my iPhone thoughts

Several other folks have been blogging about the iPhone, but so far it seems to be all gushing praise, and yes, alot of that is deserved. It's a beautiful product, as Apple almost always produces. As for some of the lacking features (3G), yes, Apple should have added those, but remember this is a first gen product. Does anyone remember the first gen iPod? You have to make tradeoffs and pick features in a first gen product.

There are a few things I think they missed though, and some nagging questions which their marketing materials don't answer yet:

1. One handed operation? One of the key advantages I see for blackberry users is the scroll wheel. I do not have a crackberry, but when I have checked them out, that is really the killer feature, not the full qwerty keyboard. Most people read alot more email than they compose on it.
2. Replaceable battery? C'mon Apple. You've dealt with enough iPod battery problems that you should have a clear answer for that issue on this product. Who is going to want to send in their primary means of communication to get a battery fixed for a couple weeks?
3. Charging, especially mobile. I have an iPod nano, and I don't think the connector is particularly easy to connect normally (figuring out if it's right side up from a screen printed icon is not the best, especially if the icon has worn off). With my motorola phone (non-Razr) I can pretty much plug it into the charger in my car single handed without looking, something very nice if I'm on a call and it does the low power beep. I suppose they expect you to dock it in your car before you start driving. Similar for unplugging it. When I'm trying to catch a train to work, I want to be able to unplug my phone single handedly without looking.
   
4. What kind of CPU? I know it runs macos X, but what kind of horsepower does it have?
   
5. I'm sure the screen will get smudged up especially holding it up to your ear.
   
6. How much non-talk time battery life is there? Especially if you use it for video playback?

I expect the 2nd gen iPhone to already be in the works and probably ready for release by the end of the year or Q1 2008. I don't remember how long it took for the 2G iPod to come out, but like the iPod this is a revolutionary product that will continue to evolve into something better. I love the nano so much more than my old 2G iPod, so I'm looking forward to the 3rd and 4th gen iPhones (and what nokia, etc. do to answer it)