Tech Gear: iPhone season? Or open season on the iPhone?
To buy or not to buy, that is the question
November 29, 2007 (Computerworld) -- Editor's note: This article headlines our TechGear section and newsletter. To see more of Mike's articles and reviews of cool gadgets, go to TechGear. Also, please be sure to subscribe to the TechGear newsletter for hands-on reviews and analysis of the stuff that makes IT fun.
Well, it's the moment of truth for this year's holiday shopping season: iPhone yes or no? Tracy Mayor put the Question of the Year to Computerworld Editor-In-Chief Scot Finnie, PC World Editor-In-Chief Harry McCracken, Computerworld Online News Editor Ken Mingis and NPD Group Analyst Ross Rubin. The panel was tied -- two said "yes," and two said "no," so Tracy turned to me to break the tie.
The iPhone really isn't all that compelling, until you try one. Scot Finnie made that mistake and now he's hooked.
Though "iPhone Killers" abound, there really is only one competitor to the iPhone: The next iPhone. Will Apple ship iPhone 2.0 soon, or not until 2009 or later? That's the main criteria for jumping onboard now or waiting, at least for many would-be Scot Finnies. Well, the Grinch came early this year in the form of AT&T Inc. CEO Randall Stephenson, who let slip this week that, in fact, a superfast 3G version of the iPhone would ship in 2008 (My guess is June). When asked how much it might cost, Stephenson replied that Apple Inc. CEO Steve Jobs "will dictate what the price of the phone is." Uh, huh. My question to Stephenson is: Isn't Steve Jobs supposed to dictate when new products are announced, too?
In any event, iPhone fever is slowly spreading across the globe like SARS. And many are grumbling. The Canadians, for example, are feeling like unwanted stepchildren as Americans gloat about their iPhones and launch dates are announced across Europe. The likely ship date in Canada is rumored to be Jan. 18, too late for the holidays. Meanwhile, the U.K. has had their iPhones for three weeks, and some there are complaining both about the high price of the phone and also about spotty reception.