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"it's nevertheless the best-designed, most pleasurable to use device I've ever owned," John C. Welch reports for InformationWeek."

This is really wonderful. Please post 100 or more link to other iPhone reviews. Helps us all forget that Apple is totally ignoring faithful users of their personal computers.

The iMac, the Mini, and the Xserve are now overpriced crap compared to the rest of the industry considering they are yesterday's technology.

Wow. iPhone is really something else. And this is the just the start of an iPhone ecosystem - as the iPod was in the beginning a shadow of what it is today!

Go Apple!

@Shoeman

One word to you: nonsense. Wait 'til Tuesday to see just how well Macs are selling!

Thank God someone sees it besides me. I'm beginning to suspect we might get Office 2008 out of Microsoft before we get iWork 2007 out of Apple.

But hey, how 'bout that telephone?

@ Macaday "One word to you: nonsense. Wait 'til Tuesday to see just how well Macs are selling!"

Well, I'm glad they are "selling"... Selling lots of computers is a LOT more important to you fanboys than selling a computer that doesn't have 2005 features....

I know I'd love to have a new iMac with a 1.83 Processor, 512 Meg of RAM, 160 Gig HDD, 17" monitor, and integrated graphics for "only" $1000...

But hey, if they can sell these overpriced, underpowered dinosaurs I guess that's what's important to you guys...

Yes, shoeman-- won't someone please think of the children?!

"@ R - "Yes, shoeman-- won't someone please think of the children?"!"

The hell with the children. I'm using a Mac Dual Core Mini that I bought 2 weeks after the Intel iMacs came out (I did pump it up with 2 Gig of RAM). As should be obvious from my posts, I want a new iMac. But I'm not going to buy something that is already outdated for the price they are asking...

Just give a a few crumbs Steve and then you can return to you full time job as a telephone salesman..

Well, Shoeman, just because you chose to buy the "low end" iMac, don't be an arse and infer that other models aren't being offered.
Your brand of disingenuousness borders on the inane.

Errr... low end "Mac".
I'm so happy with my iMac, I have a difficult time type Mac without the "i".

I'd be happy with my iPhone is AT&T;'s phone service didn't suck donkey dick.

Shoeman,
The iPhone is a Mac. They're using a different name to allow it to slip in the enterprise back door. Some IT departments caught on early though, which is why they try to keep it out.

@ Macaday

I think its the 25th.... Wednesday

Too all those complaining about lack of emphasis on Mac products from Apple... get some perspective.

The iPhone is a new platform for Apple. Apple gave it the marketing spotlight and development resources. So what? The competition in the PC market are mostly generic commodity computers with Windows Vista. In the media player market, it's "Zune and company." Apple could afford to focus on getting iPhone right, and it did so brilliantly.

And just because the iPhone took center stage, the Mac was hardly neglected. The 8-core Mac Pro was introduced earlier this year, and a significantly upgraded MacBook Pro just got released. The consumer MacBook was also refreshed. In fact, only the Mac mini and iMac have not been updated this year, but the year is only half over. Leopard will be released in a few months, and Apple will no doubt have a redesigned iMac in a few weeks.

So stop with the whining. Apple is playing it smart.

Most pleasurable to use device ? I thought that would be the iBrator.

Shoeman 1st post

100% with you.

What enterprise IT caught onto early was that it has no Exchange or Notes connectivity and is therefore worthless in the enterprise.

Please don't embarrass yourself by babbling about IMAP.

Quick, someone cry a river!

You gotta love these guys who buy a Mini for $500 and then complain it isn't the Porsche they want.

Looooosers!

@ @ Chris,

So, what you're saying is, Exchange and/or Notes = enterprise. Or, without Exchange or Notes, you're not really a business.

Thanks for clearing that up.

Not EVERY business uses that corporate tediumware. Businesses that still function with last century's technology do, and granted they make up the larger percentage of businesses overall, but there are plenty of "enterprises" that do not use that garbage. I've worked with quite a few.

Remember, not everything is based on what was.

I don't dispute that Apple's strategy of branching out into music players was obviously correct, and that its move into the cell phone area will prove be also. Nevertheless, the Mac, iLife and iWork do seem to be taking second place nowadays (witness the delay in Leopard).

You can't buy iPhones down under, so this impression is magnified here. Let's hope the new iMacs, and at least a decision on the future of the Mac Mini (upgrade or abandon) will dispel this impression.

You that are pissing about the lack of new macs are morons. Everyone knows that Apple has new macs in the pipeline. They are not going to release a product that is not ready. So quit your bitchin'. It isn't like any of you whiners have jobs that any of us care about anyway. Just wait until the come out, then you can complain about something else. Maybe the color tone won't be right for you, or the one TB hard drive won't be enough, whatever it is something will be wrong. But that just stems from the fact that your types complain about everything. Probably because you are such pussy's that your girlfriends up and left. That happens when you are a spineless, constant whiner though.

Congrats...... we love you.... even if you don't love yourselves.

MDN Word.... "own" as in mind your own.

@ jarrettnewsdaily,

You left out Bitch Reason #1: Rev-A early adopter. Folks bitch and complain about no new hardware and when the new hardware is released, they vow to wait "till the bugs are worked out in Rev-B."

Playing on both sides of the fence. How convenient.

Exactly how often do you need to buy a new computer? What work are you involved in that requires the absolute latest specs?

@justified..... I forgot about that part. Excellent point.
@@Shoeman, The whole point right there. I would love to bitch about not having the next generation mac pro and how I need FC Studio to go with that. But since I am not editing any films anytime soon for IHOP or Hilton (My employers) I guess I would be wasting time writing and wasting your time reading.

MDN Word... "will" as in, they will keep complaining, and Apple will keep growing, and I will keep getting sick because my wife and I sold all of our shares at......$93 and $87, we were waiting on that split.:(

I guess we need an iphone daily news so we can have a mac-complaint free space... honestly, the important thing with Leopard and new macs is that they be ready and right. Quality. And adding more resources is not a strategy late in the dev cycle. If the currently shipping products REALLY don't meet your needs and there are really better choices... then switch.

Getting things right takes time. Apple's value proposition hinges on getting things right.

And yes, the day after you buy something a new version will be announced. Welcome to technology. Send your complaints to Fake Steve who will explain that yes, Apple is really watching you and waiting until you buy before shipping next rev.

Okay I got really distracted by all this off topic shizzle...

====

As I was reading this review and thinking "Wow"... it occurred: This is a 1.00000 product we're talking about. Chock full of technologies Apple has never shipped before. This is unprecedented for a 1.0 product in my decades of tech experience. It's why the stock won't go anywhere but up (also pretty freaking amazing... though I guess there were dotcoms that behaved similarly in the bubble). Pinch yourself. Take a deep breath. This is a company truly at the top of its game. A company that was completely lost and sprialing into oblivion a decade ago. A company with a FOURTH major act (after a2, mac & ipod). And this is an Apple sooooo good it is FEARED. Are we sure we're not dreaming.

And this is GOOD news for the mac. The success of the iphone is going to SELL more macs. To the $600 and $300 dollar phone crowd, not the $49 phone crowd. Which means macs with margins. Very profitable macs. Which funds plenty of development.

Getting the iphone RIGHT was more important to the future of the mac than when Leopard ships. This is going double consumer mac marketshare.

People, we are witnessing one of the great stories in American business. We're supposed to be enthusiasts. Why is there more whining here than in the PC media.

I can't believe a 1.0 product can be this good.

@another steve,

Thank You...... just that, I appreciate the few here that get it.

MDN Word..."student"

You should all be students.

@yet another steve:
Very well said indeed.

I just finished reading the entire review. I actually think this is the best, most objective review yet, at least among the ones I've read, and I think I read most of them. There is a kind of sober, thoughtful appraisal in this review that can be hard to find.

Of note, what usually happens with most products is that reviews get worse with time. It's only been 3 weeks since the iPhone came out, but it seems that reviews are either steady or getting better. Just my perception.

I too am really eager to see some new macs. I'm also really hopeful there will be a stunning new generation of Xserves. I think we will definitely see some amazing products once Leopard is released. So I guess I'll just have to be patient if I want the same or better kind of quality products I got used to from Apple.

It will certainly be worth the wait.

Mmmmmm ... pleasurable.

Yeah, that's what I'm saying.

In Fortune 500 companies, I guarantee you 498 of them are running Exchange, Notes or both. Not .Mac mail or Yahoo or POP accounts, but enterprise-worthy collaboration systems.

I'm sorry the RDF doesn't allow you to recognize the facts, but without OTA connectivity to those systems this thing is a dud in the enterprise. There's a reason why RIM sells Blackberries by the case to those companies.

This isn't hard stuff. The iPhone can be a player in businesses, but AT&T;exclusivity, no collaboration connectivity and a pricetag 3x what we pay for a Blackberry doesn't help it. We're not talking about what was, we're talking about what is.

I think that's the point. The iPhone can be a player in business, but it won't likely be used to connect with corporate bureaucracy-ware.

And don't embarrass yourself by throwing that RFD crap out there.

nerds without meds are dangerous.

Apple is targeting the consumer market, but of course consumers will demand to be able to use it at work, so the enterprise will be forced to remake itself in Apple's image. Don't expect the reverse to happen.

When you get out of high school and into a business you'll understand.

@Chris & @ Justified,
You need to wake up and take a look around. The world is much bigger than Microsoft, and their proprietary products are NOT standards. Don't think they are just because you and your buddies who haven't retired yet managed to con your company into 'standardizing' on Microsoft products.

The day is coming when those in the board room will recognize the drain on corporate finances that most IT departments are because of their insistence on using Microsoft crapware.

Shoeman,
You need to go with Dell and MicroSoft so you can always experience cutting edge technology. Just ignore all the Windows equipped junk that uses single core Celeron and Pentium 4 processors. Yeah, Apple is totally prehistoric.

Shoeman is an anagram of 'no shame' as in no shame talking out my backside.

iPhone will create its own market - as the ipod did. So corporate customers will go with it and others won't.

The blackberry market in global terms is peanuts just as the Sony microdisk and high end portable devices that were out there long before the ipod.

A slick UI and 'usefulness' as far as the target audience is concerned is all Apple have to aim for and for Version 1 the iPhone does a good job.

@ Max - Shoeman is an anagram of 'no shame' as in no shame talking out my backside."

And you are a blind follower. Every PC manufacturing the world makes machines with up to date specs... But no, that doesn't matter... Steve says a 2 year old design is great and wonderful and it's all we need, so you are more than happy to pay a 15-20% premium for yesterday's technology....

Common sense doesn't matter... "Steve says it's all we need" so morons like you just accept it... I guess it will be a few more months and then of course Apple just can't introduce the new machines, .... they will have to schedule a "special event" so people like you can hoop and scream like you're at an Amway rally...


"@ Shoeman
Exactly how often do you need to buy a new computer? What work are you involved in that requires the absolute latest specs?"

Ahhh, I don't use a Mac at work. I unfortunately have to use a company supplied Dell laptop. They are rotated out every 18 months (as most companies do).

I do however my a new home computer every 12-18 months. I have done this since 1985 when I entered the PC world.

I bought my Intel Mini in February 2006. It's time.

Shoeman,

Apple's hardware is at times ahead of Windows box assembler's and sometimes a little behind, but that just doesn't matter. You've said it yourself: "I unfortunately have to use a company supplied Dell laptop." That feeling has nothing to do with the hardware and whether or not it is state of the art.

The real difference is the OS, and even a 5 year old Powerbook running 10.4.x is going to be a lot more fun and a lot more productive than the latest Windows box. Be patient. In a few months, you'll see new Macs with new capabilities.

Chris...

Since I got my Mini, I bought 4 iBook G4's for myself, wife, and 2 kids. And they are find for what they do, and as my "motel" machine.

Now that I have completely switched in my home, I feel I have outgrown the Mini (which is my main home computer) and am ready to move up to an iMac. I don't believe that it is too much to ask to expect modern hardware to be available.

The basic $1000 iMac has specs equivalent to a $600 PC, I understand that. I suppose it's worth the price to run Apple's "Machine Limited" OS.

As mentioned, I am used to building a new machine once a year or so, with the latest processor, more RAM, and latest Video card. I don't believe it's asking too much for Apple to upgrade their machines once a year with the latest and greatest components.

Unfortunately, I see no news from Apple about their PCs. All I hear is iPhone this and iPhone that...

LOL! The $1000 iMac has specs better than a $600 PC. The case alone is worth nearly as much as the PC.

You're used to building a new machine every year because with a Windows PC, that's what you need to do. That's part of why the iMac is worth more.

"The case alone is worth nearly as much as the PC. "

Hahahahhahaha, Ahh, I see, you also are just an unthinking fanboy...

They Macs are "really Gorgeous", and the "back of them looks better than the other guys front" hahahahahahaha LOL!!! Damned right that's a good reason to pay $1000 for a Core Duo with 512 meg of Ram and Integrated Graphics!!! That's a REAL DEAL!!!! Maybe they won't upgrade them for another year or so, afterall the iPhone is the #1 priority!!!

Tell ya what Chris, learn just a little bit about hardware then come back and talk.. Oppps, that's right, you don't care about specs.. What really important is that it's "really beautiful"...

You don't see at all. The iMac's case is not only built with better materials, it's designed better. The fact that you want to compare the iMac to a cheap clone maker's flimsy plastic box shows that you're the very definition of unthinking.

Think about this spec: more than 99% of the time even the slowest computer is waiting for the user to do something. To get more performance out of the computer you need to get more out of the user, and that's what OS X does far better than Windows. The value in the computer is in the OS, which is why the Mac is worth more than a PC. If you can't accept that, then maybe you should go buy some parts and build a PC.

"The iMac's case is not only built with better materials, it's designed better. The fact that you want to compare the iMac to a cheap clone maker's flimsy plastic box shows that you're the very definition of unthinking."

OK, I'm unthinking because I am not willing to pay a premium for a computer with 2 year old hardware and a pretty case. I don't really care if the hardware's jammed into a cardboard box. I'll leave you fanboys to droll over the "gorgeous" cases on the iMacs with 2 year old technology.


"The value in the computer is in the OS, which is why the Mac is worth more than a PC. If you can't accept that, then maybe you should go buy some parts and build a PC.

I agree. I have said many times, I'm a OSX fanatic, not a real big fan of the Mac. Unfortunately Apple's OS is Hardware Limited. You are required to buy their overpriced hardware to run their OS. Still, I am willing to do this if I could find a modern computer that was available.

As far as building a PC today, I did about 7 months ago and it runs OSX-86 just fine.

I'm getting a real kick out of this forum. Every time an article is posted, some idiot immediately posts some sort of flame is posted by a troll, AND THE REST OF YOU IDIOTS SPEND ALL DAY RESPONDING TO IT !!!

This is worse than 10 years ago when there really was concern that Apple would not make it.

Now really folks, get a life!

I'm really interested on what Apple groupware product I might use. I need for my e-mail, calendaring and contacts to sync with my iPhone over the air.

I'll wait for your answer.

For a long time.

See, while you can talk about Exchange and what crap it is (and I would even agree with you), there simply isn't an Apple equivalent that syncs with an iPhone OTA. It doesn't exist. When there is one I'll be happy to bring it to the attention of my company. Until then, I need a solution that gives me push e-mail and syncs my contacts and calendar OTA. Where is Apples?

@@Chris,
http://www.macnn.com/articles/07/07/02/iphone.contacts.app/

Happy now? By the way, there are these portals on the web that we call search engines. You should try to learn how to use them.

@Shoeman,
You're unthinking because you can't see that the value of OS X cannot be separated from the hardware that it is so well integrated with. Allow OS X to run on a cheap PC and you'll see many of the stability problems PCs have. You need to either accept that fact, or spend a few dozen hours and who knows how much money trying to get your 7 month old PC up to spec so it can do a half way decent job of running Vista.

Good God Almighty, does anyone wonder why Mac users are called zealots and fanboys? One of us steps out of line, and oh my God, says that there's something they don't like about Mac, and a horde of villagers fire up their torches and jump on the post to attack him. Shoeman may have a point, it seems like Apple is a little slow to adopt the newest chip or whatever compared to the windowz world. Apple needs to be better about matching its hardware pricewise to the grey box guys, or do a better job at explaining the difference in price and features. I think that's the major reason why osx is not the predominant os for consumers, despite its superiority.
After a coffee spill ruining my 3rd osx keyboard, I can't help but wonder why Apple can't come up with a reasonably price, spill resistant keyboard. The best solution they have is a 25 dollar condom to go with their plain jane, 30 dollar keyboard. And after reading the condom description, I'm not even sure that it will protect against an accidental spill.
I know there's a lot of people who are about to admonish me to be more careful, or flame me for not drinking my coffee out of a sippy cup or something. But here's the deal, a spill resistant, mac compatible, is made for 20 dollars by...microsoft. I don't see why Apple or someone else can't make a spill resistant mac keyboard. I like my powermac, love the OS, but I'm not drinking the kool-aid. There's no reason why a mac keyboard can't have the same features as windows ones, and no reason why it has to be two or three times more expensive. And don't get me started about mac video cards or the frakkin' mighty mouse.
Microsoft's consumers should start calling Redmond on the carpet about windows security and reliability. Apple consumers need to call out Cupertino on some of the crap that they pull. Like Apple memory prices.
If everyone's going to throw me out of the cult now, then so be it.

Clyde,

No, he doesn't have a point. There are literally dozens of cheap PC clone assemblers out there, and for most of them, there are only two ways to distinguish themselves. One is by price, and the other is to use the latest bleeding edge hardware, and push that to it's limits.

Price is irrelevant because the OS will cost you more than any savings, not to mention Windows PCs have virtually no resale value, so you can't recoup any of what you spent when it's time to buy a new one.

Bleeding edge hardware sounds nice, but the fact is that the slowest computer available today has more raw power than most people really need. Apple doesn't cater to the 1 in 10,000 users who think they want the absolute bleeding edge. If you're one of them, you need to look elsewhere or get a Mac Pro and max out the RAM. Will it cost you? Sure, but so will any other box you buy. The difference is that with the Mac Pro you pay up front, and a Windows box will continue to cost you both time and money long after the sale.

You're kidding, right? That isn't an Apple e-mail system, it's an external portal that I can't install at my company, I can't maintain and doesn't let me do away with Exchange. In fact, I have to HAVE Exchange or some other system to use it.

THIS is your enterprise-level solution? LOL

myFUNAMBOL enables iPhone users to:

* Sync contacts from other phones, over-the-air, to myFUNAMBOL. myFUNAMBOL would then contain the contacts (address book) from other phones.
* Wirelessly sync contacts from Outlook (or other email clients such as Mozilla Thunderbird) to myFUNAMBOL.
* Access and use these contacts on the iPhone. To do this, a user enters http://my.funambol.com/iphone in the Safari web browser on their iPhone. This displays a page that allows the user to enter their username and password to log in to myFUNAMBOL. Once logged in, a page displays a sorted list of their myFUNAMBOL contacts. The page looks and operates virtually identical to the native address book on the iPhone e.g. users can tap their finger on the touch screen to scroll the list and select an entry. A selected entry shows a page that also looks practically identical to the native address book, with the contact's phone #s, email addresses and location. The phone number can be tapped to call the person, the email address can be tapped to start an email with their email address and the location can be tapped to view it on Google Maps.

I'm sure there are other solutions too. The point wasn't to show the best solution, only that they are out there and can be found with minimal effort.

I should have been clearer in my question. When I asked what work you do that requires the latests specs, I didn't mean your "job," I meant "work" in the broader sense; I'm a law student, but I'm also a musician who works with computers, so, in addtion to having to perform basic scholarly type of work, I also require the ability to record, generate, and edit digital content. Now, if I did this for a living, and had to remain competitive, then yes, it would greatly behoove me to be employ bleeding-edge technology. But, as someone is working very independantly, for my own pleasure and that for a small community, the MacBook that I purchased in November is MORE than adequate; only a memory boost would produce improvement, and that may only be slight. So, are the applications you're running so system-demanding that you need to have top-ranked specs, or is it simply a bragging rights situation? Nothing wrong with that, I'm just curious.

"As mentioned, I am used to building a new machine once a year or so, with the latest processor, more RAM, and latest Video card. I don't believe it's asking too much for Apple to upgrade their machines once a year with the latest and greatest components."

So you're a PC hobbyist (which is fine) who has discovered how much better OS X is - great, congratulations, I'm in the same boat. I'm curious, though, since you appear to be a person who just LIKES "cutting edge", why you bothered with the Mac Mini and iBooks, and why you're eyeing the iMac instead of a Mac Pro. You can get a Mac Pro that'll run you about $16,000 if you want, tricked out with dual quad-core Xeons, 16 friggin' GB of memory (jeez!), four hard drives, and an insanely expensive NVidia graphics card, capable of doing any and everything you are likely to ever need or want to do for years and years - it certainly won't need to be upgraded next year or anytime soon. Now, I'm sure a home-built PC running... um... osx86, with similar specs, will cost you less. This begs the question, why complain about Apple's hardware in the first place, since you're perfectly capable of assembling your own and perfectly willing to break the law (osx86 is illegal, whether you think it should be or not)? Kind of takes you out of the running for being a "faithful user" of Macs, as you allege in your first post.

Finally, why do you see an iMac - specs aside, arguably the most well-designed form factor of any computer ever - in your future, since you denigrate "fanboys" for drooling over their "gorgeous cases"? Why are you drawn to the best looking desktop computer in the market (and I don't think it's even "in the eye of the beholder" at this point) if you'd be happy with components "jammed in a cardboard box?" Perhaps you're still going through Windows/PC-mindset withdrawal - I don't know.

You're in denial, Shoeman. I think what you'd REALLY like to do is purchase an empty iMac case, rig it so you'll be able to open it up once a year and change the CPU/motherboard/graphics card, illegally install a hacked operating system, and brag about it to your friends. Good luck with that, Shoeman... good luck.

Grigori