The iPhone Cometh!
Well, those of you who know me in real life know that since Amy’s car was broken into, I have been rather… Uhhhhh… Singleminded in my desire for June 29 to get here.
For those who were not paying attention… That was yesterday. Despite the hype, despite the crowds, despite the incredible expectations (Boing Boing has been referring to it as “Jesusphone”) I left the Apple Store yesterday at 6:45 (sales began at 6 sharp) with a smile on my face and I don’t think it has left yet. I’m completely impressed with the device, the service, and the experience.
The line at Willow Bend was friendly, organized, and it felt like we were welcome. People were walking the line continuously, whether it was Apple employees (with free bottled water), or Starbuck’s with cheap (for them) coffee, or mall (and even city of Plano) security. People were exchanging rumors, chatting, or even taking a nap. I arrived to wait in line at 1:30… And was number 182 in line. Due to the atmosphere, the wait just didn’t seem that long. It really didn’t.
As we approached 6 pm, there was a Times Square-like countdown, and a huge cheer as the first folks were allowed in the store. At that point the line moved incredibly quickly. Once inside the store, I was surprised to see that there were already tons of accessories available (cases, headsets, car chargers, etc.) and they were being sold by store employees who had them in big bushel baskets. They really did look like they should be at the ballpark yelling “cold beer, peanuts!”
After that, quite simply, I walked out to my Jeep and drove home. Not before taunting some folks at a nearby AT&T store, though, I didn’t get the impression that their experience was as smooth.
I understand some people had activation problems. I was not one of them. I even transferred a number from T-mobile, and the process was damn near instantaneous. Even incoming calls were happening in about 20 minutes.
Now, what people are really interested in… does it work?
In a word, yes.
I have it join protected wireless networks, browse the web, send SMS, read email… all while making and receiving calls. Seamless. The screen is every bit as good as the one on my MacBook. The interface is fast, none of that weird lag that we associate with phone interfaces. Video rendered for the iPod is a little fuzzy, but that is the fault of the video, not the phone (the iPhone screen has twice the resolution). Video rendered for the phone is absolutely gorgeous.
For those that thought that 8gb was too small, I currently have 38 1 hour television shows and 435 songs on the phone, and I still have 2gb free. It’s big enough for me.
I guess the bottom line is that I have found nothing that I don’t like that I didn’t know before I bought it (lack of custom ringtones seems irritating, but I am convinced this is a legal issue)
And the touch-screen keyboard? That everyone was worried would be hard to use? I typed this whole entry on it. Yep, this blog entry was created entirely on my iPhone. Which speaks volumes about the keyboard and the built in Safari browser. More later.