate the MacWorld Expo hype. Never one to passively watch a bandwagen roll by, me and my two cents are jumping on.
We’re all grown ups, so it’s a given that we no longer believe in Santa Claus. The thing that consistently impresses me about Steve Jobs (and of course the huge company of unnamed individuals behind him) is that he manages, time and again, to give grown-up Mac lovers like me the feeling that it’s Christmas. And, if we’ve been reeeeeeally good this year, we’ll get what we want out of San Francisco.
Who hasn’t heard of the iPhone yet? Imagine it: a product which, quite possibly, doesn’t exist at all is on the lips of people all over the world. Do I want one? Hell yeah. Like most Mac fans, I’ve developed an almost irrational trust in Cupertino. No predictions here based on my non-existent knowledge of what Apple’s up to, but if Apple makes a phone, I trust that it will not only give me an interface that won’t frustrate me every time I use it (unlike every other mobile phone I’ve ever used), but it will, on a far deeper, emotional level, simply rock.
I can understand the folks who say that Apple’s “just what you need and no more” philosophy would lead to a phone too simple for the needs of the average globe-trotting party person, but, well, that ain’t me.
Other than frustration, the one thing all mobiles I’ve ever had have in common is I wish the crap I don’t need would get out of the way of the crap I do need, namely calling people, saving their numbers and writing them text messages (okay, okay, I forgot music. Add those functions to my 5G iPod and I’ve got one less electrothing in my pocket and Apple’s got an even happier customer). If anyone can make a phone that radically and refreshingly simple, well, you know who.
Say it with me folks, “I believe in Stevie Claus!”
Update: Signal vs. Noise, one of my favourite blogs, also predicts a simple, elegant, graceful iPhone:
They (Apple) can look at the crisis points of a typical experience and erase them one by one. Not by adding a lot of new things things, but by removing the crap and paying attention to the basics.
They even used my word, “crap”.
Update: Well, that’s it, there is an iPhone. It packs in more than I was expecting, but at first glimpse it seems to live up to the insanely simple interface principles we’ve come to expect from Apple. Apple Store here I come, once the early adopters have found all the bugs and the price (4GB $499, 8 GB $599) drops by a third, i.e. iPhone Generation 4.
Last update: The creative Mr. Kottke has produced a snazzy lifesize cardboard iPhone model, for those of you who’ve been wondering just how big the thing really is.
1 Lonely Comment…
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The iPhone. Plays music. Texts. Does a million different operations..and oh yeah, you can call people!
As much as I sort of like the combination of services on a phone, I’ve also been a believer in “if you want a camera, buy a camera. If you want a phone, buy a phone.” You can’t mix the two. (Watch someone prove me wrong someday.)
I found it somewhat humorous when Cingular picked up the iPhone — I was hoping Verizon, since they’re personally the best service out there. I’m betting that Cingular sold their soul to get the chance to have the iPhone. Watch their sales go through the roof..
Did you here about the whole snafu with the iPhone versus iPhone? (link: http://www.engadget.com/2006/12/18/cisco-not-apple-announces-iphone-branded-voip-phones/) Quite interesting..