Danny Gorog04 June 2007, 1:48 AM
Apple has finally announced that the iPhone, possibly the most anticipated gadget of this decade, will start shipping June 29th. And it has published a bunch of TV ads online for your drooling pleasure.
Apple has finally announced that the iPhone, possibly the most anticipated new tech device of this decade, will start shipping in the US to AT&T customers on June 29th.
Unfortunately, Australian buyers will have to wait until next year to get our hands on one, but by that time I'd expect the device to support 3G as opposed to the sluggish 2.5G EDGE standard that the iPhone currently supports.
The iPhone will be a hit -- there isn't a doubt in my mind. One only needs to compare to the competition (Blackberries excluded) to see that the iPhone comes up trumps.
As you'd expect, the boys from Redmond decided to shrink a full sized Windows operating system on to a phone, complete with Start menu and all. The user experience is terrible. I dare you to give a Windows Mobile phone to your mother and ask her to make a call. I'll bet you ten bucks she won't even know how to switch it on.
Apple's approach to developing a smart phone was to rethink the user interface from the ground up. The culmination is the new multi-touch UI that lets you navigate with your finger, rather than those silly styluses that are just begging to get lost.
The main criticism with the iPhone so far has been a lack of physical keyboard. Jobs has repeatedly stated that after some practice on the multi-touch screen users will appreciate the new input method.
He has also made the point that removing a physical keyboard allows for different programs to take advantage of a large screen in different ways.
Apple is also being cautious about allowing third-parties to write apps for the iPhone at launch, but Jobs did indicate at last week's D5 conference that Apple is working on opening up the iPhone platform to developers in a way that doesn't compromise user security or stability.
I'd expect to see a potential announcement around this at WWDC (11th June) or in the month after iPhone's release.
Once the iPhone is in the wild we'll get a better sense of what it can do. Until then, check out the new commercials for the iPhone, and be prepared to wipe the dribble from your keyboard.
 Did someone say Calamari: watch the TV ad and weep at the simplicity |