Holy $#@& !
Mrs. BP isn't the technophile her husband is: She barely carries a cell phone (but does so at my insistence), rarely gets impressed with new gadgets, couldn't care any less if we get the big plasma screen.
So you can imagine my surprise when, last night, as we watched the new Apple iPhone commercial (below) on TV, she let out an involuntary Holy Shit!
The commercial reminded me of that great quote by Arthur C. Clarke: "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."
The new iPhone looks like magic . . .
All of the iPhone ads are here
~~~
Wired reminds us that 30 years ago on this day (1977), the Apple II -- the world's first "practical" personal computer, went on sale.
Tuesday, June 05, 2007 | 10:45 AM | Permalink
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At least she is married to someone that can afford one.
Posted by: me | Jun 5, 2007 11:07:31 AM
The I-Phone looks super awesome but there's no way i'm going to be able to afford it !
Posted by: Wolf Stone | Jun 5, 2007 11:17:06 AM
Hey Barry,
I have the video clip of your appearance on BNN (discussing the Apple Iphone and Palm) yesterday on my blog but am unable to post a trackback!!
Posted by: Wolf Stone | Jun 5, 2007 11:18:57 AM
Gee, it is only a phone…
What is the battery life? (With all the functionalities it seems that one would need to keep it constantly plugged in and keep re-charging it every 3-4 hours)
I wish Apple would make it with replaceable battery to avoid people getting frustrated and keeping themselves attached to outlets. I see many users say: “Holy shit, I need to re-charge it again, and again, and again... I have just fully charged it a couple of hours ago”
Posted by: V L | Jun 5, 2007 11:27:40 AM
This sounds like a piece of equipment for the other economy. The one I'm not in.
Posted by: Royce | Jun 5, 2007 11:34:47 AM
now the conundrum is: Do I sell my apple stock to buy one?
Posted by: slapshot57 | Jun 5, 2007 12:03:32 PM
Wait until the OS gets "hacked." By that I mean this computing platform is so rich and so deep that you'll undoubtably see killer apps shortly. My wish list includes a media controller interface.
I don't quite understand the 4Gb/8Gb however. 16Gb would only add $40 +/- to the cost.
The application that I hope takes advantage? dvdManager. Imagine at the store waving a DVD in front of the camera and knowing immediately if it is already in your collection.
Posted by: Robert Cote | Jun 5, 2007 12:03:52 PM
If Steve Jobs took a dump in a paper sack people would buy it. iCrap
No texting, $599 (plus two year contract), within the year it will be more or less obsolete to the next gen. phones.....
However it has that stupid little logo of an apple on it so I'm sure it will be a big hit.
Still overhyped though.....
Anyone with balls enough to short Apple on June 30th???
Ciao
MS
~~~
BR: The Newton, the Apple Mini, the Apple Cube, the eMac, Apple TV
Not everything they do is a smash hit.
Posted by: michael shumacher | Jun 5, 2007 12:19:35 PM
ok, I'm not rich, I won't buy one, I actually hate iPods with a passion, and apple is great at hype.
but gee, kids, can't you just admit that it's pretty f***ing cool? come on. it's cool.
p.s.-- I never have been able to understand the whole texting thing. I mean, it's a phone. you call people. if you call people so much that you can't afford it, you're spending too much time on the phone. trying living where you physically are at any given minute. it's worked for ages.
Posted by: dark1p | Jun 5, 2007 12:22:11 PM
Touchscreen functionality on cellphones has been a disaster so far. I say this as a thoroughly disgruntled consumer of the Chocolate, which is terrible. There's no feedback on whether you've actually touched the function or virtual button you wanted. You spend so much time rekeying or cancelling out of undesired menus that it becomes seriously frustrating. No thanks.
Posted by: Rusty | Jun 5, 2007 12:31:09 PM
It's cool.
I'm sick of hearing about a fricking $600 gizmo that nobody needs but consumers in debt up to their eyeballs will get suckered into buying.
I'm peronally routing for a flop-a-rooney-mcfadden(I watch too much Cramer?).
Posted by: S | Jun 5, 2007 12:35:00 PM
I find it interesting that alot of people complain about the price.
People pay +$1,500 for a TV. Why not $600 for a phone?
What's the big deal? Apple is an aspirational brand.
So what if it doesn't have all the features of the $59 phone. When the next gen comes out, people will throw out the first gen iPhone and buy another.
Posted by: Christopher Laudani | Jun 5, 2007 12:39:48 PM
I agree it IS cool....however is it $600 and $800 cool??? and two-year contract cool???
I grew up with Apple's and had no choice but to switch to a PC when Apple all but abandoned the marketplace (at least in affordability and s/w wise) however apple is losing it's focus on producing these phones as they will be the next "gotta have" product but that only takes you so far....making a dent in marketshare is going to be really interesting to watch as the economy "rebounds" (like we never had anything in-between a slow down and this mythical rebound that Ber"hank"ke is now spouting off about).
Apple iPhone=DOA
Ciao
MS
Posted by: michael shumacher | Jun 5, 2007 12:42:13 PM
I can't even find my ipod. I'm not paying $500 for a phone I can't find when I need to make a call...
Posted by: donna | Jun 5, 2007 12:47:09 PM
iPhone has 3 things going against it
* Only available through AT&T/Cingular (ot whatever they call them these days)
* Battery seems to be an issue
* Overpriced (over $500)
Having said that iPhone is going to revolutionize the Smart Phone industry. Be prepared to see the copycats and wanna-be's from Motorola, Samsung and Nokia.
I would wait for atleast 2 quarters to see what the demand is like for iPhone. I say sell Apple stock as the phone is over-hyped imo. But Apple is a great long term investment.
Posted by: ManhattanGuy | Jun 5, 2007 12:52:19 PM
My gut tells me that it won't flop or sell like hotcakes.
Cellphones' physical size limitations will always keep them from being what everyone(maybe just me) REALLY wants. A slim tablet-like...internet appliance. One with has a flash-based harddrive, and is all touchscreen with a stlyus, with USB/highspeed ports. There is no need for laptops or traditional desktops. Only servers(one machine per household with NAS) and terminals(internet appliance/tablets). The way it was in the beginning.
Posted by: KP | Jun 5, 2007 12:55:17 PM
It won't sell as many as the iPod. Still, Blackberry is in business and I think doing quite well. And not every kid buys one of the those.
Yeah . . . Blackberry Pearl $100 w/rebate, makes a much nicer combo with my MacBook. And if I want to actually be able to store all my music, add another three hundred for an iPod.
That's why the thing has no memory. These guys are getting much better at their marketing.
Posted by: John Thompson | Jun 5, 2007 12:56:09 PM
Can't help a little plug here. The ad with the Pirates movie that then looks for seafood and finds this restaurant called Pacific Catch?
I am an investor in that restaurant. Talk about unbelievably lucky free plug. It was apple's ad agency that found us and asked us if we would be okay with that. Duhhhh.
I loved the phone even before that. For those of you who are worried about the price. Apple is a very sophisticated marketing company. It is just not smart to bet against them.
Posted by: Ralph | Jun 5, 2007 12:58:24 PM
ICrap?
Classic Michael, classic!
Posted by: me | Jun 5, 2007 12:59:05 PM
Yeah, way too expensive. Not. An Atari Pong console in 1975 cost roughly the same inflation adjusted in 1975. Who would want to pay $100+ back then for a stupid square that bounces around in your TV? And video games? There's a dead end business for sure. People who refuse to learn from history are a growth sector apparently.
Posted by: Robert Cote | Jun 5, 2007 1:01:42 PM
Barry, is your whole blog inhabited by commenters who would tout up the value of Michaelangelo's David by the per-pound cost of marble and the depreciated value of his tools?
Jeez people.
Maybe it's because I work in product development that I appreciate how frickin beautiful this is. Those ads made me want to cry.
(OK, maybe it made me want to cry partly because even though I don't WANT to spend $500 on a phone, now I see that eventually I'm going to HAVE to.)
Life's too short not to be surrounded by beautiful things. And that is one goddam beautiful thing.
Posted by: semper fubar | Jun 5, 2007 1:03:59 PM
Semper fubar:
I totally agree!
Posted by: Barry Ritholtz | Jun 5, 2007 1:16:46 PM
how anyone can talk it up OR down without touching and using one is beyond me. That's the RDF and the anti-RDF showing through people.
Posted by: patience | Jun 5, 2007 1:39:39 PM
"Life's too short not to be surrounded by beautiful things. And that is one goddam beautiful thing."
You're quite the consumer aren't you?
Posted by: dd | Jun 5, 2007 1:40:51 PM
Robert-
Way oversimplified......Atari Pong vs. iPhone??
Come on....get a better example. Pong had NO hype or marketing that comes even close to the jesus-phone.
It is an over-priced, under-engineered, over-hyped status symbol.
I forsee the swinging of one's arm who owns one to attract atention to themselves in the same way you can see ipods being flashed around in 2004-05.
It is nothing more than a phone with a well-hyped marketing program associated with it.
BR- The Newton, I remember it well as I worled at Apple at the time. We all got to see it in a meeting and almost everyone who saw it expected it to change the world much like this phone. This phone is going to be just like that. All hype.
Apple TV.....what a joke....here is the best way to watch Bio-Dome 4 on you're computer.
Ciao
MS
Posted by: michael shumacher | Jun 5, 2007 1:46:12 PM
