Agreed. This is getting exceedingly tedious - Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together - mass hysteria.

Yet another example of techmeme-itis, I think.

Thank you Ethan. I’ve been looking for a twelve-step program to help me end my iPhone obsession. I’m yo-yoing pro-, anti-, must buy, can’t buy…. I’m about to run screaming from the room.

Maybe you’re my first step on the path to sobriety.

Amen. I couldn’t agree more. I am to the point where I shudder when I see the word iPhone in my RSS feeds now.

Hopefully this will all calm down before the release in June, where another incredibly rabid round of love and hate will surely dominate the tech aggregators.

Aw, c’mon Ethan — lighten up. What would the blogosphere be without something to pile onto and let the self-professed experts (including me) opine about? I for one am having a grand old time.

Besides, it prompted a great rant from you, and there’s definitely some value in that

The “iPhone malware” argument really doesn’t hold much water. Most cell phones already allow third-party applications. If it’s a problem at all, it’s a problem now.

But ehh, we’ll see. A lot could change in six months.

Sure, nokia, windows and blackberry allow 3rd party apps, but would any of them pass the “apple test”? Maybe gmaps and berry411.

Don’t confuse malware with apple-malware. Apple malware is an app with a shitty color scheme, and I am only partially kidding.

Well said! These idiots with a computer and an agenda are getting ridiculous! Thanks for putting things in perspective and calming the rabid, insane fools out there.

Personally I think a lot of people are criticising something they haven’t used, or indeed know very much at all about. It’s like people who criticise the Mac having never used one. It’s like people who criticise Vista having never used it. (Not that they’re wrong, it’s still Windows, sadly.)

It’d be nice if they could get at least midlet support on there, but I don’t know how well that’d cope without the usual phone interface.

I’m guessing Visual Voicemail is IP based, just like the IP phone.

Well said. A couple things to me stood out to me:

1) People love to pretend they are willing and ready to buy something, “if only it had…x or y..as it stands, I’m not buying it” When you realize of course, they will latch onto any convenient excuse as to why they aren’t going to buy something they really have no intention of buying.

2) Bloggers have found that in order to get attention/hits, you can’t just say “Looks interesting/not that interesting”, you have to flail around and make predictions of glory or doom. Best example to date? Robert Scoble (a blogger I actually used to enjoy reading when he was with Microsoft) on the two Apple products announced. Apple TV, because its 720p only..”REALLY REALLY REALLY SUCKS, and IS DEAD ON ARRIVAL” and the iPhone, “if Microsoft had shipped this you’d be deriding it as the worst cell phone ever shipped!!!” Oh, and “NETFLIX IS DEAD” too, according to Scoble, did you know? ;P

3. You knew this would be the reaction-remember the comments about the first iPod, not just from Slashdot etc. but from many of the “Apple faithful” as well? http://37signals.com/svn/archives2/original_ipod_announcement_thread_at_macrumors.php

“just wait a few months as I think the DRM situation will be changing fairly quickly”

… Elaborate on that?

Ethan, I think you’re clutching at straws and making yourself look a bit silly in the process. The iPhone stands out as a brilliant product, with amazing industrial design and a unique interface ( just like the iPod).

However under close analysis there are some downsides for some groups of people (just like the iPod).

It’s only right that the blogosphere digs these out. By bringing out spurious arguments against these valid analyses, you seem to be clutching at straws. The anti-iPhone-hype is not a witch hunt.

http://www.gadgetophile.com/iphone-anti-anti-hype/

3G, anyone? Not?
Ok, welcome to 1999!

Article is bob on. It appears that all the Apple-denigrators waited for the unprecedented euphoria to die down, and are now cutting up rough to vent their hatred of success. and Apple in particular.

I owned Microsoft-based products for ten years before seeing a viable alternative to the unholy mess that Windows ecosystem had become. And moved to Apple. Clean, easy, elegant, no bloody endless hassle with blue screens, crashes, spyware etc etc.

“and I’ll be getting two iPhone’s on release for the same reasons I have two powerbooks, a Mac Book Pro, two Airports, a Mac Pro and an iMac.”

The reason being: you have a lot of money to throw around?

I’m happy with my iBook G4, but those MacBook Pros sure do look nice. And expensive. My student budget cringes.

What a knucklehead you are! First, the iPhone is crap. Second, I cannot believe what an inflated ego you have! Do you really think anyone gives a rat\’s ass? Quit trying to earn \”geek cred\” and do something useful!

did you really just call me a knucklehead? Gosh darn it!

I think I have enough Geek Cred as it is btw.

my ego is inflated… like a fox.

How many of the people making noise about the iPhone are taking the perspective of regular non tech savy people like my sister, mother or uncle.

I think Apple is looking at these people just like they did with the iPod .. take the concept and make it easy to use and cool to have. ( perception may vary )

Just my two cents…