OT: Apple

[amalventano1 at tds.net (Allyn)]

> What its its battery life like?

5 hours on w/ screen on (i.e. steady use), 16 hours in ipod playback mode w/ screen off.

> Cost of repair?

With a 2 year contract, I'd suspect repairs would work like they do for other phones under similar contract.

> The IPod had battery replacement problems. Will this device have the same or similar problems? Probably, its the first of its
kind.

Not likely - as the problems were with the lithium ion technology, not with the ipod itself.  The battery tech is now 5 years more
mature.

> Until it can reduce in price, and a wide (competitive) manufacture platform created, it will not really grab a huge market share
and will remain a toy of the gadgeteers for the time being.

This is likely a perfect item for anyone who is in the smartphone market - especially if they already have a separate PDA (and
actually use it).  I've always kept a simple phone, as to minimize unnecessary overlap between the two devices.  I've stuck with my
Dell Axim because no smartphone has remotely approached its specs - until this iphone comes out, that is.  I've always used my Axim
for mp3 and video playback, but you don't get the ease of use of downloading podcasts and auto-syncing them to your device, so the
ipod functionality is just a bonus for me.  Now that I think about it, I'd gladly pay $500 for this device, even sans the ipod
functionality - as it would be replacing two devices that already cost that much in total.

I don't think the masses yet fully appreaciate just how much more usable this thing will actually be.  The web browser alone beats
the tar out of anything else out there (on a PDA), and where people used to imagine surfing as something of a PITA in the past, it
will now become nearly as easy as doing so on a PC.

HP, Dell, Motorola, and all the others going after the smartphone market have been asleep at the wheel for way too long, and now
they are going to suffer because of it.  The iphone will be a serious milestone for smartphones, even if it only succeds in getting
the other manufacturers off of their asses to finally start innovating.

P.S. Verizon and the others are in for a wake up call as well, with their draconian and shady practices (disabling bluetooth /
syncing with desktop, forcing users to purcahse ringtones through them only, etc).  This iphone is 'free' in that regard, and is
therefore sure to wipe the floor with the competition.  Cingular is just along for the ride, and IMO, was smart for jumping on the
train when they did.

Al