iPhone unveiled

What surfs the web, does email and text messaging, can show video, takes pictures, and plays music? Well, okay, lots of things, I guess, but iPhone does it prettier. Not just prettier but cooler and easier. I mean, this thing is gorgeous (this video is not the best but I love hearing the oohs and ahhs from the audience--you can get the official Apple video of the keynote speech here ). Steve Jobs unveiled the new iPhone at a huge launch this week and it is the talk of the tech world. The big differences between iPhone and other devices that can do similar things are the wide screen, touchscreen navigation and input, and oh, yeah, the price. You'll spend $499 (USD) for a 4 GB version and $599 (USD) for an 8 GB version. It also has room for a SIM card so you can store more. There are some downsides and potential problems with the iPhone though. All may not be as rosy as Steve Jobs let on in his keynote address at the launch.

Let's start with the name. iPhone is actually a VoIP device launched recently by Cisco. Cisco is suing Apple for Trademark Infringement so we'll see where that goes.

Then there is availablity. When the iPhone was launched, it was not to tell you that this thing is here now, just that it will be here sometime. Tech guru and CBC technology columnist, Tod Mafin, points out that the iPhone will not be available in the US until June while Europe won't get it until a year from now. Who knows when Canada will get it.

As mentioned before, there is the price. Of course, die-hard geeks will jump onto this bandwagon as soon as the product becomes available, but it is quite pricey (T-Mobile in the States is currently selling the Blackberry between $99 and $249 US). Many people will probably wait until the price goes down to buy Apple's iPhone and to see if there are any problems to be ironed out.

I for one, will be looking to see if the product lasts or will it have the same kinds of problems as the iPod with hard drive failures, batteries that seem to die shortly after the warranty is up and cracked screens. See, the screen is the cool thing about the iPhone but since Apple admitted to the problem with the Nano screen and since there are plenty of other people who have found their iPod screens cracked, I would be concerned about paying a huge amount of money for what is basically one big screen. It is supposed to be a phone and you should be able to cart it around without fear that the screen will break under regular use. A new industry has sprung up in making protective devices for iPods but that won't be so easy to do with something that is all screen, a screen that needs to be touched in order to navigate or to enter text. So, I'll be waiting to see what happens with those potential problems before I will purchase the iPhone. Oh, and some lottery winnings so I can afford it.