So the Apple Iphone went on sale last night at 6:00pm eastern time. People started lining up last weekend. Last weekend. (I wanted to make sure you got that part- that's why I repeated it). The phone went on sale on a Friday, and losers were on line in some cities starting the previous Saturday.
I would think that a guy jobless enough to sit in a lawn chair on a sidewalk in New York for a week with nothing but Mountain Dew, chronic Dorito breath, his laptop and his own sense of self-worthlessness to keep him company would not be in a position to pay between $400 and $600 for a phone.
So what's so special about this phone? They seem to be pushing pretty heavily the fact that it's a phone, an Mp3 player, a PDA and a medium through which to access the internet. Okay, fine. The Razr I paid $50 for after the rebate can do all that. What else makes this thing worth $600? Does it balance your checkbook automatically? Save you hundreds on car insurance by switching now? Does it dispense tiny pink pills that fill you with a fuzzy feeling of euphoria? Will it make me taller? Will it make me smarter? Will it make me delicious smoothies? Here's a direct quote from the Apple website:
"It’s an entirely new interface based on a large multi-touch display and innovative new software that lets you control everything using only your fingers."
Ohhh...that's it! Up until now, I've had to operate my cell phone by mashing the keypad with my forehead. I think Steve Jobs may be on to something here with the whole "using one's fingers to operate a phone" idea.
I asked a few of the people on line last night outside the Apple store at the Cambridgeside Galleria (shut up- I was just there for socks and some Thai orange chicken) why they wanted the phone so badly, and all four of the people I talked to (I got bored and a little creeped out after just that many) mentioned right off that Apple has done away with actual keys on the phone, and it's all a touch-pad.
Jesus Bloody Christ. So that's the big advancement. The same touch-screen technology that lets me rent Red Box movies and helps me find a Spider-man graphic novel at Borders is the reason these troglodytes have come out of their parents' basements to spend their week at the mall. Suddenly, my Star Trek fandom and penchant for snazzy tie clips and french-cut shirt cuffs is making me feel pretty cool.
2 comments:
You "I'm a P.C." types will do anything to bring down Mac, won't you? That's just sad.
No offense to Matt, but my roommate bought an Iphone and it broke a week later. My boyfriend bought one and it took him 4 days to get it activated, and the touch screen works only like 2 thirds of the time. My sister bought one, and as of right now, its still working, but I'm not holding out hope for hers, either.
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