I'd just like to start this thread for the people who are on the fence about the iPhone. I know that there is a thread where someone is asking whether they should get one, but I also figured this could be another where people might be more open to share their limited experience (it has only been out for 3 days, after all.)
I wasn't planning on buying one. I was unhappy with the hype and I thought the phone itself was overkill and ridiculous, but my wife bought one for me as an early birthday present on a whim. We called our local Apple Store at 10 p.m. on the night of its release, and the line that started with over 500 people had dwindled down to zero waiting time. She and I drove right up to the front of the store, put a few coins in the meter, bought an 8 gigabyte model, and left. Just like that.
So far, I like it a lot. I wouldn't say I was in terrible need for a new phone, but it's nice to have a new one and I really wanted a new iPod. My 1gig nano that came free after rebate was okay, but I wanted more storage. I only have about 3 or 4 gigs on my iTunes and it's nice to have all of it on my phone along with some of my iPhoto pics. It's a very intuitive phone and, as a long time Cingular/AT&T member, the switch was extremely easy via iTunes.
Everyone is whining about the availability being exclusive to AT&T, but I've had great service so far (up and down California and in Nevada and Arizona) and I'm happy with them. The EDGE network is relatively slow (relative to Wi-Fi), but I'm not interested in surfing the net or watching YouTube when I'm out and about having a good time. Occasionally, I've used the maps feature to get around or find places, but I wasn't in such a hurry that waiting 7 seconds for search results killed me.
I've also heard complaints about memory card expandability. Give me a break! As far as I know, 4 or 8 gig capacity is unheard of in any other cell phone and people are complaining? I think this issue speaks for itself.
All in all, I'm satisfied with the phone. It isn't extraordinary and its novelty does wear off (as with ALL things) over time. All the included features are great. I love connecting to the wireless internet in my home when I don't want to be on my computer where I feel compelled to be productive and do work
. I do think the phone is a bit overpriced, but I also feel like iPods and Apple's computers are overpriced in general, so I'm not too upset.
For those who wanted the iPhone immediately and anticipated its arrival, I hope you're enjoying it. As for those who are waiting for updated versions or changes in cost, I'll say this: Apple isn't necessarily known for dropping the cost of their products. The MacBook has been around more than a year now and costs as much as it did when it was releaed, though it has a few upgrades now. As far as updates and upgrades, I'd say those would be negligible and certainly would not take my appreciation for the "first-generation" phones away. I'm really happy with mine.
My final words: If you can afford it and you want it, by all means buy one. Affording one also implies you can just as easily afford to cancel your current wireless service provider if it's necessary. If you are waiting, don't anticipate any new releases or changes any time soon. That would be bad business for Apple and AT&T.
Hope everyone is happy!
