iPhone

As expected, Apple introduced the iPhone today. A device which combines cellular, digital audio, and internet connectivity using an OS X operating system. And, as expected, the design is stunning.

Given that apple.ca is not highlighting the iPhone, I guess Canada will be left out of the ruckus for now. The apple.com site is highlighting the iPhone here.

I have a few observations about the unit. Aside from a very cool form factor, I wonder how practical the device will be given the inherent issues with battery life. Apple claims a battery life of up to 5 hours talk time/video playback/internet browsing and up to 16 hours of audio playback. I’ll be interested to learn if those values hold in everyday use.

Touch screens are just messy. I have yet to use a touch screen interface that works as well as tactile. Too many false hits. And greasy fingers lead to a dirty screen. I wonder how easy it will be to browse and select embedded links on web pages using a finger on a tiny piece of screen real estate.

Interesting that the iPhone runs OS X but I’m not sure what that means. Is it like a Windows CE port? A small FreeBSD kernel with some networking and UI components?

Storage maxes out at 8GB. I currently run a 30GB iPod and it is almost full.

Nonetheless, it is a great example of superlative design.