i This and i That

Well after some time off, I guess it's time to jump back in. Luckily, this market is in autopilot. Until something big happens or the market starts to settle into a range, there isn't a whole lot to talk about. We've had two large drops in China followed by weakness in the European markets that have lead to a weak opening here. However, like a pitcher shaking off a bad sign, we have powered up and ended the day on strength. I could throw up some charts, but until this constant broad based rally ceases, the safest place to be looks like big to mega caps.

One topic that has been bothering me is this iPhone. The iPod is probably one of the most significant technological revolutions in history (not quite in same category as the wheel, seems just as popular). It has caught on to such a widespread audience it is amazing. I think Apple might be bitting off a little more than it is ready to chew.

Let's look at some of the Pros and Cons of the iPhone.

Pros

• It looks cool.
• It begins with "i"
• It has a nice, bright, sharp touchscreen
  
• Integrated audio player
  

Other than that, it is basically not that different than any of the other audio/cellphones on the market. Unfortunately, I can think of a lot more Cons that make me think twice about wanting to pick one up.

Cons

• Only control though a touch screen. (I've tried this before. Not the best in every circumstance.)
• No 3G service built in. (Like looking forward to dial-up.)
• Only available through AT&T. (Good for AT&T.)
• Price seems a little excessive for the average retail buyer. Not appropriate for business users.
• What happens when something malfunctions. You're not out your audio player and your cellphone.

Bottom line, the iPhone is a creative concept that is definitely visually appealing, but I don't think it is quite really for iPod like success. Once Apple works out the bugs, fix some of the above mentioned feature issues, and gets the price point down, I think we will really see this thing take off.

Despite all of the issues, don't expect to see many of these sitting on shelf without an owner. The hype is way to high for these to sit around. The only question now is to see how the reviews come out.