It's hard to argue that the iPhone isn't cool looking, that it's not a status symbol, and that it's not the hottest thing to hit the nation since Al Gore did the Macarena. But in case you need some incentive to pass up the iPhone in favor of a slightly less-hyped gadget, here are some reasons you shouldn't hand over your money so Steve Jobs can make a down payment on a yacht-or more likely an entire fleet of yachts.
6. Those lines outside of the Apple store are looking pretty brutal, and you'll have to stand next to a bunch of zombies hooked up to their iPods. What if your boss sees you next to the guy from the Apple commercials? That can't look good.
5. The iPhone is a slippery fish. There are rumors of the iPhone slipping out of people's hands due to its super-smooth touch technology. Although these whispers are mostly unsubstantiated, if you get clammy hands when dialing your cuddle-bunny, you may want to spring for a Razr just in case.
4. Do you really want to be stuck with AT&T for two years? There's nothing wrong with Ma Bell per se, but the company is in the midst of an executive turnover and has made some risky moves like gambling on a TV package meant to compete with cable companies (not to mention choosing the name "AT&T" over "Cingular"). If the company goes to hell before the end of your contract, will their customer service follow?
3. Apparently you can only download songs, podcasts, and other media through iTunes when the phone is hooked up to your computer. Even Zune, the poor man's iPod, can do better than that (it can wirelessly download media from other Zunes-although who else has a Zune?).
2. With the iPhone, you can't use VoIP technology to make cheap phone calls over WiFi. Here was a great opportunity for Apple to pack some money-saving innovation for consumers into their new gadget, but that would have greatly constrained the moneymaking opportunity for AT&T.
1. There are much better ways to spend $600. Hands down, the biggest issue with the iPhone is the price point, which reflects the drooling of millions of geeks and not necessarily the bells and whistles of the product. Even if reasons number 6 through 2 don't convince you to forgo your iPhone fixation, at least wait until the frenzy-and the price-dies down.
